Aggressive post-hardcore quartet
Lorene Drive mostly proffers the same punk-influenced emo angst as better known acts like
Hawthorne Heights,
Glassjaw, and
Cave In. But this young band from California's desert interior also betrays the influence of vintage metal and hard rock (as opposed to nu-metal) outfits like
Led Zeppelin,
Metallica, and
the Black Crowes, music close to the hearts of small-town heshers for decades.
Lorene Drive formed in the small high-desert city of Victorville, CA, in 2002. Friends since junior high, singer and bassist
Daniel Murillo, guitarist
Stephen Fisher, and guitarist
Justin Smith added drummer
Kris Comeaux to form
Lorene Drive, taking the not particularly good band name from the Victorville street that
Smith lived on at the time. Taking on an extensive touring schedule,
Lorene Drive self-released their debut EP,
Savan in Super Pursuit Mode (geek points for the obscure Knight Rider reference), in 2003 before having it reissued by the Top Notch label in 2004. The following year,
Lorene Drive signed with the Santa Barbara-based indie Lobster Records, which released
Romantic Wealth in the summer of 2005. ~ Stewart Mason, All Music Guide