ROAD TO RUIN – Road To Ruin

This project band was formed to satisfy the artistic needs of Lars Chriss and Sampo Axelsson while they were working for Lion’s Share in 2005. Actually, some of their songs, although they were good, just did not fit in the sound of Lion’s Share; Lars and Sampo had the idea of making an album with all these songs and form a project to go with it.

While they were in the composing/recording process they recruited Thomas Broman (Electric Boys, Glenn Hughes, Audiovision, etc.) to add the drums. The vocals were added later on by Matti Alfonzetti (Skintrade, Jagged Edge, Alfonzetti) who was the latest and last addition to the solid line-up that comes under the moniker Road To Ruin.

The first signs of good music appear during the keyboard intro in “The Only One” that “steals” some atmosphere from the Rainbow Rising album, courtesy of Blackmore and Co. The song bears the vintage Hard Rock sound that can also be found in bands like Brazen Abbot or Rainbow during the Joe Lynn Turner era. The keyboards share the leading role with the guitars, creating the excellent groove atmosphere that welcomes the melodic and harsh vocals. “Pale Rider” brings a nice and solid rhythm through the hooking main guitar riff and the almost Bluesy vocals. Whitesnake are added in the influences list as soon as the emotional ballad-like “Face Of An Angel” enters. This kind of music takes the listener into the early 80s when the bands were making feeling-driven songs that spoke to the soul of every Metalhead.

The groovy “Pleasure And Pain” (what a classic title that is) is next, gaining some tempo until some excellent guitar leads cut in to really spice things up. “For You Soul” and “Until I See The Sun” are mid-tempo songs that are built upon the atmospheric sound of the Hammond organ that gets the listener in touch with the glorious early days of Uriah Heep. This is exactly what happens as the Road To Ruin CD spins around; great Hard Rock bands will come into mind from the very best moments of most famous bands and artists.

The good thing is that Road To Ruin managed to compose music through their point of view instead of simply recreating the vintage sound described above. One of the highlights of the album is definitely “Thorn In My Side,” comprised of an excellent vocal melody and a most enjoyable Bluesy rhythm. The only flaw in this release is the guitar sound during the solo that could have been made a little bit louder, but hey, this is clearly a personal and subjective remark.