Vanlade

August 20, 2010

Writer: Peter              

When one thinks of Kansas City, the things that immediately come to mind are barbeque, jazz music, and the Negro League Museum.  Speaking as someone who lives in the city, that’s nice and all, but there really hasn’t been much that Kansas City can boast about as far as a metal scene, and if you think Puddle of Mudd is metal, then turn in your metal card, now.  One band that aims to change that is a young power metal band (young in a literal sense, since three of the members are not yet of drinking age) called Vanlade. 

The band consists of Nick Poffinbarger (bass), Zach Coffey (guitar, backing vocals), Brett Scott (vocals), Christopher Ashlock (guitars), and Cody Campbell (drums).  Despite the fact that most of the band is not of drinking age, Vanlade has Iron Maiden and Judas Priest sized aspirations and like their heroes, they play traditional power metal that harkens back to the days when denim jackets and big stages were the standard for heavy metal bands.  Vanlade isn’t there on the latter, but they have the first part down pat, as some of the people that have gone to see them in a live setting have donned the denim, and a few of them even go as far as to have them covered in patches.

The origins of the band date back to when Poffinbarger and Coffey were in their freshman year of high school and like most bands that started out, the band set out to find its musical identity through small gigs and talent shows.  Vanlade had released a demo in 2007 that featured a lineup different from how the band is currently constituted.  Vanlade became a five-piece when Ashlock met up with Poffinbarger and Coffey at a Behemoth show in November 2007 and sent Poffinbarger a message about joining as a second guitarist after finding Vanlade on MySpace.  The original vocalist and drummer left due to “creative differences” and for one show in 2008, Vanlade had fill-ins at both spots, with Tim Long handling vocals and Jackson Ferris on drums.  Because the fill-ins had obligations to their other bands and Vanlade wanted people who could be committed to the band, the search continued.  Soon, the vocalist spot was filled by Brett Scott, who Poffinbarger had known since the first grade.  As with many bands breaking in new vocalists, Poffinbarger noted that,

“Before Brett Scott joined the band, he had been hanging around the band practices.  Once he joined, he worked hard on his vocals and the result was a vocal style that fit what Vanlade wanted for their style of power metal.”

A month and a half later, the band discovered Cody Campbell after he contacted the band about the vacancy on drums.  Like Scott’s situation when he joined the band, Campbell had to adjust his style of drumming to fit with Vanlade’s musical style.  Fortunately, Campbell’s learning curve on drums was helped out by Ferris, who had filled in for one of the band’s shows. 

Since the current lineup was set, Vanlade has become more dedicated to their craft, going as far as to book shows in Indiana, Michigan, and Ohio, where they will play at the Warriors of Metal Festival, sharing the stage with bands like Zephaniah and Widow.  They have also been openers for bands such as Manilla Road, Exmortus, Enforcer, and one of the premier Metallica tribute bands in Battery.  In March of this year, Poffinbarger and Coffey were asked to fill in during the Hatchet tour, which slowed the development of Vanlade, but what the two members gained from the Hatchet tour would undoubtedly help the band with music connections and as they begin to play more shows outside of the Missouri and Kansas area. 

Currently, the band is without a record label, but hope for something now that they are in the process of recording a three song demo, on which they hope to add another song or two to make it an EP release.  According to Poffinbarger, “The demo/EP will be something to give to people at shows so they can have something from the band, if not get their foot in the door with a record label.”  Until the album is released for public consumption, which the band hopes should be in a month or two, samples of the band’s work can be heard on http://www.myspace.com/vanlade.  Like many bands starting out, Vanlade would like to have a record label backing them so when they do record an album, they can do so in a more efficient matter, but they are not against producing the album themselves.  As Coffey puts it:

TO THE TOP

Release Date: 2007
Label: Band Self Released

TRACK LISTING

MASTERS OF THE GALAXY

Record labels & PR groups interested in more info on Vanlade should contact us:
Please put the artist name in the subject line for prompt attention.

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1.  Black Sails Cross the
     Seven Seas
2.  Awaken And Kill
3.  Wrath Of The Dragon God

Total playing time:  18:14

Nick Poffinbarger

Brett Scott

(Click on Photo to Enlarge)

VANLADE DEMO 2010

Release Date: 2010
Label: Band Self Released

TRACK LISTING

1.  Wings Of Fire
2.  Blood Eagle
3.  Life By The Blade

Total playing time:  16:47

PHOTOS BY PETER

“Vanlade with a record label deal is going to kick you in the fucking nuts.”

Cody Campbell

Christopher Ashlock

Zack Coffey