Damnation A.D. is an American band from Washington, D.C.. The group released several albums in the 1990s before disbanding; it reformed in 2007.
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.”
Obviously, the response was unanimous: Damnation A.D. was back—with a renewed energy and a superior musical vision. “Running my own studio and working with all these different groups taught me how to write better songs,” Olden says. “This time I really knew what I wanted us to sound like and how to make it better. There are specific characteristics in great songs, with a certain amount of energy that makes people want to hear them again. What’s more, our musicianship and the production improved, so fans who liked our old songs will hear the same passion in music that sounds better.”
Their fans will also hear the contributions of peers and longtime DAD admirers such as John Henry from Darkest Hour, Carl Buechner from Earth Crisis/Freya, Wes Eisold from Give Up The Ghost—and offering their pipes on the song “If You Could Remember,” Patrick Stump and Pete Wentz from Fall Out Boy. “It’s great to be joined by friends on our new songs,” Olden says. “It’s real easy to say you want to do something together, then be too busy to actually do it. This required a lot of effort on all of our friends’ parts—and they came through. I was even able to develop some of our songs with them; it was real cool to hear their input.”
Olden was also able to refresh a couple of early DAD efforts for In This Life Or The Next. “We brought a couple classic old songs up to 2007 standards,” he says of “The Hangedman” and “Rain is My Veil.” “These songs were written many years ago, and we played them on tour all over the world. After all these years they still hold up—and people still go crazy when they hear them live.”
Expect many tracks from the new CD to be showcased on future tours. “When I’m playing them as a guitarist, I enjoy the physicality of the performance. The new song that will be the most fun to play live will be ‘Let Me In,’ because it’s such a challenge. I’m excited to move forward as an older band now, and it’s a cool opportunity to have our new material out on Victory, which is the best label for the CD to s.
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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.”
Obviously, the response was unanimous: Damnation A.D. was back—with a renewed energy and a superior musical vision. “Running my own studio and working with all these different groups taught me how to write better songs,” Olden says. “This time I really knew what I wanted us to sound like and how to make it better. There are specific characteristics in great songs, with a certain amount of energy that makes people want to hear them again. What’s more, our musicianship and the production improved, so fans who liked our old songs will hear the same passion in music that sounds better.”
Their fans will also hear the contributions of peers and longtime DAD admirers such as John Henry from Darkest Hour, Carl Buechner from Earth Crisis/Freya, Wes Eisold from Give Up The Ghost—and offering their pipes on the song “If You Could Remember,” Patrick Stump and Pete Wentz from Fall Out Boy. “It’s great to be joined by friends on our new songs,” Olden says. “It’s real easy to say you want to do something together, then be too busy to actually do it. This required a lot of effort on all of our friends’ parts—and they came through. I was even able to develop some of our songs with them; it was real cool to hear their input.”
Olden was also able to refresh a couple of early DAD efforts for In This Life Or The Next. “We brought a couple classic old songs up to 2007 standards,” he says of “The Hangedman” and “Rain is My Veil.” “These songs were written many years ago, and we played them on tour all over the world. After all these years they still hold up—and people still go crazy when they hear them live.”
Expect many tracks from the new CD to be showcased on future tours. “When I’m playing them as a guitarist, I enjoy the physicality of the performance. The new song that will be the most fun to play live will be ‘Let Me In,’ because it’s such a challenge. I’m excited to move forward as an older band now, and it’s a cool opportunity to have our new material out on Victory, which is the best label for the CD to s.
