Here is an interview with War Injun from Maryland USA, I originally did this feature for the Terrorizer Magazine website in 2011. Maryland is most well known musically for being the home of bands such as Pentagram, The Obsessed and Clutch and for it's long running and world famous fertile Doom metal-Doomrock scene which spawned a multitude of now classic bands within that genre, at one point in time back in the mid 1990's it seemed like almost every band in the Maryland region that had an early Black Sabbath obsession were signed to the now infamous cult German Doom label Hellhound Records who had such Maryland Doom heavyweights such as Revelation, Wretched, Unorthodox, Iron Man, The Obsessed and Internal Void on their roster back in the early-mid 90's aswell as LA Doom godfathers Saint Vitus and Swedish Sabbath worshippers Count Raven.
WAR INJUN comtinue the fine tradition of Maryland Doom and actually feature ex Internal Void frontman JD Williams on vocals aswell as a current Earthride member in their ranks, the Earthride connection dosn't stop there however as current Earthride frontman and ex Wretched vocalist and Spirit Caravan bassist Dave Sherman was a one time member of this band which currently features the line up of J.D. Williams on vocals, Dave Morgan on bass, J.B. Matson on drums, Kenny Staubs on guitar and Kyle Van Steinberg on guitar.
War Injun's music is dirty gritty bluesy Doomrock and their debut CD "Tribal Eulogy" would fit in any Doom collection just perfectly alongside any of the aforementioned bands I have mentioned. There is a great mix of tempos going on in the bands music, from doomed out slow passages to heavy full on hardrockin' crushing mid paced-uptempo sections and J.D. 's vocals are on fine form throughout, his commanding and instantly recogniseable voice being the perfect lead for this bands whiskey soaked Biker Doom. Maryland Doomrock is alive and well in 2011 with bands such as War Injun and Earthride releasing great albums and continuing to fly the flag. I sent some questions to drummer J.B. to get more info on the band and here is what he had to say:-
Hails! Please give us a background history on the band and who does what.
J.D. Williams (ex Internal Void) – Vocals, Kenny Staubs (ex Outside Truth) – Guitars, Kyle VanSteinberg (Earthride) – Guitars, Dave Morgan (ex Leviathan AD/Beyond Fatal) – Bass, J.B. Matson (ex Outside Truth) – Drums.
You have just had your album “Tribal Eulogy” released. Please tell the readers about this album in your own words and what they can expect from it. Are you happy with how it turned out?
Ultimately, we are satisfied with the overall release and humbled by the response. Tribal Eulogy has been described as everything from “Brutal Biker Metal” to “Crushing Power Doom” There is an array of speeds and tempos throughout the album influenced by past and present groups. We, as a band, come together from a web of past bands. This coalition has created a sound we consider unique, no two songs sound the same.
Have you got any plans to support this release live>? Many shows booked? Do you play out live often?
As of now we only have (3) shows booked: SHoD XI (Stoner Hands of Doom) in Frederick, Md. On August 13th, a party on Sept. 17th with Admiral Browning, and The Day of the Doomed Fest in June 2012 in Wisconsin. We are first and foremost focused on writing new material.
Are your past releases (demo & split) still available?
There are no more copies of the demo left to my knowledge, and the 7” Split we released with Portugal’s Dawnrider was sold out some time ago. It is up to Blood and Iron Records (www.bloodandironrecords.webs.
What bands fuel and shape the sound of War Injun?
There’s probably 100 bands that strongly influence our sound. But in a nutshell, I would have to say: The Obsessed, Slayer, COC, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Black Sabbath, Pentagram, Celtic Frost ……
Please tell us about your local scene. Maryland is known for its healthy Doom scene, a couple of your members, both past and present, have been involved in such influential MD bands, as Internal Void, Earthride, Wretched, and Spirit Caravan.
Maryland is definitely a main component to the doom genre. The whole Maryland/DC scene is rather slow at the current time, but there are still a few of us that are keeping the flame burning.
Are any members currently involved with any other bands/projects?
All of us have put our focus strictly on War Injun with the exception of Kyle, who is still active in Earthride.
Why the name War Injun?
The name War Injun was created by Kenny and I. I originally suggested War ENGINE, which eventually evolved to War INJUN based on our Native American heritages. I am Cherokee and Arapaho, Kenny is Cherokee (Blackfoot), J.D. is Apache, Dave is Sioux, and Kyle has Mandan in his blood.
What do your lyrics mostly deal with?
Karma, addictions, betrayal, spirits, insanity, Native Americans, sorrow……
What are your plans for the rest of this year and beyond…? Any plans to hit Europe at some point?
As I said earlier, our attention is set on writing material for our next album. Naturally, we would love to perform in Europe. Our biggest fan base is across the pond!
What’s your opinion on the worldwide doom scene? There seems to be more of a buzz surrounding bands like Vitus and Pentagram these days than there was back in the 1990’s for example…..why do you think this is?! What do you think has caused the surge in popularity in Doom music in recent years when they couldn’t get arrested 15-20 years ago?!
Doom has been around for a long time. There are dozens of bands and hundreds of songs that have never been recognized. “Hidden talent”. I believe that the internet is to thank for the recent awareness of the “doom” genre. Myspace and Facebook, for example, have given our style of music the opportunity to be heard….finally.
TRIBAL EULOGY can be bought at multiple online sites, just Google War Injun – Tribal Eulogy.
Follow WAR INJUN at:
www.myspace.com/warinjundoom
Like WAR INJUN at:
www.facebook.com/warinjun
Contact WAR INJUN at:
jmatson@myactv.com
Thanks for the opportunity to speak with you Kat!! -+-+- DOOM ON!! -+-+-
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