Living With Lions – Dude Manor

I was introduced to Vancouver’s Living With Lions right before they released their debut full length, Make Your Mark. The album, sorry for the pun, left its mark on me. The melodic hardcore album caught my ears and fell into repeat. A few months later I got to see them live and it was at that point that I realized that Make Your Mark wasn’t the band’s only release, they had released an EP before that. Skip forward to now and that EP, along with Make Your Mark, has caught the eye of Adeline Records who has decided to re-releases both records in the States and give them the vinyl treatment. This renewed interest in the band has allowed me to get a copy of Dude Manor and see the first release from the band.

Now, to be completely honest, Dude Manor is definitely a step back from Make Your Mark. That’s the first thing that popped to mind as the six-song EP played through: it’s not as good as Make Your Mark. It’s only slight tweaks, but they’re still noticeable as Dude Manor doesn’t seem to come packed with as much of a punch or cohesiveness as their full length did. The sound quality isn’t as good either. Normally it wouldn’t be notable, but when compared to the full length, the vocals seem weaker here. They’re not as strong in the mix and don’t carry the songs in as much an of an anthemic fashion as they do on Make Your Mark.

But when I take a step back and think about it objectively, all of that makes sense. This was their debut and the band just improved as time progressed. Those little annoyances wouldn’t be as evident had I not been comparing the EP to a newer release. Being fully aware of what they’re capable off, I expected more and in that way am slightly disappointed. Once I forget about Make Your Mark though, I can see the many merits of Dude Manor as not only the EP that laid the foundation for what was to come, but as an generally solid and efficient melodic hardcore debut.

There are a few fantastic bass flourishes and the drumming can be unrelenting in a good way (see Said and Done); but it is Living with Lions‘ guitar work that really stands out. Not quite as fast or metallic as A Wilhelm Scream, they carry the music with speed and intensity all the while maintaining a much needed balance of melody. It leans towards Siren Song era Rise Against with a softer edge and pulls in some influences from Hot Water Music and Lifetime. The vocals are strong, think Jordan Pudnik if he went for a more hardcore delivery than pop-punk, and carry many anthemic qualities that are nicely built on by three back-up singers. When they alternate the vocals, like they do on A Noisy Noise Annoys The Boys, they’re able to really cement the image of singing along in a crowded basement, which is what this type of music should do.

I’m slightly disappointed because in my mind, this came after Make Your Mark; but it didn’t, its the predecessor which means it lacks some of the punch that made Make Your Mark great. Still, Dude Manor is a solid, entertaining, fist-pumping melodic hardcore EP – and for that, it deserves some recognition.