Michael Lashinsky

Incursion

As if they never really left, never really disbanded, just went into a deep slumber and just knew when to return. Timing is everything as it seems, and right when Traditional Metal is back to its rightful recognition, among the many sub-genres under Metal music. The US Heavy Metal band Incursion, hasn't been around much since their disbandment in 1986, returning just before Covid in 2020, was the flick of the switch the lit match to restart everything. With the release of their debut album, "Blinding Force", Steinmetal had to find out more from the band's veteran, Michael Lashinsky.

By Lior "Steinmetal" Stein

• December 21, 2022

Incursion's Michael Lashinsky: "I do really feel we've stayed true to ourselves and sound the way we do because of who we are… I guess it's fair to say we've come by our roots honestly on that regard" interview

Hello Michael, it is great to have you for this talk with Metal Temple online Magazine, how have you been doing sir?

I'm doing great thanks! We're really excited to finally get our 1^st full length out there in the universe, it's been a long time coming!

Similar to various NWOBHM acts, mostly coming from the UK, that have been making comebacks in the last decade or so, there is your band Incursion. Hailing from the US, the band went back to action after nearly three decades if I am not mistaken. It is an obvious question, but what itched you to return?

Maxx and I have remained very close all these years. In 2018 we started tossing around the idea of making a go of things again and during a holiday visit to South Florida we got together with our original drummer Buddy Norris and went through a bunch of the old tunes. It was a cathartic experience for us to say the least! There were flashes of moments where the 35-year gap disappeared and it felt great to play together again. That experience led to our EP The Hunter, which was released in 2020.

Taking it a little back in time, the band was disbanded in 1986, a time period where Metal began to shine even brighter in the US, and in Europe. Why did it have to end back then? Was it life knocking on your door or something else?

It was a bit of life knocking on your door as you say, but mainly, we were having a rough time finding the right lead singer and had kind of exhausted ourselves in the search. I guess we got a bit frustrated at the time and decided to put things on hold. We're glad life knocked again as it will do, and here we are in 2022!

I don't know if you have been tracking what has been going on with Metal music in the last couple of decades, but things changed immensely. How do you find Incursion's return in light of the changes that have been going on in the Metal scene, whether locally and worldwide?

To be honest, we've always been and are still to this day just true to ourselves and who we are. We really hadn't considered or were swayed by the whole NWOTHM scene that's happening now in any way when we decided to re-form. I mean, there's a lot of awesome bands in that scene and killer classic Metal that's happening now which is wonderful and we seem to be a good fit for all that due to our lineage and influences. We just knew we wanted to get back to doing our thing and were pleasantly surprised there's a whole classic Metal scene happening that has been very welcoming and accepting of us. I guess they say timing is everything, but it was happenstance really, but we're excited by it all the same and glad there's a cool scene happening!

This comeback with Incursion, since I noticed that you released a new EP in 2020, is it also for live purposes or merely to remain a studio band?

We had really hoped to do some shows in 2020 when the EP came out, but then Covid hit and that side-tracked the thought gigs and touring over the last few years. I have to admit, we were and probably are more excited about the idea of getting out there in front of audiences again vs. just recording. It all goes together and things are easing up as we're learning to live in this new climate, so we're definitely looking forward to supporting this record with some live shows.

Signing with the Greek label No Remorse Records, certainly a fine home for old school Heavy Metal, was a great choice indeed. With the label's vision of how to market old schoolers like yourselves properly, how do you find this signing? What are your expectations, especially, since you have never been signed in the past?

We are really honored to be on No Remorse Records and felt they were really a perfect fit for us. Maxx is a huge collector of vinyl and having our releases out on vinyl in general is important to us and No Remorse has been right with us on that. We're also in some fine company with bands like Eternal Champion and Riot City. Hey, to be a bit silly, as a Motorhead fan, they had me at their name!

The conceptual EP that you released two years ago, "The Hunter", played its part as the beginning of something that would be great, and here we are with your debut album, "Blinding Force". First things first, and I am also tracing back the last two years, how did it feel to return to write new material, rehearse and of course the whole process of the recording, production etc.?

With The Hunter, we were sort of testing the waters for ourselves in a way. Like, can we make this shit happen after all these years? We were really happy with how it came out and the tunes on The Hunter were pretty much all written back in the day and we really tried to stay true to that. With Blinding Force we had a better idea of what we wanted to do and step things up a bit on multiple fronts. There's some old ideas and a lot of new on this record. The EP gave us our wings and we really wanted to push things on our 1^st full length. We're quite happy with how it all came out and hope people dig it.

As if you were paying a tribute to the 80s, but actually, there is no tribute here, the 80s are you, and you are the 80s. In your opinion, other than the admiration for Traditional Metal, what does "Blinding Force", as an album, express?

Yeah, that's an interesting one to me! It's awesome that we've gotten quite a few reviews already of Blinding Force and had some great coverage of The Hunter EP when it came, but I always find the comparisons perplexing. I understand the idea of it all, but I think your question is on point in that we came of age as a band in the early 80's. We grew up in the mid to late 70's and mid-80s, so essentially we were listening to all the same stuff that all the bands we've been compared were listening to. It only makes sense there'd be some similarities.

I do really feel we've stayed true to ourselves and sound the way we do because of who we are. But we were listening to Kiss, Nugent, Sabbath in the 70's and then the whole punk scene was happening with The Dead Kennedys, Circle Jerks and others which led into the NWOBHM scene with bands like Maiden, Raven & Priest. So I guess it's fair to say we've come by our roots honestly on that regard.

Generally, there is no surprise, and I could feel that Incursion continued from where it stopped back in 1986, nonetheless, with an approach to dish Traditional Metal in the present, and also since the old school form of Metal has been in a revival process for more than a decade. When it comes to the musical aspects of "Blinding Force", these remain according to what you have been living for so to speak right?

Yeah, we're just trying to do what we do and be true to ourselves. Our vision of that really remains intact after all these years and to be honest hasn't really changed.

Recently you welcomed to the lineup a new bass player and a drummer, a new rhythm section no less. What can you tell about the contribution of the new members to the written material on "Blinding Force"? Did their musical approach change anything in vision of how the songs would end up?

We are very glad to have Dan & Robbie in the band and on this record! They both really brought a lot of energy to the tunes that ultimately played a big role in the how the record came out. We have been fortunate in the sense that all the things that have happened to us over the last few years since reforming sort of happened for a reason, from finding Steve to Dan & Robbie it all kind of just fell into place as it needed to. I think we were all on the same page with our ideas and vision of how the tunes progressed on the record and it's got the right energy and that's what they brought in droves, energy!

Back in 1984, you recorded a demo, consisting of four songs, two of them found their way into the new album, "Hang 'em High" and "Vengeance". Two great tracks that highly emphasize the British element in your Metal direction. Let's face it, all the songs on "Blinding Force" do. How was it for you to breathe new life into these two tracks? Why not go for the entire Demo and re-record the other two songs as well?

It was awesome to fully realize those tunes after all these years and record them properly. Once again, as with The Hunter EP we stayed pretty true to what we were doing back in the day with these two tunes. One of the other tunes from that early demo might make its way on the next one, who knows, you'll have to stay tuned to find that out…

Did you happen to change anything on the older songs, other than re-recording them, whether on the instrumentation or vocal fronts?

There's a bit of old and a lot of new with this record. Some of the tunes were from back in the day, but they were never properly realized back then. We also didn't have Steve on vocals, Dan on drums and Robbie on Bass and to be honest Maxx on guitar back in the day! Maxx originally was on bass. So, everything has a bit of different life and energy today.

As for the fresh material, what can you share about the songwriting sessions, in particular since you worked on the songs in a time period that was brewed with restrictions due to the pandemic?

Maxx has always been the primary writer for the band and we've also written a lot of the material together. Our process has pretty much remained the same after all these years. We'll hash things out till we're cool with them. There were definitely a few ideas that also took a new shape once we started laying down the basic tracks for the record and there's a bit of banging heads sometimes to get to the right idea, but we seem to always get there in the end. It's all a process and we're really the same dudes we were back in the day.

Chris Short, along with the maestro Jorg Uken, engineered the album and its sound. The end result turned out to be an updated early 80s album, as if it was made in the UK. To feel that sort of richness nowadays, in the digital age, that is something else. What is your view on how the album sounds? How does it sit with all the modern based production going on?

Man, we're really happy with how it all turned out and working with Chris Short and Jorg Uken has been integral to that. It's really down to where our heads are at and what the material itself calls for. We never had a discussion about making it sound like this or that or even consciously attempted to make it sound like the 80's or anything. It's just its own beast! We'd have to be honest to ourselves in admitting we were greatly influenced by all the UK bands at the time like Maiden, Venom, Raven, Motorhead & Judas Priest so I guess that vibe is just going to be there regardless of anything intentional. Those early records are the fabric we're woven from in a way naturally.

Usually I like to dwell on particular tracks on the album, but I would like this time around to take on a different angle, and to hear from you, which of the tracks were the most challenging for you to write, even though the music flows, but there is the music and there is structure of each song, all different. What is your take?

A few of the tracks on the record did take on a new life from what we started out with when we got into the studio doing the basic tracks. Running Out is a great example of that. We had been hashing out a few different approaches to that one and I think that one didn't really come together completely till we were laying it down. Strike Down was another one especially as far as it's arrangement. Initially, it was a bit shorter without the epic intro and middle section breakdown. They were there, just simpler in scope. Once we started tracking it just becomes apparent sometimes what the song is calling for and in the end, Strike Down is one of my favorites on the record. Riot Act is another one that went through a few revisions until the moment we cut it. Some songs just are obvious and come together right away and others are going to fight you a bit, but it always seems to end up where in needs to be in the end.

Earlier I mentioned the live element in Incursion, if there is a chance that the band will be performing live, what are your plans going forward? Now since you signed to a European label, is there plan to come over the Mecca of Metal in order to show your stuff?

We're looking into that definitely! We think we'd be a good fit for a lot of the European Festivals and are hoping to be able to play some dates in the mother land in the Spring and Summer.

Michael, thank you for the time you gave for this interview, it was good to hear about another Metal act coming back from the golden age of Metal, and of course, the album sounds good. All the best

Thanks so much for reaching out and the kind words, all the best to you Lior!