A+ "Bargain Bin" Bands (Part 2)

A continuation of the article I previously did about bands I feel others overlook in the sea of metal, but for my own reasons I keep coming back to them over and over again, and have stayed with me through the years.

Rogue Male

An overlooked London band, in my opinion. They formed in '83, and dropped their first full length album "First Visit" in '85. I remember first hearing this track thinking it was great, and really liked how the vocals stood out from other stuff I was hearing at the time (mainly thrash and NWOBHM... I was a snob). This song below intrigued me, and so I listened to the full album, as it was still on youtube at the time... probably a little while after youtube came into being, actually. I liked them so much I went and found the record for dirt cheap because... well... read the title of the article.

There are some videos of interviews with them floating around on the internet alongside live clips, which is where I realized that the guy on the cover was supposed to be the dude singing and playing guitar in the band- Jim Lyttle. I was slightly confused at what I was seeing, but also amused. It was sort of a gimmick, the way they looked and dressed, but their music was up to par, and as long as that is the case, then for me it's all good. They released another LP after that entitled "Animal Man", much like their first release in keeping with the musical feel of it. Pretty enjoyable, but I think "First Visit" has a place in my heart it can't take, as I had heard it years later.

They reformed in 2008, and released "Nail It" in 2009. Did they? I wouldn't know, because I'm a scared little girl when it comes to giving old bands with new albums chances. Except Carcass. Good god, Surgical Steel is amazing. But, I digress- If you haven't heard Rogue Male before, you should give them a listen and consider dressing and acting like them....

Stormwitch 

I don't even feel like this is bargain bin stuff, here. Stormwitch (which I just accidentally spelled "stormwich"... yum?) is definitely A+ stuff for me. Germany pumps out another amazing metal band from the apparent factory that seems to be deep underground there. These guys formed in '81, and released their first big'n in '84 called "Walpurgis Night", which is the more well known compared to the album I've embedded below, but I did put that album down there for a reason, but I'll get to that later. They went on to record 9 studio albums- Tales of Terror being their second studio album in '85. They ranged from '84-'15.

Now, again, I will be honest in saying that I haven't heard their most recent releases, but they had solid releases up until '89 to my knowledge. Everything I heard I liked, and maybe I shouldn't be so scared and go give them a listen along with Rogue Male, if not for the music, at least to satisfy my curiosity. Anyhow, these guys are some traditional- OR WHATEVER GENRE CALM DOWN- metal good for a go through if you'd like to hear some solid tunes for a few hours. They have a very Steve Harris bassline and tone in this album, as well. Enjoy! And if you already have.... Well then.... They're good, aren't they?

Sabbat

Ah, one of my favorite bands! Most people seem to really like the Japanese Sabbat. They're pretty good, just not quite my cup of tea, i suppose. If you do like them more than this one, that's cool, but man, I love this band. They have a constant lyrical theme it seems of mythical mischief, Paganism, and history- Three of my favorite topics! They execute each song so well in the story telling and in the music itself. The vocals were what got my me hooked after the first thrashy riff blew my mind, because sometimes with bands it can be that they have great riffs, but vocals that just lack that something special you're looking to pair with them. Not this band, oh no, Andy Sneap's singing and guitar playing go hand in hand with vocals like no other (In my opinion) and riffs to match- dark, beckoning, and almost hypnotizing.

I listened to this album so many times, and then I eventually moved on to their following release to "History Of A Time To Come" (1988), called "Dreamweaver", and let me tell you, I was NOT disappointed. They kept up the high expectations I had after hearing HOATTC. More stories, more insane riffage, more true thrash! If you're up for a wicked ride, and a sure fire way to get you in a thrashy mood (I've got a "thrash" count going now...), then look no further! Hit that play button, and treat your ears!

Also- I need this on vinyl. If anyone would like to gift it to me my name is Olivia Franks. Thank in advance.

Sword

Another band that it is a no-brainer to spew out my feeling for! Another in the line-up of bands that got me into metal- Sword of Canada! The first video I saw of them was actually the video for 'The Trouble Is". I was instantly wanting to hear more and proceeded, as I often did, to listen to the whole album, and went on to listen to their second and final release "Metalized". Now, most people I've noticed seem to like that release far more than "Sweet Dreams", grant it, the title ain't the best, but come on, it's what's inside it that counts!

I really enjoy both releases and feel they still hold up as strong as they did back then to me as they do now. I'm not sure why "Sweet Dreams' gets crapped on from some reviews I've seen, but it is actually my favorite out of the two, probably because I heard that one first, and later heard Metalized. I had/have a bad habit of giving one specific album/artist a listen to one too many times to the point of potentially annoying my husband. That aside, if you like some heavy metal with high octane, and high spirits, then give these guys a listen, you won't regret it!

Hexx 

This band was introduced to me by my husband Aaron Franks. There was no question about it, they rule! Those vocals- damn! "Under The Spell" was the album Aaron showed me first, so I knew the vocals of Dan Bryant before that of Dennis Manzo on their first release "No Escape". I think that Dennis has a great voice, but nowhere near as notable as Dan's. Dennis' voice reminds me more of Jon Arch formerly of Fates Warning, while Dan's voice sounds like no other to me. That coupled with the pounding metal and evil songwriting made for a definite lasting impression left on me. I've found myself going back time and time again to listen to those two albums.

After those two, it went downhill for me. It seemed like they turned what was a volatile pulsing pile of metal talent into a volatile pulsing pile a dog poo... I had such high hopes when i turned on that album and immediately after turning it on, I promptly turned it off. Now do NOT get me wrong- I love me some classic death metal like Devastation, Morgoth, Cancer, Entombed, Bolt Thrower, Carcass, Dismembered, Nocturnus- you get it, but that.... That sounded like a bunch of nonsense to me, like they saw where they thought the 90s were probably going and thought- Yep! Let's pack it in, guys, let's just suck.

I might be being a bit harsh, and they were just trying something new, but after those first two albums, it was just a disappointment to me. Back to my main point here, this video below will blow you away if you haven't heard it before, and if you have, then you know what I'm talking about.

Warrior

This band is a bit iffy for me, but made the cut because their first album I thought was pretty unique in a way, and had some good tunes on it. They're supposed to be future based, and NO, I would not make up a whole other sub genre called "future metal" for this.... most sub genres to me are a waste of time. Metal is metal. Anyway, this band has some class and inventiveness in their craft, and no, I'm not saying futuristic stuff was unique for the time. In fact, I'd even say it was extremely overused in the 80s- but there was a certain charm and cheesiness about it that kept me sticking around wanting more. The perception of the future from then is funny to most people, I'd assume.

Warrior writes about alien attacks and fighting for earth, so if sci-fi themed metal is your thing- then this album is for you. The releases following this seem to fall short of me recommending them, to put it nicely. It seemed like they went from exploring the sci-fi future themed stuff to watching too many documentaries on the discovery channel on how farmer Jeb saw aliens land on his farm and tell him how the pyramids were built... I was not into "Ancient Future", which was their follow up release to the one I put Below "Fighting For Earth". I still feel the album stands out enough to mention here, despite the following releases not peaking my interest.

Dementia

Here's a slice of thrash from the past, for me. I had saw this album on sale on discogs for dirt cheap and thought "I guess... Album art is questionable, but I really like that logo". I don't know where the album was actually shipped from... I think Greece or somewhere like that, but whoever shipped it did not give a shit, because I remember it came in pretty much two pieces of one ply cardboard tapped together. Luckily it was intact, so I went up to my room and gave 'er a spin. I liked it a lot! I listened to it again recently, and realized I liked it a hell of a lot more back then. I mean, I still really liked it, but I remember telling people about them like I had just heard Metallica for the first time or something.

Some of the riffs are a bit repetitive, but it has history with me, and I still enjoy it for what it is- a decent thrash release from the 80s. If you've gotten this far in the article and haven't insulted my writing 60 times yet, then thank you. Even if you just skimmed it, thanks all the same, and let me know what you think of the bands and any thoughts you have on what my next installment should be in this series.

Logan Barker - Barlow Interview (2017)

Photo by Brandon Richter

We are to speaking to the Bassist, and vocalist of the heavy metal powerhouse that is Barlow. If you haven’t heard them, than you should, and if you haven’t heard FROM them, then you will! That is, if you chose to keep reading, which you should.

Thanks for the interview Olivia!

Barlow is a heavy metal band out of Salt Lake City, Utah. How is it to be a metal band around there? Is there much of a metal, or just music in general, scene going on there?

Being a band in Utah is rad because there is an endless supply of killer bands of every genre, including METAL! It seems like the scene picks up and slows down but there are always good shows going on.

Adam “Smelly” Kelly used to be in a band called Killbot that formed in 2005, or so i’ve read, from the same location. Had you guys all known each other when he was in that band, and were you doing anything band wise, at the time, or had you just played bass just to play bass?

When Smelly was in killbot early on Mark (our drummer) and I were still in high school. We didnt know Smelly at the time but we idolized killbot! When killbot broke up we had a band called Merlins Beard going and recruited him to play guitar, it was a wet dream come true. We eventually progressed the band into its current form Barlow.


That brings me to this next question, do you just play bass, or do you play other instruments as well?

I play guitar as well. In Merlins Beard I played guitar and handled vocals.


You also sing for the band, when was it you started singing, and what made you choose the style of vocals for the band, and had you tried several before that?

When we were starting up our band Merlins Beard we had a really hard time finding a singer. We had tried a few classifieds ads, but no dice. So I Just started yelling and screeching into the mic at band practice, and it sort of just fell into place as time went on. I am a bit reclusive so it was never anything i had planned on doing. In the early days I had a really shitty James hetfield vibe going on but its getting better!


Is it difficult to keep a full sound live while just being a three piece, or does everything flow well? Not saying that in the sense that a three piece is not good in any sense- Venom is one of my favorite bands, so that would make no sense. Just was wondering.

Everything flows pretty well usually. Ive got a pretty nasty bass sound which helps things blend better. Being a three piece is a gravy train with bisquit wheels.

Photo by Brandon Richter
Logan ripping it up

What kind of gear do you use, and was there a specific tone you were going for on bass for this band?

Ive got a Rickenbacker 4003W bass, 1968 Peavey Dynabass head , Ampeg 810 Cabinet, and a fuzzrocious demon pedal. I picked up the head at the swap meet for $30. I would say the bulk of my tone comes from the Ric and the Pedal. I was going for disgusting.


The forming of Barlow came to be in the futuristic year of 2016. Do you recall when you all decided to be a band, or had you all had it in mind for a while?
I was getting really burnt out on our old band and decided to try something a little heavier. We started as a four piece but lost our founding guitar player before we recorded the EP. Being a three piece was easier and really helped define our sound and direction, so we stuck with it.

Is it fairly easy to get gigs in Salt Lake City, and what is it like in general to live there, anything interesting?

Yeah I think its pretty easy once you've been playing for a bit. Smelly is the only one that lives in SLC and he loves it. Mark and I live about 45 minutes north in Syracuse, which is the burbs. SLC is a rad place with lots of rad people but I'm sure its a lot like any other city. People from out of state like to make fun of us for drinking shitty beer and being polygamists but we dig it.


Who was it that came up with the idea of the cover art for the EP, and who illustrated it? I really like the art, and it stuck in my mind and I remembered the music was awesome, so I kept on looking it up on youtube and have listened to it a lot.

Amy Nelson! She is a very talented artist and also happens to be Marks long time girlfriend. We couldn't come up with any good ideas so we just asked her to draw a picture of the band being creeps. It turned out super awesome, and she even drew up the entire alphabet in the font! The bat is my favorite.


Was the name “Barlow” the first choice for the band, and how did that come to be the one?

It was the only choice, and our first guitar player Mike Elliot came up with it. Mike is super badass and was way into Stephen King at the time. In the novel/flick Salems Lot, the ancient evil vampire is named Kurt Barlow. Were easy so we accepted.

Adam "Smelly" Kelly laying down some riffs
Photo by Brandon Richter

The songs you guys have as of now on the self titled EP are available on Cd. Do you guys just sell them at shows, and do you have any plans in the future to distribute them other ways? And do you all want to release it on any different formats?

We will put the album on some streaming sites soon, but will probably sell most of them at shows.


There is music video of sorts for the song “The Witch”. What made you guys choose that song to do a video for, and who filmed it?

We filmed that in Ogden at Brook Mckees Studio/Haunted House, SunnyBrook Studios. He is the mastermind that recorded our EP, and does tons of killer live Videos at his studio. Look them up on youtube! We chose that song because its pretty heavy and we usually don't screw it up too bad. All we had to do was jam the song a couple dozen times, drink too many beers, and let him do the real work.




Do you guys practice pretty often, and where do you guys practice?

We are Utahs laziest metal band, Sometimes we practice regularly, sometimes not. We play in our drummers basement in the burbs.


So what do you guys do on your off time, and what is band practice like? Does it go on all day, just one straight play-through, or do you guys take breaks?

Were all working stiffs who spend a lot of time with our special lady friends and our families. Band practice can get derailed pretty easily, but we usually just drink 6 or 9 beers, run through the set, work on some new tunes, and hang out. We're not too worried most of the time, this band is purely a love of music. Marks got a great dane named Odin who loves to party, so we usually end up wrestling around with him a bit, or playing some Super Ghouls and Ghosts.

What would you say your lyrics are about for those that have not heard any of Barlow, and what would you say you guys are going for sound-wise, or have achieved, rather? I feel you guys have forged your own sound.

I think lyrical content is a 50/50 split. The first half being personal reflection or opinions, the second half being horror themed gruesomeness. The EP has tracks based on movies like Reanimator and Silver Bullet, but also other self written horror tales. The track titled Decide is exactly how I was feeling when we broke up our previous band.



What are some of your main influences, not just musicians, but anyone that has had an impact on you?

Valient Thorr, and Three Inches of Blood. These two bands had the biggest effect on me musically growing up and will always play a big part in my life. Nowadays my biggest influence is my wife Shayla and my two year old son Levon. They both love music as much as I do and keep me on my feet!

Mark Grey delivering the percussional goods

Is most of the writing for the band done by the whole band, or is there one person that does most of the writing?

I write all the lyrics and a big portion of the music. That being said its definitely a creation by all of us. We all have our individual styles that shine when were arranging and writing music. We will start with a basic idea and turn into something gnarly together.

Have there been good turnouts at gigs, and how has the audience responded to you guys?

We've had some really awesome gigs where the crowd was pumped and really dug us, and we've had gigs where the crowd was non-existent! You just never know.

What do you all believe a good performance is both live, and as a presentation of yourselves in the studio? As in just the attitude in general of the band, and why you all feel like sticking to what you do in terms of playing music?

We just try to be ourselves and have a good time, I think that shows in our music. Honesty and not trying to stick to one particular sound is just natural for us. The less you think about it the better it seems to come out.

Had you had any other bands before this one, if so, what were they, and what came of them?

Mark, Smelly, and I all played in Merlins beard together. Smelly is a hardcore troubadour and has played in tons of band Such as Killbot, Merlins Beard, a Gwar cover band called Scumdogs, and more. He currently plays in the best thrash band around, DEATHBLOW!!! Check em out.

I noticed that on the band page on facebook for Barlow your listed as playing the “Dad guitar”, and Adam plays “Mom guitar”, which is a reference to the show flight of the conchords, if I’m not mistaken. Is that one of the shows you guys all like? And what other shows do you like?

Haha I'm glad you caught that. Yeah FOTC rules. There's so much good television out there its hard to narrow it down but I think Its Always Sunny is the best.

Where did you guys record the EP, and did it take long to get done, or was the overall process pretty smooth and enjoyable?

We recorded it in Ogden at SunnyBrook Studios. Brook Mckee is the wizard over there and we had a killer time. We recorded the basic tracks live and it went super smooth. Lots of drinking and shenanigans. It took us a little while because we only hit the studio once a week or so. But it was awesome and we cant wait to record with him again.


Will we see more Barlow material in the near future, and perhaps even maybe some gigs in a few states sometime in the future?

Were writing some more material now with plans to record ASAP! We will see what time brings.

Thanks for your time, Logan!

Thank you Olivia! This was my first interview and I enjoyed every question!

Photo by Brandon Richter

A+ "Bargain Bin" Bands

Some of my favorite bargain bin bands... what's that mean? Well, if you haven't gathered what it means, it just is "obscure" stuff most people listen to and say "yeah, that's pretty good.", but I love it. Here is my first installment of the soon to be small series. I will be writing an article about a few of these bands themselves in the future. Possibly all of them for their own reasons they are special and remain strong in my collection to this day.

Rage

This... now THIS I have listened to countless times, and was one of the first bands I got into when i started my metal journey what seems like many a year ago. They are a German power/speed metal band I grew fond of by hearing this song. I hadn't seen this video then, not sure it was on youtube then, but I did listen to their other albums such as Execution Guaranteed, Perfect Man, and Reflections of a Shadow. I haven't heard their latest stuff, although they're still active, and just recently released a new album that looks like I probably wouldn't be too interested in it, but you never know, I'll give it a shot. Either way, their classic stuff has a hard hitting punch that still keeps me coming back for more to this day. I've even got it on cassette!

Proud Existence

When my husband and I went to see the band Cauldron back in October Satan was with them, and Ian Chains asked if we had ever seen them live, to which we replied no, but I said I used to listen to them a lot and had a short time in high school when I listened to Court in the Act along with this here album back to back for some reason. I couldn't remember the name of the band, but described the album cover, and he knew what I was talking about. I hadn't tried to look them up in years, but the day after the Cauldron/Satan show I looked them up somehow, and found this, and it brought me back to that time of playing PS2 for hours, cheeze-it's, coca-cola, and sleeping a lot.... Those were the days... sort of. This album definitely still draws me in and holds me til the end, and if I can ever find it on vinyl or something, that'd be great. Ian said he heard of them from a CD they got in Greece from a street shop or something along those lines. Go listen to Cauldron if you haven't. Great music, and true metal dudes, and very nice ones, at that. That aside, this band from Holland came to form in 1980 as Pre-Existence, and then changed their name to Proud Existence, and only had this release in 1988. They split shortly after that. This album art is crap, but the music is choice.

Scanner

Yet another German power/speed metal band that is top notch, and among the first few bands I came across while heavily getting into metal. I remember seeing this cover and thinking it looked cool, and for some reason reminded me of one of the Darkness album covers, who are ANOTHER German metal band, a thrash one, at that who I am also a big fan of. Looking at the album covers now, I don't know what the hell 13 year old me was thinking their album covers looked like, but at any rate.... I Heard this album first, then looked into more of their stuff and listened to Hypertrace, which was their first album. They've been around since 1986, and are still going around playing today. Mainly at festivals, like most long time going on again off again bands. Classic power/speed metal, give them a listen if you haven't, they might be one of your favorites if you're into that type of metal.

Meliah Rage

This next band is from Boston, and has been active since 1987. They're classified as thrash metal, but I don't know if I'd consider them a specific metal genre. A lot of people seem to quarrel over that, but I never really went to deep into that conversation. When it's easy to categorize bands, sure, I'll identify them as that genre, but when the band tends to go between sounds, or just has a sound all their own, I don't like to dispute that much, and just think of them as their own thing in the heavy metal world. Which is what I think of Meliah Rage. Between this first album they had and the other powerhouse of an album Solitary Solitude, they have their own sound that'll knock you on your feet, and still leave me nodding my head today. I just recently bought a Kill To Survive shirt they released. Not sure if there's any left. And yes, Meliah Rage themselves did sell these. I don't buy bootleg shit.

Mysto Dysto

Now more people Probably know the other band this turned into Called Mandator that formed after the 1986 release of this album, which was the only thing they had released under the Name Mysto Dysto. I remember the name of the band sticking in my head, and would look them up whenever I didn't know what I wanted to listen to that day. I still listen to this gem... I probably don't need to keep mentioning that, I already said in the intro that the reason I'm listing these bands is because they've held up strong through the years for me. When I first started getting into metal I would write down bands from this youtube channel Wolfgangvonposerkila, or TheBurningOfSodom that made videos called "Thrash Metal Gems", and this was on one of them. I would write down all the bands on the list, then cross them out when I could remember several songs from the band, name of the album, and some info on the band. Yeah, that's stupid, so what? I loved it, and it helped me find so many great bands, and I wouldn't know these bands, or remember them, for that matter, if I hadn't done that. So here they are: Mysto Dysto. Check out Mandator if you like this stuff, too. They're a bit different, but still really good.

Powerlord

Maaaaan, this production quality sounds like ass, but it's the great kinda low budget sound that just adds to the sound! But what really matter is this slice of molten metal dripping with... well, awesomeness. The scream in this intro is ear shattering! I love the singer's voice whose name is unfortunately Dane Cook.... Yep. That shitass comedian wishes he had the talent this guy did. The band has since split up, and were (probably are, they didn't get shot off the earth upon disbanding)  Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The only release they had was the album this song is off of "The Awakening" in 1986 (good year, eh?). I wonder what those dudes are up to now? Probably have day jobs at some office with short hair and 5 kids or something. Either way, this is a great tune, off a great album in my opinion. That riff in this song is almost hypnotic...

Mezzrow

 These dudes don't mess around when it comes to thrash metal. A lot of great metal has come out of Sweden, and this is certainly among them for me. I think they definitely deserve more people hearing this than the amount that have heard it. This whole album "Then Came The Killing" is great from start to finish. Great guitar tone, I might add, and pretty good production sound for a small band with only one release. They have since split, and have a brief reunion in 2005 for a festival, which there apparently was a DVD of that only the band distributed directly. I feel like they should have used the picture they used on the back of the album instead of the picture they used on the front. i remember seeing the music video and thinking they were cool, then looked them up and saw the name of the album, and looked it up to see a bland-ass picture on the front, but, hey, a lot of kinda obscure stuff has lame covers, and great music. It's better to be more concerned with the content itself, instead of the cover and looking cool and all that jazz. I need to get this on vinyl, still. Very powerful, full sounding thrash with whit and force. Check 'em out! That's it for this one, stayed tuned for more, and thank you for reading, and listening! If you get this far, let me know what you think on the facebook fanpage for Thrashdance Fanzine!

Vic Stown of Vindicator Interview (2015)

This next one is from South Amherst's own thrash metal veterans (having their debut album "There Will Be Blood" back in 2008. Vic , frontman and founder of Vindicator, talks to us about their latest happenings (at the time), what they've done, and gives you a feel of what they're about. If you're into good old thrash metal and don't know these dudes, give them a listen for sure. I'll put a video of one of my favorite songs at the end of the article. This one is considerably less cringey. I'm not talkin' like I'm coolguy McGee now, because there's no fixing me in that aspect, but I like to think I learn from my.... how you say.... Idiocy. So here's an old(ish) interview With Vic. Enjoy!

Photo Cred: Cristina Atilano, Image altered by yours truly

Let's start off with getting to know the man who is Vic Stown a little better before we get right into the Vindicator talk. How was it growing up? Did you parents introduce you to metal?

- My parents were into a lot of sixties and seventies rock and of course metal from the seventies and the eighties. Back then radio stations didn't suck nearly as bad as they do today, so you could tune into your local rock station and a hear variety of good music. That's what I grew up with, Aerosmith, Motley Crue, Black Sabbath, AC/DC, etc. But my love and appreciation of thrash came from my buddy and former band mate, Wayne Holocaust. He's the one who really hooked me. Annihilator, Mortal Sin, Artillery. Known and unknown. At twenty years old he had a massive collection of tapes, CDs, vinyl, and mp3s. We'd hang out and just listen to music.

What band was your Dad in, and how did it affect you?

- In the eighties he was in the heavy metal/hard rock outfit, Stutz. That lasted until the early nineties. Then after a brief moment,  he was in a Christian hard rock band called Michael for several years. And then a band called SOL after that. His constantly being in bands had a huge impact on who I am today. It's like I couldn't stop writing, playing, or enjoying music if I wanted to. It's in my DNA. His songwriting has influenced the way I compose my own music. It's subtle, but it's there.

When was the first time you picked up a guitar, and is that the only instrument that you play?

- I couldn't remember the first time I actually picked one up, no matter how hard I tried. But around the age twelve is when I really wanted to learn how to play. Today I can play bass and guitar, if you want to call it that, heh. I have a very rudimentary understanding of most instruments and can play them like cavemen would paint. I'm no virtuoso on anything, but I can figure most instruments out enough to play a primitive song or two. I'm great fun at campfires.

Did you and your brother both start playing instruments at the same time, and how were you introduced to the guitar?

- My brother really started getting into drums around the age fourteen, I think. I was eighteen at the time. I somewhat decided for him that he would play drums. The way I saw it was, he had a tiny kit when he was like five, he should play drums. I got my first guitar around the same age that I really started getting interested in it. That Christmas my parents bought me an Epiphone Stratacopy and a Park fifteen watt practice amp. They were both horrendous sounding and difficult to work with. But I made do.

Photo by Robert Escue

Who was your biggest influence?

- At the time, my biggest influence  was my Dad. He showed me three power chords and told me I could learn most songs knowing those three chords. So naturally Smoke On The Water and Cat Scratch Fever were played quite a bit. Over the years my Dad has remained an influence in my writing, but depending on what I'm writing, my influences will change damn near song to song.

Growing up, were your favorite bands the same as they are now, or have they changed over the years, and do they have any part in inspiring your music to this day?

- The bands I liked when I was growing up, I still like today. There's just way more now. Certain bands inspire me creatively, while others inspire me as a musician. They all help me to be creative, I suppose. Some are very obvious, others only slightly.

What was the first concert/show you saw, and what did you think of it? Was it special to you?

- The first real show I went to was Kansas at the Lorain county fair. It was a great show. It is still special to me, yes. My first metal show was Iron Maiden, Dio, and Motorhead. That show really lit me up as an aspiring musician. Nothing tops the energy at a metal show of that caliber.

Alright, now to get to some Vindi talk! In 2005, the formation of Vindicator came about. How did that happen?

- My previous band of three years had came to a screeching halt. It crushed me. All the time we had dumped into it for nothing. Feeling a bit bitter and having lots more to say and do, I didn't hesitate to form another. Obvious choices were my brother and Wayne Holocaust who were also in the aforementioned band. We learned that our friend from high school who was in a black metal band as a vocalist (but could also play bass) had just quit. We all lived in South Amherst. It was a no-brainer for all of us.

Photo by Rockhouse

Was Vindicator the first name that was chosen for the band, and who came up with it? Why was the name chosen?

- There were a few names and for the life of me I can't remember any of them. Most were pretty silly. I think one might have been “Thrash Hammer”, ugh. Glad that didn't happen. But Vindicator was in that first mix. Marshall came up with it since he and Wayne were Warhammer dorks (like those Bolt Thrower guys) Vindicator was a natural choice. I'm kidding, by the way. Warhammer is awesome. And so is Bolt Thrower.

Were there any bands you were in before Vindicator?

-I was in a rock band in high school named LEAF. Some cool acronym for something or other. Wayne and Marshall were in a metal band named Fallout. After high school, Wayne, Jesse, and myself were in what started as Snowyt (Snow White, our wit was OFF THE CHARTS, I know). When Mikey B. Lial joined the band he suggested we change the name as people had trouble actually pronouncing it. We got “Snowy T” or “Snow It” a lot. So it was clear, the name had to go. Jesse suggested Violent Night and everyone agreed.

Photo by Sarah Stown
Jesse (drums), Vic (guitar), James J. (Cat, Guitar), and Ed (Bass)

A little while after the formation of the band, the first demo came out, followed by the second demo entitled "South Amherst Thrash", which included new songs altogether. What are your thoughts on those songs now, and how did you record and get those demos around?

- I still love those early tracks. Our first demo was just a demo of a basement rehearsal. We recorded it on an iPod using the Griffin iTalk attachment. We tossed it up on a dryer and ran through our set. Warts and all. I love how it turned out. It was free and didn't need mastering. As raw as they come. It was the only recording with original second guitarist, Wayne Holocaust. He left shortly after. Marshall, Jesse, and I decided we needed a proper demo. I hit up former Violent Night member Mikey B. Lial to record with. He had a Fostex digital recorder and was pretty good at using it. This was in an age that most DAWs were extremely expensive and not readily “available” in terms of finding pirated copies. So at the time, it was an excellent option. We cut those songs in one day. A few of those tracks made their way onto our first full length. Some retain there kvlt status on those demos. We decided to combine the two demos since we had space on the CDRs we were making. Getting them out was fairly easy, too. We hauled them around to local shows we attended or played. Sent them out here and there. They made their way around the world. I recently ran into a vender selling them for five bucks a piece. I got a good chuckle out of that.

After the release of that demo came the first full length album called "There Will Be Blood" (2008). Only 3 songs from the demos were used on this album. What was the reason for that, and why did those three stay, and did you already have all the material written for the rest of the album, or did you guys work on it after the initial songs for the demos were written?

- Vindicator actually went into a temporary hiatus for roughly a year in two thousand-seven. In that time we wrote most of There Will Be Blood. When you're inspired to write, you write. So we took advantage of that. Some songs happened while we were down, some when we started to get active again. It came together relatively easy and quickly. We didn't really have a solid reason as to why what demo tracks stuck around. We just felt those three were ones that needed to happen.

Photo by Sarah Stown

What are your thoughts on that album today? Any memories or notable events from recording it? Was it tough recording it?

- I think it's a solid release. I think it stood up to the Slayer worship that many of the new crop were producing. It's a fun album and it's catchy. It wasn't extremely technical by any means. But it's good. We recorded TWBB in the loft of a three car garage. A guy my Dad was jamming with had a studio. We hired an outside engineer and made it happen. It was hot as fuck up there. No AC. Just fans. The album unfolded smoothly. I remember one nasty storm, but it came and went. We laughed a lot, ate a lot of Subway, and made the magic happen.

Who was the guy on the cover of the album holding the axe?

- That's Marshall. Originally, we had paid famed artist of the era, Halseycaust to make the artwork for the record. She didn't get it to us on time. We had a set deadline to make TWBB happen before a quick run out to LA. Marshall came up with the concept you see on the cover. And we used the art from Halsey for our sophomore record, The Antique Witcheries. I love how that unfolded. I feel the artwork for TWBB is more appropriate than the Halsey piece for that record. It's very Exciterish, if you will.

Where was it that the album was done, and did you guys have decent equipment?

- I think the studio was called Atonement Studios. Like I said, it was a loft above a garage in Birmingham, Ohio. It was nice, sort of in the country. Quiet place. They had good enough equipment. The album had an unintentional eighties vibe. It was all digital, but sounded pretty analog. Which was weird. I'm not sure how that happened.

How was the distribution of the album, and what formats was it on? Did it seem to be well received to you?

- It was pressed by us, so the only distribution it saw was from us trading with small labels. But there's a lot of small labels worldwide that wanted it, so in the end, it got excellent distribution. Sure, it wasn't in major retailers, but it was getting to people who were genuinely interested in that music. It was originally pressed on CD. Later on Doomentia Records would reissue it on vinyl.

When was it that Slaney Records contacted you, and how did it go down?

- Shortly after TWBB we were contacted by fledgling Irish label, Slaney Records. They were interested in us to participate in an unnamed split series they were working on.

After the single "The Dog Beneath The Skin" (Vindicator's first released work under a label), you guys did a split compilation entitled "Outbreak Of Metal Vol. 1" with another band named Metal Witch. Was that Slaney's doing, or did you guys suggest it, and were you a fan of Metal Witch?

Photo by Ron Daniel

- The single happened because Slaney wasn't going to have the splits to us before an upcoming tour. They're a good label, so wanting us to have SOMETHING, they pressed the single in order for us to have a release to take on the road with us. I actually came up with the name “Outbreak Of Metal” a nod to Teutonic thrash titans, Sodom. The label sent us a list of bands to check out. We either couldn't agree or the band wasn't interested and finally we came across Metal Witch. I've been a fan since the first time I heard Valley Of The Kings. That song will never not rip.

Were there intentions to have another edition of an Outbreak Of Metal compilation because of the "Vol. 1" at the end of the title?

- I'm fairly confident Slaney intended to keep the series running. They ended up doing a Volume Two. Not sure if anymore happened following. Splits are a tricky thing. Some are received well. Most, not so much. An EP seems to generally do better alone.

Who came up with that album art for the Outbreak Of Metal compilation? One of my favorite album covers of Vindicator.

- I believe the artist's name is Sean Fitzpatrick. He's still out there making great art.

After There Will Be Blood, a few line-up changes happened including the bassist and the guitarist. Did this happen directly after the recording of TWBB, or did it happen gradually, and for what reasons, if you'd like to share.

- Well, Marshall stayed on bass up until around The Antique Witcheries. But Bob Shubert did quit after our first tour. He played a show or two and then bailed to work on his own project. This wasn't a bad thing. We appreciated the time Bob spent with us, but it gave us the opportunity to rekindle our relationship with former Violent Night band mate, Mikey B. Lial. Mike is phenomenal musician. Both very professional and talented. We asked if he'd be interested in recording leads on the split stuff and after he did, offered him the lead spot to which he accepted.

For what reasons did Marshall Law go from singing and playing bass  to just singing?

Photo by Ron Daniel
Jesse Stown

- We all agreed that Marshall needed to not be tethered to a bass. As a band we wanted an energetic frontman and oftentimes that's difficult to achieve when you're both playing and singing. One or the other is going to take a hit. Being able to focus on ONE thing means it will sound better.

After that came Vindicator’s second full length album; "The Antique Witcheries", which seemed to take on new lyrical content and sound overall in my opinion, would you agree with that?

- Lyrically we sang about roughly the same things we had before. We touched politics for the first time. Still the same old horror. The album was very Lovecraft themed. Many lyrics and titles were pulled directly from Lovecraft stories. The sound was sonically different from anything we had done before. We recorded it at the same studio we had done the split hoping to attain that same rawness. It was a little more polished the second time around, though. I still was not at all disappointed in the release, though.

Being that this was the first album that you recorded on Heavy Artillery records, was it a lot different from when you recorded under an independent label?

- It was a lot different. We got jerked around a lot and pretty well under funded. We did our best with what we had. So to answer your question, yes. Working with people who genuinely love the music they're releasing versus people just trying to use you to make money is what you get with indie labels versus labels with massive retail distribution.

Did the recording process seem to go a lot smoother, and how was the treatment Heavy Artillery gave you overall at that time?
- There were elements that went extremely smooth, while there were issues here and there. Heavy Artillery had us in the dog house just about the instant we signed the contract. I could go on about the crap we endured from their end, but I'd rather not.

On the cover of "The Antique Witcheries" there is a skeleton holding an ax. Was that at all intended as a theme for your albums, as the guy on the cover of There Will Be Blood had one, or was it just a coincidence?

- Purely coincidence. The first three releases did have a dude with an ax, though. We loved axes back then.

The title of the album along with the title track seemed to be a new sort of topic to delve into. Seems like an interesting cool topic to me, what prompted it?
- I got a copy of The Library Of America's “Lovecraft Tales” for Christmas the previous year. I had heard of the author but never really delved into his writings. It inspired me greatly at the time and influenced most of what you hear on TAW.

Did the distribution of that album go more smooth since you had Heavy Artillery on your side at that time?

- I guess you could say that. Labels distribute according to demographics, so in LA you could walk into a Best Buy and see it on the shelf with fellow thrashers Fueled By Fire, Gama Bomb, and Warbringer. But in our neck of the woods, Rap rules supreme, so needless to say, we couldn't find it. It was a bummer. One of our biggest accomplishments, our CD in a major retailer, and we couldn't even walk into our local chains like FYE and Best Buy and hold our work.

The third album to date "United We Fall"was a major turning point for the band, with the departure of a few members,and a door open to new ones, along with you going from guitarist, to the singer and guitarist. So what happened with the singer and bassist, and where did you find Ed Stephens and James J. LaRue?

- Marshall started to drift apart from band shortly before recording TAW. He had just graduated from college and was wanting to get on with his life. Shortly before we headed out on our first (and ironically our last) major North American tour, he bailed. With very little options, I took the helm. Although Mikey recorded leads for TAW, he had already parted ways with the band prior to it's recording, also siting life as his prompt to quit. He did us a solid by playing on the record. Mick Mayer joined as lead guitarist after the album was cut, but also left for reasons unknown prior to our US tour. This left myself, Kid, and Jesse. We toured as a power trio with no guitar harmonies or solos, with our friends in Possessor and Aggressor. James was filling in for Aggressor. We became good friends during that month and we talked him into moving out to Ohio and filling the vacant lead position. Kid left shortly after that tour for personal reasons. In that time we sought out local bass talent, Mike Kurtz, from the Lick The Blade. Mike stayed on for a short period. Ed filled in for Mike on a few gigs and shortly thereafter, we offered him the bass spot.

Photo by Robert Escue

Had you already been experienced in singing, or was it a whole new thing for you to master? And was singing and playing guitar at the same time difficult at first?

- I sang and played guitar in Violent Night, so it wasn't anything new for me. Some things were tough, others weren't so bad. But I didn't have much time to get into shape. I had been out of practice for some time. It was hard, but I pulled through. After a month on the road, I hadgotten much better, haha!

Shortly after the release of "United We Fall", Vindicator played the Warriors Of Metal fest. How was that for you, and are there any really memorable moments you'd like to share?
- That was a great time. All of the WOMs were. We played the year before, and headlined the pre fest show the year after. That particular one we were direct support to Helstar. I remember playing  and looking over my shoulder to see James Rivera watching us. That's special to me. That means something to me. It was a real honor. Sadly, it was James' last live performance with us.

Who have you gone on tour with over the years that have left an impact on you in the sense that the bands were great to play a show with and fun to hang out with?

- Every. Single. Band. We were VERY fortunate to not run into or have to deal with ANY rock stars when we toured. We only toured a handful of times. I can list all the bands we toured with: Fatality, Aggressor, Possessor, Lich King, Viking, Seven Witches, and Vicious Rumors. Not a single one disappointed or were unfun to hang with. You forge amazing friendships on the road with your tour partners. They become your satellite family.

Photo by Rayna Lawson

Your most recent work to date with Vindicator is the EP entitled "Sleeping With Evil", which was released in January of 2014 also involved Ed and James, how did that work out?

- These tracks were tracks we had left over from UWF. They just didn't fit for one reason or another. UWF was the first release we went into having more tracks than we needed. So it was nice to be able to put them out.

There seems to be a lot of talking before the songs a lot like how Toxik had on "Think This", any correlation there? I think it adds a nice touch to the songs.

- As much as a love that record, there is no correlation between to two. We added Robert Oppenheimer to New Clear Assault: End Of An Error for the obvious reason the song is about nuclear warfare. It added to the overall feel.

The song "New Clear Assault: The End Of An Error" was a reprise almost of the song featured on the first album, just called "New Clear Assault". What was the reason for re doing that song, and what does the "End Of The Error" part of the title indicate?

- I wanted to rerecord a track, but not in the typical sense. So we built off the original and expanded it a little bit and that's what you get with New Clear Assault: End Of An Error. The end of an error aspect of the title is referring to mankind being the error. How greed and power killed us off. Not a new concept to the metal world, but something I wanted to write about.

"Hockey Stick Vengeance" stuck out to me on that EP, as well. What was the inspiration for that?

- I'm a product of the eighties. No matter how “childish” is seems, I still have a special place in my heart for the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Hockey Stick Vengeance is about Casey Jones. That character always has been and will be a favorite of mine. I write about stuff that interests me. This include serious, social, fictional, political, horror, and pretty much: all topics.

Where did the art concept come from for "Sleeping With Evil" and what was the intention of the title, or the meaning?

- Artist Yannick Bouchard was the creator of that piece. I meant it literally. Sleeping With Evil is about a succubus.

If you could have any custom guitar, what would it be?

- I'd probably get myself another V of sorts. Maybe an Explorer body. I've got enough guitars that I don't really think about this anymore, haha! I actually do have a custom KxK. I quit playing it because I didn't want to beat it to hell, haha!

What are some of your favorite bands you always enjoy sitting down and listening to now?

- So many... Hessian became a recent favorite. I'm a big fan of Superchrist and most things Chris Black. Havok will always have a special place in my ear. Of course, Megadeth, Iron Maiden, Annihilator, Artillery, Riot, Thin Lizzy, etc. But I enjoy sitting down and listening to most music. There's usually always music playing in my household. An eclectic variety at that.

If you had a Cheat-tar, would you play it all the time?

- If it were a neckthru and didn't break my cow lamp, yes. I'd be ok with light switch raves, though.

At this point in your musical career, would you change anything that you've done, and are you happy with where you are now? And with all the contributions you've given to the metal community thus far, what are your next plans of action for the future?

- I'm content with what I've accomplished. Having said that, hindsight is truly twenty-twenty. There's A LOT I would do differently. Writing the same music isn't one of them, though. At this point in time, I have no plans of action. The members of my band all have a lot going on, so we do what we can, when we can. That just means Vindicator is slowing down. It doesn't mean I'm slowing down, by any means. I've got a lot planned for the future, music-wise. And in typical artist fashion, I can't really divulge right now.