INTERVIEW: T.J. Childers – Inter Arma

Virginia’s INTER ARMA are perhaps one of the most diverse acts on the extreme music scene. Their signature sounds blends a wealth of genres both in and outside of metal, and their furious live shows have cemented their position as one of the most vital acts on the scene. In the lead up to the release of their fourth full length, Sulphur English, we spoke to drummer T.J. Childers about the record and how he feels the band has changed over the years.

Can you explain the records title – what’s the meaning behind Sulphur English?

T.J.: It’s a better way of saying “stinking rhetoric”. All you have to do is turn on the news to know what we’re talking about.

Would you say Sulphur English is a natural progression from your work on Paradise Gallows, or is it a different beast entirely?

T.J: Honestly, both. There are elements from Paradise Gallows in there but definitely lots of new sounds and ideas that didn’t exist previously.

It’s been three years since you released your last full length – did you need a break between records? Was it a long writing process? Did life commitments get in the way of writing this record?

T.J.: Obviously, there were tours in between then and now so that slows down the ability to get together and work on new material. We all have girlfriends and jobs but I never consider those things to hindrances to the writing. We also never really ‘sit down and write a record’. Everything’s more of a natural progression that comes out over time.

What sort of influences went into making Sulphur English – Is there any concept behind the album?

T.J.: If there was any concept it was our disdain for the heavy metal scene in general and trying to make this record sound as much like a fuck you as we could. Again, just turn on the news and you can see where a lot of the inspiration came from lyrically.

Can you talk us through the writing/recording process of the record? Who did you work with behind the desk? Where did you record?

 T.J.: We wrote this the same way we have written all of them: Trey [Dalton, guitars], Steven [Russell, guitars] or I will come with a riff or two or an idea and we’ll just jam on it and see how it feels and then sort of go from there, just see where the song takes us. Mikey Allred engineered, mixed and mastered this one as well as our previous records at his home studio in Madison, Tennessee.

The artwork for the album is very striking – Who is the artist? Does it specifically relate to the record, or is it a pre-existing piece you felt fit the album and its themes? 

T.J.: Her name is Kari Greer. She’s a wildfire photographer in the southwestern US. I stumbled upon this photo and thought that it fit the album thematically pretty well.

How would you say INTER ARMA has changed since your last release back in 2016? How would you say INTER ARMA has changed since you formed in 2006?

T.J.: We’ve definitely grown as musicians and songwriters since Paradise Gallows. I think Sulphur English reflects that very strongly. Stylistically and sonically the band has changed quite a bit since 2006. We were a bit more uptempo then, leaning a bit more towards the punk and thrash end of the spectrum.

Your sound has become increasingly difficult to pigeon hole into a specific genre – is this a result of a broad range of influences? Is it something you work towards purposefully, or is it an organic thing that has happened along the way?

T.J.: We collectively definitely have a ton of influences and it’s hard to keep those sounds from coming through nor do we try to keep them suppressed. It honestly comes out organically. We never set out to write a song that sounds like Neil Young or EMPEROR or whatever, it just comes out how it comes out.

If you had to describe the record with one word or short phrase, how would you describe it?

T.J.: Dissonance

If you could only play one track to someone to hook them on Sulphur English, which track would you pick?

T.J.: Sulphur English because it’s probably the craziest, heaviest song on the record.

What’s next for INTER ARMA? Have you got touring/festivals lined up to support the record? Are you working on any new material as yet? Can we expect to see you in the UK any time soon?

T.J.: We have a US tour lined up for May, some more recording plans for the summer and euro tour for the fall in which we will be hitting the UK. We’re always writing songs so there are a few things brewing.

Sulphur English is out now via Relapse Records.

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