Blazing Rust are set to release the follow-up to their 2017 album Armed to Exist. On July 24, 2020 the quartet from St. Petersburg, Russia will release Line of Danger through Pure Steel Records (read our review). Metal Express Radio had the chance to speak with vocalist Igor Arbuzov about their up coming release and what lies ahead for Blazing Rust.
Metal Express Radio: If I knew absolutely nothing about Blazing Rust, how would you describe the band’s music to me?
Igor Arbuzov: Speaking about music is like dancing about architecture (laughs). Blazing Rust is a time machine to the 80s when we didn’t have COVID-19, HIV, and stupid 8-string djent guitar players. Imagine if Dio (the band) would work Martin Birch, and Maiden would work with Beau Hill. Mix it all together, add some flavor of Russian Melodic Metal, and that’s it!
MER: Your latest album Line of Danger is set to be released on July 24, 2020. How does it differ from your previous release Armed to Exist?
IA: There’s an obvious improvement sound-wise. I think. There are more catchy songs on this CD and some of us improved their performance. Also, we weren’t afraid of some experimentation, which led to creation of such tracks as “Line of Danger” and “Murder”, which sound like something we’ve never done before.
MER: What songs are you most proud of and why? You can’t say all of them…
IA: I’d pick the first three: “Let It Slide”, “Line Of Danger” and “Amidst The Furious Waves”. It’s Blazing Rust on its peak. The first is a perfect opener, the second shows our songwriting skill and diversity, and I’m proud of my vocal performance on the latter one. Some great twin-guitar harmonies are present there as well.
MER: On your Facebook page Blazing Rust names Black Sabbath, Diamond Head, Iron Maiden, Tank, Motorhead and Judas Priest as influences. Are there any Russian bands that influence you?
IA: Of course, ARIA (Ария) is an influence. Some call them “Russian IRON MAIDEN”. I agree and disagree at the same time. They just took the successful “Maiden format” and created their own songs within this paradigm. I’m sure, Maiden wouldn’t mind having some of Aria’s songs in their catalog. And of course they have some decent ballads and also heavy tracks that have nothing in common with the above-mentioned Britts. We also enjoy listening to such vintage Soviet metal acts like Master (Мастер), KRUIZ (Круиз), BLACK COFFEE (Черный Кофе), but I wouldn’t say they were much an influence for us.
[Igor catches me recycling a question]
MER: Is Starblind going to be able to tour in support of Line of Danger?
IA: They will have to learn all the tracks from scratch. However, I think, it’s better for them to play their own stuff. I wouldn’t mind them covering us though. Great band.
MER: Who came up with the band name and what inspired it?
IA: I don’t know exactly who came up with the name, because when I joined, the band already had this moniker. However, I know that the main idea was: we take something old and rusty, making it shine again like it’s new. That’s exactly what we’re trying to do with traditional Heavy Metal, which kind of lost its charming brilliance in recent decades.
MER: Do you have any rituals before you hit the stage?
IA: A shot of something strong. And yes, this could be vodka. You’re not surprised, right?
MER: Back in 2016 Blazing Rust opened for Iron Savior. Did you guys get to hang out with the band?
IA: That was a great show, I must say. But we didn’t have much time to hang out with the guys. We just greeted each other and said “Hi”. They were playing with a session drummer that time, and were probably not too relaxed as usual. He even fucked up a couple of songs. But all of the guys were cool to us.
MER: Any experiences from that show that really stand out?
IA: The thing I remember is that one of our girlfriends accidentally broke into their dressing room and stole a few beers from their fridge, thinking it was ours. Lucky we are, our beers were left intact. Oh, those girlfriends!
MER: Where do you envision Blazing Rust in 5 years?
IA: Hopefully doing more international touring and integrating into the whole Metal industry. Few more albums, music videos need to be done as well. But no one knows what will happen tomorrow… The amount of craziness in the current world leaves no chance for such long term planning.
MER: Is music your life or do you have a day job?
IA: Music is our life, but of course, all of us have day jobs. I would not oppose these concepts to each other. All of us have nightmares, but our real life is a much better place when you wake up, right? Same with the day jobs and music.
MER: Is there anything I missed that you’d like fans to know about?
IA: I would like to say our HUGE “thank you” to all the guys and girls that buy our CDs and merch from all over the world. It’s really cool to feel that there’s someone somewhere who is on the same wavelength with you, especially in these dark times. We will do our best to provide the coolest music we can for our fans. Never give up your dreams and may the spirit of Metal stay with you forever!
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