Hey guys, first of all please give us a brief history of the band Armory?

Joe: It all started back in the summer of 2001 when me and Chad Fisher got together to rough record some power/traditional songs we had been working on. We realized their potential and never looked back. Originally just me and Chad were members of Armory; both of us being the guitarists and programming everything else. A couple of months later a mutual friend, Thomas Preziosi, was recruited as Armory’s bassist and my brother Adam emerged as our vocalist. Within half a year, Chad and myself had written the music for 10 original power/traditional metal songs; enough to make into a full-length album. To make a long story short, two to three years later, in 2004, Armory’s debut album “The Dawn Of Enlightenment” was released. The band was never satisfied with the production or packaging of the original “TDOE”, as everything was done by us in absence of decent recording equipment or knowledge. About a year later, in 2005, the opportunity arose for us to completely re-record “TDOE” with local producer/engineer/Nintendo cover God, Peter Rutcho, and so the long process started all over again. We decided to scrutinize every aspect of “TDOE” and revised many parts, including most of the vocal melodies. Peter recorded the keys this time, as opposed to them being programmed, like on the original recording. He also ended up joining our band as the official keyboardist. While the album was being mixed, we decided to recruit long-time friend, Tom Vieira, to play drums for Armory live. As a six-piece, we now were able to have a full live sound that could accurately portray all of the harmonized and melodic elements of our music. The re-recoding of “TDOE” was officially released in late December of 2007. Since then we have been promoting the album by sending it to countless metal review websites, magazines, radio stations, and distributors. It has been a long road and so far everything, from writing, to recording, to packaging, to promoting, to selling merchandise, to designing our website and even the band logo, has been done entirely by us.

Your new album “The Dawn Of Enlightenment” has just been released in late 2007. Since it contains the same songs as your first demo (which I unfortunatly haven’t heard yet), I wonder what the main differences between these two records are.

Joe: There are many differences between “The Dawn Of Enlightenment” 2007 and “The Dawn Of Enlightenment” 2004. The 2007 version was completely re-recorded and has much better sound quality. There were many parts that were revised, especially the vocal melodies and keyboard solos. The 2007 version was professionally pressed and packaged while the 2004 version was a slim case with a two-page insert and CD-R. The 2007 version also includes two bonus tracks that were not on the 2004 version (covers of “Flight Of Icarus” by Iron Maiden and “Dr. Wily”, which is music from the Nintendo game Mega Man 2). The 2007 version album cover was designed and painted by a professional artist (Steve Goad), while the 2004 version album cover was created by me and Chad in Photoshop. Basically, the 2007 version = professionally done, while the 2004 version = not very professionally done.

Though “The Dawn Of Enlightenment” has been released independently, the whole package looks damn professional and can easily keep pace with any label release. How important was it for you to offer such a quality release?

Joe: It was very important to us this time around to release a professional looking and sounding album. As we mentioned already, “The Dawn Of Enlightenment” was originally released in 2004 and so the whole point of revising and redoing everything for the album was to make it professional in every way; from sound quality to packaging. If we didn’t care about releasing an album that could stand on its own with releases by the big boys of the power metal genre then we would have never redone “TDOE”. We figured that it was time for the band to say; “Hey, you know what? We can do this just as well as any band out there so let’s prove it to the world.” And based on our album reviews, I’d say that we have accomplished this task.

What advantages does it have to release an album on one’s own instead of through a label?

Joe: Well there are many advantages but also many disadvantages of doing an album entirely on your own. The good things were that we could take our time writing and recording, as no label was pressuring us to meet deadlines. Also, we had 100% creative freedom in regards to writing, recording, mixing, and promoting our album. And now that “The Dawn Of Enlightenment” is released, the band gets all of the profits from any sales. On the downside, all of the expenses for making the album have been paid by the band members. It has been extremely difficult to try to promote the band ourselves, as far as having the necessary time and industry contacts in order to really create a buzz about us. Although I am satisfied with the sound quality and packing for our album, if we had a label backing us we may have been able to create an even better sound production, as we would have had access to more top-of-the-line recording equipment. Well, as you can see there are a handful of plusses and a handful of minuses with releasing an album independently.

One thing that immediatly caught my eye is the amazing artwork by Steve Goad. How have you gotten into contact with him and what do you think about his work as a cover artist?

Joe: One day I happened to find a website that featured some artwork by Steve. One of his paintings entitled “Phoenix Reborn” really caught my eye. I just had a feeling that it was meant to be the album cover for “The Dawn Of Enlightenment”. I emailed him and gave him info about Armory and asked him if it was possible to use his painting as our album cover. He agreed and the rest, as they say, is history. Steve is an incredible artist and person. His wildlife paintings look more real than most photographs. I know it isn’t always good to judge a book by its cover, but it just seems that many power metal albums are judged by their album covers. I must admit that I do it myself. A really well done album cover can draw a person in even before they hear the music. What Steve has done with his truly amazing painting is helped to enhance our music by giving “TDOE” a visual dimension that adds substance and spirit to the release.

Next to ten fantastic own songs, “The Dawn Of Enlightenment” does also feature two great cover versions... while Iron Maiden’s “Flight Of Icarus” is a pretty obvious cover choice for a band like Armory, the other song is really special and kinda weird... cause here we get to hear your own interpretation of “Dr. Wily’s Theme” from the old Nintendo classic “Mega Man”. A pretty unusual song for a Heavy Metal band to cover, isn’t it? ;)

Joe: Well, I’ve never heard of the music from a video game being covered by a signed metal band and put on one of their albums. On the contrary, there are many metal bands out there that turn video game music into metal. Some of the best at doing this that I know of are Vomitron (solo project by Armory’s keyboardist), Mystic Quest, and Powerglove. I think the reason is obvious, as most video game music is extremely well composed with lots of harmonies, catchy hooks, and technical key/tempo changes. These are the common aspects of heavy metal and so it is only natural that a metal musician would have the desire to turn video game music into metal music. Video game music has even been an influence on Armory’s sound.

Is there anything about “The Dawn Of Enlightenment” that you would have changed with hindsight or has the album turned out exactly as you wanted it to be?

Joe: I would say that “The Dawn Of Enlightenment” has turned out very close to how we envisioned it from the beginning so I can’t really complain too much. Some things came out even better than expected, like the album cover and keyboard solos. If there is anything we would have changed it would have been how we recorded the rhythm and harmony guitars. For some reason they came out sounding a little muddied in the mix for my taste. Maybe it was the amp we used or just the fact that it was mic’d and had too much of a live-feel. Next time around we will probably record all of the guitars direct and this will make for a richer and crisper guitar sound.

What did the fans and media think about the album? Did they like it and give you a lot of positive reviews and feedback? Or has there also been some negative things said about “The Dawn Of Enlightenment”?

Joe: Upon its release, we sent out “The Dawn Of Enlightenment” to over 100 metal review websites, magazine, and radio stations. We have heard back from about half of them and the general consensus is that we have created a very impressive release. The average score we get on most review sites is about an 8.5 to a 9 out of 10. Most cannot believe that we are not signed yet. Many are surprised to find out that we are from the United States, much less way out in Massachusetts, where power metal bands are basically non-existent. We have posted the links to dozens of glowing reviews of “TDOE” on our official website and myspace page. As far as negative reviews, the only thing that has been said is that Armory does not have a very original sound; that we sound too much like other power metal bands. While we all strongly disagree with this critique, even those select reviewers believe that our material is still on par with the leaders of the genre.

Armory plays a pretty melodic brand of Power Metal, which certainly reminds a lot of bands like Helloween, Stratovarius, Manowar and Iron Maiden. Are all of these bands among your personal faves? And what other bands and musicians have had the most significant influence on your sound?

Joe: Armory is mostly influenced by the big names of power metal and traditional metal, such as Iron Maiden, Helloween, and Edguy. To some degree, our sound is also influenced by thrash and instrumental metal. Some songs are influenced by different bands more than others. Our instrumental track, “Forged In Dragon Flames”, is mostly influenced by Megadeth. Our ballad, “Forever Triumphant”, derives a lot of influence from HammerFall and Manowar. There are sections during the title track that are influenced in part by bands anywhere from Savatage to Dream Theater to Slayer. As far as musicians go, I know that Adam’s singing is most influenced by Bruce Dickinson, Tobias Sammet, and Michael Kiske. Thomas Preziosi was very influenced by Steve Harris and even plays without a pick. In regards to composing, Chad and I are influenced very much by Steve Harris, Kai Hansen, and Tobias Sammet, among many others. Even Nintendo songs from games such as Zelda, Mega Man, Castlevania, Batman, and Lifeforce, help to shape our overall melodic sound. I think the fact that Armory is influenced by so many bands from various metal genres along with Nintendo music really helps to give us a well-rounded sound.

Melodic Power Metal was pretty big a couple of years ago, when bands like Hammerfall, Rhapsody and Edguy released their first albums. What do you think, if Armory had already been around at that time, would you now be as “big” and popular as the aforementioned bands?

Joe: I liked this question a lot. Yes, I do think that Armory would be as popular as those bands if we had released “The Dawn Of Enlightenment” in the mid-nineties. That style of power metal was making a resurgence at the time and also morphing some by incorporating symphonic elements as well. “TDOE” would have fit right in with the early releases of those bands and sounded even more original than it does now. This scenario isn’t entirely plausible however; because to a large degree, our sound was influenced by the early releases of HammerFall, Rhapsody, Edguy, and Sonata Arctica. In the last ten years there have emerged lots of bands who would be considered part of the power metal genre. Obviously some of these bands can write and perform the style at a much higher level than others, such as Lost Horizon, Heavenly, Pagan’s Mind, and Hibria. I think that because many of the newer power metal bands out there are not writing and performing at a high level, the genre is starting to sound bland and repetitive. I also think that many power metal bands out there are trying too hard to have their own unique sound and not writing what comes natural. You know what; I like power metal just the way it is. I don’t think at all that there is nothing left to do in the power metal genre. As long as bands know how to compose and are talented at their instruments then there can be many more great power metal releases in the future.

What’s the special something that makes Armory’s sound different from that of all the other Melodic Power Metal outfits out there?

Joe: I would say that it is our well-roundedness that sets us apart. Not many bands can pull off an album that contains a serene and yet grandiose ballad and then a couple of songs later throw in an ear-splitting speed/thrash instrumental with blazing guitar solos, while finishing off with a track almost 14 minutes long that at one point even includes a blast beat without sounding out of place. We have songs that are from slow to fast, short to long, and all across the board in metal genres. No matter what other metal band we may sound like at a given point in our album, we are certain to have many other parts that sound absolutely nothing like that band. Iron Maiden will never have keyboard solos and Sonata Arctica will probably never write a thrash metal song.

What’s the live situation alike for a band like Armory? Do you get a lot of chances to hit the stage and have you already got a loyal following that attends your gigs?

Joe: Prior to last year we were only a quartet. We did not have a keyboardist and I did not want to have to play the drums live, to leave only one guitarist. Since our music has many overlapping rhythm, harmony, and lead parts along with lots of keyboards, we did not want to play a show until we at least found a fifth member, but ideally we wanted six. It worked out that we added two more members and could finally bring justice to our music in a live setting. We finally started playing shows in the spring of 2007. We don’t regret not playing before this, as the time was well spent fine-tuning our songs, honing our skills, and recording our album. We’ve only hit the stage a handful of times so far but every show has been a success. We have a small following that attends our gigs and hopefully in the future it will grow as we play out more places. We have videotaped most of our shows and put them on youtube for people to see how Armory is in a live setting. My older brother filmed the shows so it is pretty much bootleg quality though.

What songs are your personal favorites to perform live? Why?

Joe: I enjoy performing each and every one of our songs live equally as much, as they all have uniqueness to them. Although we’ve yet to perform “Forever Triumphant” and the title track at a show, once we do I am sure they will be just as fun.

Do you also have any plans for playing overseas? Or are you concentrating on domestic gigs only at the moment?

Joe: Right now we are concentrating on domestic gigs at the moment. Actually we’ve been spending more of our time trying to promote “The Dawn Of Enlightenment” through other means, such as mailing out albums to metal review sites, magazines, radio stations, and distributors, while keeping track of all promotion and sales. That would be awesome if we could some day play shows in Europe, but we will have to wait for the right time for that. We would need support from a label most likely in order to make it a plausible scenario.

Have you already written any songs for the followup of “The Dawn Of Enlightenment”? If so, what are they called and what do they sound like? 

Joe: Actually, we have nearly finished writing the entire follow-up to “The Dawn Of Enlightenment” already. Musically, eight songs are completely written, except the keyboard solos and some of the guitar solos. Lyrically, four of the songs are completely written. We’re not sure whether or not these eight songs will encompass the whole second album or if we will work on a ninth or even tenth track. There will also most likely be one or two bonus track covers on this album too; although what exact songs they will be we have no idea right now. As far as differences between “TDOE” and this follow-up, I would say that the new songs are certainly technically and structurally more advanced. We were all in high school when we wrote most of “TDOE”. It has been many years since then and our song composing and playing skills have improved greatly. The many intricate transitions, hooks, and patterns that are in the new songs were beyond our writing knowledge at the time “TDOE” was written. The new album has more of a focus on the vocal melodies, riffs, and drumming than “TDOE” did. Most of the new songs just have working titles for now but two are definitely going to be called “Eternal Mind” and “Quest For The Fleece”. We are tentatively planning on beginning the recording of our follow-up album in mid 2008. It will most likely be recorded by the band in a very similar way to “TDOE” unless between now and then a record company makes us an offer we can’t refuse. 

Is there any question you always wanted to answer in an interview but never got asked so far? If so, here’s your chance to ask that question to yourself... ;) 

Joe: You and a friend are in an underground base that is filled with traps. One of these traps erects a chamber around your friend. The chamber has two identical buttons. One of the buttons will kill your friend if it is pressed; the other will release your friend. The chamber is guarded by a robot. This robot either always lies or always tells the truth. You are allowed to ask the robot one question and one question only. What question can you ask the robot to figure out what button you need to press in order to save your friend?

Thanks a lot for your time and effort. I hope you had some fun writing down your answers ... keep up the awesome work with Armory & hopefully see you soon on German stages!!

Joe: Thank you Tobi for doing this interview with us. We also want to thank all our fans out there and everyone who has supported us through the years. Hopefully we will see you on tour in the future!

Questions: February 2008 by Tobi
Answers: February 2008 by Joe Kurland