ARMOR COLUMN (Eng.)
– Hi Noah, thanks for taking the time. First off, I would like you to start making some history of the band…
Armor Column formed in December of 2007. We wanted to do something different in our area because all the heavy bands are either death metal or hardcore, or a mix of the two. We wanted to play a more oldschool style, with some thrashy stuff and powermetal. I found some other local mucisians with a similar interest in doing this style and we began jamming. It wasn’t easy to find a shreddy guitarist and killer ‘metal’ vocalist in this area.
– And why «Armor Column»?
It was the only band name in the world not taken yet…..Actually, our theme is mainly about warfare and Armor Column refers to a formation of tanks, and the name is rather thrashy, i think. My original idea was WARHAWK, but that was taken.
– ARMOR COLUMN was formed in 2007 and this same 2011 you have released your first full-length album; why did it take you that time?
People always ask this question about Skinless too, but you have to remember that not every band that is formed gets an instant record deal or spends 100% of their time focused on a band, or has the money for the studio. It took a little time to get the right lineup, then write some songs and everybody in the band was playing in other bands too. I was still playing with Skinless and our singer and drummer were in a band called Held Under, and the other guitarist and bassist were jamming in Etrigan. Not to mention families and work etc…..So, Armor Column was a seconary project to everyone involved initially. In 2009 we went into the studio to record our 4 song EP «Armor Up your Ass»and everyone started to see the true potential of Armor Column, and we got more focused after that….along with all the other ‘main’ bands breaking up or on hiatus.
– Your first «Maximum Collateral Damage» was released just a few months ago; how have reviews been? And the fans’ reaction? Did it fulfill your expectations?
We are extremely happy with our debut album, everything from the music, production, artwork and the teamwork involved in the writing process. Every review has been very positive and every show we play we definitely make new fans. I am more proud of this album than anything else I’ve done musically. Most of our online cd sales are from Germany, so we’re doing something right for their metal tastes.
– Now that I imagine you have had some time to listen carefully to the album; is there anything you would like to change?
I have no regrets or changes to any aspect of this album. Well, maybe tweek the guitar tone a bit.
– ARMOR COLUMN is a perfect blend between different music styles such as Power, Thrash, Speed… What bands have influenced your sound?
I’ve been listening to metal my whole life, and the other guys are big metalheads too. I’d say our sound is mainly inspired by 80’s classic metal and thrash metal. To name a few of our biggest influences: Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Overkill, King Diamond, Exodus, Anthrax, early Metallica, Laaz Rockit, Helstar, Forbidden and countless other metal bands.
– And due to this I would like to know how was the songwriting process like…
It starts with some of my riffs, or riffs that our other guitarist Ray has. We start jamming the ideas at practice and our vocalist Jeff adds some vocal patterns. Later on either myself or Jeff will write the lyrics to the patterns that were laid down at practice. This is how the majority of the songs were written for this album.
– Your lyrics deal with war themes; what are the foundations behing them?
I have always been fascinated with warfare and military history, and I watch a lot of war movies and take musical inspiration from them. For me to write aggressive music I need aggressive themes.
– Everything in the album seems to fit perfectly; lyrics, song titles, cover artwork… And I precisely would like to get a bit into the artwork, I guess some people could imagine because of it you’re a more extreme band but, as I said, it fits perfectly your personality. Could you please shed some light on this matter? Who crafted it, how did you work on it, etc.
The cover art is done by an artist named Jumali aka ‘Metal Artist.’ I found the artwork on his website and as soon as I saw it I knew it would be perfect for what Armor Column was doing. The rest of the album layout was done with the help of Joe Keyser(Skinless bassist) who does graphic design on the side. The only change we made to the cover was to put ‘AC’ patches on the soldiers arms.
– If I’m not wrong, the album has been released through EBM, a quite unknown label; how’s everything going with them thus far?
EBM have been very cool. I came across them on Myspace a few years ago and we kept in contact. They were very interested in our music and they had released a bunch of underground thrash records in their «Thrash Is Back» series. We had interest from larger labels but Armor Column’s inability to tour ultimately became a barrier to such signings. Also MWA Records(Metal Wrestling Alliance Records), a local label run by a friend of ours was involved is the release. EBM and MWA both funded and distributed the record.
– You have work with SKINLESS and this band has cooperated with big companies as Relapse; are there big differences between bigger labels and EBM? What are the pros and cons of a big label and a smaller one which gives you full support?
I have no complaints about my years dealing with Relapse. I had approached Relapse about Armor Column but they said it didn’t fit with the musical style of the label so we had to look elsewhere. EBM and MWA are up-and-coming underground labels that offered to help us, and both labels had a distribution network in which to get our cds out there. EBM deals more with thrash and MWA is more involved in death metal circles. I can’t really say that these labels have any pros over a larger label such as Relapse in terms of exposure, but we certainly appreciate their help since we are a band that doesn’t tour.
– Prior to this debut album you released in 2009 a 4 song EP, and those tracks can also be found in this «Maximum Collateral Damage»; what made you include these songs in the album? As the EP got a really good feedback…
The EP was primarily used to find a label and to give to show promoters. There were only 300 pressed. Basically, as soon as we wrote our first 4 songs we immediately went into the studio to record them so that we could pass the EPs around. When we wrote 4 more songs we had enough songs for a full-length cd to be released on a much larger scale. The two 4-song sessions were combined for «Maximum Collateral Damage.»
– And what could you say are the main differences between those 4 songs and the new ones?
When we started the band we didn’t have a definitive style yet. We knew it would be thrashy and melodic but it took some time to develop. I think when we wrote to newer songs we had a better idea of the direction we are heading. But I am very proud of all the songs and think they all fit nicely on the album together, they all have their own feel and identity.
– You played live for first time supporting no less than Paul Di’Anno; how did everything go and what did this mean to you as a band?
Haha, actually Di’Anno cancelled the show because it was too cold for him up here in New York. He re-booked the show in a warmer place(Virginia Beach). So all the local bands on the bill still played and people busted on Di’Anno throughout the night. Between bands ‘Dickinson’ era Maiden was played. It was a bummer that we didn’t get to play with him, but at the same time it showed that he wasn’t very dedicated to the fans.
– You’re one of the founding members of a legendary band as SKINLESS and you’re now in a quite different band; where do you feel more comfortable? Don’t you feel strange playing in a different band after so many years with SKINLESS?
Well, Skinless has disbanded. For the final few years of Skinless it was becoming clear that we wouldn’t be able to sustain a full-time touring band due to conflicts, constantly having to replace members, and ‘life’. The total enthusiasm and passion just wasn’t there anymore with any of the members. It was time to call it a day. Each member had other things in their lives that became a priority such as family, jobs etc. We all still play in other bands but on a lesser level. Armor Column is definitely what I want to be doing musically now. I feel like I picked up where I left off before Skinless, when i had played in a thrash/metal band in high school. AC has been a lot of fun and the band chemistry is great. It doesn’t feel strange to me to change styles. I had been trying to get another band together for many years to do the thrashier stuff but it was hard to find the right members. Finally I put it all together. It was something that I had wanted to do and we certainly had no intention of jumping on any thrash bandwagon. We just happened to be coming out around the same time as the new thrash wave.
– And finally, what are the near-future plans for ARMOR COLUMN?
Right now we are playing scattered shows. We have had the pleasure of rocking with Municipal Waste, Loudness, Shadows Fall, Helstar, Chimaira, Joey Belladonna etc and we have a few shows coming up with Warbringer and more. We plan to start working on a new album soon.
– That has been all, thank you once more. If you want to add any final words; last lines are yours.
Thank you for the interview. Check out Armor Column everyone.
Merch available at: http://armorcolumn.bigcartel.com/
