User:Atwar1/At War

At War is a thrash metal band, formed in Virginia Beach, Virginia USA in 1983, disbanded in 1994 and reunited in 2006. At War is an American thrash metal band from Virginia Beach, Virginia. The band was formed in 1984 by bassist/vocalist Paul Arnold, guitarist Shawn Helsel and drummer Dave Stone. At War's aggressive, powerful and fast-paced musical style made them the first speed metal band to emerge from their native state of Virginia. At War's style was heavily influenced by the early work of bands like Motörhead, Venom and Metallica. In the original line-up, all music was written by Helsel, Arnold, and Stone, with all lyrics written by Arnold. The band's lyrics and album covers deal with issues such as politics, war, terrorism and morality, which have caused minor controversies. At War's music was influential in the underground scene and has been cited as an influence by many bands, and the band's debut album Ordered To Kill has also been described as being on the forefront of the early extreme metal scene. History: Early Years (1983-1984) The group began covering songs by bands such as Saxon, Venom, Motörhead, Judas Priest under the short-lived name "Parallax" with members Paul Arnold, Shawn Helsel, David Stone and Ed Painter on lead -vocals After Painter's departure in late 1983, Paul Arnold took over lead vocals, solidifying the three-piece line-up. EAT LEAD Demo (1984-85) The band, determined to break into the then-burgeoning scene, hit the studio in Chesapeake, Virginia to record their first demo, titled "Eat Lead," which included the songs "Eat Lead" and "Rapechase." . This demo was recorded at Live Oak Studio. The "Eat Lead" demo earned At War a spot with the song "Eat Lead" on the first "Speed ​​Metal Hell" compilation released in 1985 on New Renaissance Records in Burbank, California with other notable bands such as Whiplash and Artillery was released.

Story
The band was formed in 1983 by guitarist Shawn Helsel, drummer Dave Stone and vocalist Paul Arnold. In June 1985 they released their first demo Eat Lead. This got the band an article in Spin Magazine. as “America's answer to Motorhead”. A song from the demo also appeared on the Speed ​​Metal Hell compilation, released through New Renaissance Records.

Their debut album Ordered to Kill was released in 1986. A tour followed, and another song from the demo appeared on the Speed ​​Metal Hell II compilation. After more performances, the band headed to Pyramid Sound Studio with producer Alex Perialas to record the album Retaliatory Strike, which was released in 1988. The band continued touring in the late 1980s and early 1990s and parted ways with their New Renaissance Records label. In 1994 the band began recording material for the follow-up album. However, the recordings were not very satisfactory for the band, so it was never released. A short time later the band played their last concert for the time being.

In the late 1990s and early 2000s, there were a few unsuccessful attempts to reunite the band. However, this only succeeded in 2006. In 2008 the band began work on Infidel. The album consisted of new material and some songs written during the recording of Retaliatory Strike. In 2008 her first tour through Europe followed. Among other things, they played at the Thrash Assault II Festival in Würzburg, Germany. A performance in Hamburg at the Headbangers Open Air followed in July. A week earlier the band had a performance in Mexico City and continues to tour today.

In September 2008, the band signed to Heavy Artillery Records to release the album Infidel on August 18, 2009. The album was recorded in January of 2009 at Pyramid Sound Studio with producer Alex Perialas (e.g. Testament, Overkill, Nuclear Assault).

Style
The band plays classic thrash and speed metal, with the songs consistently being at a high speed. Borrowings from Motörhead and Whiplash can clearly be heard in the songs.

Discography

 * Eat Lead (Demo, 1985, Eigenveröffentlichung)
 * Ordered to Kill (Album, 1986, New Renaiisance Records)
 * Retaliatory Strike (Album, 1988, New Renaiisance Records)
 * Limited Edition EP (EP, 1988, New Renaiisance Records)
 * Burning Soldier / Fuckadafi (Split-Single mit Barbatos, 2002, Tirade Records)
 * Infidel (Album, 2009, Heavy Artillery Records)

Weblinks

 * Band website
 * At War on Myspace