43
Love and War’s comeback: The apocalypse has begun
By GUY D’ASTOLFO
Back in the 1990s, Youngstown-based rockers Love and War were carrying the torch for LA-style glam rock.
The band’s debut album sold 5,000 copies, but tastes were changing – grunge was an inexorable force – so they called it quits in 1997.
Now they’re back.
With a new name — Apocalyptic Lovers — and all of the original members, the act will release an album on Saturday titled “Redemption, Vol. 1.”
The album was mixed by acclaimed producer Michael Wagener (Ozzy, Metallica, Skid Row, Dokken, Motley Crue, Poison, Alice Cooper) and recalls the days when arena rock ruled.
“Redemption” includes updated versions of the band’s old songs, plus a few new ones, including “Change of Frequency,” the first single. A video of the song is already on YouTube.
The band members are now scattered across the country, but got together to record at Mindrocket Studio in West Middlesex, Pa. Members are Dave Hope, drums; George Allen, bass; Robert Kane, vocals; Sean Magee, guitars, and Mike Nagy, bass (both Allan and Nagy played bass at different times).
A reunion show is scheduled for July 23 at the New Manhattan in Hubbard Township, and Hope expects representatives from at least three record labels to be in attendance. The band is planning to impress them with a full-blown stage production. Tickets for the show go on sale in May at the band’s website.
Before then, the band will stoke excitement with a series of video and song releases.
Hope recalled the history of Love and War, and its reincarnation.
“We formed in 1991 and probably peaked in 1994, but we were always battling grunge,” he said.
The act went to Los Angeles in ’94 to market itself, and wound up getting a mention in Entertainment magazine, and a record distribution deal for overseas sales.
“Every morning, I would line the urinals and bathrooms of clubs with our demo,” Hope recalled. “I met someone later in the bar who found the record and started talking to me about it, and it turned out he worked for Entertainment, and he did a piece on us.”
In the Mahoning Valley, Love and War frequently played at RJ’s Lounge in Coitsville, and also at places like the Magic Twanger in Boardman. It also played in Akron, Cleveland and Pittsburgh.
Aseries of events led to the act getting back together.
“For one thing, we were always dissatisfied with how our original full-length album turned out,” said Hope. “It was hasty.”
Another spark was the song “Change of Frequency,” which got the band back in songwriting mode.
“It’s from the point of view of someone who has died, and they’re saying ‘hey, I’m alright, I’m just on the other side’,” said Hope. The death of a family member inspired him to write it.
The third impetus was the growing appreciation for hair metal by younger fans, coupled with the fact that those who loved the music in the ’80s and ’90s still do.
The band already has a lot of material ready for “Redemption, Vol. 2,” which it plans to start recording soon.