By: Adam Grant

Listen to Arise And Ruin - In Life.mp3

It has been rumoured for some time that metal music has a strong affiliation with Satan.   This theory likely has a tendency of scaring some people off, but for Arise And Ruin's bassist Ben Alexis, Satan is alright by him.

"I'm digging the new stuff - it's heavy, it sounds like Satan," says Alexis about the latest material that his band is currently developing.

AG: "I've never heard Satan, have you met him up close and personally?"

BA: "No, but I probably will at some point.  I mean, it's bound to happen.  It would be pretty rad to meet Satan though, I'd be into that."

AG: "Yeah, especially if you already had some things in common with him."

BA: "We'd probably have a lot to talk about - it'd be cool.  We'd talk about beer and titty bars."

 Born out of Guelph, Ontario in June of 2005, Arise And Ruin is brought to life by Ryan Bouchman (vocals), Brent Munger (guitar), Greg Richmond (guitar), Derek Prince-Cox (drums) and Alexis, who, together, are showing the world their heavier side within their debut EP The Fear Of.

 Released in April of 2006 through Stereo Dynamite Recordings, the quintet's current offering is comprised of 5 tracks that show off the quintet's appreciation for dark, driving metalcore, which is filled with powerful vocal howls and speaker rattling arrangements.  However, unlike typical EP's that just feature a handful of tracks to showcase a band's talents, The Fear Of also includes 3 bonus music videos.
 Fortunately for these 5 partners in crime, this project has not been the only method made available to them when it comes to gaining an all-important fan base.  Arise And Ruin have been lucky enough to find themselves on the road with such ultra-popular loud acts as Underoath, Silverstein, Misery Index, and A Perfect Murder - experiences which, according to Alexis, have allowed the band to not only hone their craft, but also learn who their real allies are.

"Every time you tour with a band you learn something new - especially when you're touring with a different band that's maybe not exactly the same style and you can get them to pick up some different stuff," explains Alexis.

"Mostly, we're pretty good when we go out on the road - we've been doing it for awhile and we're all pretty tight, so it's pretty easy for us to just hop in the van and go.  But the biggest thing when you're touring with another band is that they're cool dudes and you get along - that's the most important thing," he continues.

"It sucks when you meet up with a bunch of dudes and you're like 'ah man, those guys have awesome music, but wow, they're douche bags."

 Along with taking their chances on the road, Arise And Ruin will also spend the rest of the year getting tracks together for a "heavier" debut full-length release that should be available to the public as of 2007.

For more information on Arise And Ruin, please visit www.ariseandruin.com