Militia (U.S.A)

Friday, January 2 was a night that had some of us wondering if we'd stepped in a time machine back to 1985!

It was an absolute honor to be able to play in San Antonio. Every one of you that came out completely floored us. It truly reminded us of the days of the Villa Fontana and Cameo Theater. It was great seeing some old friends, as well as meeting a new generation of Texas thrashers.

We've always said San Antonio is our adopted hometown. We can't wait to come back. As far as we're concerned, San Antonio is still the Metal Capitol.

Thank you all for a memorable night!

~MILITIA - Robert, Mike, Phil, Jesse & Tony

Germany - A Memorable Experience
It's been a week since our trip to Germany, and the experiences are still ringing through our minds. For MILITIA, this has been the ultimate highlight, a real dream come true. We already miss being there.

There is nothing quite like arriving to the site of Keep It True and seeing the largest assembly of true metal fans we've ever seen. It reminded us of the days of the Texas metal scene from the mid-80's. Honestly, some of us felt out of place, since we don't look as metal as we used to! But it didn't take long to feel right at home. Everybody we talked to was very nice and welcoming to us. It is still strange to be known by people so far away, especially since we're virtually unknown in our own hometown!

It was nice to relax on Friday, take in the environment and check out the other bands. We also had the opportunity to meet several of our myspace friends in person including Tobias, who was the winning bidder on the infamous Ebay auction of Phil's Sybling EP. His $3000 purchase is the catalyst that prompted us to reunite and ultimately landed us in Germany. We visited with friends from France, Germany, The Netherlands, Belgium, Mexico, Finland, Slovenia, Spain, Italy and probably a few others.

On Saturday, it was our turn to hit the stage. We were relaxed and ready. It was such a thrill to look out at the Keep It True crowd and finally play for the very fans that had kept MILITIA alive when we thought we had been forgotten. The time on stage went quickly and just like that, we were done. But it was such a blast and will be a memory we will never forget! There's no more fitting name for this event that KEEP IT TRUE. Nowhere else is there such a hunger for true metal!

On Sunday, we headed to Frankfurt with the guys from ASKA, where we had a show at Die Halle. We were not expecting much of a crowd, being the day after KIT. But people started showing up and before long, there was a good crowd. ASKA got things rolling with a powerful set of songs, including a request from the crowd for a song that wasn't planned. But being true pros, they pulled it off flawlessly. By the time we went on, the energy in that place was incredible. I don't know if it's the small atmosphere of Die Halle or what, but it was the most energetic performance we've had since reforming. And kudos to the sound man, who set up one of the best monitor mixes ever. The sound was KILLER! We could actually hear ourselves playing tight!! It was at this show that the first new MILITIA song in 23 years was unveiled, entitled "And The Gods Made War". We managed to pull it off without any noticeable issues. There was no time limit, and eventually, we played all our songs and we were done. Or so we thought! We had no more songs, so if we were going to do an encore, we'd have to play one a second time. Mike asked them what they wanted to hear, and they said "The Sybling". That one is an instrumental, so Mike announced that he had never seen MILITIA live, so he joined the crowd while we played.

This show was a very special surprise. It was set up by Wolfram Kuper, who is an old friend of the band. He visited Texas back in 1986 and experienced the Texas metal scene first hand. Wolfram contacted us a few months before our trip and offered to provide transportation from the airport to our hotel and to do some sightseeing. He made sure we were on time wherever we went. Plus the Die Halle show! MILITIA would like to say a big THANK YOU to Wolfram for everything. He went above and beyond for us, and we are very grateful and appreciative.

Germany is a beautiful country. The countryside is breathtaking, the villages are picturesque, and the cities are so CLEAN!!! And all the people are very friendly, even to us "English-speaking-only" types. There is such a contrast in the way people live and relate to one another compared to here in the USA. We found it to be quite refreshing. Americans tend to be quite proud of being Americans, but the citizens of Germany have much to be proud of.

Thank you to everyone who we came in contact with while in Germany. Each of you made this experience that much more memorable. We're already looking forward to our next visit, hopefully sooner than later!

-Robert/MILITIA