Denver based thrash/punk band Arson Charge are set to release their debut album entitled A Dying Light on October 3rd. Arson Charge’s vocalist Ben Roy spoke with Metal Express Radio about the band’s formation, their debut album, his hopes to play Europe, and more. Check out the chat below!
Metal Express Radio: How did the formation of your a band, Arson Charge come about?
Ben Roy: Arson Charge started after our guitarist, Justin Hackl, ended up in the hospital dealing with some serious health shit. While recovering, he put together some ideas for an EP about everything he was going through. He started asking singers and musicians from projects he liked throughout the years and ended up sending an idea to me, Ben (singer), to collaborate on. I sent him back some scratch vocals and he dug them, so he sent me another idea. I worked on that and sent it back, and he liked that as well. After some discussion we decided there was a pretty good foundation for an entirely new project. We’ve known each other for years, having both played in a lot of bands around the Denver area, and have always wanted to work together. So this seemed like the right time. Eventually we added Cody Hull on drums, Kris Hodgell on bass, and Dave Sandoval on guitar. These are all people we’ve admired. It just sort of came together organically.
MER: Who are some of your main influences to be in a band?
Roy: Damn. There are too many to mention. We all have pretty varied tastes. YOB, Nine Inch Nails, early In Flames, Deftones, Conan, Converge, Botch, Intronaut, Mastodon, One King Down, Dillinger Escape Plan, Mr. Bungle, Radiohead.
MER: You’ll be releasing your debut album entitled A Dying Light on October 3rd, what can you tell fans about your very first album?
Roy: We’re super fucking proud of this record. We definitely poured ourselves into it. There’s a lot of pain and pettiness and self reflection and growth in it. We really did our best to be true to all our styles and influences, creating something that doesn’t feel scattered or incoherent. We feel really confident we did that. Plus, Felipe at Green Door Recordings crushed the production. Dude is amazing. We can’t sing his praises enough. You’re the man, Felipe. Listen, if you’re a fan of aggressive music that doesn’t fit into one particular mold, you’re going to eat this up. That’s a Mile High City Guarantee!
MER: How was it getting together to write and record your first full length as a band?
Roy: Honestly, it sort of just all came together. People are always saying that you can’t force shit; it really is true. Listen, we all have egos, we’re musicians, but, overall, it came together pretty easily. We really did our best to trust each other’s instincts and play to our strengths. We just ate a lot of edibles and ripped out a record.
MER: You’ve released a single entitled “A New Throne”, do you feel that song represents the album well?
Roy: I don’t know that one song represents the entire album, but I know we’re all super proud of how that song turned out. And the message was something that resonated with us all. A bunch of us are, or were, in other projects and decided to step away and create something new. I guess I’d say that the song, thematically, represents the album well.
MER: Who do you hope to tour with and why?
Roy: Honestly, we’d love to do some tours with Off With Their Heads. Ryan Young is putting this record out on Anxious and Angry and we all get along really well. Plus we think his miscreant, self hating fans would love our oxygen-starved, Colorado version of nihilism. Otherwise, we’ll tour with anyone so long as we get along well and the vibe is right. We’re easy breezy.
MER: Where do you hope to play live and why?
Roy: We definitely hope to get over to Europe. The opportunity to play in so many different countries, to so many different groups of fans, in a much shorter amount of time of distance… that just sounds fun. Plus we want to eat all the food and look at old shit. Have us over there now! We promise we will be entertaining. We have some pretty sick jokes or whatever.
MER: What do you see as plans for you and Arson Charge to promote the album?
Roy: Honestly, the old fashioned way, just playing shows. We all sort of hate social media. Yes, it’s a necessary evil, we get it, but playing in front of crowds and meeting folks is where it’s at. Let’s dance and hang out after.
MER: What are your hopes for the future of Arson Charge?
Roy: We just hope people appreciate this first record as much as we do and that it connects and maybe brings a catharsis to others who may be feeling similar shit. Aside from that, we hope it opens doors to bigger shows. Then we want to get on writing a new record ASAP. We’re happiest when creating and recording.
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