Interview: Artillery
Existing now for over 32 years, Danish thrash-metallers Artillery are a true testament to the longevity of the metal genre. Its refusal to die-out and be forgotten as many genres have is one of its most noteworthy characteristics, and if Artillery prove anything on latest album Penalty By Perception, it’s that they aren’t about to be forgotten either.
The album shows no signs of the band slowing down - it’s filled with speedy riffs sure to please many-a-metalhead, whilst frontman Michael Bastholm Dahl’s euro-wailing holds an accessible edge lacking from many thrash bands. This unique take on the established thrash sound holds a formula that produces a range of brilliant moments, from the sing-along demanding chorus of ‘Live By The Scythe’ to the face-melting riffage of Penalty By Perception’s title-track. However, despite being their eighth release, the album also sees the group experiment. Emotional semi-ballad ‘When the Magic is Gone’, for example, as well as the reduced speed of ‘Deity Machine’ and ‘Path of the Athiest’, allow for variety.
A vital part, not only of the band’s sound but of their history, is the guitar duo of Michael and Morten Stützer. The brothers have been a part of Artillery since before the Danes’ debut full-length in 1985, and have remained a key part of the group’s thunderous sound since. Following the release of Penalty By Perception, we spoke to one half of the group’s guitar pairing, Michael Stützer, about the band’s early years, their inspirations, and how they stumbled into the realm of thrash metal.
Penalty by Perception seems slightly heavier than previous releases, was this intended? Yes, we were very satisfied with [previous album] Legions but we wanted to make the songs and the production a bit heavier. We also worked hard on giving the vocals a bit more edge, which I think we succeeded in. In what other ways would you saw your music has developed? Not only from when you started, but also since 2013's Legions? I think the biggest difference, besides getting a more raw production and slightly heavier album, [is that] Penalty By Perception also features some songs with more variety in the form and structure with songs like ‘Deity Machine’, ‘Path of the Atheist’ and ‘When the Magic Has Gone’. What were some early influences on the band? Do you think any new ones have influenced your sound since then? Some of the early influences came from Accept, Mercyful Fate, GBH, Black Sabbath and Judas Priest back in 1982. We still listen to a lot of bands today and get some inspirations from them, but its more small details, because we still make music using our roots. Your Eastern influences mark you out as an original band in the thrash genre, how important do you think having this originality in metal is? It’s very important because there is a lot of bands today who really sound alike. Even if we had three different singers on our records, people still say that they can hear it’s Artillery, and that really makes us proud. You've been around since 1982 but clearly still have the passion for metal, do you think metal has a longevity that other genres struggle to have? Yes. If you really like to hear this kind of music, and at the same time can play it, you won’t get tired of it. When did you decide to start playing thrash? Or was it a more of a natural occurrence once you started playing? When we started Artillery we just wanted to play faster and heavier than the typical heavy rock band at that time. In the start people said we sounded like a punk version of Motörhead. [Then] in 1984, people started to call us thrash metal, so we said to ourselves, “Okay we are playing thrash metal. That’s cool!” What was the metal scene in Denmark like when you started, compared to how it is now? The scene was a kind of split into two parts. [There were] two bands playing really fast and heavy - Mercyful Fate and us. On the other hand, there was the more “nice” bands like Pretty Maids etc. Nowadays, there are a lot more bands and many more different styles of metal. How important are the meaning of the lyrics to Artillery's music? The lyrics are very important for Artillery and [we] always try to make it interesting subjects, like genetic manipulation, the string theory and death. What can fans expect from Artillery in the future? A lot of touring. [We’re] playing South America, the US and Europe. [Also] a new record and hopefully a lot of fun.
