Sceneazine.com
Against Their Will
N
by John Smithson
orth Carolina’s high-energy musical alliance
known as Against Their Will was unleashed in
late 2010 by Wilson’s four hardest-working musicians
after going through years of lineup changes and songwriting evolution. After releasing “The Brotherhood”
EP less than a year later, they were launched without
hesitation into the spotlight of their local music community. In the Fall of 2013, the quartet released American Stratofortress on NC’s indie label “Mightier Than
The Sword Records”. Many of their songs have received
mostly positive reception worldwide via Internet radio
programs. With a sound reminiscent to 1980’s-era Metallica, tracks such as “Hellward Bound” and “Out Of
Fear” are sure to have a nostalgic appeal to old-school
metal fans, with enough sonic angst to simultaneously
win over modern-age listeners. These four arrive at each
venue armed to the teeth with a no-bullshit work ethic;
as well as an upbeat, inviting live performance that encourages crowd participation through an aggressive, yet
positive expression rarely seen in underground music
today.
Your band name where did that come from and
what’s the reasoning behind it?
Logan: When the band first started, Bill and I had a
long discussion over a few names, but because we are
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inspired by our armed
services we decided
“Against Their Will”
seemed to fit our theme.
Jake: I think everyone’s got their
own explanation of this one. Personally, I believe it refers to prisoners of
war, soldiers that are missing-in-action, or basically anyone forced to
take part in a diplomatic conflict that
they want no affiliation with.
Bill: The name “Against Their Will”
can be taken in many ways. Since we
are pro-military, it can be viewed as
POW, MIA, etc. To those who do not
see it that way usually just look at it as
a killer name.
Taylor: Against Their Will: Something in life that you may not necessarily want to do, but it must be done.
Soldiers going to a foreign country to liberate insurgents
out of a defenseless country is one example. They will be
faced with negativity from the invaders and even with
those of their own homeland for meddling in others’ affairs, but it must be done for the greater good. Almost
like a crusade.
So when did you guys start as a band? Has anyone
played in other bands together?
Logan: I believe the
roots of the band started
in late 2006. I played in a
few middle school garage
bands, but didn’t start
jamming with Bill until his previous band fell
apart. I was a roadie!...Or
a minion as they called
me, but I have not played
in another band since
ATW started up.
Bill: Logan and I
originally started what
became ATW around
2006-2007. This group
has gone through many
lineup changes to get to
where we are now. We
auditioned many and just
had friendly jams with
others just to see how the
chemistry is. After many
changes, we finally found
our current set up, and it
has been awesome!
Taylor: The current
lineup has been in stone
since 2010. I actual-
ly played in a “rival” band prior to ATW, and the two
groups butted heads many times over in our town.
Who are some of you guys influences? Would you
say that’s where you get your sound from?
Logan: I am influenced by early Metallica. That was
the concert that got me into hard rock and metal in the
first place. Most recently I’ve been into Demon Hunter, Alter bridge, Avenged Sevenfold, Volbeat, Woven
War, HELLYEAH, Five Finger Death Punch, and been
kicking back to some rat pack like Frank Sinatra, Dean
Martin, etc. And yes, you can still hear some of the older
metal influences in our riffs and vocals. Hopefully you
will hear a wider range of new styles and influences in
our upcoming work.
Jake: Metallica, Megadeth, Godsmack, and Pantera I
believe are a massive influence on all of us. We all grew
up listening to stuff like that, and we weren’t really interested in following the “core” trend that was taking place
in our town when we formed. So naturally, the four of
us worked well together.
Bill: Animal from the Muppets is my main influence. After I