STRIKER

Straight To The Point

The popularity of the Canadian metal band Striker seems to grow fast as a shark since the release of their latest, fourth CD `Stand In The Fire’ in 2016. Also the fact the band decided to take matters in their own hands by starting their independent label Record Breaking Records, makes the four-piece even more determined to convince the globe of their powerful, energetic, speedy, thrash like metal sound. Striker is definitely out for blood and it keeps singer Dan Cleary, guitarist Tim Brown, bass player William Wallace and drummer Adam Brown pretty busy these days. Despite the band has been frequently on the road last year, it didn’t stop the musicians from writing and recording a brand new album, simply called `Striker’ [release date: 24 February 2017]. It is crystal clear the band sounds extremely fired up on this new release, but the guys also took their writing and composing skills to a new level, which resulted in 10 killer songs that are sounding mind blowing and so goddamn catchy! Striker soon will hit the road in Europe with Finnish power metal band Sonata Arctica to promote their latest effort and it is guitarist Tim Brown who likes to share all the excitement with HeadBangers LifeStyle.

(Tim Brown, photo from his Facebook)

What are the best thing(s) that happened after the release of the last album `Stand In The Fire’ (2016)?
,,We got to tour with Primal Fear! That was an amazing tour. And to top it off it led to our tour with Sonata Arctica, which starts in a few weeks! We also won a bunch of Canadian awards, and of course toured North America for about 60 dates which was a monster tour for us.’’

What do you consider the biggest achievement of the band so far?
,,Probably just being able to be successful as an independent band. It’s so hard out there these days to get ahead and things are so stacked against bands that don’t have the support of a label. Being able to call our own shots is huge for us and seeing things work out is a big achievement. I hope more bands can strike out on their own and be successful!’’

You release your new, fifth album called `Striker’ within a year. Does it mean the band is in a hurry and wants to keep the fire going or do you have other reasons?
,,We all love making music, so we are always writing and making demos. Since we are independent we can do whatever we want and we had some time off between tours. What better way to spend that time than finishing off a new album?’’

How much beer, rock ‘n roll, heartaches and long late night hours were needed to write and record `Striker’?
,,It was actually pretty pain free! We had everything set up to record at home from when we recorded `Stand In The Fire’ and we also learned a lot from making that album. This album was really easy for us to make. That being said it always takes a lot of hours to get down and actually finish recording and editing, but we are getting better and better at the process so hopefully the next album is even easier!’’

Do you want to make a certain statement naming the album `Striker’?
,,We wanted this album to be direct, straight to the point. Self-titled, black and white cover, shortened album length, etc. We wanted everything to have purpose and we wanted to get rid of all the extra junk that can slow an album down. We felt that this album is also the best place to start if you want to understand the `Striker sound’, so what better way to do that then titling the album after the band. This album is basically the best summary of what we are.’’



Why should metal heads buy your new album?
,,In the Internet age, streaming, torrenting, etcetera none of those pay out to the bands. It’s really unfortunate but in the end when a band starts to really take the music seriously and starts to tour and makes professional albums, everything costs money. If you want new music from a band you like, or to see them live, you need to go out and support them somehow. Studio time is expensive, so is touring. Most bands are lucky if they break even on a tour and at a certain point it becomes hard to justify losing all kinds of money recording albums if no one is buying it. That goes for not only us but all bands. If you like something, you need to support it and in our world that means paying for it. At least with us, since we are independent if you buy an album from us you are helping put gas in our tank, food in our bellies, and beers in our cooler. Also, buying a physical copy from us gives you something to collect, especially vinyl which is way cooler than a CD!’’

What does it mean for Striker and you personally to go out on tour with Sonata Arctica in February until April and how do you prepare for such a trip?
,,This tour is going to be our biggest tour ever. We are really looking forward to it. To prepare, we are touring the United States! Doing our best to get the liver in shape and sample some local beers across the nation [laughing].’’

What do you want to show the audience in Europe during this tour?
,,We are going to shred the pants off the Sonata audience! I’m not sure how familiar that crowd will be with our material, and when they see us live, we are going to bring our A game. We are going out there to make lifelong fans from everyone that comes out to that tour.’’

What is the ultimate kick of being on stage?
,,Just feeding off the audience! It’s tons of fun to get up there and rock out, especially when people are going crazy.’’

Who/which band taught you the best tips and tricks in rock ‘n roll?
,,We always learn something new every time we play or tour with a new band. Touring with Primal Fear was great, those guys are pros and they are one of our favourite bands so just watching them every night was inspiring. We also stole their fog jets [laughing]. I think the biggest thing is to stay inspired and to love what you do. Looking forward to Sonata Arctica teaching us some new tricks!’’


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