With The Recent Release Of 'Manifest Destiny' RECKER Sits down and talks with Hairbandheaven

With the recent release of their new album "Manifest Destiny", Recker took time to talk with Hairbandheaven.rocks about the bands past, future, new album and more.

HBH: Before we dive into talking about the new album, for those that aren’t too familiar with the band can you give us a brief history of the band and how would you describe Recker’s sound?

RICH: It started as a solo project about 10 years ago. I was not in a band at the time and I had some songs and ideas that I wanted to record. I put together some demos and released the first 2 CD's. After the 2nd CD, I put together a band around 2012 to play out live. We have been gigging ever since. As far as our sound, I think KISS is probably the closest comparison I can make in that they have some heavier songs and some less heavy material. We definitely have roots in 80's rock/metal. I think of us as a good solid hard rock band.

HBH: The lead single from the new record is ‘Hellbound’. What made you decide to release that as the first single?

RICH: Well, first off, I think the riff is great!! But really, things just seemed to flow really well on that song during the recording sessions. It was the first song that we had completely finished and mixed so it made sense to release it as a single. I also wanted the lead off single to really grab people. I thought it was a strong riff and great song to get some attention for the CD.

HBH: Let’s talk about some of the other material on the new album. I thought the tracks “King”, “Manifest Destiny” and “Light It Up” all had a great 80’s vibe to them, almost an old school Judas Priest feel. Can you talk a little bit about those songs?

RICH: Thanks! Those are some of my favorites on the CD. King is about the fact that human beings have used war, religion, and politics to consolidate power for the few and subjugate the masses since the beginning of our existence. All the way back to the early times when we had ritual sacrifices and offerings to the gods and divine right of ascension to the throne. Now, we use politics and war to achieve the same ends. Manifest Destiny is about man's pursuit of space travel and the fact that we are driven to find "more" and expand our limits as far as they can go. Light It Up is just a "take no shit" kind of song. The inspiration for that song was Jon Bones Jones from the UFC. He was so dominant. You just knew whoever he faced was going to get punished.

HBH: Do you have a favorite song off the album?

RICH: Can I say "All of them" without sounding like an ego maniac!! If I have to pick one song I would probably say "Let Us Prey". I'm really proud of the way that song turned out. I like the structure and lyrics of that song as well.

HBH: Can you talk a little bit about how the bands sound has evolved over the years, and are your previous releases still available for purchase?

RICH: I would say our sound has gotten a little bit heavier with each release. That wasn't specifically intentional. It just seemed like a natural progression of my writing. But, the songs have always been very guitar focused. Everything is still available for purchase online.

HBH: What’s the rock scene currently like in Vancouver, WA?

RICH: The scene is great here. There are lot of good local bands and there a lot of talented musicians in the area. Vancouver is so close to Portland OR that lots of bigger bands play in the area. Kingdome Come and Stryper have come through recently along with a lot of other bands. We have been fortunate enough to open for lots of bands: Y&T; Quiet Riot: Jack Russell; Texas Hippie Coalition, Lynch Mob and a few others.

HBH: Growing up what bands or artist inspired you to want to become a musician?

RICH: I was into KISS long before any other "metal" bands. The first time I saw Gene on the back of Alive II I knew I wanted to be a bass player. My friends and I used to sit around and play air guitar to KISS Alive II and Van Halen's first record. Another pivotal album for me was Motley Crue's "Shout At The Devil". From there, it was Poison, W.A.S.P., Priest, Maiden, AC/DC, Ratt, Dokken, etc.

HBH: What are your plans for the band going forward in 2018-19?

RICH: The CD just came out in August this year. For the rest of the year and early in 2019 we're planning to book a few shows in support of the new CD. After that, we may do some writing and recording for the next possible release. We're also looking at a re-issue for Tragedy Or Triumph. We're coming up on 10 years since the release of that CD. That was a special CD for us. It opened the door for us and got some attention worldwide. I thought it would be cool to re-release that as a limited edition digipak and maybe put a few bonus tracks on there.

HBH: Where is the best place for people to pick up a copy of “Manifest Destiny”?

RICH: We have both digital downloads and physical CD's available on CD Baby.com. And, we are also on iTunes, Spotify, Amazon, and Google play along with a bunch of other online sites.

HBH: Is there anything you would like to add?

RICH: Thanks for taking the time to interview us and help us spread the word. We appreciate the support.

HBH: On behalf of everyone here at Hairbandheaven.rocks congratulations on the release of “Manifest Destiny”. I’d like to wish you and the band all the best for the release and the year ahead.

RICH: Thanks so much! And thanks again for featuring us!