Visiting With Lord of War

I believe any number of realities exist at a given moment; in quantum physics they call it the Zero Point Field—a theory in which there isan infinite number of possibilities somewhere “ out there.”

Tangentially, the Multiverse theory portends there may exist innumerable possible dimensions in addition to the one we perceive as this “ 3-D” world.

So it seems in the very least a worthy endeavor to explore the possibility that new sounds and concepts exist beyond our known musical world, thus my fascination with bands like Lord of War, who seemingly channel and imbue their music with sonic textures characteristic of such multidimensional experiences.

“ We have always been fascinated with aliens, E.T.s and the like,” says Lord of War guitarist Alexx Walshaw.

“ In addition [we want to find out about] what the government iskeeping from us and find out what their hidden agenda is with aliens, back engineering, human harvesting plants, secret underground alien housing facilities, and labs that create human alien hybrids.”

2 Beyond this obvious penchant for uncovering what “ truths are out there,” the band “ knew from the beginning we wanted [Lord of War] to be successful,” says bass player Michael Hoskins.

“ We knew this is what we wanted to do.” What Lord of War does is play aggressive music adorned with dynamic and unearthly harmonies—i.e. Space Metal, an emerging subgenre also popularized by the Faceless and Hypocrisy.

Thematically marked by the consideration or outright acknowledgement of non-human entities and beings, as well as whatever given cover-up conspiracies accompany, in the very least, Space Metal presents a compelling argument for exploring uncharted musical territories, as it infuses filaments of surreal ambiance into a clench of Metal. Lord of War captured this essence on Celestial Pestilence, their debut album released through Unique Leader Records. Like some awesome launch into unknowable territory, Celestial Pestilence offers a bevy of cosmic resonance: an etheric aura overlays the underlining driving pulse of Deathcore-tinged sounds fueled by kinetic moments of subtle complexity and dignified uniqueness.

“ We really wanted to make sure [Celestial Pestilence] was perfect,” says Hoskins. “ We would continuously add new aspects, new textures to the music and make sure everything was super clean and very tight.”

3 Suffice it to say, Celestial Pestilence was created with the potential to garner mass appeal: it offers just enough creativity and decipherability to render it accessible and enjoyable by mainstream Metal outlets and fans. But this isn’ t to say Lord of War is a gimmick, even though they do acknowledge there are “ new bands coming out with people thinking it is a fad to [play this kind of Metal]; you will notice [these bands] call themselves ‘ Alien Core,” Says Walshaw. “ But, [we will continue] to stick to our seriousness and [our sound], which is Metal with an otherworldly atmosphere.”

In truth, it would be easy to dismiss Lord of War as another band emerging from a trend if they did not have the talent. But they have also seen their share of strife, and struggled through and survived a host of line-up shifts and internal controversy. But Walshaw and the band “ have always been passionate musician[s], and have always dreamed of making this happen.” Thus, fueled by this passion and steered by keen vision, the band persevered and connected with to drummer Brent Silletto, formerly of Rings of Saturn, to solidify their sound.

“ We used to go to the Guitar Center drum offs to find a new drummer,” Walshaw says, “
4 but after about a month [of no luck], we posted a desperate cry for help on craigslist asking for help saying, ‘ if you know anyone please tell them to hit us up. We went to one final drum off [and found no one], but came home to find a response from [Silletto]. We knew who he was and could not believe he was interested. It went from there.”

“ [After parting with Rings of Saturn], I connected with Lord of War through Facebook. My friend Brian Shields [founder of Great New Metal] told me to check out Lord of War. I saw they needed a drummer, so I contacted them.” What followed was a trip up to San Francisco to meet Silletto,hammer out the details and jam—“ it all jut worked out,” Silletto says. Rounding out the Lord of War collective is Daniel Richardson, who also is the axe man for Fury Never Fades. “ I first heard of Lord of War on the Internet, and I thought they were awesome. I started talking to the band and saw they needed a guitar player, so I joined,” Richardson says. “ I like to keep up my chops, so playing in two bands was not an issue. Lord of War is pure energy—they are catchy and people can easily get into this band. And now that [Silletto]is on board, it is amazing.”
5 With all of the components in place, Lord of War is already working on a new release, which promises to be “ an expansion on what we’ ve done on Celestial Pestilence,” Hoskins says. “ I’ m really excited to see where this will take us.” Where they go from where they began is as unknowable and exciting as the potential for expanding into new territories in Metal—sounds and textures channeled from some unknowable place, woven into otherworldly walls of sound.