Mindwar's Mike Gives Us the Band's Rundown of How They Do Things

Mindwars has been around for sometime, releasing several albums, playing shows, the usual things, that bands do, when forming, and going through the course of their musical careers. Frontman vocalist/guitarist Mikue Alvord, discusses the band's time together and what the future holds.


1. Please tell us about the history of your band and its members.

I (Mike - guitar/vocals) met Roby (drums) met in 1989 when Mike was touring with Holy Terror.  We met when we played Milan, Italy.  We have a unique connection in that Roby is from the same area of Italy (Calabria) as my grandparents.  We reconnected in 2013 through Facebook.  We talked about our current involvement with music and thought it might be interesting to start making some music together.  I sent Roby a bunch of material I had written back in 1989 and the early 90's.  He put some drums to it and we both really liked what we were hearing.  We started arranging the material in to songs and soon realized if we want to actually record this material, we would need a bassist and a singer.  Danny "Z" Pizzi (bass) lives in Turin, Italy along with Roby.  He was a perfect fit because he loved the direction in music we were pursuing and since he lived in the same City as the drummer it worked out very well.  I would email them rough songs with guitars only and they would lay down bass and drum tracks.  I would then redo the guitars and add vocals.  It is sort of an unorthodox style for a band, but it works for us.

2. What’s the origin of the band’s name?

We wanted something to connect the band to my former band Holy Terror.  Not to try and pretend we are Holy Terror.  We are anything but not HT.  HT was one of the most unique and different bands of the 80's.  We tossed around a bunch of different names and using the title of HT's second album Mind Wars seemed appropriate.  There are a lot of meaning behind the term mind wars, including mind control, schizophrenia, warfare, and much more.  It seem to also have a lot of relevance in the world today.

3. Where is the band based out of and what is your music scene like there? Are there any local bands you could recommend?

I live in Los Angeles and Roby and Danny live in Italy.  I think the scene is much better in Italy and Europe as a whole.  There is a small scene for newer bands in LA, but unless you are Maiden, Metallica, Sabbath or something similar, you can't expect a tremendous turnout in terms of a fan base.  There are a few small clubs in Los Angeles, Skinny's Lounge in North Hollywood being one of them that supports metal on a regular basis.  Skum Love works for Schecter Guitars and is the lead singer of Skumlove the band and does a great job bringing in bands to SKinny's.

4. How would you describe your style?

Most people describe us as "old school".  We definitely have an old school feel, primarily because of our experiences and background.  There are definite flavors of Holy Terror in our music.  We play fast thrash/speed metal, but we also have different tempos and song styles which have a modern and unique feel.  However, a lot of our music has fast rhythms which is a little different to some of the faster bands of today who mostly rely on fast drums and more "chugging" rhythms.  I guess this is more of an older thrash/speed metal style.

5. What have you released so far and what can someone expect from your works?

We have release two full-length albums.  The Enemy Within was our debut which was released in October of 2014.  Our second album Sworn to Secrecy just came came out in April 2016.  Both albums have an 80's thrash/speed metal feel, but there are elements of modern aggression and thrash.  STS is really a more clean and powerful follow up to TEW and both have elements that will remind people of Holy Terror.

6. Do you have any new music in the works?

We are currently working on our third album.  We have about 5 semi-complete songs and the style is starting to evolve and take on a new direction.  Don't get me wrong, you will still hear elements of Holy Terror and 80's thrash/speed, but there will be more breaks and dark heavy themes.  We are hopeful to have all the recording complete by the end of the year and have it released by summer 2017.

7. How about playing shows and touring, have anything planned out?

We are currently working on setting up a min-Euro Tour for the end of October through the beginning of November of this year.  We are looking to play in Italy, England, Holland, Germany, and maybe in Prague.

8. What plans do you have for the future as a band?

As I mentioned, we are focusing on playing live in Europe in support of Sworn to Secrecy and getting a third release out by next year.  We also hope to play some festivals and additional areas of the US besides California and Arizona.

9. Where can we listen to your band and where can we buy your stuff?

We are currently signed to Punishment 18 Records, so any where they sell their records.  We are also all over the internet through various streaming sites.  Amazon, iTunes, and Google Play also sell our music.  I also heard that there are several torrent sites with our music.  Go get it!!!

10. What is it you’d like a listener to remember the most when hearing your music for the first time?

I would just hope they think of us as something new and refreshing.  Something of the golden age of metal, but something new and heavy.  I hope that are lyrics provoke thought and our music to create energy and revitalization of thrash/speed.  Thank you for your time and interest in Mindwars.  Speed Kills!!!!