2 weeks Ago
We formed in 2002 as a project to reincarnate ourselves as this weird, old band called Nuclear Assault. They seemed to have vanished from existence at the time, leaving behind only the battered cassettes we scooped up in a local library clearance. This was before , or even MySpace.
Basically the stone age. All summer long we sat around like little caveboys, listening to singer/guitarist John Connolly bark, The politics were progressive, the vibe angry and un-self-serious. It seemed obvious we’d do the same.
We wrote this song called and laughed at how retro and obvious it was to do something condemning Nazis. In the era of the still-flowering Northern Irish peace process, it seemed absurd. That song now has a queasy relevance we never could have predicted.
We’ve written other anti-fascist songs since then and...
well, they aren’t jokes. Many of us sit down and watch the evening news only to be horrified by what we see, tormented by the quiet voice of conscience telling us to . It’s not always easy being a ‘mouthy band’ in an industry where so many people are either disengaged from politics or are quietly squatting on the problematic side of the fence – but our band lets us .
Seeing our fans consistently pitch in, donate and fundraise for the causes we swing behind is a feeling it’s hard to describe. That’s something beyond just liking music – it’s a sense of community. You can see that people are hungry to take action, and action is what we need right now.
Here’s where the world is at, in case you haven’t checked recently: the far-right has come to define the centre of Western politics, there’s a land war in central Europe, America has more in common with Russia than with Britain, and billionaires are cheering on the bonfire of journalism and civil liberties. Meanwhile, metal seems to be in a retreat from reality, just when right-on voices are most needed. I sometimes look at the explosion of masks, candelabras, heavy makeup and Marvel-style narrative-building in the upper tier of metal right now and wonder: has there been a drift toward style, from sincerity? Maybe metal needs its own apocalypse, like the one prog rock suffered.
Remember, Rick Wakeman’s sparkly cape was cool until it looked ridiculous in comparison to punk. When it happened, it happened fast. Pin met balloon.
Pop went the keyboard solo. Sign up below to get the latest from Metal Hammer, plus exclusive special offers, direct to your inbox! However, there are signs, coming from a few corners, that heavy music wants to address the problems we’re all seeing. I felt 10 feet tall when Pest Control, Scowl, Speed and other bands pulled out of Download festival due to its sponsorship from Barclaycard last year.
Then, to their credit, the big lads in Enter Shikari started negotiations that led to the . I don’t have beef with the people behind Download – they’re running a business, and they do it incredibly well – but I felt so proud of the artists who stepped up. Commerce was not their concern.
These were deeds, not words, and with brass balls to back them up. This is a message for other songwriters, other bands: be the good example next time you get a chance. Use the platform your talent has built for you to affect change.
Don’t be afraid to offend the right people and put what little money metal can provide you where your mouth is. and thrash still pride themselves on being politically conscious: we should all follow these ballsy bands’ examples. And we should do it now, while the freedom to express ourselves in ways the powers that be don’t like still remains.
Metal needs more mouthy people right now. You’ve got the mic: speak up. Philly co-founded Irish thrash metal band Gama Bomb in 2002.
Following the release of their debut album a few years later, Philly and his bandmates have been staples of the metal scene ever since and have toured the world, played countless festival stages and released seven more studio albums.
