WARKINGS have stormed into the heavy metal world with weapons in hand. They have released tracks that feature incredible riffs and anthem inspiring lyrics. Following the success of Reborn in 2018, WARKINGS are due to release their studio album Revenge. Rock Out Stand Out’s Becky Weale speaks to The Crusader about Revenge, the underworld and revisiting history.
Revenge is a concept album involving stories of various battles in time. What inspired the band to come up with this concept?
We are following the theme from our previous album and communicating our tales from the old days. The story goes that the four ancient kings (a roman Tribune, a wild Viking, a noble Crusader and a martial Spartan) gathered in the halls of Valhalla, escape from the realms of obscurity and we stole our souls from the Lord of the Abyss.
During the song writing process, do you try to incorporate stories involving all your fellow war kings?
Our songs are not special. We just hang out in the underworld, drink, and talk about the ancient days. We sing, play the odd songs and cast our minds back to our time in the battle fields. So, we bring to the world of metal our tales of our triumphant battles from our former life. I have had encounter with historians trying to tell me that my outfit is not authentic. I disagree with their arguments as I was there and experienced it first-hand.
Is there a specific moment in history that you would like to visit?
No, I have achieved my most important experiences in my life right now. Visiting Jerusalem and being able to fight a battle in Wacken which was glorious.
Is there a venue that you would prefer to battle in?
I would love to venture back to Jerusalem and fight a battle there. This will be a highlight for me. I would love to return to my old battlefield that would be an amazing experience for me.
Since your resurrection from the underworld, do you wish to avenge your death?
We do not think about that anymore. We have lived for over thousand years and we have been in the underworld for millennium. We have been given the chance to relive our lives and gain new experiences.
Do you have any unfinished business from your previous life?
No not really. We recorded a track called Warriors, we got into some serious trouble with other war kings over it. We were summoned by Odin to go to earth and spread the word of metal and they were jealous. We must solve the problems in the underworld but with the help from our warriors we can fight them and defeat them.
Any unusual gifts that you have received from your fellow warriors?
Not yet, as we are a new band on the scene, we need to build up our fan base. I am looking forward to seeing what our fellow warriors will bring. Perhaps new weapons that would be welcome.
So, the fanbase could surprise you all down the line?
Hopefully, we will receive nice surprises! We need to stand side by side and fight for our music.
We need to fight for the word of metal!
That is right and that is a good thing. The most glorious warriors came from the world of metal.
Yes, you have probably meet fellow musicians such as Ronnie James Dio.
Aw yes, you have had some great musicians on earth. Randy Rhodes showed up in the studio and showed me some riffs. Wow this man can play maybe next time he will join us and play a solo.
As a crusader do you still uphold your previous religious beliefs in Valhalla?
We arrived in Valhalla as a Tribune, Viking, Crusader and Spartan but at the end of the day we are no different. The best thing that we considered was to get rid of religion. I would tell the world that it is not beneficial. Fighting on behalf of a religion is not smart idea. I fought for a religion in my previous life I have left that behind.
How have you been coping with the lockdown?
We have been in the studio recording the new album. Unfortunately, when this virus began, we were not aware of this until Hephaistos showed up. He told us that our warriors were in serious trouble. We returned to earth and we saw a new enemy that we could not defeat with axes or swords. We are keeping positive that maybe we can do some battles later in the year. We do not want to put our fellow warriors in jeopardy.
Any advice to offer people who are struggling?
Everyone has their own way of dealing with a problem. My advice is to take care of yourself and keep in contact with people.
Do you listen to your own music while chilling in Valhalla?
Yes of course, we have already written material for our third album. We have been using the time wisely.
Any messages for the fans?
It is a difficult time for us all. We all need to join forces and rise against the enemy. Whether it is the virus or threats from the underworld. I hope that you all will listen to our new album and join us on future battles that we have planned in the future.
Thanks for taking the time to speak to Rock Out Stand Out today .
