Coliseum front man Ryan Patterson laughs when I ask him about the “thousands” of bands he has been in over the years. “More like a million,” he says. “I got to the point that every band I had been in was around for a year, and then it fell apart. Someone would quit and it would be over.” Although he had been playing guitar with Louisville hardcore act Black Cross, in forming Coliseum he saw both a chance to play heavier and faster material than what Black Cross had been doing as well as the opportunity to decide for himself whether or not to continue if the going got tough. Apparently, this line of thinking has worked out well. Coliseum has been together for nearly five years now.
In the beginning, Coliseum was spawned from Patterson’s internal thinking—half personal issues, half venting anger about social and political issues. Originally a four-piece, when they made the transition to a three-piece over two years ago, Patterson, now the sole guitarist in the group, had to face the biggest adjustments. “I had to play a little bit swampier than before. It took a while, but once we started writing songs, I think we’re writing better songs now.” No Salvation, the band’s latest release on Relapse with a lineup consisting of Patterson on vocals and guitar, Mike Pascal on bass and Chris Maggio on drums, finds the band tighter, heavier, and faster than ever before, creating hardcore songs that play like anthems. Standout tracks such as “The Fate of Men” and “Believer” showcase a band that is as reflective as it is irreverent.
The title No Salvation came from a song off of Coliseum’s 2006 split with hometown metal outfit Lords. Originally, the band was planning on re-recording the track for its full-length, but when it abandoned that idea, the name stuck. “It lends itself to a lot of ideas, but it didn’t specifically say one thing. It kind of gives me a sense of dread. In my darkest and most pessimistic moments, I feel that American society is on its way down, and that a lot of people recognize it and a lot of people don’t. This will be the moment that history books will recognize that the American empire began to crumble.”
Though the band as a unit has never discussed its interpretation of the title, Patterson is drawn to the word “salvation” and it’s religious connotation—in the Christian sense of being delivered from sin—and moving onto another plane of existence. Dismayed by people that he perceives use religion as an excuse to be complacent in life, Patterson offers a wake-up call. “This is as good as it is ever going to be and you should do your best to make life a little better.” Though he hesitates to call Coliseum a political band, the new record definitely embodies his left-wing leanings.
We don’t have a booking agent; we don’t have a manager. We do everything ourselves.
Patterson’s personal politics also dictate how he navigates the music industry. Although he spent years working at a record label, it was often a trying experience. “I don’t find it enjoyable. You start to not enjoy it. I started to know too much about the inside of music. I wanted to do a label with no bullshit.” These thoughts led to the creation of Auxiliary Records, which primarily puts out records from talented local bands, of which there is no shortage of in the Louisville area.
Although groups like Lords, Young Widows (featuring Auxiliary co-owner and Ryan’s brother Evan Patterson), and Coliseum may sound completely different, they are alike in that they come from what Patterson calls, “a similar frame of reference. Kind of like the DC scene all of us worshipped. You’d see a flyer for Dag Nasty, Rites of Spring, Embrace, and some others. [It was] the best show that could have happened ever, and it was probably a show that fifty people were at. A lot of bands are doing things that are exciting. But it is insular. We are operating on our own system.” And that system extends into how Coliseum conducts its activities. “I’m very DIY – I have a lot of ideas about [the music business] and the way I like to do things. We don’t have a booking agent; we don’t have a manager. We do everything ourselves.”
So how does someone who is so independent agree to sign with Relapse, one of the most high-profile independent record companies in the country? Although the band had approached the label, it took a long time before Patterson was completely comfortable with the concept. In signing, Patterson is confi dent that they made the right decision. “Where else could you go? I don’t think there is any better label to be on, especially for heavy music. There’s Relapse and that’s it. I could be DIY as fuck and put out records in my living room, but if no one hears them, then it doesn’t even matter. I feel they are very supportive of what we’re doing as a band.”
But even so, the prospect of putting out their first big record was also a bit intimidating. The band wound up pressuring themselves to the point that Patterson says they were trying too hard and had to take a step back to see the real gems in their new material. Now that the record is completed, Patterson feels that “We forged ahead. I like it a lot better than what we’ve done before. It is more of a Coliseum record, and less of Coliseum adding bits and pieces from other bands.”
Patterson’s calls No Salvation “the hardest work I’ve ever done on anything.” The actual making of the record was a true test of wills. New drummer Chris Maggio lived in Florida, so over the course of five months, he would fly to Louisville for a week, home for a week, and so forth. Without a practice space for a time, they finally found one that was inside a warehouse that had no air conditioning and would reach temperatures of 100 degrees. “All of these horrible situations, and then we’d try to get together and write. So it was really hard physically, literally.” And this Gladiatorin- training physical ordeal had to be conquered before any writing could take place.
This fall, Coliseum heads out on the road with metal stalwarts High On Fire, whom Patterson calls “the Motorhead of our time.” Live, Coliseum is a force with which to be reckoned, playing their intense, heavy rock so fast it’s amazing no one onstage throws up from exhaustion. Bands this good don’t come around nearly often enough. And though fans may be brimming with excitement for the tour, no one could match the band’s enthusiasm in introducing its new material to a wider audience. “We worked ourselves to the bone. We got to the point where we didn’t know what we had. We didn’t know if it was a pile of shit or the greatest thing ever. I’m happy and I’m so psyched!”
– Jamie Ludwig