Introduce yourself, tell me what you do in Armour, and how long the band has been together.
Hello! I am Vince Venom, the guitarist and vocalist of Armour. We’ve been attacking the trends under this banner since 2006!

Where is the band from and what is your local metal scene like there?
We’re from Lappeenranta in South-Eastern Finland. Our local scene is small, but filled with heavy metal maniac sons of the devil!

Describe your music to an elderly relative who thinks it’s so quaint that you are a musician.
“You wouldn’t understand it, it’s in English.”

You had one of your demos released in China. What has been your reaction from the Chinese fans?
Yes the Sonichouse Tape demo was licensed also to China! The response there was very good, even though the Chinese heavy metal culture is still pretty small.

How did you wind up having your CD released here in the States by Hells Headbangers?
Hell’s Headbangers is one of the best North American labels, so it was a honour to be able to release the album through them.

How were you able to get in touch with noted artist Joe Petagno, and how much input did you have on the cover art?
Through e-mail. The cover art was more or less his interpretation of our music!

What is a live Armour show like for those of you who have yet to see you play.
Chaos and mayhem, alcoholic metal hell!

Armour is invited to appear on an Accept tribute CD. What song would you record by Accept and why?
China Lady has always been a favourite Accept song of mine, although there are tons of brilliant tracks from this band.
Somehow this song has a certain contrast to the “average” Accept song which appeals to me.

Are there any Armour groupies wandering around the wilds of Finland or beyond?
Yes of course there are some girls who go wild for Armour!

How surprised were you to see your song Can’t Resist Your Spell on the Finnish charts along with Britney Spears and Madonna?
Actually not very surprised since we knew we could make it if we put enough effort into it. Record sales in Finland are a joke and any real band with enough fans and actually releases worth buying will beat the crap out of mainstream artists on the charts.

There is country version of Hellfire? How did that come about?
Yes, on the b-side of the single. We wanted to have a special track for the b-side of the single and since we’ve played some unplugged shows already, it came into being pretty naturally.

Any chance of Armour making your way to the States for a few shows?
Definitely, if there’s a good offer!

Do you have any messages for metal fanatics here in the States who will be checking out your music for the very first time?
Only one message: HEAVY METAL RULES!

(Interview by Kenneth Morton)

Armour on Myspace

ARMOUR by ARMOUR (Hells Headbangers)

Armour is certainly the bad ass party record of year, filled with heavy anthems guaranteed to gain them a good deal of attention! Based out of the wilds of Lappeenranta in Finland, Armour is ready to take this filthy planet by storm. Their self-titled debut CD is am absolute must have for those who like their musical venom laced with the ferocity of legends such as Accept, Motorhead and WASP. Complete with a cover painting by famed artist Joe Petagno, Armour has unleashed 10 irresistible cuts of metal that are sure to make them big time legends in their own right.

The disc opens up with a blasting assault entitled Rock ’N Roll Tonight, and many will certainly heed the metal call of this fantastic track and want to hear a whole lot more! And more you shall have, as The Time Is Right continues to rattle the senses with thrilling guitar work and superb musicianship from all sides. Sex Demon is fierce and will definitely penetrate your skull while Rock Out (Or Get Rocked) is filled with monstrous drive and attitude.

There is not a clunker to be had on the Armour debut, with several other standout cuts including Ready To Attack, Magick Armour, and Can’t Resist Your Spell.  And how can you resist a band who ends an album with a rambunctious number entitled Heavy Metal Drinkers?!?

Bringing back what made 80’s metal so grand and glorious, Armour is THE band destined to present a whole new generation an almighty taste of a genre that shall never die. The year may be young, but it’s safe to say that Armour has surely unleashed one of the finest metal debuts of 2010.

The very best is usually found within the depths of the underground, and Armour has been presented by the righteous metal dudes at Hells Headbangers! You can bet this disc will be returning to many a CD player time and again. Suit yourself up in this Armour and prepare to bang that metal head into sheer oblivion! Highly recommended!

(Review by Kenneth Morton)

Armour on Myspace