Opening up their catalogue in emphatic fashion, heavy metal group Forced Hammer burst onto the scene with ‘The War Machine,’ – a powerful, thrash metal track drenched in a raw, authentic sound that is undeniably addictive. Drawing on a personal inspiration, ‘The War Machine,’ is based on Brightmon’s own experiences in battle in Afghanistan and Iraq. Check out the exclusive interview below:
1. Can you tell us a bit about where you come from and how it all got started?
FORCED HAMMER: We come from San Diego California and we got started after linking up via an online musician local ad.
2. Did you have any formal training or are you self-taught?
FORCED HAMMER: Mostly self-taught however I did take a few lessons here and there to help learn more about notes and keys.
3. Who were your first and strongest musical influences and why the name ‘FORCED HAMMER?
FORCED HAMMER: Of course, we were influenced by Hendrix, Claptons, McCartney’s of the classic rock and blues days. The name ‘Forced Hammer’ was chosen because it seemed very original in sound and very powerful.
4. What do you feel are the key elements in your music that should resonate with listeners, and how would you personally describe your sound?
FORCED HAMMER: Our sound is fairly melodic even with the thrash stuff. We always try to tell a story with our music. The tempo of our songs are pretty fast at times but we try to keep the melodic pieces together as that can really add nuance to a song.
5. For most artists, originality is first preceded by a phase of learning and, often, emulating others. What was this like for you? How would you describe your own development as an artist and music maker, and the transition towards your own style, which is known as metal?
FORCED HAMMER: You always learn from what others have done before you, the same is true about our style. We simply found sounds from Metallica, AC/DC, Motorhead, The Cure etc that we found structure in. We just added different twists until we came up with something we liked –tonally speaking of course. Development as artists came easy as we never tried to be anyone other than ourselves. You just grow into it naturally I guess.
6. What’s your view on the role and function of music as political, cultural, spiritual, and/or social vehicles – and do you try and affront any of these themes in your work, or are you purely interested in music as an expression of technical artistry, personal narrative, and entertainment?
FORCED HAMMER: We stay out of politics in our music. We write more about how some decisions impact people’s lives from a morality perspective. With “The War Machine”, the song talks about how the evils of war transcend the ages, so it is always evil regardless of when it occurs.
7. Do you feel that your music is giving you back just as much fulfillment as the amount of work you are putting into it or are you expecting something more, or different in the future?
FORCED HAMMER: It’s always a challenge to walk away and say, “I love it”. There is so much work that goes into making original music and conveying what you want to say to someone who you think will listen to it. So we tend to work up to being happy with the arrangement of our music and hope that someone likes it in the same way. I think we’ll probably keep this the same for the future.
8. Could you describe your creative processes? How do usually start, and go about shaping ideas into a completed song? Do you usually start with a tune, a beat, or a narrative in your head? And do you collaborate with others in this process?
FORCED HAMMER: It depends on what the song is about really. Some stuff I have in my head just needs to be written out, added alongside a riff and then that’s something to show the bandmates. Other times it’s poetry I may have written a while back and a riff or melody comes in my head and I just lay them out for a song to be developed.
9. With social media having a heavy impact on our lives and the music business in general, how do you handle criticism, haters, and/or naysayers in general? Is it something you pay attention to, or simply ignore?
FORCED HAMMER: It doesn’t matter what you do, someone will always try and sack you. Haters usually have an axe to grind and they will try and sack you regardless and that is usually more of a personality issue they may have to deal with on their own. Why worry about them or critics in general? Just keep yourself satisfied with your work and don’t worry about the sideshow.
10. Creative work in a studio or home environment, or interaction with a live audience? Which of these two options excites you most, and why?
FORCED HAMMER: Live audience play is always the most rewarding in my opinion. Practising a song day-in-day-out without playing it in front of people can lead to isolation and an emptiness in the fulfilment tank. It’s always awesome to hear applause and hollers after you end a good song – you can’t get that in a studio environment.
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