All Interviews
Artillery Hell
Robert Anderson and Mike Knittel
Posted on Nov 20, 2005
by Anders
Artillery Hell is an upcoming American band hailing from California. The trio is consisisting of vocalist/bassist Robert Anderson, guitarist Mike Knittel and drummer Andrew Bailey. The released their first demo last year, which showed a lot of potential. Hard boiled thrash with a nice input from other genres. The band is about ready with their second demo "Decay In Motion" and to get some news on that one and to sum up what the band is about, I got a good chat with vocalist and bassist Robert.
Hails, how are things in California as we speak?
Hello, things are going just fine out our way. The weather's finally begun its sharp decline into the cold winter months, or at least as cold as it gets out here in California. We're also gearing up to play a bunch of shows and to hopefully release our last demo "Death Perceptions", as soon as possible.
Will you please start off by introducing yourself and tell us why you thrash away?
We are Artillery Hell from the San Francisco Bay Area, and we thrash away simply for the love of brutal music!
A small introduction of the rest of the band will be appreciated as well, and a funny story or 2 about the others will be killer!
On vocals and bass guitar is Robert Anderson, on lead guitars is Mike Knittel, and on drums is Andrew Bailey. Any time that you get all three of us into a hotel room together there is sure to be chaos and a whole hell of a lot of funny stories, way too many to mention! A good example though would be the time that we threw the hotel bible at each other, among other objects such as ice buckets, phone books, and the hotel's complementary soaps, all in the cover of complete darkness! We also set a table on fire once with the aid of vodka and a couple of matches! That was at Mike's house though on New Year's in 2004.
Artillery Hell is a pretty new band, when and why was the band formed?
Technically we formed in 2000 just to play music and have fun doing it. We didn't officially begin though until the summer of 2003 when Andrew joined us on the drums and we finally got serious about writing material and taking the band seriously. Playing, writing, and touring the world are all that we want to do with our lives.
What would you like to accomplish with the band?
We hope to get signed to a label, tour the world, meet as many people and make as many fans that we can.
Will it ever happen?
We sure hope so, it would be amazing to have the opportunity to touch so many people musically.
Last year you released your first demo, how do you feel about the material thereon today?
We are still happy with the songs, but they don't really represent what Artillery Hell is all about today as much as our new material does. We're really happy with the new stuff that we are writing.
Is the sound and music still representative for Artillery Hell nowadays?
Yes, in a way they are, but our new stuff is so much more technical and progressive. The thrash element will of course always be there.
How was "Demo 2004 (Death Perceptions)" received?
It was received very well by a number of different magazines and reviewers around the world, many of which you can find on our website @ www.artilleryhell.com
Did you accomplish what you expected from the demo?
For the most part yes, it got us a lot of recognition from both reviewers and labels alike, which we of course wanted. It's really helped us pick up some much needed interest from all around the world.
Have you been contacted by any labels yet?
Yes, but so far none have offered us a deal.
If you could choose the label you should release your full length album on, which label would you choose?
Well, there are so many great labels out there we really don't mind who we get signed to as long as they offer us a good deal.
I've seen somewhere that you soon are ready with a new demo, is that correct?
It sure is, we are entering the studio very soon, so it should be completed shortly.
What can you tell us about the upcoming demo, what's the title, how many tracks, song titles etc…?
The upcoming demo is a step forward in our musicianship due to the progressive element that has been added to it. The title of it is scheduled to be "Decay In Motion". There will be three new tracks: 'God Damn', 'Hell Hole', and 'A Corpse Wind Crawls'.
What can we expect from the release?
You can expect to hear more technical and brutal metal than our previous demo "Death Perceptions".
Who is the main song writer in the band?
There is no main person who writes the songs. We all contribute to the writing process, and give suggestions here and there.
How do the band work then music and songs have to be assembled?
Here's how it works: Mike will write the riffs to the songs, then practice them with me and Andrew until we've formed a structure, and then we record it onto a tape so that I can take it home and write the lyrics. When that's all finished I write my bass lines at practice and we continue practicing the song, making the necessary changes wherever they need to be made.
Where is the inspiration for the music found?
We find most of our motivation and inspiration from all of the bands that we listen to, many of whom are signed to Century Media and Nuclear Blast.
Even though your roots are in the world of thrash, there is good deal of other influences in the game as well, why is that?
Well, that's because we don't listen to thrash exclusively. We love a very broad range of varying types of metal, ranging from black metal all the way to progressive metal.
How did you end up with the exact style and sound you have?
It really just progressed on its own. We started out with a very Slayer type of sound, but somewhere along the way we began to change as our influences broadened into other forms or metal.
Can you mention 3 bands that have had a huge impact on you and on the sound of Artillery Hell?
Early on, the bands that had the largest impacts on us were At The Gates, Slayer, and The Haunted. Now, even though we still love all of these bands, our biggest influences come from In Flames, Scarve, and The Dillinger Escape Plan.
How did you end up with the name Artillery Hell and what does it symbolize for you?
It comes from a quote from Robert E. Lee of the Confederate Army of the American Civil War during the Battle of Antietam. According to Lee, the gunfire was so intense that it was like "fighting in artillery hell". We settled on the name because we thought that it truly represented the music and the brutality that we create.
Let's turn to the lyrical side of the band, will you tell about your lyrical content?
Sure. The lyrics detail all of the horrors of life and mankind in general.
Who writes the lyrics?
I write all of the lyrics.
Where is the inspiration for the lyrics found?
In anything really, as long as it pertains to the darker sides of life.
How important are the lyrics compared to the music?
They're extremely important. You can't have intense music without intense lyrics, it just wouldn't fit.
Will you go through the 3 tracks on "Demo 2004" and tell a bit about each lyric?
'Humanity Wears A Burial Mask' deals with my belief that humanity, as a whole, is on a crash course with its own self destruction.
'Nail In The Coffin' is a very twisted song about love and suicide.
'Necropolis' is simply about the Plague of the black death that ravaged Europe in the 1300s.
It would be killer if you would do the same with the upcoming demo and a bit about the music as well, as a small peak on what we can expect!
'Hell Hole' is a song about the terror and the insanity that one goes through on the frontlines of battle, and what it does to the personality and the psyche of that person.
'God Damn' is a song written from god's perspective on mankind as I gleaned that it would be from the Old Testament.
And finally, 'A Corpse Wind Crawls' is a song about chemical warfare during World War I.
What do you expect from the future and how do you look upon the future of Artillery Hell?
We expect to unleash our music on as many people around the world as possible, and to one day influence others in a way that all of our favourite bands inspired us. The future of Artillery Hell in our opinion is very bright, and we expect absolutely nothing but success.
Will you share your 5 all time favourite albums with our readers?
At The Gates – Slaughter Of The Soul
Dimmu Borgir – Puritanical Euphoric Misanthropia
Children Of Bodom – Follow The Reaper
In Flames - Clayman
Meshuggah - I
Hello, things are going just fine out our way. The weather's finally begun its sharp decline into the cold winter months, or at least as cold as it gets out here in California. We're also gearing up to play a bunch of shows and to hopefully release our last demo "Death Perceptions", as soon as possible.
Will you please start off by introducing yourself and tell us why you thrash away?
We are Artillery Hell from the San Francisco Bay Area, and we thrash away simply for the love of brutal music!
A small introduction of the rest of the band will be appreciated as well, and a funny story or 2 about the others will be killer!
On vocals and bass guitar is Robert Anderson, on lead guitars is Mike Knittel, and on drums is Andrew Bailey. Any time that you get all three of us into a hotel room together there is sure to be chaos and a whole hell of a lot of funny stories, way too many to mention! A good example though would be the time that we threw the hotel bible at each other, among other objects such as ice buckets, phone books, and the hotel's complementary soaps, all in the cover of complete darkness! We also set a table on fire once with the aid of vodka and a couple of matches! That was at Mike's house though on New Year's in 2004.
Artillery Hell is a pretty new band, when and why was the band formed?
Technically we formed in 2000 just to play music and have fun doing it. We didn't officially begin though until the summer of 2003 when Andrew joined us on the drums and we finally got serious about writing material and taking the band seriously. Playing, writing, and touring the world are all that we want to do with our lives.
What would you like to accomplish with the band?
We hope to get signed to a label, tour the world, meet as many people and make as many fans that we can.
Will it ever happen?
We sure hope so, it would be amazing to have the opportunity to touch so many people musically.
Last year you released your first demo, how do you feel about the material thereon today?
We are still happy with the songs, but they don't really represent what Artillery Hell is all about today as much as our new material does. We're really happy with the new stuff that we are writing.
Is the sound and music still representative for Artillery Hell nowadays?
Yes, in a way they are, but our new stuff is so much more technical and progressive. The thrash element will of course always be there.
How was "Demo 2004 (Death Perceptions)" received?
It was received very well by a number of different magazines and reviewers around the world, many of which you can find on our website @ www.artilleryhell.com
Did you accomplish what you expected from the demo?
For the most part yes, it got us a lot of recognition from both reviewers and labels alike, which we of course wanted. It's really helped us pick up some much needed interest from all around the world.
Have you been contacted by any labels yet?
Yes, but so far none have offered us a deal.
If you could choose the label you should release your full length album on, which label would you choose?
Well, there are so many great labels out there we really don't mind who we get signed to as long as they offer us a good deal.
I've seen somewhere that you soon are ready with a new demo, is that correct?
It sure is, we are entering the studio very soon, so it should be completed shortly.
What can you tell us about the upcoming demo, what's the title, how many tracks, song titles etc…?
The upcoming demo is a step forward in our musicianship due to the progressive element that has been added to it. The title of it is scheduled to be "Decay In Motion". There will be three new tracks: 'God Damn', 'Hell Hole', and 'A Corpse Wind Crawls'.
What can we expect from the release?
You can expect to hear more technical and brutal metal than our previous demo "Death Perceptions".
Who is the main song writer in the band?
There is no main person who writes the songs. We all contribute to the writing process, and give suggestions here and there.
How do the band work then music and songs have to be assembled?
Here's how it works: Mike will write the riffs to the songs, then practice them with me and Andrew until we've formed a structure, and then we record it onto a tape so that I can take it home and write the lyrics. When that's all finished I write my bass lines at practice and we continue practicing the song, making the necessary changes wherever they need to be made.
Where is the inspiration for the music found?
We find most of our motivation and inspiration from all of the bands that we listen to, many of whom are signed to Century Media and Nuclear Blast.
Even though your roots are in the world of thrash, there is good deal of other influences in the game as well, why is that?
Well, that's because we don't listen to thrash exclusively. We love a very broad range of varying types of metal, ranging from black metal all the way to progressive metal.
How did you end up with the exact style and sound you have?
It really just progressed on its own. We started out with a very Slayer type of sound, but somewhere along the way we began to change as our influences broadened into other forms or metal.
Can you mention 3 bands that have had a huge impact on you and on the sound of Artillery Hell?
Early on, the bands that had the largest impacts on us were At The Gates, Slayer, and The Haunted. Now, even though we still love all of these bands, our biggest influences come from In Flames, Scarve, and The Dillinger Escape Plan.
How did you end up with the name Artillery Hell and what does it symbolize for you?
It comes from a quote from Robert E. Lee of the Confederate Army of the American Civil War during the Battle of Antietam. According to Lee, the gunfire was so intense that it was like "fighting in artillery hell". We settled on the name because we thought that it truly represented the music and the brutality that we create.
Let's turn to the lyrical side of the band, will you tell about your lyrical content?
Sure. The lyrics detail all of the horrors of life and mankind in general.
Who writes the lyrics?
I write all of the lyrics.
Where is the inspiration for the lyrics found?
In anything really, as long as it pertains to the darker sides of life.
How important are the lyrics compared to the music?
They're extremely important. You can't have intense music without intense lyrics, it just wouldn't fit.
Will you go through the 3 tracks on "Demo 2004" and tell a bit about each lyric?
'Humanity Wears A Burial Mask' deals with my belief that humanity, as a whole, is on a crash course with its own self destruction.
'Nail In The Coffin' is a very twisted song about love and suicide.
'Necropolis' is simply about the Plague of the black death that ravaged Europe in the 1300s.
It would be killer if you would do the same with the upcoming demo and a bit about the music as well, as a small peak on what we can expect!
'Hell Hole' is a song about the terror and the insanity that one goes through on the frontlines of battle, and what it does to the personality and the psyche of that person.
'God Damn' is a song written from god's perspective on mankind as I gleaned that it would be from the Old Testament.
And finally, 'A Corpse Wind Crawls' is a song about chemical warfare during World War I.
What do you expect from the future and how do you look upon the future of Artillery Hell?
We expect to unleash our music on as many people around the world as possible, and to one day influence others in a way that all of our favourite bands inspired us. The future of Artillery Hell in our opinion is very bright, and we expect absolutely nothing but success.
Will you share your 5 all time favourite albums with our readers?
At The Gates – Slaughter Of The Soul
Dimmu Borgir – Puritanical Euphoric Misanthropia
Children Of Bodom – Follow The Reaper
In Flames - Clayman
Meshuggah - I
Artillery Hell website
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