Hello Roger Dale Martin, how are you doing? I am good. Thank you. Please tell us how things are going after the release of your book about the 80’s/90’s in Christian heavy metal and Vengeance Rising? I am very pleased that the book is selling so well. In The Netherlands the book is really easy to get, via Amazon.nl . So a lot of the ‘older’ white metal heads bought the book. I just finished it today. Did you know that you had readers in Europe? Thank you for buying and reading the book, Heiko! I am aware of global readers and very excited to have readers in Europe There are things from the 80’s and 90’s we don’t know, I mean did the White metal bands lets say from the LA area played a lot of gigs with secular bands? I think also back in the 80’s that these bands should not only play in the chrurch or Cornerstone Festival, but also playing with Metal Church, Queensryche, Agent Steel, Dark Angel, Exodus, Testament etc… I think that should be also a goal for a christian band? Vengeance Rising played a lot of shows with secular acts in the Los Angeles area. Mostly the harder bands like Dark Angel. It was our ultimate goal to perform in the secular realm. When Pastor Bob Beeman of Sanctuary Church back then would tell you guys in his Office that Brian Slagel from MetaL Blade would be interested to sign you guys for the Human Sacrifice album. What would be then the reaction of the band members? We would have been very excited to have signed with Metal Blade. That would have opened doors for us, for sure. What happened with Bob Beeman and the Sanctuary Church? Pastor Bob Beeman relocated to Nashville, Tennessee. He developed Sanctuary International and is still growing strong today. I just found out that you play Bass in a new band called; Reign of Glory. With some bandmembers we know from the old days. Jim Chaffin, ex. The Crucified, Deliverance and Robyn Kyle Basauri ex. Joshua Perahia, Die Happy and Red Sea? Reign of Glory originated from the partnership of Nick Layton (Firewolfe) and Roger Dale Martin (Vengeance Rising). A studio album was recorded with Robyn Kyle Basauri on vocals and Jim Chaffin on drums. The album; All Will Bow was released in 2022. Please tell us about the writing process, time in the studio and how the album was received by press and fans? The recording process went very smooth and quick as a cat. Reign of Glory released their debut album in August of 2022 on Roxx Records. Review after review praises the band on taking the listener on a magical metal ride. Voted best album of the year by NoLifeTilMetal the most prestigious award from the metal hierarchy. Are you playing any live shows in the USA? Yes indeed. With a new lineup of Steve Braun (Halcyon Way) on vocals and Jeffrey McCormack (Les Carlson) on drums, we played at both Immortal Fest 2023 and Immortal Fest 2024 Any dream to visit Europe with the band or as a tourist? We are chomping at the bit to play Europe. Is it for a band like Reign of Glory possible to do any shows in halls like; Whisky A G0 GO, Alex’s Bar, Long Beach, Teragram Ballroom,Los Angeles, Lodge Room, LA to name a few? Those places are on the list for sure Do you have a last word or something that’s on your heart you want to share with us? Veteran supergroup Reign of Glory will blow your ever loving face off. Nothing but pure unadulterated metal at its finest. Frontman Steve Braun (Halcyon Way) has the pipes that never cease to astonish the listeners ears. Vocal wise, he can do it all. Performance wise – flawless. Guitarist Nick Layton is the epitome of the guitarist’s guitarist. Unreal is not a strong enough word. He will put you in a coma. Nick can shred like nobody’s business and can soften it to a whisper. A veteran of Firewolfe and Q5 Nick cannot be denied. On bass is none other than Roger Dale Martin. The man was born to play bass. Hailing from the legendary Vengeance Rising, his thrash metal roots add power and intensity in mass quantities. And his melodic influence from his days in Emerald and Die Happy throws a musical element into the low end stew. Holding down the fort on the drums is none other than percussionist extraordinaire, Jeffery McCormack.
