Interview STRIKE

Interview with Orión guitarist of Speed, Black N Roll Metal Band from Armenia, Colombia,South America STRIKE

1. Can you tell us about your childhood ? Do you remember when you first came into contact with loud music and what were your first concerts ?

My childhood was simple, I grew up in a small town next to the mountains called Calarcá, my first encounters with rock were thanks to the radio, but when I really liked it and understood it was when I began my adolescence, I hung out with friends from the I went to school to listen to things like Iron Maiden or Metallica and then faster things like DRI and Sodom (in those times when you have failed attempts to make a band without even having your own instruments), my uncle/brother Edwan also influenced me a lot, I remember when As a child, I would come home from school and he would be at home listening to things like Korn at high volume. Some time later, when I started playing guitar, my love for heavy metal grew and I began to get to know this world in depth. The first concerts I attended were when I was 13 or 14 years old, they were local events in the city, many of them I had to escape from home to attend (they used to be in bars and minors were not allowed to enter them). times), but to give you more well-known names, during those days I also managed to see bands like Cannibal Corpse and Vader.

2. Can you describe the local scene where you grew up, what bands and venues were important to you and can you share some of your greatest memories about these bands/places ?

As a teenager I lived in a city called Armenia, there I attended my first concerts, I learned a little more about this world, and I made friends with whom I used to get more involved in this matter. In Colombia, two bands from Medellín (city in Colombia) stand out among many, which are Masacre and Witchtrap, since we met them and saw them live they always inspired us to be like them, to this day I think they are incredible bands, even with the surprise that Strike has already played with them in some concerts. The scene of that city (Armenia, capital of Quindío) has always been small and strong in genres such as death/grind metal, but in the years of my adolescence, Thrash was trending, bands of those times like Kill, Ak-47 They played frequently at the small concerts that were held in those days. A bar called Boston (which closed during the pandemic) was the venue for many of those events. Many international underground bands played in that small, humid place. The first concerts I gave were also there.

3. Did anyone play in any bands before Strike ? If so, can you tell us something about them? Were there any releases? Can you share some good memories about those bands ?

Since I was young I played in metal bands, I went through approximately 6, I lasted a few years in a project I had called Toxic Devastation by Thrash (Guitarrsita), then in another Heavy project called Arión (guitarist), and occasionally as a session musician in other bands like Ak47 (Bassist) and Nous (Drummer), there isn’t much left of those bands, but I did learn a lot of things, especially about only sticking with really important projects and that working with people sucks, after that I did Strike Thinking that it would be a solo project, eventually two bastards joined me and we continued there. From those times I am grateful for the learning, I have always said that learning the hard way is valid, since that I was able to mature a lot and I learned to play several instruments to fend for myself musically and not depend on another bastard, this is how a damn person is born misanthrope.

Currently, the same members of Strike play in a side project called Bombhead, (we play crust punk there), and I am a guitarist in Rotten Blasphemy. I also have other studio projects like Lawless and Crypt Ripper (and another solo project, stoner/doom style).

Big Steven (Strike’s drummer) plays in a punk band called Mental Distortion, and Moñoz (Strike’s bassist) also plays in a couple of punk bands and has a solo project that I don’t remember how the hell it’s spelled.

4. How did you come up with the band name Strike , do you describe your musical style ? And can you tell us briefly the history of your band’s creation ?

When I started composing the first Strike demos I knew that the project should be called that way, Strike is a blow, an attack, an attack, and it is also a strike, that is, rebellion and rebellion, and all this is something that greatly represents the music that the band does. We play something we call street rock n’ roll, or Black rock n’ roll, which is a mix of the roots of rock n’ roll between the 60’s and 90’s, something like a mix of speed metal and punk riff, with a d-beta/thrash drums and a raspy black metal type voice, that mix is crazy, but it has a direction: damn rock n roll, if you think about it they are diverse but traditional influences, we even have songs where we play blues and surf.

Strike began as a solo project, and over time some friends joined me, from that first line only the bassist Moñoz remains. We started playing in dirty bars and stinky venues, from below, you know, and with time and the protection of Satan we grew, first we recorded a demo and released it in tape format, then a full-length album and then in several countries they started to press our music. The first album is ‘Fast & Loud’, there the band took an important turn, on that album I did the vocals, the drums and the guitar because the other members left the band, only Moñoz and I were left, but that didn’t bother us. It stopped me, on the contrary it gave me more strength, nothing was going to stop me, and soon Big Steven came in as drummer. That power trio was the definitive one. Since those days we have made vintage metal as we please, we were able to play in other countries and we have recorded some things, and here we go.

5. Why did you want to play this genre ? Who or what inspires you to write songs. What bands have inspired you the most ?

After years playing some styles of metal and punk, I had the concern in my head to do something like Yellowgoat, Celtic Frosy and Inepsy, to return to the roots, to the basics and primitive, so one day I left behind other bands where I played. and I decided to form Strike as a life project, thanks to bands like the aforementioned plus Motorhead, Darkthrone, Midnight and Omega I had the strength to pursue that style of speed metal punk with some black metal, in the old school method.

6. can you tell us more about your new Album “Break The Chains” and your new video clip “Black N’ Roll, Hate & Destruction” Recorded at Undercover Records / Evil Spell Records ? Do you also have a story behind your Album Title ?

‘Break The Chains’ is Strike’s second full-length album, it was recorded at Sound Blast Studios (Armenia) with our friend Mauricio Gallón, the mixing stage of the album was long, but finally at the end of 2023 it was released in Germany by the label Evil Spell Records, we also signed with them for the first time for that successful release that motivated us a lot, and in May 2024 was the release of the album from Colombia, our native country. This work has several special guests, including James Mc Bain from Hellripper (Scotland) and Old Skull from Arma (Brazil), as is usual in Strike, I was also in charge of everything graphic and artistic, such as the cover and layout of all physical formats.

Regarding the video clip, it was basically recorded with friends who helped us and with meticulous management to make a professional audiovisual product without the need for an expensive investment, that trick worked well for me, and that video came out of that. That song is simple, but it’s the catchiest sounding song on the album, that’s why we chose it. I’m talking to you reader, go look it up if you haven’t heard it.

About the title of the album, what a good question, I’ll tell you the story: one night I was listening to vinyl with my friend Jorge (with whom I annually publish a metalpunk fanzine ‘Midnigt Funeral zine’) and I noticed that on the back of the album ‘Darkthrone and black flags’ by Darkthrone said the phrase ‘Break The Chains’, and that’s when I had the idea to do it, and that’s also the name of a song by Inepsy, and by coincidence of life Strike’s previous album ‘Fast & Loud’ was also included. It’s called a song of theirs, that reference didn’t bother me, even Darkthrone put it on the LP of one of their albums, I thought it would be a good reference to them as well, and that phrase represents the spirit of the album, there we talked about the search for freedom through rock n’ roll, to break the chains of that which binds and represses us, to break the dogma and release our rebellion, the strength of our individuality, the call to the road, our devotion to the occult arts, etc.

7. Which places to play were important to you and why ?

Since my adolescence I was losing the spark of playing live, here there are no good places for it, plus with the passage of time it becomes more tedious for me to live with people in spaces with a mass audience, although I highlight the Bogotá scene , capital of Colombia, they have always supported us a lot and the shows there are great. Soon we will go on tour to North America in Mexico, there we will have dates with several bands that since the beginning of Strike also inspired us to make this type of music, I’m talking about guys like Hatewolf and Hellcharger. I must highlight that a characteristic of the public in this country is the fact that they are very euphoric, passionate, and noisy, that partly motivates a band to play, in general we Latinos tend to be like that, just ask any European band that has passed by here.

8. What was your Weirdest show you’ve ever played and why ? feel free to mention more than one, and don’t hold back on the details ?

Once we performed at a rather large festival, and there a well-known actor from Colombian cinema was playing in one of the bands, it was strange to share the stage with a national TV star hahahaha.
But the strangest thing was once we played in Quito, the capital of Ecuador, the neighboring country. It was the first time we played outside of Colombia and when we arrived at the venue it turned out that it was in an abandoned and very gloomy textile factory, and inside it had all the back line and lights necessary for the concert. The show was very good, people responded great, everything was incredible, but there was a moment when I and another friend went to the upper floors as curious people and entered a room with a view of the internal backyard of the structure, there I had the first paranormal experience of my life, we both saw how from the dark backyard below a form of humanoid and dim light was looking at us, it was chilling, moment later we simply left that room and went down to talk about the event. For me it is a great story even if it is not very believable, because at that moment I was not drunk yet.

9. What is l Strike Show like ? What can somebody expect when they go to one of your concerts ?

It is an example of the conjunction of the roots of rock n’ roll in an attack led by three misfit bastards addicted to speed, alcohol and heavy metal. In that show you will have fast tracks where we will spit in your face our hatred towards you and society, in addition to vestiges and nuances that contribute to blues, rockabilly, and punk. Street rock n’ roll to get drunk, fight, make love, and hate the world.

10. Are there other types of music you would like to play with a band ?

Of course, I’m a music addict, in the future I would like to do heavy metal folk and occult rock, although if you mean music other than rock n’ roll, it would also be great to know how to do a little Postpunk and Dark Wave, and music of related movements.

11. Which Festivals would you still like to play ,and Which festivals do you have the best memories ?

I would like to play at ‘Obscene Extreme’ in the Czech Republic and at Keep It True in Germany, also at Hells Heroes in the USA, maybe at the Candelabrum Metal fest in Mexico, underground metal events. I will make that happen.

12. How can fans and future fans locate, ,listen to and buy your music & merchandise . Is there anything else you would like your fans to know ?

We are very affordable in that aspect, if you write on one of our fanpages we will surely respond and greet you, in addition to obviously providing information on how to obtain our music.

All you have to do is write to us or follow us on our official networks

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/Strikespeedmetal (Strike – Speed Metal)

Instagram:

@strike_blackspeed_punxs

Youtube & Bandcamp:

https://strike-speedmetalpunx.bandcamp.com/

Strike – speed Metal

For those of you who don’t know us, we invite you to listen to our black rock n’ roll in this playlist

Undercover Records / Evil Spell Records:

https://undercover-records.de/Releases-Undercover-Records-Evil-Spell-Records

Metal Archives:

https://www.metal-archives.com/bands/Strike/3540459549

13. What were your best moments in 2023 as a band ? And are your plans for the future ?

It’s difficult to answer that, I don’t have a good memory, but it was a big step when we signed with Evil Spell Records from Germany, and also when we finished recording the last tracks of the album, at the end of the year we had a launch concert in Bogotá, in the month of November, that show was great too.

For the future of Strike, we have the Mexico tour coming up and between that I will make some new songs for an Ep and maybe a Split, at the moment we are dedicated to the distribution of the new album, we also have other dates in Colombia.

14. These were the questions, thank you for taking part in this interview and all the best to you and your band! Something to add yourself ?

Many thanks to Frank from ‘Metalheads Nijmegen Worldwide’ for the invitation to this space and for paying attention to our Street rock n’ roll, we highly value this type of projects where from the underground we seek to contribute and preserve what we are so passionate about, I send you A big hug to you and all the readers, greetings from South America, and remember that when everyone fails you, rock n’ roll is that thing that will never abandon you.

-Orion