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Over a few beers at a local Richmond mainstay called The Village during November 2008, the subject of putting a band together was raised between friends and fellow musicians Ryan Waste and Nick Poulos. As bar conversations often go between musicians, the topic of “we should do a band together” comes up and is forgotten long before the conversers have shaken off the effects of the previous night’s debauch. This was not one of those conversations. This time was different; there was a hunger in the air and the subject got quite intense. That subject was the Heavy Metal of olde, a subject of which to these two friends was a serious matter.



The two had been tape trading for many years, delving increasingly deeper into obscure NWOBHM and early Scandinavian and European heavy metal. Nick, a talented guitarist with the ability to pick up almost anything quickly by ear, too became consumed by the music they were trading. Although a guitar player in Municipal Waste, Ryan, originally a bass player from a young age, yearned to return to his primary instrument. A life-long heavy metal devotee, Ryan had formed a band in 2003 under the moniker of Immortal Avenger. Former members of Immortal Avenger including co-founder and vocalist Brent Hubbard and drummer Barry Cover would soon be called upon again to start a fresh project. Municipal Waste bassist Landphil took over rhythm guitar duties to complete the string assault.

With their shared passion for heavy metal providing the inspiration, Poulos and Waste got together to begin writing original material. Coming together for their first session at the Municipal Waste rehearsal spot, Nick, Ryan, Landphil and Barry put the finishing touches on what would later become the song “Night Walker.” Confident in their progress, Landphil recorded the session, capturing the song in its earliest form. All that was left to do was add the powerful vocals of Brent Hubbard. Ryan presented the song to Hubbard who showed up the next day with lyrics in hand. The formula worked well and would continue to as the four players would write and record each song before handing it over to Hubbard to add lyrics. Their second completed song entitled “Heavy Metal Machine” was to become the band’s mission statement as they continued churning out top quality heavy metal like a well-oiled machine.

The pieces had all fallen into place. All that was needed now was a name worthy of the heavy electric riffage that defined the band’s sound. The favorite working title was BAT (with seven T's), but at the end of the day the band members agreed that it didn't adequately represent the high powered heavy metal that they were creating. The concept of a much mightier creature was hot-wired on the spot and the VOLTURE was born. The mythology quickly evolved as a vision of an electric bird made of steel, shocking its prey to an untimely demise came into focus.

Throughout 2009, a demanding tour schedule with their other bands left the members of Volture with minimal time to practice. Landphil left the band and the remaining four focused their attention on writing during this time. In January 2010 the four piece entered a small studio in Ryan’s neighborhood to lay down the tracks for their debut ep. Adding to the inherent raw intensity in their sound, the band completed much of the material on the fly. Shunning modern studio trickery, the members of Volture relied solely on their musical abilities to get the job done.


During the mixing process the band’s imagery also came together at the hand of band friend and artist Sean McGrath, guided by the direction of Ryan. The electrically charged flying steel mascot and winged logo were conceived by McGrath and perfected in paint by the great Andrei Bouzikov. The Volture first born on canvas will soon be shared with the rest of the world on glorious 12” vinyl and CD on January 25th 2011 care of New York’s purveyors of steel, Heavy Artillery Records.

Since the recording, Volture is proud to announce the addition of Dave Boyd from heavy metal stalwarts Twisted Tower Dire on second guitar. After two years in the making, Volture made their first live appearance on October 15th 2010 along with fellow Virginian speed metal legends At War. With tour plans in the works and a full-length album on the horizon, the future is bright for Volture as they shock the music world back to life with their brand of true HEAVY METAL!