Northern Hit Squad is a Canadian-based band influenced by both hardcore and thrash metal founded by guitarist Ak Ray (Vietnom, Skarhead) back in late 2017. The group is rounded out by vocalist Psycho Dave (Brass Knuckle Therapy), lead guitarist DQ (Monster Voodoo Machine), and bassist Oleg and drummer Frankie Malta, both known for their work in Always Die Fighting.
"I went to a bar in town and I ran into Psycho Dave, and after shooting the shit for a bit, I told him I knew about his previous band and asked him if he would be interested in starting a band with me," Ak tells No Echo about the Northern Hit Squad origin story. "I've been living in Toronto for 10 years, and although I wanted to played in between Skarhead/Vietnom shows, I had a hard time finding the right guys."
The connection worked and Northern Hit Squad recently released a split EP with Born With Hope, and No Echo got its hands on the video for "Days of Darkness," a track from the collaboration:
"I write what I’ve seen, where I’ve been, what I’ve lived, and how it all has molded me, the good, the bad, and the ugly," Psycho Dave says about "Days of Darkness" and its lyrics. "It’s from the heart, it’s from the streets, it ain’t pretty but it’s real... just like life. The lyrics were influenced by a kid I met in prison over 20 years ago, and by looking at the state of things. I can see not much has changed for some kids. But it’s not a total boo hoo-er.. I mean 'no one wants to bury you, no one wants to see you die'... Uplifting, no?
"It’s just an ugly truth, and sometimes it has to get out."
Ak fills me in on Northern Hit Squad's upcoming calendar events: "We will be jumping on the Agnostic Front/Prong tour up in Canada for a couple dates in September, and also jumping on a couple of shows with our other NYC homies, Murphys Law, in October! The next step is finishing up our full-length, which will be released sometime in 2020."
Pick up a copy of the Northern Hit Squad split EP with Born Without Hope on Upstate Records, and follow the band on Facebook for all of their show updates.
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