One of the standouts of New Jersey’s hardcore history, The Banner injected morbid, gothic vibes into metallic hardcore in the early ’00s – along with bands like Ink and Dagger, The Banner turned a whole new generation onto a tradition set forth by The Misfits in the ’80s. Now, well over a decade since its formation, The Banner returns, vital as ever, ready to push things forward once again. Good Fight releases The Banner’s fourth full-length album, Greying, the band’s first album in more than five years, Greying was produced by Will Putney (The Acacia Strain, Poison the Well), also producer of 2008’s Frailty. The Banner is certainly back. Ghettoblaster recently caught up the found JSS to discuss the new record, contemporaries, and the genetic imperative that exists when writing this music. You guys have been a full-fledged band since the early ’00s.  How have you seen the musical landscape change and how, if at all have you adapted to or rejected those changes? I suppose the only major change is the huge dependence on social media as far as maintaining a band. We were early adopters of the whole social media stuff so that kind of worked to our advantage. How does the goth sound or aesthetic influence what you are doing artistically? I feel it probably influences the aesthetic of the band a lot more than it does the music. I’m not even entirely sure what “goth” music even means anymore. Do you have opinions on other bands like Iceage or Motionless in White who have adopted this aesthetic? I like Iceage and I actually don’t hate the music of Motionless in White. But I’ve only heard one song. Are there other bands who are playing in the same arena that you really respect and have an affinity for? Suburban Scum. What inspired the album Greying? What were you hoping to accomplish with the record and how did you achieve those goals? My motivation is and always has been that I just love to, and have an almost genetic imperative to, write music. I always hope to expand on sounds and themes I’ve used previously. What, if any, changes have you seen in dealing with Ferret to working with Good Fight? None. Carl and Rick are suckers and I get away with murder. The cover art was done by you. How important was it to integrate the visual art with the musical endeavor? It’s always very important. What did Will Putney bring to the table and what lessons did he teach you? He brought Randy Leboeuf to the table and he taught us that Randy is awesome. How does the new record integrate with ideas put forward during previous efforts? I have no idea. I tried really hard to make the record cool though. I think it’s pretty fucking cool. Will the band be touring in support of the effort? Did you attend any of the Ink and Dagger reunion shows and, if so, what were your feelings on those? I thought it was cool that those guys were playing those songs again and I was excited for Geoff to sing those songs because I know what a fan he’s been for a while. If The Banner were to go on extended hiatus or to break up, when would a reunion show make sense for you? I am The Banner, so we can’t really break up, unless I die. If we die, prop my corpse up and put a speaker in my skull and then have somebody sing the songs through a mic somewhere. Make sure they put all the money in my coffin and re-bury me with it. Make sure they pay me in gold doubloons. (Visit The Banner here: https://www.facebook.com/TheBannerNJ.)