Utter Trash--Vindicator

Self Destruct Mode

An interview with Steve of 9 Shocks Terror

By Bob Ignizio

Taking their cues from early eighties thrasm metal bands like Sodom, Kreator, Megadeth, and Slayer, South Amherst’s Vindicator (Vic Stown – guitar and vocals, Marshall Law – bass and vocals, and Jesse Stown – drums)has recently begun making a brutal impression on the NE Ohio metal scene. I really enjoyed their ‘South Amherst Thrash’ demo (which you can hear on the band’s Myspace page), so I messaged Vic and asked him a few questions.

Utter Trash: How/when did Vindicator come together?
Vic Stown: Vindicator formed after the split in my old band Violent Night and the departure of "Kaine" (Marshall) from Black Trinity. I was pretty pissed about the split of my group which I spent a lot of cash on and burned a lot of gas and time in. I was ready to get up, dust myself off, and have another go. Marshall was pretty much forced to leave Black Trinity due to his car taking a shit on him. Obviously he wasn't going to walk to Cleveland to practice. I had known Marshall since high school and somehow I found out he was available. So we talked about forming an 'old school' thrash band in the vein of early Sodom, Kreator, Megadeth, Slayer... you get the picture. My brother Jesse and Wayne were in Violent Night with me so naturally I asked them to fill the slots of second guitar and drums. Marshall had long yearned to play bass again since he only sang in Black Trinity and hadn't played bass since his high school band Fallout. Since we all lived in South Amherst, we could easily grab Marshall for practice. So finally we have Marshall on vox and bass, myself on guitar, lead, and back up vox, and Jesse on drums. Wayne has since left the band.

UT: You're obviously influenced by eighties thrash and death metal. Do you consider it important to stay "true" to that style, or are you trying to add some more modern and unique touches to that sound?
VS: I do consider it important to stay 'true' but we do try to add our own unique touches. I wouldn't say 'modern' but 'unique', yes. Honestly though if we get compared to say, Slayer, that's fine with me.

UT: With you guys, Lick the Blade, and Crucified Mortals all kind of coming out close together, it seems almost like there's a trend in the Clevo scene to move back to the catchier songwriting of the eighties bands and away from the whole "extreme" for it's own sake approach of some grindcore, death and black metal. Do you think that's the case, or is it just a coincidence?
VS: I know, for myself, it is the case. I love catchy songs, so I tend to try to make ours very easily liked. I think all of us coming out close together is a coincidence. A good coincidence at that.

UT: What recordings have you done so far? Does your Myspace page have all the tracks you did for your 2006 demo or is there a longer version fans can get from you at shows? Any plans for a full length CD soon?
VS: I believe all the tracks from 'South Amherst Thrash' are on our myspace page. We do sell them at shows. We've also tacked on our rehearsal demo which includes a few songs that we didn't put on South Amherst Thrash and a cover of Venom's “Bloodlust”. We would love to record a full length, but right now (as I'm sure it's this way for a lot of bands) we need the funding.

UT: What do you think of the state of the NE Ohio metal scene?
VS: Honestly, I think it's in a horrid state. There are a lot of great metal bands out there getting no attention. But now there's this whole trend of kids calling themselves 'metal' and sounding nothing like any kind of metal what so ever. So, I think it looks better now than it did a few years ago, thanks to bands like Lick The Blade and Crucified Mortals, but I think it's got a long way to go.

UT: What's your approach to lyrics? I get the feeling that on some of your songs, at least, there's a tongue in cheek sense of humor.
VS: Marshall usually writes most of the lyrics. He's an excellent lyricist. But, when I do write I like to write about dementia and social issues. We all have sarcastic personalities and I believe some times it does come out in our writing.

UT: I see you have a Michigan show coming up. Will that be your first out of state gig? Is there a fair amount of interest in Vindicator outside of Ohio?:
VS: That will be our first out of state gig. I'm not sure if there is interest outside of Ohio. We get alot of messages from out of staters wishing we could play in their state and what not. But I wouldn't be able to tell you truthfully that there is.

UT: What would be your definition of success for this band?:
VS: Really, a record contract that pays for the recording of an album... That would be success, heh. As well as a label putting us on tour. This already has been more successful than anything I've done before.

UT: Anything else you want to add?:
VS: Thrash and destroy!