100 YEARS WAR: THE ENDLESS CAMPAIGN-A RIPPING INTERVIEW WITH MANO. By Mark J.
100 YEARS WAR: THE ENDLESS CAMPAIGN-A RIPPING INTERVIEW WITH MANO.
Melbourne's 100 Years War aren't messing around. Members past and present have been kicking around the underground for decades in bands like Grudge!, Desecrator, Vicious Circle, As Flesh Decays, and Cemetery Urn, so when they finally joined forces back in 2019, they already knew exactly what they were doing. The result? A brutal combination of death metal aggression and relentless d-beat crust that hits like a freight train loaded with broken glass.
Their debut Stand Amongst the Fallen dropped in 2021 and showed what they were capable of, but it's the evolution since then that's really got people's attention. They've refined their sound into something that's pure d-beat death metal warfare, leaning harder into that driving punk urgency while keeping all the crushing heaviness intact. They've shared stages with the likes of Butcher ABC, Revocation and Psycroptic, toured Japan multiple times, including appearances at Asakusa Death Fest, and built a reputation for live shows that leave venues wrecked.
Then came Onwards to Death, dropped July 8th this year, and honestly? It's a statement. As I said in my review, this is the moment they stopped being promising and became essential. The songwriting's tighter, the production hits harder, and that hybrid of Bolt Thrower-style brutality with d-beat ferocity is surgical. Tracks like "This Fascist Kills Machines" and "Prepare Yourself for War" showcase a band that's found its identity and isn't looking back. They've proven their dominance both locally and abroad, and right now everyone's hanging out to see them bring this new material to the stage. OEF might be done, but you need to always keep a close eye on what this phenomenal band is up to.
This war is far from over. I caught up with the band after their European assault to dig into the carnage.
Post "Onwards to Death" Release & European Tour
DHZ: You've wrapped up an incredible European run with grind legends Butcher ABC - how does it feel to be sharing stages with bands that helped define a part of a genre you're drawing from?
MANO: It was great, we have a bit of history with Butcher ABC now, and our drummer, Ash, also drums for them in a semi-permanent fill-in capacity. He drummed for them on this tour as well as the Australian Tour we did back in 2023 and some shows in Japan while we were over there last. But yeah, it is great to have that working relationship with them and the opportunities that have come with it. They are a great band, and it was awesome to be able to do the tour and spend 2 weeks crammed into a van with them across Europe.
DHZ: Obscene Extreme is hallowed ground for extreme music. What was the energy like playing that festival, and how did the European crowds respond to Australian d-beat death metal fury?
MANO: OEF was great, a really well-run fest and a lot of fun, we were lucky enough to play the opening party as well as the first day of the fest, and the crowds were great on both occasions. We had a day off to hang out before we hit the road for the rest of the tour, it worked out that Blood Duster were playing that day, so we got to catch up with them, have a few beers and watch them tear the place apart.
DHZ: That tour routing is intense - 12 shows across 10 countries in 12 days. How do you maintain that crushing live intensity when you're physically and mentally drained?
MANO: It was intense at times, some long drives and the usual problems that come with that, but, a bit of sleep in the van, a few coffees and the right amount of pre-show beers and we all pulled through. As I mentioned, our drummer, Ash, was pulling double duties every night, so the rest of us had nothing to complain about really.
"Onwards to Death" Deep Dive
MANO: The songwriting and the band in general have grown since we recorded STAND AMONGST THE FALLEN, We were a 3-piece then, Ash, Mat (Bass) and myself, and mostly working on songs that I had written previously. We are a 5 piece now, with Dan also on Guitar and Lacca on Vocals, and we wrote ONWARDS TO DEATH together in a much more collaborative manner.
Recording-wise, we all had very definite ideas about what we wanted everything to sound like. Ash worked with Joel at Black Lodge to record the drums. Dan, Mat and I recorded at Dan's home studio with some re-amping and additional tracking at the Black Lodge, Lacca did the vocals at his home studio, and Joel stitched it all together, again at the Black Lodge, and we got Jason at Goatsound to master it.
DHZ: The production on this record hits like a brick to the skull - was there a conscious decision to make it even more punishing than before?
MANO: Haha, yeah, that was definitely the plan. Ash really put an emphasis on getting a natural drum sound and we really put in a lot of time to get the guitars right, we wanted the bass to be prominent in the mix, contributing a lot to the overall sound and we also really wanted to get the guitars as "in your face" a possible but also be able to hear what we are doing. That can always be a bit of a juggling act, especially to keep everything defined and not a big wall of noise, but I think we achieved what we wanted instrument-wise. Lacca also recorded in his home studio, which gave him the flexibility to try a few different things and experiment a bit, the end result of which we are stoked with and I think really put the icing on the cake.
DHZ: D-beat can be formulaic in lesser hands, but you bring genuine menace to it. What keeps 100 Years War from falling into the copy/paste trap that plagues the genre?
MANO: In our songs, the d-beat parts tend to be the vocal parts, that came about because originally, I was going to sing and I found it easier to write vocals over the d-beat, and so that has sort become our formula. Around those vocal/d-beat parts we build the song using influence from other genres and I think that's how we avoid the repetitiveness that, as you say, does tend to come with some d-beat bands.
DHZ: Lyrically, what themes are you exploring on "Onwards to Death"? The title suggests a pretty bleak worldview.
MANO: Lacca and I shared lyric writing duties on the album so I can only speak for what I wrote, I tend to keep things a bit vague and open to interpretation, but focus on the negative things I see in the world, general abuses of power, institutional and political corruption, etc.
The title is also a bit of a play on the fact that we have introduced a bit more death metal into our songwriting.
Underground Ethos & DIY Spirit
MANO: This might be a bit of an old-school mentality but I think coming from Australia there really is only one way to get any attention overseas, no matter which continent, and that's to go there and play shows. You are right, the European music scene is very different to ours but again I think, especially as an underground band, the best way to get exposed to it is to get over there any way you can.
DHZ: You're clearly not chasing mainstream acceptance - what drives 100 Years War to keep pushing into more extreme territories?
MANO: I don't think it's such a conscious thing, more of a case of 5 blokes with a common love of heavy/extreme music pushing ourselves to keep creating and improving. We aren't re-inventing the wheel but I feel like we have developed a style or sound of our own to some extent, and I suppose it is really about further refining that and seeing where we can take it next.
Influences & Scene Context
DHZ: Your sound draws heavily from Scandinavian d-beat pioneers and old school death metal brutality. Who are the bands that shaped your sonic violence?
MANO: I'd say we all share old school death metal as a common influence. UK bands like Bolt Thrower, Carcass and Napalm Death had a big influence on me when I was young, and I got interested in the crust and d-beat scenes that those bands emerged from and were influenced by. I have always attributed that connection to part of what made those bands stand out to me, and it is something that sparked the early ideas for 100 YEARS WAR.
Of the Scandinavian bands, Wolfbrigade have always been a standout for me, I've been a fan since the Wolfpack days, but Damned is where I think they really nailed it and thinking about it now, that album would have been on high rotation when I was putting together some of the early songs for the first album.
DHZ: Playing with Butcher ABC must have been surreal - how did those Japanese grind masters influence your approach to extremity?
MANO: I'm not sure there is too much in the way of influence, but there is always something to be learnt from a band that has been going as long as BUTCHER ABC. They have toured and do tour much more than us and they really have it down to a fine art and with a very professional approach. We tend to treat touring a bit more like a pub crawl, haha. No, that's not really true; putting on a good show is our number one priority; having a good time along the way is a close second.
DHZ: Where does 100 Years War fit in the current Australian extreme music landscape? Are there other bands pushing similar boundaries?
MANO: I have to say I'm not really sure where we fit, I think when you are doing what we are doing, mixing genres, it can be a bit of a double-edged sword, it allows you to appeal to a mix of audiences but can also make it hard to fit into any one scene. We are also pretty spread out around the state and country, so we are a bit detached from what's going on locally but there are a few Victorian bands doing interesting things, I've been listening to BRUXIST and keen to see them live, RESISTANCE, Riley was in our original live line-up and I'm looking forward to catching them again also interested to check out WORLDFUCKER now that I see they have announced their first shows.
Technical & Creative Process
DHZ: 100 Years War demands precision despite the chaos - how do you balance technical tightness with that raw, unhinged energy in your playing?
MANO: I think the D-beat parts set the pace and keep that raw energy, the death metal parts allow for the more technical and dynamic aspects, but need to match the pace and energy of the D-beat in order to avoid it all just sounding like blocks of riffs. That is the juggling act and is where we spend a lot of time during the songwriting process.
DHZ: What's your rehearsal and writing process like? Do songs come together quickly in the heat of the moment, or do you meticulously craft the brutality?
MANO: No, it's a pretty slow process. I usually bring in ideas in some form, ranging from a couple of riffs to a semi-finished song and then Ash, Dan and I hash them out. Once they are pretty much complete, we put down a rough demo with some basic vocal ideas and get them to Mat and Lacca so they can work their magic. After a bit of back and forth, we get the finished product.
DHZ; The guitar tone on "Onwards to Death" is absolutely crushing. What's your signal chain looking like these days?
MANO: We kept it pretty simple, for my main rhythm tracks I used an ENGL Powerball 1 and for recording solo tracks I used a little 20W ENGL Ironball, no pedals with either. Dan uses a Mesa Dual Rectifier with a Maxon ST9 Pro up front for tracking his main rhythms and solos and we also used a Marshal JCM2000 with an HM2 clone for alternate rhythm tracks.
Future Plans & Underground Legacy
MANO; No, nothing live planned at this stage, we do have a live split with Butcher ABC recorded on their Australian tour (available Obliteration Records). Generally, we are due for a few local and interstate shows, we need to push this new album and start plotting our next moves.
DHZ: Five years from now, how do you want 100 Years War to be remembered in the annals of extreme music history?
MANO: If our track record is anything to go by, we could be releasing our 3rd album in 5 years, haha, no, look that's a hard question to answer, retrospectively I hope that the music we are creating is unique enough to be memorable and I that our live shows have impact, we don't really put on much of a theatrical performance but we do lay out our set cohesively and deliberately, in order to maximise impact and hopefully give anyone who sees us a bit of an experience not just a bunch of songs thrown together. So, I hope we are remembered for that.
Closing
DHZ: For readers discovering 100 Years War through this interview - if they can only check out three songs to understand what you're about, which tracks would you choose and why?
MANO: I'm going to pick 3 tracks that will give a good cross-section of the new album.
Patience – This song really only got finished just before we recorded the album. We have only played it live during the European shows, and it instantly became a crowd favourite.
Sanctuary Despoiled – A good example of our shorter sharper, more to the point songs and Dan's solo really sets the mood of the song.
The Sword – This is a bit of a different song for us and I think it shows us pushing beyond just a mix of d beat and death metal into something a little bit broader.
DHZ-THANKS GUYS, LOVE YOUR MUSIC AND THE TIME YOU ARE TAKING TO DO THIS INTERVIEW.
ALL PHOTOS FROM THE BAND'S SOCIAL MEDIA PAGES, SPECIAL THANKS TO SOUNDTERROR PHOTOS HIT THEM UP AND FOLLOW:
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LINKS:
https://www.facebook.com/afterlifeinsurance666
https://100yearswar1.bandcamp.com/album/onwards-to-death
"Bringing you the music your parents warned you about since 2018 "
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