Ancient Warrior is a Colorado-based heavy metal duo blending classic riffs with lyrical themes drawn from science fiction, fantasy, and history. Formed in 2019 by longtime friends Collin and Hunter, the band operates as a studio project rooted in deep musical connection and shared influences; from Tony Martin-era Black Sabbath to the worlds of George R.R. Martin and BattleTech. We caught up with them to talk origins, creative process, and what’s ahead for this thoughtful and riff-heavy project.

Interview

TheNwothm: Can you introduce Ancient Warrior to those who might not be familiar with your band?

Collin: Ancient Warrior is a Heavy Metal band from Colorado. We’re currently a 2-person studio project, and our lyrics are heavily inspired by science fiction, tabletop gaming, and history.

TheNwothm: Where did the name “Ancient Warrior” come from? What does it represent for you?

Collin: Our band name comes from a Tony Martin-era Black Sabbath song off of The Eternal Idol. Martin-era Sabbath was one of the first band’s Hunter and I connected over, so I think the name represents the friendship that he and I built out of our shared love of Heavy Metal. 

Hunter: For sure, I think that’s very well put. It kind of symbolises the serendipity of how we found each other. And, of course, it has been pretty thematically fitting for the lyrical themes of our work thus far. 

TheNwothm: How did the band come together back in 2019? What was the vision when you started?

Collin: We came together after Hunter and I met in college. We both shared a passion for Heavy Metal and other genres, and we both played enough instruments to put a studio project together. It took us quite a while to actually record anything due to a combination of me learning how to write songs for the first time and losing a year’s worth of music to a hard drive failure. I don’t think we had a real “vision” at that time other than making the kind of music that we both like listening to and having fun. 

Hunter: Totally. The “vision” really was just the act of working on a project together, I think. I found myself connecting with Collin not just over heavy metal, which was already something that immediately differentiated us from the people around us, but also around pretty specific bands, eras, and artists that even the other metalheads in my life had not been able to connect with me over. It’s been pretty special in that way. And so working together on a project just made sense as a natural next step.

TheNwothm: What led to the band settling in Denver, Colorado?

Collin: We’ve both kind of lived all over the place in the last few years. The band started in Greeley (where we both went to college), then I moved to New Mexico, and we reconvened in Denver for a brief period. Our songwriting and recording process is very remote, so our actual locations haven’t mattered much. That being said, Denver has a wonderful live music scene which drew me back. 

Hunter: Yeah, the band originated where we met. And honestly, one of the constants in this project has been the frequency with which each of us has moved since its inception! I’ve actually just found myself called back to southern California, so it’s a living thing for sure.

TheNwothm: Can you tell us a bit about yourselves outside of the band? Any personal hobbies or interests?

Collin: When I’m not working on music, I spend a lot of time reading, playing video games, and powerlifting. Unsurprisingly, I also go to as many concerts as I can and listen to a lot of music. 

Hunter: Historically, one of my other primary hobbies has been woodworking. But over the last couple of years I’ve found myself pretty heavily engaged in human rights activism and organising in the Denver area. Which, I think, emerged pretty easily after having been exposed to countercultural messaging my whole life – listening to heavy metal and punk rock and all that. I’m also a licensed psychologist, which is what I spend most of my time doing when the sun is up, honestly. So it’s all rather interwoven at this point.

TheNwothm: Your music is heavily influenced by science fiction and fantasy. What specific books, films, or themes inspire your songwriting?

Collin: My biggest inspiration on the demo material and unreleased songs from that era was the early writings of George R.R. Martin. His universe of science fiction short stories and novels has always been compelling to me. Lately, I have been heavily influenced by the BattleTech universe and it’s novels. Several of our forthcoming songs are inspired by BattleTech novels written by William H. Keith Jr. and Micheal Stackpole. When it comes to fantasy, I’ve read a lot of Micheal Moorcock, Fritz Leiber, and – again – George R.R. Martin. 

Hunter: Another serendipitous area of connection for us has been G.R.R.M.’s writing, for sure. I’ve really enjoyed both his world building and the emotional tone he orchestrates, and I thought Collin did a great job adapting those themes on the demo, which was super fun. Thematically, I think war, capitalism, colonisation, empire, and oppression are about as relevant as they’ve ever been right now, and so I’m drawn to any media that meditates on it – from All Quiet on the Western Front to RoboCop.  

TheNwothm: How would you describe Ancient Warrior’s sound to someone who hasn’t heard it before?

Collin: It’s always hard to separate the way your own music sounds from the things that influenced you when you wrote it. We’ve gotten a lot of comparisons to Haunt and Cauldron, which I don’t entirely disagree with. I also borrow heavily from US Power Metal bands like Liege Lord and Omen, which I think will be more apparent on our forthcoming releases. 

Hunter: Classic therapist answer – “it depends.” Not just on the song or the era in which it’s composed, but on who exactly I’m even talking to! 

TheNwothm: If you could collaborate with any artist, past or present, who would it be and why?

Collin: If I had to pick one artist to collaborate with, the first that comes to mind is Kyle McNeill from Seven Sisters and Phantom Spell. I’m a sucker for big choruses and prog rock. Kyle is an incredible songwriter with a voice to match. 

Hunter: I’m sure my answer to this would change every other month, honestly. But I actually think it would be pretty interesting to work with Buckethead. Of course, we could always try to get Tony Martin on the line…

TheNwothm: Walk us through your 2022 demo. What was the creative process like?

Collin: Our demo really represents me learning how to write and record songs for the first time. We went through a fair amount of material that got left on the cutting room floor before we arrived at the three songs that ended up being released. Funnily enough, those three songs were supposed to be released on a full length that would have been produced by Trevor Church of Haunt, but unfortunately the timing didn’t work out on that. The process itself consisted of me writing a guitar and bass part with a rough programmed drum idea, sending it to Hunter, and adjusting my parts based on what he sent back. Some of the songs on the demo went back and forth between us several times like that and had multiple lyrical rewrites. 

Hunter: Totally. Collin would compose and record guitars, and sometimes vocals, and then send along a copy with the programmed drum track he was using. That helps me understand the concept that he’s got going in his head, and allows me to explore whether there are any drumming elements that feel particularly important to him so that I can try to honour the concept he’s working towards. Then I’d have him send me a copy without any drum track, and I’d just play and play and play to it and see what shakes out over time and repetition. I pretty much compose by sitting behind the kit and hammering it out, and give myself notes by listening to those recordings over and over on my commutes before getting behind the kit again. And then I send the draft back to Collin and the cycle continues until it’s feeling settled.

TheNwothm: Tell us about the artwork?

Collin: The artwork was done by a guy we found on instagram called “Apocalyptic Nuke”. There isn’t much of a story behind it other than he had the design for sale and we thought it was cool and fitting. Our logo was done by Daniel Porta, who is known for doing sick logos for trad metal bands, and John Giannelli (who has done a lot of work for Haunt) did the layout. 

Hunter: I honestly adore the artwork from the demo, I feel so privileged to be able to use it. If I could use it on every release, I would. Apocalyptic Nuke does great stuff, and like Collin said, it seemed very fitting for the themes of our work. 

TheNwothm: Are there plans for a full-length album or new releases in the near future?

Collin: Yes! We are planning on wrapping up two releases this year. The first will be a split with a great American Epic Metal band. The second will be our first full-length, which we hope to have finished this fall. We have worked very hard to refine several hours worth of rough songs into these two projects. It’s taken us a long time to do so, but we really want to put our best foot forward. 

TheNwothm: As an independent band, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced?

Collin: I think the toughest parts of being independent is getting your name out there and financing the more expensive aspects of physical merch. Signing with a beloved label like No Remorse or Dying Victims instantly lends a level of credibility to your band that those labels have earned over the years. As an independent band, you’re starting from square one. And obviously vinyl costs a ton of money and can take a very long time to get made. Labels are much better equipped than hobbyist musicians to handle those expenses and logistics. 

Hunter: At this stage of life, I feel like the challenges of being independent have primarily been the difficulties of navigating limited resources in terms of time and space. Both of those can be afforded by money or funding, and being independent means working to generate our own. And working more to pay the bills means less time and energy to dedicate to the creative process, and especially so when time and resources are also being allocated to other meaningful endeavours (e.g., family, mutual aid, activism). So I feel pulled to feed two birds with one scone by producing music that speaks to resistance and the horrors of war. 

TheNwothm: Do you have any upcoming tours or live shows planned?

Collin: Since we are only a two-piece right now, shows and tours aren’t currently planned. We would love to play shows eventually, and anything is possible after we have some more music out there! 

Hunter: Collin and I have talked about playing festivals, which would be stellar. I think regular gigging is a pretty hard life, and we don’t have any tours currently in the pipeline, but festivals offer great opportunities for community and connection. But the future is entirely unwritten and anything can happen as we grow our catalog, for sure.

TheNwothm: Where would you love to tour if you had the chance to play anywhere in the world?

Collin: I think every American band in this scene would kill to play Europe. They have the most festivals, the biggest crowds, and the most respected bands in Heavy Metal right now. I think Athens is at the top of my list. Hopefully someday we can earn a slot at Up the Hammers Festival! 

Hunter: Ditto. 

TheNwothm: How can our readers buy your music and merch?

Collin: All of our merch and music is available at our Bandcamp! We have CDs and Tapes from our demo, and we plan to have physical media and merch available there for all of our future releases. 

TheNwothm: Where can fans follow you online?

Collin: We have pages on Instagram and Facebook. I have been pretty bad at updating these, but they will be the best way to keep track of any future releases or shows. 

TheNwothm: Anything else you would like to mention?

Collin: I have to shout out my homies in Chamber Mage, Throne of Iron, Serpent Rider, and Fell Omen. All of them have put out fantastic full-lengths that are very worthy of your attention!

Hunter: Big same. This community has been incredibly supportive and encouraging. We owe as much to our contemporaries as we do to our great heavy metal lineage, and I really appreciate the effort that Collin has made to build and maintain relationships with these great musicians. And as always: Free Palestine, and resist by any means necessary.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ancientwarriorband

Bandcamp: https://ancientwarrior.bandcamp.com/album/ancient-warrior

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ancientwarriorband/