Maryland is most well known musically for being the home of bands such as Pentagram, The Obsessed and Clutch and for its fertile doom metal scene which spawned a multitude of now classic bands within that genre. This week's Band Of The Week, War Injun, continue the fine tradition of Maryland doom. Current Earthride frontman, ex-Wretched vocalist and Spirit Caravan bassist Dave Sherman was a one time member of this band, which currently features the line up of J.D. Williams on vocals (previously of Internal Void), Dave Morgan on bass, J.B. Matson on drums, Kenny Staubs on guitar and Kyle Van Steinberg (also of Earthride) on guitar.

War Injun's music is dirty gritty bluesy doom-rock and there is a great mix of tempos going on in the band's music, from doomed out slow passages to full on, hard rockin' uptempo sections and J.D.'s vocals are on fine form throughout, his commanding and instantly recognisable voice being the perfect lead for this band's whiskey-soaked biker doom. I sent some questions to drummer J.B. to get more info on the band and here is what he had to say.

You have just had your album 'Tribal Eulogy' released. What can we expect from this album? Are you happy with how it turned out?

“Ultimately, we are satisfied with the overall release and humbled by the response. 'Tribal Eulogy' has been described as everything from 'brutal biker metal' to 'crushing power doom'. There is an array of speeds and tempos throughout the album, influenced by past and present groups. We, as a band, come together from a web of past bands. This coalition has created a sound we consider unique, no two songs sound the same.”

Have you got any plans to support this release live? Do you play out live often?

“As of now we only have three shows booked: SHoD XI (Stoner Hands of Doom) in Frederick, Maryland, on August 13th, a party on Sept. 17th with Admiral Browning, and The Day of the Doomed Fest in June 2012 in Wisconsin. We are first and foremost focused on writing new material. Naturally, we would love to perform in Europe. Our biggest fan base is across the pond!”

Are your past releases (demo & split) still available?

“There are no more copies of the demo left to my knowledge, and the 7” split we released with Portugal’s Dawnrider was sold out some time ago. It is up to Blood and Iron Records [the band's current label]  if they choose to re-release this vinyl. We also had the song ‘Dangerous Prayer’ on the compilation 'Doom Capital' released by Crucial Blast Records in 2004. My personal opinion is that this comp is a ‘must have’ for any true fan of doom.”

What bands shape the sound of War Injun?

“There’s probably 100 bands that strongly influence our sound. But in a nutshell, I would have to say The Obsessed, Slayer, COC, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Black Sabbath, Pentagram, Celtic Frost...”

Are any members currently involved with any other bands/projects?

“All of us have put our focus strictly on War Injun with the exception of Kyle, who is still active in Earthride.”

Why the name War Injun?

“The name War Injun was created by Kenny and me. I originally suggested War ENGINE, which eventually evolved to War INJUN based on our Native American heritages. I am Cherokee and Arapaho, Kenny is Cherokee (Blackfoot), J.D. is Apache, Dave is Sioux, and Kyle has Mandan in his blood.”

What do your lyrics mostly deal with?

“Karma, addictions, betrayal, spirits, insanity, Native Americans, sorrow...”
What’s your opinion on the worldwide doom scene? There seems to be more of a buzz surrounding bands like Vitus and Pentagram these days than there was back in the 1990’s for example - why do you think this is?

“Doom has been around for a long time. There are dozens of bands and hundreds of songs that have never been recognized.  I believe that the Internet is to thank for the recent awareness of the doom genre. Myspace and Facebook, for example, have given our style of music the opportunity to be heard…finally!”

'Tribal Eulogy' can be bought at multiple online sites, just Google War Injun – Tribal Eulogy.
www.facebook.com/warinjun