At War Interview 2007

Interview with Paul of At War 2007

by Bradley Smith

At war is back together again. How does it feel to be thrashing again? You guys have been friends for like 27 years right? How is your friendship now as opposed to early in At War’s career?

Paul- It feels great! We're at a time now where it just feels right. I must admit though it is a lot of work. We are progressing rapidly, and I just can't wait to hit the studio and stage again. Dave, Shawn and I have always been great friends and time has done nothing but strengthen that. There was about a ten year period where we were off doing our own things and I didn't get to see much of Dave, but Shawn and I remained in constant contact. Our friendship is stronger than it has ever been.

There has been a really long layoff between the post Retaliatory Strike era and the present. What have you guys been up to in the interim? Jobs, families, etc.?

Paul- I've had my hands full with tons of things. I took the frontman position for another local band for about five years just for fun. I have also been doing some freelance writing and photography for some outdoor magazines. I have two kids and I was concerned about them growing up without me around, so I have been raising them. I also have been pursuing my passions. I love to bowhunt and I've done quite a bit of that all over the country. I also just finished a three year restoration of a 1968 fastback mustang. It's awesome. I also have a mechanical/electrical contracting company I run. Shawn runs his own business, hunts and snowboards also. Dave got married and has a son. He's been working quite a bit also.

What can we expect from you guys in the near future? Can we hope for a new At War album and some touring? Any specific label interest for new material?

Paul- Expect what you would hope to expect from us as far as material goes. We hope to be in the studio sometime in May, and touring shortly after. We haven't even thought about talking to labels yet, but we're willing to listen to any out there who may be interested. We are trying to do this our own way this time and if it means a self release we may go that route. We are determined to make this happens with or without label support.

I thought there was a recognizable change in style over the course of the career and supposedly on the unreleased demo material. How do you view this change and what were some of the reasons for it? How will modern day At War sound?

Paul-I have to say I'm not exactly sure what you mean unless your referring to a demo we made back in the early 90's. We were going through an experimentation phase that turned out we weren't in to. So we decided that we wanted to do the type of metal that we wanted to hear, and not allow outside influences to infiltrate. The type of metal our fans come to expect from us. All three of us are into different types of music, but metal is what we live.

There was a burgeoning thrash scene all over the world in the mid to late 80s. What were some of your favorite peers from back in the day and some bands you thought were overlooked?

Paul- I have tons of favorites from back in the day, but a few that stand out are, Motorhead, Agnostic Front, OTT, Venom, Broken Bones, Nuclear Assault, COC, to name a few. I feel bands like Destruction, and Slaughter (Canada) to some degree deserved to be heard and appreciated by a much larger audience.

Lately there has been an explosion of classic Thrash band reformations such as Sacrifice, Assassin, Laaz Rockit, Holy Terror, and so on. What do you think is the reason for this? Are there any bands you would like to see reform?

Paul- Well that is where it all started. This form of music. There are many people out there who feel the world of metal has become to fragmented with it's many categories and varieties of metal that they want to get back to the basics. To it's purest form. I could not agree more. Call me biased. I have two local bands I'd like to see reform. Dead Aim and OTT. I'd also like to see Bloodfeast.

You have stated that your were influenced a lot by Geddy Lee of Rush. What about him inspired you and what are some of your other influences in regards to playing bass?

Paul-The first thing that got me about Geddy Lee was his bass sound. I loved that sound and wanted it. That's why I bought a Rickenbacker. He also made playing bass and singing at the same time seem effortless. I wanted to be like that. I also looked up to Stanley Clarke, Stu Hamm, Steve Harris, and of course Lemmy.

Rumor has it you have a decent collection of guns. What types do you have? What is your favorite and what type of gun would you like to get next? Also I have heard you hunt. What do you hunt and what do you think of the view that hunting is wrong that a lot of other people seem to be espousing these days?

Paul- I do have a few guns, but I am not a gun collector. I am a practical gun owner, meaning I have a combination of guns for any hunting situation. Small caliber rifles for small game. Shotguns for close range game, a multi-purpose rifle for small and large game, and a large caliber rifle for large game from great distances. I own only one handgun that I rarely shoot, but I would be more than glad to give any would-be criminal a quick lesson if they ever want to make an unannounced entry into my domicile. I have no wish list as far as guns go at this time. I do hunt and love it. I want to make clear, though I own guns, I am primarily a bow hunter. I have killed more big game with my bow than with my guns. I hunt mostly deer, elk, caribou, mule deer, and wild turkey. I will not get into a debate with anyone over why I hunt or how they feel about it. There is nothing anyone could say to ever make me stop. On this issue we have agree to disagree, and besides I really do not give a rats ass what anyone thinks. People who are anti hunting are reactionary and ill or mis-informed about the very thing they are against. I know that what I do has a vital role in the well being of the very species I hunt. Hunting is used as a means of management and without it these animals would suffer miserably. It is hunters and sportsman like me who pay countless taxes and fees that go directly into habitat preservation that would otherwise be turned into housing developments and strip malls. This may be hard to understand, but hunters care more for the very animals they hunt than 80 percent of the population. Most Americans go through their entire life without ever thinking about the wild. I immerse myself in it. Hunting is natural, it is right, and it is legally protected. Need I say more.

I know you are a big War buff. What is your "Favorite" war to study and read up on? What makes it so interesting to you? What do you think of the War in Iraq right now?

Paul- Since I was a kid I was a big WWII buff. I loved all movies about it and still do today. That was a time when this country was threatened and the entire country laid down it's differences and pulled together to help save the world from one of the most evil people ever. On the issue of Iraq I feel Americans have too short a memory about why we are there. The mantra from the left has been where are the WMD's and Bush lied! This is complete bullshit! Nobody seems to recall the fact that Saddam for ten years after the first gulf war just thumbed his nose at the UN and the rest of the world about disarming. It was at that point I did not care why we went in I'm just glad we did. The UN is a worthless organization without teeth. Saddam knew the UN would do nothing to force him to disarm. I'm glad Bush had the nads to take him out. He also said way back them that this was not going to be easy or short term. What's happening now with the new congress is just a reflection of how soft and short sighted some Americans are getting. They are driven not by a desire to make things better, but a unified message of hate, hate for George Bush. No one voted in the last election FOR anything. They all voted against Bush. What bothers me most is these people think that if we just go home that all will be right with the world. I got news for you. These people over there want you, me, and all unlike them dead. They are determined and they will never stop until they have succeeded, then and only then will they stop killing all that are not just like them, and after that they will turn on themselves. They are a backward people willing to die for a flawed ideology. This is fact! I say we pull out, get a safe distance, and nuke the entire region. End of problem.

On a similar topic, there are so many interesting and well made war movies out there these days. I was wondering what are some of your Favorite war movies? Why?

Paul- My all time favorite movie is "Full metal Jacket". Best movie ever! Saving Private Ryan, The Big Red One, and The Bridge over River Kwai are all awesome.

Do you follow politics at all? What do you think of the US political landscape right now and about the world political scene, especially in regards to how they view the US government and Bush in particular?

Paul- I feel that if the newly elected congress gets there way and are blinded by their hate for Bush, and do not put this countries defense in the forefront. then you had better take time out to teach your children how to defend themselves and to learn Arabic, because it will not be our generation that will have to deal with terrorism here at home, but our children and their children certainly will. I have never given a shit how we are viewed by the rest of the world. We are America and I love this country. I will NOT apologize to anyone for being American! I feel America is the greatest success story of all times. We have come so far in such a short period of time, and the rest of the world can not stand it. Would I like to see less vitriol aimed at this country Yes, but is not going to happen. The rest of the world is quick to point out mistakes we make, but will NEVER give us credit when we deserve it. This country gives more in aid around the world that any tens other nations combined, but do you ever hear any thanks? Hell no! They take with one hand and a smile, and with the other hand they give us the finger. This sums it up for me.

Back to music related topics, what do you think of the underground scene now as compared to when you guys were first kicking in heads? Is the landscape more complex now and how does thrash fit in?

Paul- I don't know about more complex, but more categorized. There seems to be a sub-genre for any band now. I really like a lot of what's going on out there now, but there is an equal amount of stuff I just can't get into. Thrash has it's spot cemented in the landscape and as far as metal goes will never go out of style. It is true metal.

Any final words before you begin your Retaliatory strike?

Paul- I want to thank you for the interview and want to thank all the supporters of At War over the years, because it is them that brought us back together. We are back together directly as a result of fan support. We received so many request to do it that we just had to. Thanks to all and look forward to seeing everyone this summer.