The origins of We Are The Arsenal are not unlike those of any other artists throughout history. Driven by their art they were, but tortured by it as well. In uncertain times, it’s these souls we turn to. The ones who have found a light in the dark…
Turn back the clock to early 2006. You have 4 friends with the dream of building an empire. Fast forward to the present. You have a full-fledged rock juggernaut calling itself WE ARE THE ARSENAL picking up speed at an alarming rate. Blasting onto the scene in summer of 2007 following a mysterious guerilla-marketing scheme that announced to the world “WATA was coming”. No one knew what it was or what it meant, but one thing that was clear was that the cryptic messages being let loose by the band possessed an almost gang-like quality. The Internet was abuzz with intrigue until WE ARE THE ARSENAL was finally revealed to the world in June of 2007. What emerged from the smoke were four entirely different people that came together for one common purpose: to change the world.
Charging out of the gates with anthems full of undeniable hooks, raw passion, and an overwhelming sense of urgency, the members of WATA humbly took their seat on the rollercoaster ride that was about to begin. Following an opening stint for Angels and Airwaves in fall of 2007, the band released its debut 5-song EP known simply as “The Trees” on February 19th, 2008. However, upon further inspection of the liner notes, it was made clear that the EP was simply a collection of sample chapters from an already completed work known as “They Worshipped The Trees” that was to be released at a future point in time. As The Trees began to circulate, word began to spread even faster about this self-proclaimed “Movement” lead by the members of We Are The Arsenal. Word of the movement left native soil during the summer of 2008 when Japanese record label Radtone Records offered the boys an exclusive album deal for the territory of Japan. WATA accepted the offer and began preparations to release their debut full-length album “They Worshipped The Trees” in the land of the rising sun on February 4th, 2009. With a Japanese release in sight, and such an awesome group of people spreading the word overseas, it was time to recruit the help of a fellow likeminded team here in the States. We’d like to introduce you now to Authentik Arists. Along with a successful Japanese release, February 2009 also brought the joining together of We Are The Arsenal with Authentik Artists to release our debut full-length album “They Worshipped The Trees here in the United States on March 31st, 2009.
“They Worshipped The Trees” is a thirteen track epic with songs woven together by a common thread of melody, aggression, and emotion. Sucked in immediately by a startling introduction known simply as “The Truth”, you are immediately taken over by the feeling that you have just gotten involved with something big, something major. The album is highlighted by dozens of memorable moments and mesmerizing choruses such as that found in “Airwaves” and the unsettling nursery rhyme-esque reprise of “Skeletons.” The raw aggression and brutal gang chants found in many of the tracks on “They Worshipped The Trees” are very evenly balanced out by softer tracks such the anthemic “Like My Body” or the melancholic balladry of “If I Had Known” While the entire album will keep you on the edge of your seat, the explosive closing track “If I Did It” will leave you with a crystal clear idea of just what kind of scope We Are The Arsenal is capable of.
It may be a cliché.. statement, but the sky is most certainly the limit for southern California’s own We Are The Arsenal. Their name calls for marquees across the world. Their music demands arena crowds with fists raised high. So for those of you who have been with us since the beginning, hold on tight. For those of you who have not yet heard of WATA, please allow us to introduce ourselves.