RbRR Vol. #95: Artist Showcase, an Interview with Vindicator
By: Z.M. Delgado
Volume #95: Artist Showcase, an Interview with Vindicator
August 19th, 2023
Good evening my friends and welcome back to your one way ticket into the world of underground Heavy Metal. It was with great pleasure that I got to sit down and tell you about a really interesting conversation I recently had. It was back on August 19th, outside of the Maple Grove Tavern where I caught up with Vic and Billy from Cleveland Thrash Metal legends Vindicator. They were kind enough to take some time with me and allowed me to pick their brains on all things Metal.
We started thing off with basic introductions. I was met by Vic Stown, founding member and Rhythm Guitar/Backing Vocalist for the band. With him was young gun, lead Guitarist Billy Zahn. Originally from Northeast Ohio, the band claims Cleveland as their home town. Vindicator was formed in 2005 from the remnants of the band Violent Night. Vic told me “(Violent Night) split up unceremoniously; left us wanting for more and to be honest we wanted to go in a Thrashier direction.” From the ashes Vic, his brother Jesse Stown and Wayne Holocaust spawned Vindicator.
I asked, at the time of the bands formation, who were their major influences? Vic answered “The obvious. We were heavily influenced by Teutonic Thrash, Bay Area Thrash, The New Wave of British Heavy Metal and some slight punk.” “We liked the German sound; we liked the Bay sound.” “We had Metallica, Megadeth, Kreator, Destruction, so on… Iron Maiden.” “One thing that was different about Vindicator from the other New Wave of Thrash bands that came out at the time was we weren’t trying to be Slayer. Literally most of those bands were about how fast you could play. For us we liked a little bit of melody in our music. That was the New Wave of British Heavy Metal influence on us. So we tended to write some songs that were more mid-paced and punkier.”
Check out Vindicator's new single "Fog of War"
Next I flipped the question and asked them what they have been listening to recently. Vic answered “I listen to a lot of Doom and Stoner.” “I’m getting to that age where I… I still listen to new music, I still buy new music but I don’t go out of my way. I’m in my comfort zone.” Billy added “We’re probably the biggest Annihilator fans on the planet.” Vic expanded further with “Yesterday we listened to United’s 1995 - No IQ.” “We listened to some Tourniquet. I played him some Christian Thrash, like some Crucified and shit like that.” They went on to expand further on the notion, listing music from nearly every portion of the musical spectrum from 80’s pop to Classic Rock. Suffice to say Vindicators musical tastes are as eclectic and varied as any serious music enthusiast I have ever met.
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Moving past their musical pedigree, I got down to the heart of the matter, Vindicator’s 18 year anniversary. I asked them to tell me, how did such an momentous event feel? Vic answered with a laugh, “Well my knees hurt sometimes now.” Then went on to say, “It’s wild to think about. I know it’s 18. It’s not 20. It’s not 25. But it just felt like the time was right.” “We never really went away. Throughout the span of our career we’ve had a few years that were dry. A few years that were very bleak. But getting to 18, I don’t know, I think it’s a big deal to be honest. That’s special to me. I don’t know if anyone else cares. Our band can buy porn now! So we’re good to go, man. It’s something special.” I got an entirely different perspective on the anniversary from Billy, who is over a decade younger than the bands founding members. “It special for me too. I used to listen to Vindicator when I was in high school. They were one of my favorite bands. For me this is like destiny… I get to join my favorite band.”
Looking back at Vindicator’s lengthy career, one must acknowledge their sizable back catalogue. For a new fan, it could be difficult to decide where to begin. I asked, if they could recommend just one Vindicator album to a new fan which one would it be. Both men unequivocally answered the bands third effort: “United we Fall.” We also took time to discuss the bands the bands second album “The Antique Witcheries.” This is one I particularly enjoy, due to its many references to the writings of H.P. Lovecraft. Vic explained “That was a fun writing process. I was reading Lovecraft at the time… Shocker there! And I was like: There are so many cool names and things in here!” Speaking of the catalogue, I wondered when the band would be adding to it. I asked if and when there would be a new album from Vindicator. Vic’s answer was… complicated. “As of right now, yes and no. It’s one of those things where we’re not currently tracking anything. Billy’s on a pretty tight schedule. So things have to be planned out a little more. Now, last year we released a demo. Some of that material may or may not make it on to another full length. But we’re happy with how a lot of that turned out, so moving forward some of those tracks will probably get retracked.” “Maybe next year. That’s about as close as I can get.”
Vindicator live at the Maple Grove Tavern
We had a discussion about song writing. I found out that Vic handles most of the heavy lifting, penning both the lyrics and the music. Lyrically, we delved into the bands major themes. Vic explained, “To many folks disdain, political typically.” “Originally we had a lot of horror songs. Songs about Metal; you got to have songs like that. “The Antique Witcheries” is where I started getting political and also with the Lovecraftian themes. We had a Frankenstein song on there. Then when we got to “United We Fall” it was full blown, pretty much, politics. We’ve kind of stuck with that. Of course I wrote a song about Casey Jones, because I’m a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles fan. I was just like, Dude, I’m gonna write about the shit that I like.” Billy added, “That’s why I was initially drawn to the band as a fan. I was really into the lyrics. I loved the whole spear headed element of it and liked the entire message. For me that’s been a big deal.”
Next we talked about the bands tour history. I asked just how far from home they’ve gotten. Vic answered, “Well we’ve toured across the United States. Several times we’ve played Ottawa, Toronto and Quebec. But we never made it off North America.” They beguiled me with road stories, one in particular stood out, a trip to Hollywood to play the Thrasho De Mayo festival. Vic reminisced “The entire room was a pit. I don’t know… Several hundred people.” “Very energetic people. People that were genuinely happy to see us. People that were singing along with our songs. Grabbing at the mic. Marshal put the mic down and the kids knew our lyrics. Stage divers… We’d never seen that in real life until that show.” Next I hit them with one of my favorite questions, who is your dream band to open for? They immediately answered Megadeth, but threw in Annihilator and Havok for good measure. I wondered who their some of their favorite Cleveland area artists are and they told me Destructor and Midnight.
Vindicator live at the Maple Grove Tavern
I asked them a tough one next, one that every Metalhead asks from time to time: What does Heavy Metal mean to you? Vic answered, “That’s a tough one man. It means a lot to me. It is a lifestyle. It’s an attitude. It’s a way of life. I know that’s like a super generic answer but I don’t know what I would be without it.” “For folks like us, it gets us through some hard times. Whether you think that or not, whether you really believe that or not, it’s probably gotten more people through dark times than they actually truly realize. My life would be way different without it. I wouldn’t have met my wife. That kind of shit is deep for me, man. Metal’s the reason that shit happened. My relationship with my wife is because of Heavy Metal.” “It’s given me everything that I have, pretty much. It’s probably more special to me than it is for some folks.” Billy added, “It’s larger than life.” “The thing about Metal music in particular… people that listen to it are a lot more invested than the average music fan. We wear the shirts. We buy the albums. We grow our hair out. We change our entire appearance. Lifers.”
I wondered what keeps a band like Vindicator going after nearly two decades in the saddle. Vic replied, “I have no fucking clue. Sometimes I wonder what I’m even doing. I just haven’t done everything that I want to do. I haven’t said everything that I’ve wanted to say. Eventually I’ll probably just have to accept that I’m not going to get to… But as of right now I still feel confident that I can accomplish certain goals and still do certain things. So for me it’s just a driving factor… maybe some weird rudimentary competitive spirit or something. There’s nothing like performing on a stage. Dude, I love creation. That I think is what keeps me going. I like to write music. It’s fucking fun to me. Eventually I know someday I probably won’t be able to; arthritis, carpal tunnel, just run out of ideas, I don’t know.” “I think that’s the drive. The drive is just, man, I’m not done yet!” Billy added his personal take with, “for me I feel like I do not have a choice. It feels like everything I’ve done in life leads in one path and the only path that it is, is riffs.”
The only path is riffs. I like that. It’s a great sentiment and the perfect mindset for a rising musician to have. Like Vic said, Heavy Metal is lifestyle. For some it is also a calling. It is their first and best purpose in life to compose and perform Heavy Metal music. I believe the boys in Vindicator have heard and are following this calling. Over the course of our conversation we delved deep into the minds of one of Cleveland’s most revered and respected acts. I learned a lot, far more than I could ever cram into one article, and had some great laughs along the way. Vic and Billy were excellent interviewees. They were honest and forthcoming and gave thoughtful answers. It is that kind of candor that always makes for a good interview, and I have to say this was one of my favorites. If you haven’t already done so, go and check out Vindicator right away. They play Thrash Metal and they play it very well. More than that though, they GET Metal. They feel it and breathe it and live it in their everyday lives. These are no weekend warriors, they are true Metalheads and the power of their music reflects that. As always, thank you for reading.
Until next time, Rock on, Rustbelt!
-Z.M. Delgado
8/24-8/25/2023
Vindicator
