Armored Assassin interview

Armored Assassin are from southern California and play old style thrash. They released their album "Damaged Youth" earlier this year. I recently had the chance to interview them and learn more.

Hello, please introduce the members of your band and tell what instrument everyone plays.

Josh Abrams - Vocals lead guitar
Justin LaPlante - Lead guitar and back up vocals
Daniel Thompson - Bass
Marc Carr - Drums

Tell us a little about the history of your band.

Josh had originally formed a band called "Plague Marine" with other musicians. In 2005 Justin joined and Marc soon followed to replace members that weren't working out. Unhappy with the band name, we went to work and decided on Armored Assassin. Daniel joined in 2007 after our former bassist quit.

Who are your musical influences?
D.R.I, Death, Razor, Possessed, Tankard, Exumer, Testament, Exodus, Attitude Adjustment as well as many others.

How is that you guys got into so many bands whose peak was like twenty or more years ago?

It is the style of music we like to listen to, therefore it is what we like to play.

I have been going through Myspace pages and seeing all these band’s friends and fliers that let me know there are a lot of bands in southern California playing old style thrash. How competitive is the scene where you are at?

It is very competitive here as far as getting shows. However, we have found that true thrash bands, that are in it for the music, don't really compete. We are supportive of one another and try to include those bands when we are able. Venues here are not very supportive of the style of music, so when you find one that is, you tend to stick to it. We are just more selective about how many shows we play so that we allow ourselves time to write new music in between.



What do you think that you are doing that is going to get you noticed?

Playing shows, selling the CD world wide and talking with fans on myspace and at shows.

In what areas do you think that your band needs to improve?

We feel at this point that there is room for improvement in all areas, and always will be. We don't have a need to be perfect, we just want to be heard and have fans enjoy the music.

You self-released your “Damaged Youth” album this year. What was the recording experience like? What has been the response to the album so far?

It was a long process. We layed down 10 tracks in 5 days. There was not a lot of room for error because we had the music to record, but money was tight. We had a great time, it was interesting and fun. We think for all we did in that time period, the album was decent. We have done really well with the CD both in the U.S and abroad.

Have you any interest from any record labels yet? How important is it to you to get signed at this point?

We wanted to be signed a while back, however we play with bands who have labels and it seems to us that unless we get a deal where they can actually help us, we don't need it. We sell our CD to distributors overseas and we sell it on myspace. There doesn't seem to be a lot of support from the labels, other than attaching a name to your band.



What are some of the best clubs that you played at so far? What’s so good about them?
Black Castle is the best to the bands. ITs a very relaxed venue and the promoter, Chris - Hate War Productions works hard to keep the scene alive. Knitting Factory and Safari Sams are both good venues for crowds. Church of the 8th Day - Dan Dismal, he has been good to us as a band, and we like playing those venues with him as the promoter.Who have you opened for so far?We have opened for Agent Steel, Heathen, Fueled by Fire, Detente, Merciless Death, M.O.D and many other local bands.

Who would you love to open for?

Tankard, Sodom, Destruction, so many would be cool.

What would be your response be to someone who said that “the young thrash bands of today are not doing anything that wasn’t already accomplished by bands in the 1980’s”?

It isn't about accomplishing anything, it is about music and playing Thrash to keep Thrash alive. This isn't about becoming a rock star, its about doing what makes you happy, and pleasing the fans.



We are rapidly getting towards the end of 2008 so what do you are some of the best albums that you have heard this year?

Mantic Ritual (formerly Meltdown), definetly came out with a kick ass album "Executioner", Merciless Death's "Realm of Terror", Bonded by Blood's "Feed the Beast".

Pick the band from each of the following pairs that you prefer and tell why you picked them.

Dark Angel, Nuclear Assault, Violent Force, Exodus

Death Angel or Dark Angel
Nuclear Assault or Overkill
Kreator or Violent Force
Exodus or Megadeth

Is there anything else that you would like to say about your music or your band?

Thanks to the fans who have supported us for the past years. Without maniacs like them, the scene would just wither away...Thanks to the supportive bands that have helped us further our music and the promoters who know our music and put us out there to be noticed!


http://www.myspace.com/armoredassassin