ArnoCorps
Encyclopedia
ArnoCorps is a rock music
group based in San Francisco, CA.
The band combines a militaristic appearance with a musical style rooted in skate punk
and heavy metal
. Describing their music as Action Adventure Hardcore Rock and Roll, the focus of the band is on energetic live performances which feature interaction with the audience. Attendees and fans are referred to by the band as "Goddamn Heroes and Sheroes."
ArnoCorps is the world's first band to feature lyrics based exclusively on the films of Arnold Schwarzenegger
, with particular emphasis on his action
roles from the 1980s such as The Terminator
, Predator
and Total Recall
, with many of the lyrics paralleling movie dialogue and plots, similar to The Misfits' lyrical focus on horror films and B-movies.
As a further part of their concept, ArnoCorps claim to be inspired by ancient folklore
and mythology
originating from the alps
of their "native" Austria, suggesting that there are actually sociological and philosophical topics being addressed in their lyrics. ArnoCorps went further to charge several Hollywood movie studios with "stealing" the lore and mythology of Austria for plot material and dialogue in the films they have parodied. In 2004 the band attempted to launch a class-action lawsuit against the studios on behalf of the Austrian people, although the case failed to go to court.
The band's stage show sees all five members dressed in combat fatigues
and camouflage paint (most likely inspired by Predator
and Commando
) and address the audience in "ballsy" accents. Each band member uses a pseudonym
and they also claim to have five deceased former members. ArnoCorps often performs with two bass players in their line-up (an arrangement they refer to as "heroic symmetry").
After releasing two self-produced EP
s in 2000 and 2001, the band built a fan following in the San Francisco Bay Area
. The band's full length concept album
was announced for release in 2005, titled The Greatest Band Of All Time, and produced by Jamie Hill
. British metal label Anticulture Records released the album in the UK and Europe in February 2006. After receiving critical praise in British magazines such as Metal Hammer
and Total Guitar
along with mainstream radio airplay on BBC Radio 1
, ArnoCorps headlined tours of the UK and Ireland in the summers of 2006 and 2008. The tour earned the band a 10 out of 10 rating from the BBC for a performance in Manchester
, England
, an appearance on commercial radio station Kerrang! 105.2
and a rave review of their London show in the October 2006 issue of Bizarre
. In 2008, ArnoCorps was voted "Best San Francisco (local) Rock Band" by the readers of SF Weekly
.
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
group based in San Francisco, CA.
The band combines a militaristic appearance with a musical style rooted in skate punk
Skate punk
Skate punk is a sub genre of punk rock, originally a derivative of the West Coast hardcore punk scene, that is named after its popularity among skateboarders and association with skateboarding culture. Skate punk most commonly describes the sound of melodic hardcore bands from the 1990s with an...
and heavy metal
Heavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
. Describing their music as Action Adventure Hardcore Rock and Roll, the focus of the band is on energetic live performances which feature interaction with the audience. Attendees and fans are referred to by the band as "Goddamn Heroes and Sheroes."
ArnoCorps is the world's first band to feature lyrics based exclusively on the films of Arnold Schwarzenegger
Arnold Schwarzenegger
Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger is an Austrian-American former professional bodybuilder, actor, businessman, investor, and politician. Schwarzenegger served as the 38th Governor of California from 2003 until 2011....
, with particular emphasis on his action
Action film
Action film is a film genre where one or more heroes is thrust into a series of challenges that require physical feats, extended fights and frenetic chases...
roles from the 1980s such as The Terminator
The Terminator
The Terminator is a 1984 science fiction action film directed by James Cameron, co-written by Cameron and William Wisher Jr., and starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Michael Biehn, and Linda Hamilton. The film was produced by Hemdale Film Corporation and distributed by Orion Pictures, and filmed in Los...
, Predator
Predator (film)
Predator is a 1987 American science fiction action film directed by John McTiernan, starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Carl Weathers, Jesse Ventura, and Kevin Peter Hall. It was distributed by 20th Century Fox....
and Total Recall
Total Recall
Total Recall is a 1990 American science fiction action film. The film stars Arnold Schwarzenegger, Rachel Ticotin, Sharon Stone, Michael Ironside, Ronny Cox & Mel Johnson, Jr.. It is based on the Philip K. Dick story “We Can Remember It for You Wholesale”...
, with many of the lyrics paralleling movie dialogue and plots, similar to The Misfits' lyrical focus on horror films and B-movies.
As a further part of their concept, ArnoCorps claim to be inspired by ancient folklore
Folklore
Folklore consists of legends, music, oral history, proverbs, jokes, popular beliefs, fairy tales and customs that are the traditions of a culture, subculture, or group. It is also the set of practices through which those expressive genres are shared. The study of folklore is sometimes called...
and mythology
Mythology
The term mythology can refer either to the study of myths, or to a body or collection of myths. As examples, comparative mythology is the study of connections between myths from different cultures, whereas Greek mythology is the body of myths from ancient Greece...
originating from the alps
Alps
The Alps is one of the great mountain range systems of Europe, stretching from Austria and Slovenia in the east through Italy, Switzerland, Liechtenstein and Germany to France in the west....
of their "native" Austria, suggesting that there are actually sociological and philosophical topics being addressed in their lyrics. ArnoCorps went further to charge several Hollywood movie studios with "stealing" the lore and mythology of Austria for plot material and dialogue in the films they have parodied. In 2004 the band attempted to launch a class-action lawsuit against the studios on behalf of the Austrian people, although the case failed to go to court.
The band's stage show sees all five members dressed in combat fatigues
Fatigues
-Clothing:* Nowadays, usually a synonym of battledress.* Formerly, work clothes worn by soldiers to avoid getting their uniforms dirty in non-combat manual work* Camouflage-patterned clothing found in civilian fashions...
and camouflage paint (most likely inspired by Predator
Predator (film)
Predator is a 1987 American science fiction action film directed by John McTiernan, starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Carl Weathers, Jesse Ventura, and Kevin Peter Hall. It was distributed by 20th Century Fox....
and Commando
Commando (film)
Commando is a 1985 American action film starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Vernon Wells, Rae Dawn Chong, Alyssa Milano, Bill Duke, Dan Hedaya and James Olson. It was directed by Mark L...
) and address the audience in "ballsy" accents. Each band member uses a pseudonym
Pseudonym
A pseudonym is a name that a person assumes for a particular purpose and that differs from his or her original orthonym...
and they also claim to have five deceased former members. ArnoCorps often performs with two bass players in their line-up (an arrangement they refer to as "heroic symmetry").
After releasing two self-produced EP
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
s in 2000 and 2001, the band built a fan following in the San Francisco Bay Area
San Francisco Bay Area
The San Francisco Bay Area, commonly known as the Bay Area, is a populated region that surrounds the San Francisco and San Pablo estuaries in Northern California. The region encompasses metropolitan areas of San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose, along with smaller urban and rural areas...
. The band's full length concept album
Concept album
In music, a concept album is an album that is "unified by a theme, which can be instrumental, compositional, narrative, or lyrical." Commonly, concept albums tend to incorporate preconceived musical or lyrical ideas rather than being improvised or composed in the studio, with all songs contributing...
was announced for release in 2005, titled The Greatest Band Of All Time, and produced by Jamie Hill
Jamie Hill
Jaime Hill was the defensive coordinator for the BYU Cougars football team in Provo, Utah. He holds bachelor's degree from San Francisco State University.Following a 1-4 start to the 2010 season, BYU fired Jaime on October 2, 2010-Early Coaching Career:...
. British metal label Anticulture Records released the album in the UK and Europe in February 2006. After receiving critical praise in British magazines such as Metal Hammer
Metal Hammer
Metal Hammer is a monthly heavy metal music magazine published in the United Kingdom by Future Publishing, and in several other countries by different publishers. Metal Hammer articles feature both mainstream bands and more unusual acts from the whole spectrum of heavy metal music...
and Total Guitar
Total Guitar
Total Guitar is a monthly magazine based in the United Kingdom. The magazine is the best selling guitar magazine in Europe.The magazine is owned by Future Publishing, who publish many other magazines ranging from drums and video games to mountain bikes and knitting magazines.Total Guitar regularly...
along with mainstream radio airplay on BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation which also broadcasts internationally, specialising in current popular music and chart hits throughout the day. Radio 1 provides alternative genres after 7:00pm including electronic dance, hip hop, rock...
, ArnoCorps headlined tours of the UK and Ireland in the summers of 2006 and 2008. The tour earned the band a 10 out of 10 rating from the BBC for a performance in Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, an appearance on commercial radio station Kerrang! 105.2
Kerrang! 105.2
Kerrang! Radio is a specialist rock music radio station broadcasting to the West Midlands, England. The station's format mixes modern & classic rock with speech programmes targeted at young people and an adult rock audience. Broadcasting on FM in the West Midlands and DAB & Freeview and online,...
and a rave review of their London show in the October 2006 issue of Bizarre
Bizarre (magazine)
Bizarre is a British alternative magazine published from 1997 to the present. It is currently published by Dennis Publishing; it is a sister publication to the Fortean Times.-Content:...
. In 2008, ArnoCorps was voted "Best San Francisco (local) Rock Band" by the readers of SF Weekly
SF Weekly
SF Weekly is a free alternative weekly newspaper in San Francisco, California. The newspaper, distributed throughout the San Francisco Bay Area every Wednesday, is published by Village Voice Media, a 16-paper alt weekly newspaper chain that also includes the New York City Village Voice and the Los...
.
Discography
- ArnoCorps EP01 (2000)
- ArnoCorps EP02 (2001)
- The Greatest Band Of All TimeThe Greatest Band Of All TimeThe Greatest Band of All Time is the first full-length album by ArnoCorps. Originally released in 2005, it was licensed to Anticulture for a UK release on February 27, 2006.-Track listing:# "Arno Intro"# "Predator"# "True Lies"# "Total Recall"...
(2005 US, 2006 UK) - The Ballsy EP (2009)
- The 2001 EP (2011 Re-release of select tracks from EP01 and EP02)
Line-up
- Holzfeuer - Vocals
- Inzo Der Barrakuda - Guitar
- Vielmehr Klampfe - Guitar
- Karl Dichtschnur - Bass
- Erich Nagelbett - Drums