In an ongoing endeavor to create meaningful and interesting music, Lo-Ruhamah has blended elements of black metal, folk, and Swedish death metal to form a cohesive whole. Though the band is based out of Springfield, Missouri, each member hails from a different state. Officially formed under the name Lo-Ruhamah in 2004, the band's history extends back further. In 2001, guitarist Matthew Alan Mustain and bassist/vocalist J. Grant Griffin set out to form a band, and started holding auditions for a second guitarist and drummer. Harry Frederick Pearson had been looking for other serious musicians since his relocation to Springfield. Upon arriving in the fall of 2002, he was anxious to form a metal act. He soon met J. Grant, who came from Dallas, Texas to attend school at Evangel University. Finding they had similar tastes in music, he was quickly introduced to Matthew, a native of Springfield, to discuss potential directions. In the coming months, the three began rehearsing together and writing material. As a nameless three-piece, the band began playing brutal death metal and wrote several songs accordingly. They soon discovered that the style was too constraining for their ultimate aspirations, so they decided to begin to develop a signature sound. They abandoned the idea of getting a second guitarist. After exploring various genres and approaches, they collectively decided to incorporate the more somber aspects of metal, drawing inspiration from bands such as Opeth, Extol, Virgin Black, and Taake. Still needing a name, they eventually adopted Lo-Ruhamah, which is Hebrew for "God will not have mercy." The name is taken from the Biblical book of Hosea and worked harmoniously with the spiritual vision and goal of the trio.

LO-RUHAMAH (2005) BOMBWORKS (Mini-CD)

Lo-Ruhamah is a new acquaintance from Springfield, Missouri. This might not be the cradle of extreme metal, but that doesn't matter when this band is delivering the goods! The band is still a pretty young outfit, and started under the current name as late as in 2004. Their goal was to create meaningful and interesting music, without any compromise. The musical base is black metal, but elements of death metal and folk-inspired metal is also present. This 4 track mini-CD is meant as a teaser for an upcoming full-length album. Here we are treated to 3 songs with vocals, and one acoustic instrumental, which creates a nice break within the otherwise brutal walls of sounds. The music is actually for the most part pretty laid back. So it isn't until the vocals penetrates your ears that you really realize that we're talking about an extreme metal band. 'Cause even though the vocals are varied up a bit, the shrieking/screaming vocals are present as a cold blanket over the music's slower tempo. This is also what sets this band somewhat apart from the masses. The point is not to go full throttle all the time, rather it's more important to create a certain mood. And Lo-Ruhamah are successful in that sense. The band is writing solid tunes, and seems determined as to how and where they are going with their music. I could personally do better with a grimmer production, but this is nitpicking. One can only sit back and enjoy this mini-CD, and wait for the full-length, because this act will be interesting to follow.