Men Destroyed Man might be a new band on the hardcore scene, but its members have roots that go back to the '90s New Jersey scene. "[Guitarist] Scott [Saint Hilaire], [bassist] John [Doherty Jr.], and I did a band together for a little over 5 years called Elements DEC in the mid to late '90s," vocalist Larry Cooney Jr. tells No Echo.
"John and [drummer] Anthony [Amodeo] played together in Agents of Man. So we have all played together so to speak. We have all remained really good friends over the years."
The Man Destroyed Man story started at the beginning of 2020 when Saint Hilaire reached out to Cooney Jr. asking to the singer to collaborate on some new material. A few months later, the musicians had 3 tracks in the can when they decided to wanted to flesh out the project with a full lineup.
The combo was complete with the addition of drummer Amodeo and bassist Doherty Jr.
Man Destroyed Man's debut release, [Know Thy] self-titled EP, can be heard below:
How about Man Destroyed Man's collective musical influences? "Scott had mentioned very early on he wanted to simplify things and just write riffs people would hum. All of us are massive Black Sabbath fans so yeah, who’s going to say no to that?
"We were all down to get back to our roots—so to speak—and do heavy music again, but we hope we bring all of those influences to the table in various ways that may not be immediately obvious, but they are all there.
"So, at the end of the day, if we had to choose a label, I think "grey beard NJ hardcore" is appropriate [laughs]. We are hardcore scene veterans that also happen to listen to other genres and did the music we wanted to hear."
On the lyric front, Cooney Jr. explains some of his inspiration this time out: "I have always written lyrics that are my take on the current issues facing society. I am an armchair sociologist, I suppose you could say. I have always been one who believes if you have the privilege to write the lyrics, might as well attempt to say something while you do so.
"While there is one song that is very personal that I wrote as an apology of sorts to my cousin who committed suicide 15 years ago, the rest deal with current events. And primarily that will always be what I attempt to do. They all fall under the category of why I indeed personally feel Man has Destroyed Man.
"Myself, as a lyricist, I am heavily inspired by people like Chuck D, The Clash, BURN and most recently, Run the Jewels. I come from the camp of as many others I believe music is incredibly powerful, but where it may differ from others is I believe if you have the ability to make it, why not try to change the world. Even if that seems impossible, it is worth trying."
According to Cooney Jr., Man Destroyed Man is already working on their next EP, and before closing out our interview, he wanted to include the following thoughts: "While I am positive not everyone will agree on my political leanings, I do my best to write lyrics where even if that is the case, it will at least get you to think about things.
"We are truly doing this just for the love of making heavy music and it felt in many ways as if we had no choice. We have been around for quite some time and do not feel any need to prove anything, and I do believe that shows. I feel this is the best project I have ever done."
Man Destroyed Man on social media: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Bandcamp
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Tagged: agents of man, elements dec, man destroyed man
