History & Biography Denmark's Artillery had no problem drawing thrashers' support as early as its successful demo tapes Shellshock and Deeds Of Darkness (with singer Carsten Lohmann) of 1984. We Are The Dead, however, was the first demo. It was released in 1983 and featured singer Per Onink who later joined Narita. Lohmann was out in 1985 and the band's manager, John Kluge, told Blackthorn fanzine issue 2 that his replacement Flemming came through an ad in a newspaper. Kluge also told the zine that the band was contacted by both "a negro" and a girl who wanted to audition. The band was contacted by Metal Blade to be included on Metal Massacre VII before the label disappearing on the band. Regardless, the band was offered deals with Neat and Mausoleum Records. Flemming Rönsdorf had joined for Fear Of Tomorrow and would last intermittently until the year 2000. The man had fronted the band opening for Slayer in Copenhagen two months after joining in 1985. A CD entitled Deadly Relics was issued by Mighty Music featuring this era's music in 1998. The band specialized in techno thrash and at one point (1991) Ronsdorf was invited to take over for Schmier in Destruction - the two bands had previously toured together - an engagement that lasted two weeks. The band even had the opportunity to tour the Soviet Union as part of an East/West cultural exchange - a riot ensued. There was no way, but out after the promises made by Roadrunner failed to materialize even if the band opened for Tankard for a while. Those looking for RubberBand demos should note that the group was a Beatles tribute act.
After reformation in 1998, the band was invited to play Wacken, released a 7" and their comeb.a.c.k. album B.A.C.K at least proved that the band has not forgotten how to thrash. The act disbanded again 2000 and returned again in 2007. The band had to cancel its appearance at the Keep It True VIII festival in Germany in 2007 due to its “singer and bassist not being quite ready.” Poland’s Metal Mind Productions released an Artillery box set in 2007 called Through The Years. The collection features four CDs and music from the band’s entire history. The group reformed in 2007 and recruited Søren Adamsen (Crystal Eyes and Starrats) as its new singer. Metal Mind Productions released Artillery's first DVD entitled One Foot In The Grave, The Other One In The Trash in May of 2008. The DVD featured the band’s gig at Metalmania Festival 2008. The band also announced that it has been reactivated and is working again. The Danes picked When Death Comes as the title for its next album, which was issued in July through re-release label Metal Mind Productions. The album was recorded at Medley Studio. Metal Mind Productions also issued a live album entitled One Foot In The Grave, The Other One In The Trash culled from a show the band gave at Metalmania Festival 2008!
Artillery singer Søren "Nico" Adamsen joined Inmoria, the Swedish band featuring Christer Andersson (Tad Morose) on guitar, Peter Moren (Tad Morose and Steel Attack) on drums and Danne Eriksson (ex-Tad Morose) on keyboards, in the summer of 2010. The group was recording an album. 6 was the working title for the 2011 album scheduled for release on March 21st, 2011. The new album would include 11 songs. The band’s work at Medley Studio, Denmark on the follow-up to 2009's When Death Comes was eventually called My Blood. The band had recorded 14 songs including ten new tracks, a remake of Ain't Giving In from 1992´s Mind Factory demo and three bonus tracks which were all new versions of songs from the 1985’s Fear Of Tomorrow, namely The Eternal War, The Almighty and Show Your Hate.
Exumer and Artillery were touring South America in May and June of 2012. In 2012, Artillery was celebrating its thirtieth anniversary with a lot of activity. The Danes were to play gigs in May in New York City and at the Maryland Death Fest in Baltimore. Along with Exumer they would then move to South America to play in Argentina, Chile and Brazil. At the end of the year the band was to return to the USA to play on the Barge To Hell cruise ship departing from Miami, Florida to the Bahamas in December. Artillery recruited drummer Josua Madsen to replace founding member Carsten Nielsen who left the band after 30 years in late spring of 2012. The band was booked for the Metalitalia Festival in 2013. Adamsen was out as of 2012. Artillery signed a deal with Metal Blade Records. The band's 2013 album was almost ready in the summer.
The band would release a new album, Legions, in Europe on November 22nd, 2013 through Metal Blade Records. Michael Bastholm Dahl was on vocals. Artillery kicked off its first North American tour on October 23rd, 2014 opening for Onslaught and headlining over Striker. Onslaught was fronted by former Anthrax man Neil Turbin for most of the tour before falling out with his employer. The band would return to the USA in the spring of 2015. Beginning April 9th in San Jose, the United Legions Tour would weave its way through seventeen cities before wrapping up on April 27th in Salt Lake City. Artillery would be joined by Striker, VX36, Potential Threat and Dahlmers Realm. The band next toured China with Hidden Intent in the spring of 2015. Artillery, Raze and Phobos Preacher were touring Spain and Portugal together in April of 2016. Artillery would release a new album, called Penalty By Perception, on March 25th 2016 through Metal Blade Records. A track called In Defiance Of Conformity was available early.
UK-based thrash metal group Onslaught would tour under the Thrash ’till The Death banner in Europe with Artillery in September, 2017. Support came from Chronosphere and Exarsis. The band released a new album, called The Face Of Fear, through Metal Blade on November 16th 2018. Former guitarist Morten Stützer died at age fifty-seven in October 2019. Death was attributed to persistent ailments and a blood clot. The rest of the band was quick to announce that he was a huge talent, they miss him and the band will continue. Artillery released its tenth full-length, entitled X, through Metal Blade Records in May 2021. The group had a single called In Thrash We Trust. The band’s current guitarist was Kræn Meier. Vio-lence, Voivod, Exciter and Artillery announced a MTV Headbangers Ball monicker to tour Europe in autumn 2021. Vio-Lence, Whiplash and Artillery then were to tour Europe using the MTV Headbangers Ball Tour 2022 monicker that autumn. Xentrix jumped on the bandwagon. Denmark’s Næstved Metalfest, which would take place in August 2023, booked Artillery, Grave, Illdisposed, Paradise Lost and Cabal. Exciter commemorated the fortieth anniversary of its debut album, Heavy Metal Maniac, with a European tour in May and June 2023. Opening at various times were Artillery, Blood Star and Screamer. Josua Madsen died after being hit by a bus on a dark road near his house while walking in March 2023. He was 45. The band and guitarist Kræn Meier parted ways due to "personal differences." New in the band were singer Martin Steene (Iron Fire), drummer Frederik Kjelstrup Hansen and guitarist René Loua (Furious Trauma). Artillery was issuing Raw Live (At Copenhell) through Mighty Music in 2024. It was out on the 2nd February. It was recorded in 2022 and was the last live appearance by drummer Josua Madsen who was no longer part of the act after the show and died in 2023. The group announced the Metalized Tour of Denmark alongside Manticora, Demolizer and Exelerate for February 2024. A 40th anniversary tour of North America, which was postponed due to a visa issue from the autumn of 2023, began on March 27 in Texas, USA and was to closes in Toronto, Canada. The act was also appearing at 2 Minutes To Tulsa Festival in Tulsa.
Reviews ARTILLERY - B.A.C.K. - DIE HARD
Looking at the photo of the three washed up geezers on the back cover was enough for a laugh. I have been around this scene long enough to remember the reviews for this band's debut some thirteen years ago and so it was fun to slide the CD in and hear the original thrash guitaring which leapt forth. That is the come back album's strength: the thrash 'n thrash guitar riffs. There are many of them and they are all kicking, even the Saint Vitus-ish wah wah instance. What really pulls this disc down though are the incompetent vocals which are a major cause for inertia on the album: weak. Even worse is a song called WWW with the 'world wide web' chant refrain! Nostalgia seekers or those looking to recapture the heady days' magic can seek this out, otherwise even the band admit they are back together to ride the current thrash metal revival trend. Ashes to ashes...
ARTILLERY - WHEN DEATH COMES - METAL MIND 
Ready, set, go! Artillery’s B.A.C.K. return album from ten years ago was so bad that this review was rearing to be abusive and unpleasant. The reformed Artillery of the late '90s was such dreadful dreck that When Death Comes’ review was pre-written. Except, something happened in the interim. The lead riff off the album’s opener was good, thrashy, powerful, well produced and surely did not deserve a bad review. Would the rest of the album maintain the standard and, thankfully, the answer is a 'yes.' From the powerful drumming of said title track through to the melodic thrashing of The End When Death Comes Back is much better than its predecessor and possibly the band’s best work ever. The powerful sound accompanies genuinely violent and thrashy riffs. The heavy drum sound accompanies a rapid metal delivery with a good bit of individuality. The album’s likely best song, Sandbox Philosophy, is an obvious example. The album even delivers reasonably well in the solo department.
The band’s new singer, Søren Adamsen, is the ideal fit leaving his useless predecessor in the dust. Thrashing and yelling socially conscious lyrics attacking war and religion with ample energy, Adamsen has just enough melody to let his style stand apart from many others. The album stumbles on the weaker Not A Nightmare and the strumming part and singing of Delusions Of Grandeure (Sic). Nonetheless, When Death Comes is a surprise album for a band many at Metallian Towers considered done for and is also both a serious contender in the thrash realm and domain of reforming bands. - Ali “The Metallian”
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