挑战所有的不公平 - 美国Power / Heavy Metal乐队Ageless Warrior专访

Volcano Magazine
22 hours ago
12 min read

Ageless Warrior是一支深耕美国地下场景的力量金属乐队，专注打造复古、厚重、极具叙事感的力量金属作品。乐队以“不朽、抗争”为核心主题，编曲忠于传统金属的器乐架构，用纯粹的吉他Riff与史诗旋律，诠释金属乐最原始的力量感。

（V: 代表笔者 M: 代表Micah Devereaux）

Ageless Warrior is an American underground power metal band dedicated to creating retro, hefty, strongly narrative power metal material. Centered around the core motifs of agelessness and defiance, the band sticks rigidly to the instrumental framework of classic metal, utilizing unvarnished guitar riffs and epic melodies to embody the primal, unrefined power of metal music.

(V: represents the author; M: represents Micah Devereaux)

采访对象：Micah Devereaux（乐队吉他 / 歌手）

采访时间：2026.06.29

V: 你们最初从Eternal Voyager拆分组建Ageless Warrior的契机是什么？当时音乐思路和前乐队有哪些明确区别？Ageless Warrior的音乐作品不使用管弦，键盘，合成器铺垫音色，而只依靠贝斯和多轨吉他搭建歌曲，刻意舍去欧式力量金属的标志性气息，你们的创作动机是什么？

What prompted you to split off from Eternal Voyager and form Ageless Warrior? What clear distinctions separated your musical vision from that of your previous band? Ageless Warrior’s discography completely forgoes orchestral layers, keyboards and synth textures, constructing songs only with bass and multi-track guitars to deliberately avoid the iconic sound of European power metal. What motivated this creative direction?

M: 因此，我（Micah Devereaux）和Jeff Igelsrud都离开了Eternal Voyager乐队，并最终成立了Ageless Warrior乐队。我觉得是时候继续前进，开始一个更符合我愿景的项目了。对于坚守传统金属风格方面，Eternal Voyager乐队非常严格，但我希望进行一些创新，融合其他元素，创造出我认为更有趣的音乐。此外，在Eternal Voyager乐队中，我并没有太多参与创作的机会，而我本质上是一名词曲创作者，这也是我追求个人项目的另一个原因。虽然我们的录音中偶尔会有微妙的合成器或氛围元素作为背景，但在现场演出时我们不会有任何这些元素，因此我希望主要专注于你能在现场听到的乐器。这样，当我们演出时，音乐听起来就不会与录音差别太大。很令人失望的是，去看演出时却发现乐队的声音与专辑中的录音不同。因此，我想将额外的元素保持在最低限度，专注于我们实际演奏的乐器。

So both myself [Micah Devereaux] and Jeff Igelsrud broke away from Eternal Voyager and would eventually start Ageless Warrior. I had felt that it was time to move on and start a project of my own that was more in line with my vision. Eternal Voyager was very rigid as far as staying true to traditional metal, but I wanted to mix it up and blend other elements to create something I thought would be more interesting. Plus in Enternal Voyager I didn't get to do much writing and I'm a songwriter at heart, so that was another reason to pursue my own project. And while there maybe subtle synth or atmospheric stuff layered in the background of our recordings on occasion, we wouldn't have any of those elements live so I wanted to keep it primarily focused on the instruments you would hear live. That way when we played shows it wouldn't sound too different to the recording. Its disappointing to go to a show and find out the band doesn't sound like the recordings on the album, so I wanted to keep the extra elements to a minimum and focus on the actual instruments that we would be playing.

V: 乐队名称Ageless Warrior是如何而来？有什么深意？乐队名称和首张专辑"Defy The Ages"的主题有什么联系吗？这张作品歌词都围绕抗争、不屈的战士主题展开，这张专辑的创作灵感来源哪里？

How did you come up with the band name Ageless Warrior, and what profound meaning lies behind it? Is there a thematic link between the band name and your debut album Defy The Ages? All lyrics on this record center on themes of resistance and unbreakable warriors. Where did you draw inspiration for this album?

M: 这已经是很久以前的事了，所以很难记住，但“Ageless Warrior”（无龄战士）在名称上某种程度上是对“Eternal Voyager”（永恒旅者）的一种戏仿。我只是觉得这很有趣。就像我们正在演奏像“Eternal Voyager”那样的力量金属，但这却是我们的版本，你知道吧？我认为除此之外并没有太多意义。乐队的宗旨是反对传统并进行创新融合，这正是“Defy The Ages”（挑战时代）的核心理念。它是在将传统元素打破并颠覆正统观念，将其转化为全新的东西。这正是乐队的整个主旨。就主题而言，它非常强调摆脱传统并开创自己的道路。这正是我们在创建这支乐队时所做的，因此这带有一定的“元”性质。要忠于自己，即使这意味着违背他人对“你应该成为怎样的人”的说法。这正是这支乐队诞生的故事。

It was a long time ago so it's not easy to remember, but Ageless Warrior is somewhat of a parody of Eternal Voyager, as far as names go. I just thought it was funny. Like we are doing power metal like Eternal Voyager, but this is our version, you know? I don't think there's much meaning to it beyond that. The idea of the band was to go against tradition and mix it up so that's kind of what Defy The Ages was all about. It was taking what was traditional and defying the orthodox and making it into something new. That's the whole thesis of the band, I think. As far as themes it was very much break away from tradition and forge your own path. That's what we did when we created this band so it's kind of meta. Be true to yourself even if it defies what people tell you about who you should be. Its very much the story of this bands origin.

V: Ageless Warrior受到了哪些风格与乐队的影响？专辑封面狼形战士视觉设计，是你们参与构思还是独立画师完成？Micah身兼主唱与吉他，在创作歌曲时如何进行创作？乐队整体音色偏向复古金属质感，这一点在录音时是如何做到的？

What genres and bands have influenced Ageless Warrior? Did you participate in conceptualizing the wolf-warrior design on the album cover, or was it entirely produced by an independent illustrator? Micah is both vocalist and guitarist—what is his songwriting workflow? Your overall tone features a vintage metal texture; how did you accomplish this during the recording process?

M: 因此，显然我们以重金属和力量金属为核心，这就是起点。像Judas Priest、King Diamond、Hammerfall这样的乐队可以为这种风格提供很好的灵感。但随后再加入一些鞭击金属（thrash），比如Testament或Iced Earth。这里可以加一点死亡金属，那里可以加一点前卫金属（prog）。将通常不与该流派相关的元素混合在一起并观察结果，这非常有趣。因此，它的核心仍然是力量金属/重金属，但我们会在外部加入其他元素，使它更具风味和多样性。至于"Defy The Ages"的插画，这是我亲自完成的。我是一名3D建模师，所以我只是选取了自己的一件模型，将其摆好姿势，并添加了背景元素，直到画面看起来令人满意为止。我必须说，在设计完这件作品后，我看到了Pantera为"Power Metal"创作的插画，我惊讶地发现它们的相似度非常高。我笑了，我觉得这太有趣、太完美了。我真希望我能说这是有意为之的恶搞作品，是对那幅插画的戏仿，但这只是一个幸运的意外。至于歌曲创作，通常首先是旋律（riff）先行。一旦我有了吉他构思，其他部分就会很快随之而来。很多时候，在创作歌曲之前，我心中已有了明确的意图。我感觉，知道歌曲的主题有助于塑造其整体风格。我非常喜欢这张专辑的音调。我使用 Guitar Rig 4 制作了这张专辑，因此我是完全通过数字化方式来创作它的，但我认为这个音调非常适合我们所追求的效果。

So obviously we have heavy metal and power metal at the core, that's where it starts. So bands like Judas Priest, King Diamond, Hammerfall would serve as good inspiration for that. But then add thrash, like Testament or stuff like Iced Earth. How about a dash of death metal over here, or a bit of prog over there. Its fun to mix elements not normally associated with the genre and see what comes out. So it's very power metal/heavy metal at its core, but then we season the outside with other things to make it more flavorful and diverse. As for the artwork for Defy The Ages I did that myself. I was a 3d modeler as well at the time so I just took one of my models, posed it. And added background elements until it looked acceptable. I will say that after I had designed that I saw Pantera's artwork for Power Metal and was shocked to discover how closely it resembles it. I laughed, I thought that was so funny and so perfect. I wish I could say it was on purpose and a parody of that artwork, but it was a happy accident. As for songwriting typically the riff comes first. Once I have guitar ideas down everything else quickly follows. Often times I have an intention with the song before I write it. I feel knowing what it's going to be about helps shape it. The tone for that album I loved. I created it using Guitar Rig 4, so I had crafted it completely digitally, but i think it sounded perfect for what we were going for.

V: 明尼阿波利斯是美国老牌极端金属重镇，本地大量死亡金属、激流金属团体。而力量金属在本地圈子是否显得小众？你们有没有受到本地极端金属风格的影响？

Minneapolis is a historic hub of extreme metal in the United States, with numerous local death and thrash metal bands. Does power metal feel like a niche style within the local scene? Have you been influenced by the local extreme metal sound?

M: 我本人来自伊利诺伊州，因此当时我对明尼阿波利斯的文艺圈了解有限。我不会说这个圈子对我或我的写作产生了多大影响，但我在这个圈子里结识了许多优秀且才华横溢的人，对此我深感感激。

I am personally from Illinois, so at the time I had limited experience with the Minneapolis scene. I wouldn’t say it had much influence on me or my writing at all, but I have met a lot of great and talented people in the scene and I am grateful for that.

V: 在你们眼中力量金属最核心，最区别于其他金属风格的魅力是什么？你们想通过力量金属的风格作品向听众传递什么内容？很多极端金属乐迷贬低力量金属主题理想化，内容空洞，你们怎么看待这种风格鄙视链？

From your perspective, what core unique appeal sets power metal apart from other metal subgenres? What messages do you hope to deliver to listeners through your power metal works? Many extreme metal fans write off power metal as overly idealistic with empty lyrical content. How do you think about this genre prejudice within metal communities?

M: 我认为这些表演非常有力。快速的驾驶式鼓点、迅猛的吉他独奏，但最重要的是高亢的歌声。我认为这些元素构成了一个极好的基础，但我希望能够展示出你还能做得更多。唯一的局限在于你的想象力。至于题材偏见，我只想说每个人都有权表达自己的观点。我也能理解其中的一些因素。但归根结底，我只是想从中寻得乐趣，而这是一首充满乐趣的音乐。如果我能做到这一点，同时还能赋予它一定的深度，那么我认为自己便拥有了一种真正强大的音乐元素。让我们拭目以待吧，最终的决定权在于你——你是否喜欢它。

I think the performances are powerful. The fast driving drums, the rapid fire riffs, but mostly the soaring vocals. These elements I think are a great foundation, but my hope is to show that you can do even more. The only limit is your imagination. When it comes to genre prejudice I would just say people are entitled to their opinions. And I understand some of it. But at the end of the day I’m just trying to have fun, and it’s fun music. If I can do that, but also add some depth to it as well I think then I have something really powerful musically. We will see, at the end of the day it’s up to you to decide if you like it or not.

V: 当下很多力量金属歌词反复循环屠龙、奇幻魔法，题材高度同质化，你们刻意转向抗争岁月、自我精神挣扎，是否也是对这种空洞创作的抵触？

A great deal of modern power metal repeatedly leans on clichés of dragon slaying and fantasy sorcery, leading to highly homogenized lyrical themes. You have deliberately shifted your focus to defying the erosion of time and inner spiritual struggles. Was this a deliberate counter to such vapid songwriting trends?

M: 当然！你相当敏锐，说的正是如此。尽管我们也有一些与此风格相近的歌曲，比如《激光独角兽》，但它们的呈现方式都带有一种戏谑的意味。这并不是在取笑通常与这一流派相关联的“奶酪”本身，而是意在接纳其中的滑稽元素，并承认有时这种音乐确实有些俗套。希望听众能够领会到其中蕴含的微言大义。

Absolutely! You’re pretty sharp, that is exactly it. Although we have some songs along those lines like Laser Unicorn its delivered in a tongue-in-cheek manner. Not making fun the cheese that’s often associated with the genre per se, but rather embracing the silliness of it and acknowledging that sometimes this music is indeed cheesy. Hopefully the nuance of the message is heard by the listener.

V: 力量金属标志性的长旋律Solo、高亢清嗓、史诗编曲，你们在创作中会保留多少，又主动舍弃了哪些传统套路？你认为一支优秀的力量金属乐队，最重要的特质是宏大编曲、抓耳旋律，还是有深度的歌词内核？

Lengthy melodic solos, soaring clean vocals and epic arrangements are hallmarks of power metal. How many of these traditional tropes do you retain in your creation, and which conventions do you intentionally abandon? In your opinion, which is the most essential trait of an excellent power metal band: grand arrangements, infectious melodies, or profound lyrical core?

M: 我认为高亢的歌声一定存在。这是非常关键的元素。你提到的每一项都很重要，但这一点尤其重要。力量金属歌手是世界上最出色的歌手之一。我认为我们所放弃的是该类型音乐固有的僵化性。它必须严格地属于“力量金属”（Power Metal）这一范畴，以至于很难让音乐听起来具有独特性。这就是我们进行改变的地方，我们加入了传统上不会出现的元素。如果我想要在一首力量金属歌曲的结尾加入一段沉重的停顿（breakdown），那么还有谁会阻止我呢？

I think the soaring vocals must be there. That’s such a key element. Really everything you mentioned is, but that especially I think is essential. Power metal vocalists are some of the most talented singers out there. I think what we abandon is the rigidity that is inherent in the genre. Its strict to be specifically power metal. So much so that it is difficult to sound unique. That’s where we make changes, adding elements that traditionally wouldn’t be there. If I feel like putting a heavy breakdown at the end of a power metal song, really who is going to stop me?

V: 你们之前的作品都非常出色！你们有新的专辑录制计划吗?你们以后的发展道路会是什么？

Your previous releases are incredible! Do you have any plans to record a new album? What developmental path do you plan for the band in the future?

M: 谢谢！我们刚刚发布了一张新专辑，名为"Unifier"。我们非常兴奋能将我们的第二张完整长度专辑分享给全世界并希望你们都能享受这一切。至于未来，只需继续创作音乐即可。希望我们有朝一日能够带着音乐去旅行，但目前未来仍不确定，我们尚不清楚将来会举办哪些现场演出。

Thank you! We have just released a new album called Unifier. We are very excited to share our second full length album with the world And hope you all enjoy it. As for the future, just keep making music. Hopefully we will be able to travel with our music, but as of now the future is unclear as to what live shows we will play in the future.

V: 我非常喜欢你们的作品，我会一直关注并支持你们的乐队。希望在杂志的帮助下可以帮你们积累更多人气与知名度。在采访的最后你们有什么相对读者说的吗？

I am a massive fan of your music and will keep following and supporting your band. I hope this magazine feature can help you gain more exposure and expand your fan base. To conclude this interview, is there anything you’d like to say to our readers?

M: 我非常感谢有机会回答您的问题。诚实地说，您提出了一些很棒的问题，回答它们让我感到非常愉快。请欣赏我们的新专辑"Unifier"，该专辑已在Bandcamp上架，并可在所有主要流媒体平台上进行播放。对于读者们，我想说：去发现自我，尝试不同的事物，找出使你独一无二的东西并接纳它。就像我们的音乐一样，你不必总是迎合他人希望你成为的样子。你希望成为怎样的人呢？

I am very grateful for the opportunity to answer your questions. Honestly, you’ve had some good ones that were fun to respond to. Check out the new album Unifier, it’s available on bandcamp and streaming on all major platforms. To the readers I say this. Discover yourself, try different thing, find what makes you unique and embrace it. Just like our music you don’t always have to conform to what others want you to be. Who do you want to be?