Interview Infrared

Infrared, Ottawa's thrash metal veterans, are set to release their highly anticipated fourth album, Manifestation. We spoke with frontman Armin about the band's evolution.

1. Infrared has deep roots in the thrash metal scene, dating back to the 80s. How has the band’s sound evolved over the years, and what are some key elements that have remained consistent in your music?

Armin: I think over the years we have found our own style even though it is still clearly in the thrash genre. We tend to deviate sometimes, have some more melodic spots and riff styles that people can tell are Infrared, or so we've been told. As a singer, I also like to delve into different territories, melodic, aggressive, growls, screams and so on. It just keeps it interesting. We've also used some different tunings on the last two albums. For example, Nikko on Manifestation is a B tuning. The chugs and triplet picking has remained as a staple in our music because it's just so fun and heavy. 

2. Your upcoming album, “Manifestation,” has been a long time in the making. Can you tell us about the challenges you faced in getting this album out and what it means for the band to finally release it?

Armin: We don't really discuss our personal stuff, but let's just say, we needed some time to take care of ourselves and family, but there are the general  delays, like finding time to film videos, mix and master, work on PR, etc. And because we are independant, we work at our own pace. We like it that way. 

3. The music video for “Manifest Nation” presents a society struggling with technology’s impact on achieving a better life. What inspired this theme, and how do you feel it reflects the current state of the world?

Armin: What inspired it was just looking around and living in a world where people's attention spans are shorter and shorter and they are so easily distracted. They don't get very much done. Their technological addictions are actually standing in the way of them manifesting a better life. They think about it, want it, but do not put in the effort to achieve their goals.

4. “Manifestation” is your fourth full-length album. How does this album differ from your previous releases, and what do you think fans will be most excited about?

Armin: Manifestation is to the point. There is little to no fluff. We challenged ourselves to write shorter songs but still maintain the journey of what longer songs achieve. We think fans will get a dose of what they have come to know of Infrared but in a very fast paced sonic onslaught. 

5. You mention that you’ve taken stock of your back catalog while working on “Manifestation.” What were some areas you wanted to improve upon, and how did you approach this creatively?

Armin: As mentioned, we wanted to shorten our songs but keep the experience of our past work alive and well. So we worked together to see where we could trim fat. We didn't do it just for the sake of writing shorter songs, but rather to write the best possible song. Every note matters, every transition matters, etc. But don't waste time. You can create a build up in a short space just as well as you can over a longer space if you attack it properly. 

6. With tracks like “Demon’s Blood” and “Concuss,” the album seems to maintain high energy and aggression. Can you give us a deeper look into the themes and stories behind these songs?

Armin: Demon's Blood is an all out struggle with addiction, in particular alcohol. It shows ho one day blends into the next with your addiction leading the way and you as a passenger on that journey. Concuss was a very collaborative effort. We wanted to have an anthemic song that our crowds can sing along to and what's easier than one word? I guess a one syllable word might be easier than Concuss, but you get the idea. The song is an ode to people not taking shit from others and standing up for yourself. This is the metal way and so the narrative is telling those in our way to get in the pit and find out. It's also an ode to the crazies who mosh and let out their aggressions at our shows, but obviously in a respectful way. Metalheads are some of the nicest and most well balanced people. So not really crazies. Ha ha. 

7. The thrash metal scene has seen waves of resurgence over the years. How do you see Infrared’s place in the current thrash metal landscape, and what’s your perspective on the genre’s evolution?

Armin: It's been interesting to watch the evolution of thrash over the years. I would say we have seen it get more technical, if that's possible, tighter, faster, and more brutal. But also seen other elements where it is more melodic, or more death like. There has definitely been a blending of the genres. Our place makes no illusions, we are classic thrash and that's the way we like it. We are not trying to compete or create a new style of music. We have our style within the genre and we just care about writing good songs. That's it. It is our outlet and our success comes not by how many likes or views we get. We are in a sea of competition, but we don't see it as competition. We see putting out our music as the ultimate success. Anything beyond that is just a bonus. Look, we did something, it's pretty good, if you like it, spread the word.

8. Your influences include legendary bands like Exciter, Sacrifice, and Razor. How have these bands shaped your sound, and do you find yourselves looking to new influences as well?

Armin: We have played with all three of these iconic Canadian bands. All are amazing people. The influences would be more on how to be as humans and in the industry rather than the style of music. I don't think we sound like any of them to any great extent. We are described more as the Bay Area of Canada sound. As far as new influences, that happens almost daily listening to any piece of music in any genre. Hey, that was a cool break down in that pop song, could we do something like that but heavy?

9. The production of “Manifestation” has a modern edge while still staying true to classic thrash. How did you balance that old-school vibe with a contemporary sound?

Armin: When you come from the old school, it's not hard to be true to it. But I always thought many of the older albums just had subpar production. It was well known that it was difficult to capture the power of a live heavy band in the studio. It got better over the years and technology has certain made it accessible to the masses as long as you are willing to learn, experiment and put in the work. There are few things more satisfying than putting out something that just sounds great.

10. You’ve created music videos for several tracks off the album, including “Manifest Nation” and “Demon’s Blood.” How important is the visual aspect of your music, and what do you aim to convey through these videos?

Armin: We try to artistically give the vibe of what the song is about without being too literal about it. The songs, once released, are public domain and we want people to bring their own interpretation to the words. We are also not huge fans of the video process. We just do them ourselves because it is so bloody expensive and we pride ourselves on being a self-sustaining band. If we paid for videos, that would be out the door and we would be in the hole. So we do our own music and video production. It's frankly why we are even still putting out music. Because it hasn't bankrupted us! People might be surprised to know that we shot most of our videos on a cell phone. We just do our video shoots like gorilla warfare, just go for it and hopefully something cool will come out of it.

11. As a band from Ottawa, how has the local metal scene influenced your journey, and what role does community play in your music and performances?

Armin: The scene has always been pretty cool. We have met lots of awesome people over the years. We have seen bands come and go. Some we loved and we were sad to see them break up. It makes us appreciate what we have all that much more, four friends just making music they love together. And we are still having fun after all these years. When we play live, it's always good to see fellow bands cheer us on the same as we do for them. It is a good commeradarie. 

12. With the release of “Manifestation” just around the corner, what are your plans for touring or promoting the album? Are there any special events or live shows fans should look out for?

Armin: We do what we always do, go to markets that we can afford to go to. That tends to be more Ontario and Quebec in Canada. It's not that we don't want to go to other places, we do, but given that state of the music industry and the little money that there is, we are happy to play closer to home for people that really dig what we are doing. If opportunities arise that won't put us out of pocket, of course we would cease them. But again, for us, success is putting out something that we want to hear and everything else is gravy. Having said that, we are playing in Montreal Sept 20th this year at Pitfest 2 and we are celebrating the release of Manifestation with an exclusive show in Orleans Ontario where Infrared was born.  We will be playing cuts from all of our albums through the years. It will be a blast.

 Infrared (Official SIte) (infraredmetal.ca)