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The Gauntlet: Damnation AD |
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One of the true underground hardcore legends in America, Damnation A.D. is resurfacing after an almost eight-year hiatus with the release of their new Victory Records album, In This Life Or The Next. Not only does this D.C.-based band live up to their reputation, but the new blistering sonic attack sounds as sharp and fresh as their original work.
Damnation A.D. first came together in 1993, led by songwriter/guitarist Ken Olden and singer Mike "DC" McTernan. They used their DC punk roots to create an ultra-heavy, dark metallic that became that template for future generations of metal and hardcore bands. DAD's first full-length came out in 1995, and they put out three other releases before calling it a day. Olden opened a recording studio and got into artist development, McTernan managed a record store and sang in other groups, bassist Alex Merchlinsky moved to New York City to become a graphic designer, and drummer Dave Bryson went on to play in a number of other highly successful bands.
“Time was flying by,” Olden recalls. “Mike, who was doing project called When Tigers Fight, called and basically said, ‘Nobody knows me and my voice better than you; can you record my vocals? He came down here and I was really impressed; his voice was better than ever. Plus, we recorded him on ProTools, which being a studio owner, I had been using for years. I suddenly realized that I had never recorded Damnation on anything other than analog, which has some positive characteristics, but can significantly slow down the pace of the recording process.
“Now, using ProTools, Mike and I were knocking songs out so quickly, I thought, ‘We could really do a great album, and take Damnation A.D. to a new level.’ I started demo-ing new songs, and I was pretty surprised that I came up with a ton of stuff. I wanted to make sure the newer material held up to the older and tested standards, so I asked others if the new stuff held up. I felt the music had to be better than ever, or it wasn’t going to be worth coming back.”
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