House of Lords' eponymous debut was released in 1988, featuring a heavier sound than Giuffria with slightly less emphasis on keyboards, the debut received critical acclaim and the band toured with Cheap Trick and opened for Scorpions in 1989. The album featured one major hit, "I Wanna Be Loved" (Hot 100 #58). The Stan Bush penned "Love Don't Lie" was the second single but aside from some airplay on MTV it failed to ignite. Despite a successful tour, original guitarist Lanny Cordola left in 1990, replaced by Michael Guy.
Their next effort, 1990's Sahara, features Michael Guy and an impressive list of guest musicians. Other notable contributions to the album came from Doug Aldrich, Rick Nielsen, Chris Impellitteri, Mandy Meyer, David Glen Eisley, Robin Zander, Mike Tramp, Steve Plunkett and Ron Keel. The first single & video was the Blind Faith cover "Can't Find My Way Home" which did well on Album Rock radio peaking at #10.. The second single "Remember My Name" was a bigger hit at Top 40 radio hitting #72 on the Hot 100 and a Top 5 regular on DIAL MTV. Soon after the single peaked, Chuck Wright and Ken Mary (drummer) would leave.
1992's release Demons Down, described by Christian as his favorite release, features Dennis Chick (guitars), Sean McNabb (bass) and Tommy Aldridge (drums) as well as, sole original members, James Christian and Gregg Giuffria. The album spawned two singles for the title track and the ballad "What's forever for" which would have been massive in a pre-grunge climate. After recording demos to shop for a new label, the band parted ways.
From a business point of view, House of Lords never reached the same level of popularity that Giuffria did in the mid-eighties until Jeff Kent was called to pull the band out of its black hole at the Frontier Records, ready to drop the House of Lords after the bands disastrous ratings of "The Power And The Myth" CD. The sacking of original Giuffria vocalist David Glen Eisley by Gene Simmons was not the most clever decision, but accepted by Gregg Giuffria.
A new album was rumored to be released in 2002, with original members Lanny Cordola, Chuck Wright and Ken Mary. Two years later The Power And The Myth was released by Frontiers Records with lack luster ratings and songs, however Greg Giuffria had pulled out and keyboard work was done by guests Derek Sherinian, Allan Okuye, Sven Martin and Ricky Phillips.
In 2006 House of Lords released a truly new album with most all the melodies and lyrics written by Jeff Kent (formerly of Pierce Arrow, Dreams, CBS songwriter, MTM Songwriter, and Producer of countless songs and projects, including songs on Robin Beck's "Trouble or Nothin" CD, including the 20th Anniversary newly released version, her "Living on a Dream" CD lyrics written almost exclusively with Jeff Kent) and World Upside Down with a new lineup including Jeff Kent as a “full band member” pictured in his barrette on the CD cover as well as all over the inside jacket of credits. Jeff Kent also played all the Keyboard parts in spite of what their fans were told about Gregg Giuffria, who backed out at the last minute, but was paid for the use of his name and credits to keep the band’s continuity with their fans.
Soon to follow was a live album HOL released Live in the UK which was released in January 2007. To the band’s great pleasure, Melodicrock.com also included two of Jeff Kent's co-compositions on the double 20th Anniversary CD, regularly released by MELODICROCK.COM, the greatest authority on Heavy Melodic Rock music in the world today.
2008 was marked with the release of the long awaited next new studio album, where Jeff Kent was again solicited to write “all the lyrics and melodies” with the exception of one song on this new amazing CD. Even the title came from Jeff Kent's Lyric on the song “Come to My Kingdom”, used as the title of the entire CD Come to My Kingdom, which was again followed by a limited European, US tour. However, unfortunately, due to poor business decisions, this barely supported and promoted new album rated at 97% on Melodicrock.com's website. Jeff Kent's work on the World Upside Down CD raised the bar on Melodicrock.com to being rated at 96% after the bands poor effort on "The Power And The Myth." Recently, the band was asked to play for the first time in Brazil, together with White Lion and Tyketto (both for the first time in Brazil as well), in the Hard in Rio II Hard Rock Festival.
In 2009, the band plans to resume limited touring and continue the infamous Come to My Kingdom tour of Europe, starting in September 2009.
Battle
House of Lords Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Rady to attack,
What you feel is numbing,
No way of turning back.
When you hear the order,
Nothing left to do,
Cross the final border,
Think about what coulda been,
And if it's gonna be...
(Chorous)
In a world torn apart,
You'll prove what you're made of
Bless every step you take.
In to in to battle
In to in to battle!
When the feel the fire,
When your body crawls,
Tough you're sick and tired,
And you're about to fall.
Think about what coulda been,
And if it's gonna be...
(Chorous)
In a world torn apart,
You'll prove what you're made of
Bless every step you take...
In a nightmare awake,
Feels like hell and for heaven's sake,
Find your way back someday, someway.
In to in to battle
In to in to battle!
The lyrics of House of Lords's song "Battle" discuss a familiar theme of going into battle and facing the unknown with courage and strength. The first verse describes the feeling of numbness and the inability to turn back when the enemy is about to attack. The second verse emphasizes the sense of finality and the conviction to push through the borders and make it to the other side. The overall message of the song is to prove one’s worth in a world that is torn apart and to bless every step taken towards the battlefront.
Throughout the chorus, the message of the song is reinforced with the repeated phrase "In to in to battle" that represents the determination and courage needed to face adversity. The line "Bless every step you take" highlights the importance of taking pride in one's path and being grateful for the opportunity to fight.
In the final section, the lyrics shift to a more introspective note, emphasizing the internal struggle of facing a nightmare reality and a need to find a way back to life. The lines "Feels like hell and for heaven's sake, find your way back someday, someway" add a reflective dimension to the song that adds depth to the message of courage in the face of adversity.
Line by Line Meaning
When the see'm comming, Rady to attack, What you feel is numbing, No way of turning back.
When the enemy approaches, and you know you are about to be attacked, fear and numbness takes over, leaving you with no choice but to face the challenge head-on.
When you hear the order, Nothing left to do, Cross the final border, And the pry to make it trought.
When you hear the command to charge forward, there is no time to hesitate or question the decision. You must cross the final line of defense and fight for what you believe in.
Think about what coulda been, And if it's gonna be...
As the battle rages on, you can't help but wonder what could have been if things had gone differently. However, you must focus on the task at hand and think about what can be achieved in the present moment.
In a world torn apart, You'll prove what you're made of Bless every step you take.
In a world that is broken and divided, the only way to survive is to show your strength and determination. With every step you take in battle, you are proving to yourself and to others what you are truly capable of.
When the feel the fire, When your body crawls, Tough you're sick and tired, And you're about to fall.
As the intensity of the fight increases, your body and mind take a beating. Despite the physical and emotional exhaustion, you must push through and fight on to the bitter end.
In a nightmare awake,Feels like hell and for heaven's sake,Find your way back someday, someway.
Sometimes, the battles we face can feel like a never-ending nightmare. In these moments, it's important to hold on to hope and keep fighting until we find a way to overcome the darkness and find our way back to the light.
In to in to battle In to in to battle!
The repetition of this line emphasizes the idea that no matter how difficult or daunting the fight may be, there is no other option but to charge forward into battle and give it your all.
Contributed by Thomas M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
freddjoh
Sad that you people think this is a comeback. HOL never went away! They have been releasing great albums every couple of years, and touring all over the world sharing their fantastic music with people inbetween. These guys rock and havel always rocked!
The new album is terrific by the way! And I'll be seeing them live in Norway in about 2 weeks. Can't wait!!
Richy J
Great old school rockin' fun! Great first track, can't wait to hear the whole album.
Adrian Bradley
Take it from me the album is BRILLIANT.Only heard of HOL a few years ago.What planet have I been living on.Maybe it's something to do with me living across the pond over here in Northern Ireland.
gardenstate78
Really good to see that these guys are still going strong. Such great musicians and hooks aplenty. Proper job!!
Dave Fitzgerald
Finally. Love this! Somewhat reminiscent of Dream Theater, musically. I can't wait to hear the rest of the album. The last album I really loved from them was Demon's Down. That was a looooooong time ago.
Robin Beck
Amazing! Can't wait to hear it live!!!
Angel Rodriguez
then i suppose you are in europe, the only place this wonderful band plays. which SUCKS.
Shannon Peters
Quality melodic rock.. these guys continue soldiering on in the musical wasteland of our time
FlashGordon
Mr Christian still got his great voice.
Keith George
FlashGordon James Christian is a phenomenal vocalist. No matter what music the band creates James adds life to each song brilliantly. Definitely the best and consistent band that covers all that rock n roll has to offer. One of my favorites over the past 20+years.