Heavy metal band Striker, originally from Edmonton, started from humble beginnings. Each member began playing music in their teens and came from similar backgrounds. Before forming Striker, the bandmates played in other various groups before meeting and creating their signature sound.
“We’re just a bunch of filthy long-haired metalheads who like old-school metal,” guitarist Tim Brown said with a chuckle.
Describing Striker’s eclectic style, Brown said, “I would sum up our sound as the sound of a monster truck jumping over an explosion […] it’s just a lot of fun, a lot of pyrotechnics.”
During their nearly 15-year career, Striker has achieved major success. In 2020, the band won the Juno Award for Metal/Hard Music Album of the Year, after being nominated the previous year. This significant milestone took place during the COVID-19 pandemic, which made the experience of winning different from what it could have been.
“So, it was a little bit anti-climactic to win […] watching it on TV with everyone else […] you don’t get to really make a statement or anything like you normally would.”
Another major career highlight was winning an Edmonton radio contest to open for legendary band Metallica in Edmonton.
“Bands from all around the world applied to get that opening slot, and we were lucky enough to win,” Brown recalled. He also noted that as part of the experience, the band “got to hang out and meet everyone from Metallica.”
Striker released their latest album, Ultrapower, in February 2024. The album was recorded in Michigan with producer Josh Schroeder. Most of the music was written fully before they arrived at the studio.
“We just kind of just sat down and got to work,” Brown said. “It’s a lot of work to put together an album, but it was a lot of fun.” The album’s latest single, “Live To Fight Another Day,” ventures into the synth-wave genre and features the band’s first green screen based music video.
“We’re all fans of that kind of music, so we just were looking to be a little bit more experimental,” said Brown. “There was already lots of synths and stuff on that song, so we were just like, ‘hey, what if we just leaned into it?’ And it turned out that it was just a really fun sound, and we all liked it.”
Brown commented that over time, the band has become more open to experimenting with new sounds, while still retaining signature metal-based elements such as heavy guitars.
Striker will be performing at Winnipeg’s Sidestage on Nov. 28. The concert is part of their Shredding North America tour, alongside fellow heavy metal acts — Seven Kingdoms and Lutharo.
Brown said that the band has high hopes for the future, including dreams of becoming the first band to perform in outer space. For now, though, they plan to keep making music simply for the joy of it.
“We’ll just keep making music because it’s lots of fun, and that’s really what we’re all about, is just having fun with it,” he said.
For tickets to the Winnipeg show and to learn more about Striker, visit striker-metal.com.
