Track By Tracks: Resistance - Skulls Of My Enemy (2022)

1. Call To Arms:

This is the album intro. It’s a short piece intended to set the stage for what’s to come. We wanted to introduce the listener to the elements of the music that follows - guitar tones, bass, and drums - in under 60 seconds. A slightly longer version will become our new walkout music as we get back on the road.

2. Valhalla Has Locked Its Doors:

“An army of five, on steel we ride” begins the lyrics of this song. Rob wrote these lyrics placing us 5 members of the band as the protagonists as we metaphorically ride our way into battle. We chose Valhalla Has Locked Its Doors as the opener in hopes of getting everyone’s attention. It’s one of the faster songs on the album and we felt that it has the right energy to show what we’re all about. We wanted to incorporate as many elements of our compositional abilities into one song. From multiple guitar solos to the bridge to the breakdown - a lot can happen in 4 minutes and this song is proof of that.

3. On Dragon Wings:

On Dragon, Wings came about early in the writing phase. A late pre- production lyric change pushed this song in a different direction. It was originally penned as a “life on the road/self-reflection” epic like Iron Maiden’s Wasted Years but lyricist/drummer Matt Ohnemus had the idea of writing it about dragons - from the dragon's perspective. We all fell in love with the concept and the song really came together. Lyrics such as, “Soar through the air/where eagles dare/I’ve now become your nightmare” and, “There’s no place you can hide/all alone I roam/as I burn the flesh from bone” are just some of the lyrical highlights.

4. Earthshaker:

This is one of the heaviest songs on the album and it also has a heavy meaning. It’s written about the 704th Tank Destroyer Battalion during WWII whose sole mission was to hunt down the Panzer Brigades. They were at Normandy, Northern France, and made their way through the Rhineland. It’s one man’s reflection on his time in the European theater chronicling his time from deployment to battle to live with the ghosts of war. It’s an amazing tale of courage under fire.

5. Nordic Witch:

The song is about a Viking warrior who is heading into battle but must first consult the oracle. Musically this is probably our most NWOTHM song. The music was written with lyrics in hand which isn’t our most common way of songwriting. However, in this case, the visual imagery of the lyrics demanded a certain timbre and tone of the instruments. The intro section foreshadows all of the harmonic content that follows. The vocal cadence and rhythmic delivery are some of Rob’s greatest moments and Nano’s guitar solo over what could be considered a difficult chord progression is one of the shining moments on the album. We’ve tested this song live and it’s sure to become a staple at our shows.

6. Empires Fall:

The music for this song was written by guitarist Nano Lugo and it’s a banger. He brought it to us midway through the songwriting process and we were all on board immediately. Matt and Rob had a great time writing the lyrics to match the intensity of the music. Here too we tried to create a musical journey. The breakdown was originally a brief instrumental interlude but during tracking, we realized that it worked better as an interpolation with Rob’s vocals leading the charge.

7. Templar’s Creed:

Rob had the idea for the lyrical concept for quite a while before this song came along. He knew it had the right feel for a story of the Knights Templar. The twist is that they slowly realize that they’re not fighting for the cross but for the greed of kings. The chorus reads, “We fight, we slay in the name/delivering death is the ultimate game/as we protect those who seek greed. The blood on our shields and knives stack the dead at the end of the fight/ as we ride on to defend the creed”, and it shows that while they may not be riding for the glory of the kingdom of heaven they are really good at what they do - killing. Musically, this song highlights for us as it incorporates a coda that completes the song with the refrain, “We bleed for the creed”.

8. Awaken The Necromancer:

Necromancy. Not many things are more metal than that. While this song does have a darker feel than many of the other songs on the album it’s a fun song to play. Like Nordic Witch, the music for Awaken The Necromancer was written with lyrics in hand. Lyrics such as, “In the cave of the mountain god/whispered lore of a granite tomb/ the remains of a Necromancer and a warning to exhume”, and “Candlelight dances on the walls/master hear our call” guided our hands while writing this song.

9. Metallium:

We all felt strongly about this being the album closer. It closes the album on a high note. Paul wrote the lyrics as an ode to metal and as a tribute to metal fans, particularly in Europe where bands like us thrive. We shout out MTS in Oldenburg, Bambi Galore in Hamburg, Headbangers Open Air, and Hell power Open Air Festival in Europe but we bring it back home by shouting out Satan’s Den in Hilliard Ohio. These are some of our most memorable shows and we wanted to immortalize those experiences in song.