Interviews: Weapon Of Pride

On this new occasion, we have had the opportunity to interview the Stoner Metal/Hard Rock band, Weapon Of Pride from the USA. Check out the interview and follow the band on their FACEBOOK PAGE.

1. Where did you get the idea for the band name, you planned it or came out just like that?

The studio we recorded in is in a rougher part of town. One night our producer was working on our debut EP and heard a bunch of commotion outside. He went out there to find his street was shut down by cops. Drones were flying overhead, you could hear the dogs and one of the cops got on a megaphone to speak to one of the residents that neighbored our studio. The cop said something along the lines of "We know you're in there, if you don't come out peacefully we're going to send the dogs in and they will hurt you, so surrender your Weapon of Pride and come out now." Apparently, his girlfriend threatened to leave him, so he held her hostage at gunpoint. As far as I know, the situation was resolved without injury. We actually ended up getting that incident recorded on video. We stripped the audio and put it as an introduction to our EP Retribution we released a few years back. Go check it out!

2. Why did you want to play this genre?

Black Sabbath. We were just learning our craft in high school and we were pretty much a Black Sabbath cover band that played in our dad's garage for the neighborhood. We loved the music and my vocal range was good for covering Ozzy.

3. Did you know each other before the band was formed?

Weapon consists of two brothers actually (Bassist/ Vocalist: Ryan, and Guitarist: Logan). It did not start out that way though. Logan, our current guitarist, was pretty young when I started this journey in high school. He watched us practice those first few years and decided he wanted a piece. Logan would lock himself in his bedroom every day and just riff it out until he felt comfortable coming to me (Ryan) to audition. So we were actually a four-piece for a while. Eventually, our original guitarist Darrin got busy with life and fell off. Now we're back to being a three-piece, but greatly a family project today. We met our drummer, Jonathan, through a "wanted drummer" ad. He was pretty young and told us he had a pop punk band with his buddies that was bound to take off and that we should only expect a couple months out of him. It's now been 4 or 5 years lol.

4. Each band member's favorite band?

That's a super hard question as I have bands for different moods. Mine (Ryan, bassist/vocalist) would probably have to be Mastodon or Down. I love Mastodon's diversity from album to album. Down is just an awesome pairing of southern, stoner, and groove. Logan's (guitarist) would have to be System of a Down or Rammstein for their creativity. Jonathan (drums) appreciates Tool and drummer Danney Carey for pioneering metal drumming greatness.

5. Who or what inspires you to write songs?

It probably depends on what we're jamming on the most when we hit the studio. If we're on a prog kick, you'll get odd time signatures in our songs. If we're hyped up on Slayer or something (like for their farewell tour a few years back), our songs end up being more thrash infused. At the end of the day, it still sounds like us, but we get inspiration from our musical heroes every day. And it's always changing.

6. Where was your last gig?

We recently played at the Nile in Mesa Arizona. We opened for Nebula and the Atomic Bitchwax!

7. Where would you like to act?

Our dream gig is to play at Psycho Las Vegas. It's an annual stoner metal festival, and it would be such great exposure for us. Truly a great opportunity to play alongside some of our biggest influences.

8. Whom would you like to feature with?

In my opinion, The Atomic Bitchwax and The Sword have a great complementary sound to ours. Unfortunately, the Sword called it quits a few months ago, but should they ever grace the stage again, we'd love to open for them.

9. Whom not?

We're down to play anywhere, anytime, for the right crowd. But for relevant exposure though, right? I can't say there's any rock or metal band in particular that we wouldn't like to play with, but the stoner lineups seem to make the most sense for us. I will say that I (Ryan) am NOT a fan of modern pop, rap, or today's radio country.

10. Have any of you ever suffered from stage fright? Any tips for beginners on how to beat that?

Absolutely. Part of the reason I don't sing without my bass guitar in hand is I honestly don't know what I'd do with my empty hands (que the Ricky Bobby memes). We all do on off days, but Logan and Jonathjan were born more natural performers where I really get my kicks in the studio.

11. What bands have inspired you the most?

Black Sabbath. Funny what learning all of a band's catalog will do (Ozzy era, up to Sabotage).

12. What's the weirdest thing a fan has ever asked you for?

We played an all-ages show when we were students ourselves, and were asked for alcohol in return for "favors." We declined for many obvious reasons.

13. What do you think of your fans?

I like to be personable. We couldn't do this without their support. My whole goal as a musician is to connect with people. From the clothes I wear, to the way I interact with people at gigs. We're all grinding, regular people. I like to quote Phil Anselmo; "It's not the clothes that play the music, we do." When I was 15, I got to see Korn and Avenged Sevenfold live. The live concert atmosphere was so cool and the drummers were just tearing it up on stage. That night I decided I wanted to partake in music seriously. As a fan, I was moved and inspired with a new and very real purpose. It is my dream that someday I could inspire another kid to find their purpose. Fans are people that become friends after a few drinks and a musical conversation. At least that's how it is at this stage in our band's career. 

14. What do you think of our site?

Dope content! I can't tell you how awesome it is to discover platforms like "Breathing the Core" that support the up-and-coming. Past supporting us directly in interviews, "Breathing the Core" is an awesome resource for us to find other bands on a similar journey and appreciate their new music and find ways to connect with them.

15. Something to add?

Hope y'all enjoy our new record "Taking Over." We're stoked to hit the road this year and play it live. We're also equally excited to start writing the next project. If you liked "Taking Over" please find us and follow us on socials and Spotify, save our music, etc.. We really could not do this without the support. Huge thanks go out to "Breathing the Core!"