EP review: Eskhaton - Horracle (2022)

Eskhaton - Horracle

 

Australia

 

Hells Headbangers

 

“Horracle” is a mini-album by Australian death metal juggernauts, Eskhaton, which was released in 2022 via Hells Headbangers. It contains five tracks of some of the most punishing shit you’ll ever hear. This is the band’s fifth release, and they have not lowered the intensity or quality. This consistency cements them as one of the best extreme metal acts from down under.
 
Eskhaton plays death metal, and it is some of the heaviest and most chaotic the genre has to offer. Of course, there is also a hint of black metal with the nightmarish atmosphere that the dissonant guitars evoke. They share a number of similarities with countrymen Impetuous Ritual and Portal in terms of the all-out chaos, though they have enough unique traits in their arsenal to set them apart. Simply put, they sound like a cross between Dead Congregation and Impetuous Ritual. A thick dissonance encompasses the songs along with an abundance of frenzied leads and riffs to compliment the carnage.
 
"Horracle" consists of only five tracks totaling 29 minutes; however, while this short run time would normally be a deficit, it is actually one of the album’s strengths due to how straight-forward it is – no interludes, just pure mayhem and violence. Additionally, the band displays a level of craftsmanship that is above average and verges on technical, while still retaining a barbaric element. In fact, listening to the riffs on this record, their complexity only serves to accentuate the overall insanity that the music seeks to convey – truly order within chaos. To the average newcomer, this is “noise,” but for those with an appreciation for this style of metal, it shows forth unparalleled genius.
 
The roaring vocals and surging lava riffs on “Omnicidol” open the record hellishly, making your head spin before “Khaossuary” picks up the aural bazooka, and blasts everything in its path with unyielding ferocity. There is no letting up once this disc starts; this powerhouse of a release will pound you mercilessly with murderous execution. Clocking in at over eight minutes, “Nethereal,” the closing track, is the lengthiest track; it devastatingly drives this release to a violent end.
 
Horracle’s five tracks feel complete, and I definitely recommend this album to fans of bands like Blasphemy, Portal, Heresiarch, Impetuous Ritual, etc. I strongly urge the reader to check out their other albums, as this is not even their best release. Regardless, this is an excellent album through and through, and one of the highlights from 2022. (Jim)

Interview: Hunters Moon (2021)

Melbourne-based duo HUNTERS MOON first burst into the scene back in 2006, releasing a self-titled demo the same year, followed by the EP "The Serpents Lust" in 2009. Fast forward to 2021, and the band has put out one of the best albums of the year with “The Great Pandemonium” (reviewed here), re-establishing themselves as a force to be reckoned with. To get a good sense of what they sound like, imagine a crude mix of early Morbid Angel, Dissection, and Destroyer 666. Jim Hexetomb conducted the following interview with J. and D.

Hails! For those readers unfamiliar with Hunters Moon, could you provide a little background and tell us how the band was conceived?

D. and I went to school together and have played in bands since we were young. We began Denouncement Pyre and after a while, I had a few ideas that didn’t really suit what we were going for in DP. As those ideas took shape they ended up manifesting as “The Serpents Lust” mLP. Despite the long hiatus, we’ve never stopped writing songs. The new album is the culmination of those efforts over the last decade. Now with a full-time drummer at the helm, our intention is to be actively releasing albums more frequently.


Where did you get the name "Hunters Moon" and why was it chosen?


The Hunters Moon is the sign of the wild hunt. A name that fits the themes and sound of our music.


How would you describe your music to someone who hasn't heard it before?


Having read so many reviews of the album, it quickly became apparent that people hear and perceive things in such different ways. I’ve read comparisons that couldn’t be further from what we were aiming for, and then others that were more aligned with what we had in mind. One reviewer said we sounded like second wave black metal mixed with elements of Australian death metal, that description kind of resonated with me. We aren’t glued to a particular sound or aesthetic which is why T.S.L and T.G.P sound so different. The thing that unifies the albums is the mixture of sinister but at times melodic sections. I wouldn’t say that our music is necessarily ground breaking but we do try to write memorable songs that invoke a specific atmosphere.


Your latest album "The Great Pandemonium" is one of my favorite albums of the year so far. Can you tell us a little about the recording process and what inspired the title?


Great to hear that you’ve enjoyed the album. It was one of those recording experiences where everything went right, which isn’t always the norm. We had a great drum room at our disposal in the way of an 18th-century church. This environment gave the drums a huge spacious sound that is hard to emulate in a small space. The rest of the album was tracked in my personal studio. We tried to stick to analog processing for the bulk of the album, which adds to the overall atmosphere. There were no time or financial constraints, so the record was done in a relaxed and focused manner. The album was mastered at Orgone Studios by Jaime Gomez Arellano (Mayhem, Paradise Lost, Primordial).

Are there any bands out there with whom you feel you share a musical kinship?


We all have fairly broad musical interests. The list of bands we are interested in would be unending. Based on our sound, you would no doubt hear our worship of 80s and 90s Black Metal. Our tastes cross many genres, metal and otherwise - from subdued to violent and crushing.


Would you consider Hunters Moon to be a Black Metal band? Are there any criteria you believe a band must meet in order to be true Black Metal?


I wouldn’t say that we are exclusively a black metal band, though this is probably the most suitable sub-genre that aligns with our sound, themes, and aesthetic. We have a wide range of influences and our material blurs the lines between multiple genres and sub-genres. For us, black metal is all about the atmosphere. If a band has that aura then it becomes less Important as to whether sonically they cross the boundaries between black/death or otherwise.


Why did it take so long for Hunters Moon to release new material? Also, do you think the band shares a common fan base with your other bands like Denouncement Pyre and Nocturnal Graves?


Whilst the band has been inactive for a long time, we have all been actively involved in music but not HUNTERS MOON specifically. I started an audio company (High Voltage Audio) designing and building pro audio analog gear for recording/mixing/mastering studios. D. has been very active in both Denouncement Pyre and Nocturnal Graves. Our drummer D.M is a professional drummer and drum teacher. In the midst of the hiatus, D and I continued to write songs over this period until which time a suitable drummer was found and the new album could be realized.

Perhaps those who follow DP and/or NG will find something of value in Hunters Moon also, but of course, that is not up to us.

Can you tell us a little about your lyrics and where you get your inspiration?


For this record, in particular, inspiration was found through John Martin’s illustrations of Paradise Lost, as well as using various other biblical references. Both the album title and some of the track titles & lyrics are reflective of this. Visually they capture something that aligned with our idea of how the music should sound. They are the essence of The Great Pandemonium - Foreboding, doom-laden, yet fiery and chaotic.


Do you have any favorite albums of 2021 so far?


Sijjin - Sumerian Promises is a great record. Baxaxaxa - Catacomb Cult is also killer. Perfect atmosphere and sound. I just checked out the new Funeral Mist record, which after a couple of listens is as interesting and killer as anything they have done. Albums by Grave Miasma, Lvcifyre, and Concrete Winds are also worth a mention.


What is your opinion regarding the current situation in Australia regarding the draconian restrictions? I've seen some pretty hectic videos about police brutality there.


Draconian is an apt assessment. You have to make a concerted effort to rise above all the dissent and fear, in order to pave your own way through the unending insanity. If you become adrift in the sea of negativity it’s hard to stay afloat. I made an effort to use the house arrest to hone crafts, write music, and generally try to immerse myself in productive outlets as opposed to becoming downtrodden. You quickly learn how to circumvent and bend the rules in order to stay sane. The restrictions definitely slowed down parts of the recording process. We tracked drums right before the scourge (Nov 2019). The remainder we had to do in stages throughout 2020/2021 as we couldn’t always get together.


Your thoughts on the following:


Elitism - Inevitable, for some are hungrier than others


Post Black Metal - Not black metal


Humanism - Each man should seek his own virtues to uphold, not those that are determined by the greater good


Theocracy - Dreamers, ideal for slaves


Sadistik Exekution - The Magus is one of the best albums to come out of Aus. ever

Thanks, and best wishes to the lads in Hunters Moon! Any last words?

Thanks for the interview.

Demo review: Hecatomb - Horrid Invocations (2021)

Hecatomb - Horrid Invocations

Australia/Norway

Invictus Productions

Hecatomb is an international project featuring Rick Warkill from Australia and Mangressor from Norway (Abhorration). Together, they unleash a fierce barrage of raw and bestial death metal that pays homage to the past in the most relentless sense.

"Horrid Invocations" is their debut demo, featuring five tracks of pure unbridled mayhem that give nods to *ahem* yes, Mayhem (Deathcrush era), Sadistik Exekution, and Sarcofago.

Several bands in recent memory have done this style rather well, including Morbid Insulter, Third Eye Rapists, Shitangel, and more recently, Abhorration. They don't try to sound old-school, they just play death metal, and that's what separates them from some retro band made up of members who look as if they formerly played in some shitty sludge or metalcore band (posers in other words). Hecatomb is the real deal. The music is absurdly crude, featuring a foray of harsh screams that sounds like an ancient demon just awoke, along with riffs that radiate nothing but darkness, and drums that plow through the songs with pure unyielding force. In addition, the artwork has that simplistic and underground look, which perfectly reflects what the band conveys with their music.

Overall, if you are looking for some raw, evil, and unapologetic metal of death, then "Horrid Invocations" will satisfy your craving. (HT)

Album review: Hunters Moon – The Great Pandemonium (2021)

Hunters Moon – The Great Pandemonium

Australia

Hells Headbangers

Australia’s Hunters Moon will release their debut album, "The Great Pandemonium", through Hells Headbangers on 11th November 2021. It contains eight tracks and 39 minutes of hellish, traditional black metal that slays on all fronts. Although the band has been around since 2006, they have only released a demo, EP, and now this, their debut LP.

“The Great Pandemonium” offers an array of blasphemous black metal reminiscent of Dissection, which is infused with a lethal dose of black/thrash goodness typical of the Aussies. You may also hear some elements that are "familiar." If you know bands like Destroyer 666 and Denouncement Pyre, imagine a deadly mix of Dissection and those bands, and you get an idea of what Hunters Moon sounds like. In contrast to war metal, this is overly-endowed darkness worshipping black metal that favours well-written riffs and clever craftsmanship over chaotic tropes.

Each song is characterized by varied yet outstanding drumming, merciless riffs, and venomous vocal barks that will chew you up and spit you out in fucking chunks. In my opinion, Hunters Moon has released one of the finest albums of the year with "The Great Pandemonium." Another thing that makes the band great is that while the band essentially plays black metal, there is no shortage of traditional metal elements in their sound.

From the war anthem “Storm of Hail And Fire” to the blustery cacophony of “Rebellion” there isn’t one bad track, just track after track of triumphant black metal fury. As a whole, this album is ridiculously enjoyable (and heavy!) and has a lot of replay value, including the fact that it’s packed with absurdly sick riffs and powerful, yet utterly aggressive vocals. It would be an understatement to say that it comes highly recommended. (HT)

Interview: Beyond Mortal Dreams (2021)

Beyond Mortal Dreams is one of those great bands from down under that seem to fly under most people’s radar. If you’re a fan of dark, brutal, and well-executed death metal with equally excellent themes, then I strongly suggest that you check them out as soon as possible. The following interview was conjured with vocalist/guitarist, Doomsayer.

Hails Doomsayer! How’s everything going? Can you give us an update on the current status of the band and when we can expect a follow-up to 2014’s killer “Lamia” EP?

Hails Death By Hammer! Going well here. A lot of activity happening behind the scenes with various projects I'm involved in, including BMD. As for the current status of the band, unfortunately, it's no longer a live endeavor anymore, as the members have all since moved their own separate ways. Some out of the state of South Australia, some starting families, etc. Life happens, my friend! The show goes on, however. It's pretty much turned into a one man band at this point, so whatever will happen as far as gaining a live line up again, well, we shall see...

At the moment I'm currently working on new material for future recordings as well as finishing up mixing the next full length LP to follow up 2008's From Hell. It's certainly been aeons between drinks there! Since Lamia, there's been another release out on Lavadome Productions in 2016 entitled "As Death, We Shall Walk". It's more of a compilation CD of old demos, cover songs and also includes the Lamia 7" EP. Also, From Hell has recently been remastered and repackaged and released on both LP and Digisleeve CD by Nuclear Winter Records. These are all still available through myself, or Lavadome Productions and Nuclear Winter Records respectively.

As for the next LP, it's been a long slog with many setbacks along the way, but I'm happy to say that the end is finally in sight! I'm at the final mixing stages now, and so far it's looking like you'll be seeing it come out (via Lavadome Productions) by year's end. We're aiming to begin promoting the album in the next couple of months, so stay tuned.

Which bands influenced the infernal sound of Beyond Mortal Dreams, and what kind of atmosphere do you try to capture with your music?

I guess you could say the late 80's, early 90's era Death Metal that mostly came out of the U.S. was a big influence on our style in our early years. Bands like Cannibal Corpse, Morbid Angel, Deicide, Nocturnus, Death, these all had an influence on the style of metal we wanted to play at the time. Cannibal Corpse - Butchered at Birth and Napalm Death – Harmony Corruption were probably the two albums that influenced me most when it came to my vocals. Some black metal styles such as Immortal and Dark Funeral had an impact also, but that came out more in a later incarnation of the band. There was a time actually that BMD went into a more experimental phase during the mid to late 90's. Members in the band at that time were getting more heavily into more psychedelic music and wanted to incorporate that into metal. Nothing really came out of it though, and that incarnation was short-lived. When myself and original BMD drummer Matt (Hellaeon) reunited in the early 2000's, we were both blasting out the early albums of Nile, Krisiun, Diabolic, Emperor, Dark Funeral, Myrkskog (to name a few). When we started jamming again, there was this shared desire to play fierce, fast, and brutal, and some of the albums that were coming out around that time had a big affect on us. Albums like Krisiun's Apocalyptic Revelations, Nile's Amongst the Catacombs of Nefren-Ka, Myrkskog's Death Machine were on high rotation. Bestial Warlust's Vengeance War 'till Death was also a big influence for its sheer atmospheric savagery! You put that fucker on, and after all these years it still spits forth blood and venom! Haha.

The main atmosphere over all that I try to capture and project in my Death Metal music is of a dark nature. That can be conveyed either through the more film score soundscape parts we have delved into, such as in the song Dreaming Death, or through a much more raw, savage and aggressive way. Though there are exceptions, I always gravitate more towards raw and aggressive styles of music when it comes to this genre. In an artistic, or fantasized mindframe, I like to think of it as a power unleashed as a howl from the void tearing into existence, indiscriminate in it's destruction. Or like a sonic bulldozer flattening everything that lays before it. You take that aspect, and add some more melodic elements, some catchy riffing that you can walk away humming in your head, and some more dark, film score inspired symphonic elements, and you've got the basic ingredients for the type of music that I try to capture in BMD today.

What kind of themes do you explore in the musical context of Beyond Mortal Dreams?

Overall, the themes are dark in nature. Sci-fi and horror are big interests of mine, so you're gonna see that rub off on the kind of lyrics I write. A lot of what I write tends to be inspired by either books or film and I try to treat most of the lyrics like short fictional stories. From Hell pretty much covered the themes of Demons, infernal war, fictional tales, spiritual afterlife, horror. In Dreaming Death I went more on a mildly Lovecraftian influenced horror trip with the title track plus a kind of ghost/monster tale with "Feast of Carrion" and an anti organised religion take with "The Filth of Their God". Something I like to do more of these days is inject some artistic licence into the mix by taking concepts based in history, nature, mythology, or wherever, and give it a horrific twist. The theme for Lamia for instance, is a love affair with a ghastly necrotic flesh-eating vampire creature. I based the creature on the Lamia from Greek mythology, and turned it into a man's psychotic fantasized love tale, willingly giving himself over to be fed upon by the Lamia. Hallmark, eat your heart out!

What is the connotation behind your band name?

When I came up with the name back in '95, my thinking was to have a name which left us open to explore various themes either lyrically of musically, rather than be pinned to a name that speaks to only one thing, such as our previous name of "Suffering". Of course, in the realm of Death Metal these themes will usually come from a place of darkness. As I mentioned earlier, we had gone through a phase experimenting with and incorporating other styles of music, but my heart for BMD was, is and always will be death metal. That's not to say I'm against any kind of experimentation in the future, though. The next album will feature some material which has a different vibe to what we've done before, but don't let that worry you. This next album will still be 100% dark and brutal Death Metal!

Would you agree with the fact that Australia is renowned for spawning some of the most killer black/death/thrash bands on the planet? Also, do you think Australian metal has a trademark sound that distinguishes it from the rest of the world? What’s some of your favourite Aussie bands?

Absolutely! Australia over the years has produced some world class music in these genres. And others, for that matter. I'd say that blend of black/death/thrash would probably be one of the more stand out genres that Aussie metal has put its own stamp on, but throughout the years there's been a lot of great metal music that's come out of our corner of the globe. As for some of my stand-outs, there's a lot to name. Some still active, some no longer around, but bands like Armoured Angel, Bestial Warlust, Destroyer 666, Astriaal, Hobb's Angel of Death, Bastardizer, Abominator, Destruktor, Stargazer, Nazxul, Nocturnes Mist, Sadistik Exekution are but a few I hold in high regard.

According to the metal archives, you’ve been in 15 bands. Do you mind giving us a little overview on some of your past and current bands, and which ones held the most significance to you?

15? Jeez, haha. Looking back at them all, yeah, there's been quite a few throughout the years I've played bass, guitar or vocals in. The most significant will always be BMD, but that's not to say that I've ever held any of the bands/projects I've been involved in with lesser value. A lot of great music was created between all those bands, in a lot of different styles, which as a player was of great value to learn and adopt. The 2000's was where I was most active with various bands. Some out there beyond Australia may know of a black metal band I spent time in called Darklord, probably one of the heaviest BM bands on the planet. That's quite a boast, I know, but they had such a brutal, yet symphonic atmosphere that was such a rush to play. The double twin neck guitar attack in that band was a thing of beauty. One of the guitar players/song writers also plays in one of my other current bands, Oath of Damnation. There's an element of Darklord that's carried on in Oath, but there's a lot more going on in the music as well.

I spent some time in a couple of brutal DM bands called Oni and Hatred Slave. Oni had a bit of a Japanese mythology theme about it, which was carried on into Tzn Tzu, while Hatred Slave was more straight forward with catchy, heavy riffing, blasting, and a bit of groove behind it. One Step Beyond was another band whose music I enjoyed playing. They have a death metal foundation, but with an ecclectic mix of other music genres. Brutal, groovy, grindy, funky, all in one. They're still going, I believe, so go give them a listen. Members of OSB and Hatred Slave have a DM band now called Brutaliate. Worthy a listen!

Some bands outside the DM genre I spent time in were Raven Black Night, Mammoth, Johnny Touch. RBN are a trad doom/rock band who are still going, Mammoth a stoner rock band with a massive, heavy wall of sound, also still active, and JT, a trad style of old school heavy metal. Mammoth was more in the vein of bands like Crowbar, and was the first band I started using cleaner vocals on, and JT, cleaner still. As for my clean vocals, let's just say that's still a work in progress, haha. As for my current endeavours, as well as Oath of Damnation, I'm currently bass/vocals in a trad/thrash/prog band called Shadow Realm, also featuring the guitarist and drummer of Oath. I have a couple of side projects on the go, one which is old school BM, and the other trad doom in the vein of Candlemass/Solitude Aeturnus. Just recently, I've started playing bass for a death metal band called Descend to Acheron. They've got an EP out through Petrichore Records called The Transience of Flesh.

Another project that myself and the BMD bass player have started recently is an old school DM style band called Dreaming Death (named afer the BMD EP). We're in the middle of recording an EP, so hopefully by year's end we can start promoting songs from it. It's got a real raw, late 80's thrash/DM vibe about it, drawing influence from Death, Pestilence, Morgoth, Possessed, Slayer. Looking forward to getting that out there, so stay tuned.

The level of virtuosity displayed by your band is definitely above average and competes with the best. Are any of the members in the band fans of prog or classical music, and do you try to incorporate that into your sound?

Yeah, between us in BMD we're fans of some prog stuff as well as thrash, doom, trad metal, even some glam. Those glam bands may have dressed like fairies, haha, but lets face it, they generally had great singers and guitar players. I'm more of a straight-out metal fan, myself, so I like to keep the music more savage with the songwriting but don't mind throwing in a little bit of technicality and odd time signatures as well as a slight symphonic element to keep it interesting. My other band Shadow Realm has a far greater incorporation of prog metal in it's style. The rest of the guys in that band are big prog and jazz fans. The keyboard player is classically trained, the drummer is primarily a jazz/prog drummer and The guitarist loves classical music as well as metal.

On the other hand, you also covered Beherit’s Beast of Damnation. Why did you choose to cover this band? Are you a fan of bestial black/death/war metal? Your band’s version is one of the best I’ve heard.

There's something about the original Beast of Damnation that has such an aesthetically evil vibe about it. Raw and savage, two main elements that draw me to this style of music, which is why that bestial black/death/war metal style is so appealing to me. When doing covers, generally what I like to do is inject a bit of our style into it, sort of making it our own, and there was a lot of room with Beast for us to do that. For years prior, we've talked about doing a rendition of Beast, and when the time came to record the Dreaming Death EP, we had only three new tracks ready and needed a fourth. A cover of Beast seemed like the perfect finale to round up the EP. We put out as a youtube clip a cover rendition of Bestial Warlust's At the Graveyard of God. It's as yet unreleased, so the only place you can find it for now is on youtube. The one exception to the rule when we tackle covers though was our rendition od the Nocturnus classic, "Lake of Fire". The only way we felt we could try and do it any kind of justice was to be as faithful to the original as possible.

Is Beyond Mortal Dreams mainly a studio enterprise or do you perform live?

It's gone between the two over the years, really. It started out as a live band, but line up changes and loss of members has forced it to continue as a studio band. We were live up to the time From Hell was recorded, but were unable to carry that on with the departure of Hellaeon. Finding a competent or available drummer to fill the void is very difficult here, so it was a few years until Maleficus came along. By the time Dreaming Death was recorded, we'd resigned ourselves to be active as a studio band only but when Ghuul came back on the bass, we went back to playing shows again for a while. As of now though, it's back to being a studio enterprise again with myself flying the flag. Maybe one day another live line-up might come along, but until then, I will still be producing material and carrying on the BMD name.

There’s a lot of underrated bands from Australia, and Beyond Mortal Dreams is no exception. What do you think it is that’s been holding the band back in terms of getting more exposure?

Lack of self promotion would be the main thing. I'd say it's my biggest achillies' heel when it comes to the music industry as a whole. I spend almost all of my time playing/making music and little in the way of networking and promotion. In my constant pursuit of creativity the promotion side tends to get neglected, where really, equal attention should be given to both. What little I've done over the years has helped, certainly, but it is something I definitely need to get better at.

Are there any new albums that have caught your attention lately?

The latest Enforcer release "Live By Fire II" has been getting a fair amount of play here lately. An older album that escaped my radar years ago that's been getting some plays lately is Hypnosia's "Extreme Hatred". Killer early Kreator style thrash! A friend of mine here in Australia has a band called Puncture Wound that put put out an album last year entitled "Complete Carnage of Coagulating Cacophonous Corpses". It's a great, solid slab of OSDM, so if you're into that, go give it a spin. Other cool recent releases from the last couple of years I've been playing lately also are Impaled Nazarene - Eight Headed serpent, Vulure - Dealin' Death, Devastator - Baptised In Blasphemy, Grief Collector - En Delirium, Nekromantheon - Visions of Trismegistos, Skelethal - Unveiling the Threshhold, Metabolic - Demo 2021, Nazxul - Irkalla, Incantation - Sect of Vile Divinities, Cambion - Conflagrate the Celestial Refugium. The latest releases last year from Vader and Skeletal Remains are killer, man, there's been a lot of great stuff coming out I could go on for ages!

Thanks a lot for your time, mate! I wish the guys in Beyond Mortal Dreams all the best, as well as your other musical endeavours. The last words are yours.

Cheers for the interview, much appreciated! Quick shout out to Jan at Lavadome Productions, Walter and Unholy Prophecies, Anastasis and Nuclear Winter Records, and to everyone supporting BMD past and present, it means a lot and is greatly appreciated. The new material is really close to being complete, so keep an eye and an ear out! Eternal hails, stay heavy, play hard and loud!

INTERVIEW: HORDES OF THE BLACK CROSS (2017)

Aussie maniacs Hordes of the Black Cross specialize in lethal Black/Thrash that goes straight for the throat. The following interview was conducted with Halla (vocalist) and Korpse Horde (bassist) in June, 2017.

Greetings! Firstly, thanks for agreeing to do this interview. How's it going? I suppose the heat is killing you guys over there at the moment?

Halla: Yes indeed! Thanks indeed for having us on board with Death By Hammer. 

I have since relocated from Melbourne, Victoria to another state call New South Wales. Where my area is; it’s known as far North Coast, Northern NSW or Northern Rivers. So it’s warmer and humid here but more of a subtropical climate. I live deep in the national forest on an off grid house. It makes you realise that in the deep scheme of things, your life is minute as compared to the chaos of the jungle system. In addition, I have seen a lot of snakes slithering in my area.

Melbourne does get the heat - dry scorching heat. I can’t stand the heat but if you’re playing hell’s music, then you have to be in the fire! I’m not a huge  fan of Melbourne’s winter either as it’s an urban, concrete winter. We don’t get frostbitten landscape and snow unless you’re up in the alpine region. All we get are overcast days, rain, wind and dankness. It’s quite boring and dull in winter but cold and grim nonetheless. My other bandmates are still currently living in Melbourne. However I have murderous desires to live in Tasmania. It’s really far down south with wild landscapes and equally wild weather. Only the strong survive.

Could you give us some basic info about the current line-up, history, and what you've released so far?

H: The black flame was initially lit with just myself, Korpse Horde and Thormentor and we started practicing and jamming since September/October late 2010 - drums, bass and vocals. It was challenging to find the right guitarist but fortunately we have Hate Blaze to partake in it a few months into it. Everything fell into place quickly with songwriting and band practices but it was only sometime in April 2011 that we’ve committed ourselves to exhume our black arts. And the rest is history.

Our releases so far had been

Self Titled Tape - 2011

Split 7” with Terra Australis - 2012

‘Dawn of War, Nights of Chaos’ 12” and CD album - 2016

Split 10” with Funeral Moon - 2017

Thus after 7 years and 46 shows of live flesh corruption, we are taking a hiatus from live performances to pursue a sabbatical and other personal commitments.

Can you give us some details about each member's input as far as the writing process goes?

H: 

Thormentor - drums

Korpse Horde - bass

Hate Blaze - guitar

Halla - vocals

Everyone except for me is involve in the songwriting process.

What led to the choosing of the moniker and what does it represent?

H: Moniker as in the band name? It was rather difficult to find a band name that will suit us in all forms. I remember it being a process and so many names were thought of but when ‘Hordes of the Black Cross’ came along, we knew that was the one. I also believe the pressure of having an impending first live ritual made us deciding on that one! My personal take on it is this - it conjures and inspires an image of a huge horde riding wild across the bleak tundra with massive broadswords. I know this might not be a very unique or original imagery but that idea is always stuck in my head. I myself am a huge fan of deserts, remote areas, void spaces and hostile environment. In Australia, we have plenty of that. I have travelled in some of them but I desire more.

Your debut album, "Dawn of War, Nights of Chaos," is a great slab of thrash-infused black metal. I'm surprised over the fact that it was self-released, since I believe that material of such depth could easily gain the support from a credible label. Care to shine some light?

H: Thanks for acknowledging that. I think that where we are at the moment, we are capable of taking the band to a higher level. We would like to have our materials distributed internationally and ourselves playing in South America, Japan, North America, Asia, Europe and Scandinavia in the next few years. We even have desires to actually live it rough in Europe for a few months and just tour. However it can be a very arduous process of networking as we rose up as relatively unknown in the black metal community in late 2010. And we still are. We are not the most proficient in regards to promoting ourselves except just through word of mouth, live shows and with a zine like yours to be heard. I myself spend very little time online. I do know it’s a huge task to be out on a certain level.  And it’s challenging of course amongst a sea of bands out there to really stick your neck out. However from all of our past live assaults, we have been raising hell with some of the best Australian black and death metal bands and supports for international bands. Of course at this peak, we have decided to be on a hiatus. However that is fine as outside the band, we all have our personal lives to lead and pursue other commitments. The band itself has been a huge part of our lives as we have played in amazing venues alongside killer bands alongside our rabid comrades and maniacs that headbang to our set. When the time and space is right to work in alliance with a label, that opportunity will reveal itself.

How integral is the whole "DIY" ethic? Surely, it must have cost a fortune to release it on both CD and LP yourselves? How many copies of each format did you make?

H: Like what I’ve mentioned above, we are relatively unknown when we first formed as a band. And being in that state has made us very fiercely independent. Somehow it just falls into place as we want to work according to the pace that suits us well. The tape was from memory 100 copies, the split with Terra Australis was 300 for the 12” album and 500 for the CD and lastly 300 for the split 10.”

In regards to the DIY ethic it just fell into place with no intention of claiming we are one. We just worked with what we got. That somehow got sown into the way we operate. We have our own chamber for band practices and all of the releases have been recorded by us.

We have our connections and black hearts with playing alongside hardcore punk bands in your non traditional metal venues such as squat and abandoned warehouse spaces. Some of our best and deadly shows have been at hardcore punk shows. The audience have been known to crashed into us alongside busted pedals, crashing cymbals, mic stands and utter chaos. It was gutter!

A memorable live set was us playing in an abandoned warehouse with other hardcore punk bands. The police got news of the “illegal” assembly. From memory, halfway through our set, there was already a gathering of the police outside. Someone threw a glass bottle in the warehouse and they stormed in. Everything got shutdown. For the longest time ever as we slowly get our gear out with a sense of confusion, impending chaos and tension brewing, civil disobedience was the order of the night. Trouble erupted on the streets with the police clashing with the crowd.

How long were you working on the material? It's been well over a year since its release - how has the reception been?

K: We spent a long time on the album, Some songs on the album were quite old, around since the demo tape was recorded in 2011 and some were written during the end of the recording process and had never been unveiled live before. We have always recorded everything ourselves which is great that you can spend as much time as needed and without requiring any external influence, but this can be a double edged sword, as it’s easy to obsess over mixes and simply waste time, but we are very happy with the end result and it has been well received on Australian soil.

What kind of themes do you explore in your lyrics? Also, who did the artwork and what does it depict? It has a really cool medieval feel to it and suites the aura of your music.

H: In the broadest of sense - the chaos of the worlds above, below and the spirit that traverse in between. Through the turmoil and war of our nightskies and infinite worlds beyond, it serves as a conduit in relation to our mortality. Death, dreams, nightmares and the everlasting search for knowledge…...

Bartłomiej Kurzok from Poland has been our artist since the first 7” and shirt design. We initially had a draft concept of what we would like for the album cover - war, death, chaos, feasting and fire. We also gave him our lyrics to take in as further ideas. Bartłomiej took that in and from there, he worked his black magic.

Tell us about your live performance and what one ought to expect when attending your shows? Is playing live an integral part of your act? Do you prefer the studio or stage?

H: Pure black metal chaos in every sense of the word. Live performances are crucial to exhumed all the hours spent on practicing and writing the music. It also gives us the chance to connect with the audience. At the end of the day, we are giving it back to our comrades, brethren and those who have given us the platform to exist. Without them, I feel our existence as a band is futile. In regards to studio or stage, it has to be a balance of both. The studio gives us the chance to truly focus and capture inwardly on our black arts whereas as a live unit, we released that dark energy out.

As I understand it, you've shared the stage with bands like Inquisition, Abominator, Denouncement Pyre, etc. - what can you tell us about the overall turnout/experience? Did you manage to win over some fans?

H: It is without a doubt one of the many highlights for us as a band to be playing alongside these bands. The turnout of course are huge as they have been around for awhile and very much established in Australia and overseas. We had the opportunity to play interstate shows which allowed those who have not witnessed us execute our chaos.

I have many good words to say about Inquisition - bold onstage and down-to-earth off stage. However, I must say being on the same bill for a metal festival ‘Evil Invaders’ with Sadistic Intent has to be a crucial moment in time for me. Such honest passion and true essence of what it takes to play extreme music. It was a deadly, hellish set! True possession in every sense of the word.

I suppose you are quite picky when it comes to the type of riffs and parts you use in your compositions? Do you rehearse much? If not, do you spend many hours per day practicing your instrument?

Korpse Horde: We do find it hard to all get together these days with daily life and all, But yes we tend to record as we write and rework riffs as needed if it doesn't feel right, sometimes we can do this to excess which can have a negative impact. These days we are trying to simply our song writing and structures.

What are some of your biggest influences? I think it should be obvious to anyone who listens to your music, that you are not influenced by disco or jazz.

K: That question could open up a can of worms..We often enjoy getting drunk having sing alongs and end up serenading each other to Barbara Streisand and Barry Gibb, however I would say as a collective Dissection, Carpathian Forest, Aura Noir, Destroyer 666 and Kreator would have to cover most bases. Fuckin’ Metallica rules too eh..

What is your thoughts on the current state of Australia's underground scene and which bands do you support/recommend (local and abroad)?

K: Personally I think Australia has a quite unique and interesting music scene, but it does seem to fluctuate every few years in activity. Lately there doesn't seem to be many new bands popping up, rather a resurgence of golden oldies that had been lying dormant for some years. Something which is equally exciting since we have quite a few heroes of yesteryear such as Abominator, Vomitor and Destruktor. Nocturnal Graves and Denouncement Pyre are also infamous amongst the Aussie metal scene, but I get more excited these days of the lesser known underdogs. Of course Nocturnes Mist have been at it for years but I think this is a highly underrated band - pure black metal chaos leaks out of southern hell!!

H: The usual suspects are always there. If you have not heard of them, then you have no business in the game. Here are my personal favourite and brethren of Australian black and death metal bands - Terra Australis, Elysian Blaze, Ignis Gehenna, Sanguinary Misanthropia, Abraxxas, Diabolical Demon Director, Funeral Moon, Decrepit Soul, Christ Dismembered, Deathripper, Stormbane, Eskhaton, Contaminated, Mongrel’s Cross, Wolfe, Encircling Sea, Vaiya, Oligarch, Bastardizer, Golgothan Remains, Dead River Runs Dry. And two bands that have recently emerged are Reaper and Evoker. Keep your ears peeled for them!

10 albums you can't live without.

H: In no particular order:

Nightbringer - Apocalypse Sun

Impiety - Skullfucking Armageddon

State of Fear - Discography

Carpathian Forest - Black Shining Leather

Bathory - Blood Fire Death

Dawn - Slaughtersun (Crown of the Triachy)

Dissection - Storm of the Light’s Bane

Inepsy - Rock and Roll Babylon

Discharge - Hear Nothing, See Nothing, Say. Nothing

Diamanda Galas - The Divine Punishment

K: 

Kiss - Self Titled

Motorhead - No Sleep til Hammersmith

Bathory - Nordland

Carcass - Heartwork

Marduk - Panzer Division Marduk

Craft - Void

Impaled Nazarene- Suomi Finland Perkele

Vinterland - Welcome My last Chapter

Thin Lizzy - Renegade

ZZ Top - Eliminator

Lastly, what does the future hold for Hordes of the Black Cross? Thanks for your time!

H: The future has already happened. We are living in a world towards nothingness. Exist in chaos! Hails to you Jim and Death By Hammer. Keep the black flame alive!

INTERVIEW: SADISTIK EXEKUTION - 2020

 

The following interview was conducted with Rok from legendary Aussie Death Metal band SADISTIK EXEKUTION.

 

Satanik Hailz ROK!!! Tell us a little bit about your art and what inspires you to create such morbid illustrations? Also, how would you describe your style? Are you able to make a living from your art?

 

I have been drawing since way back when I was just a little kid in the 70s. In fact I still got a drawing I did when I was about 5 years old. Also I remember being attracted to monsters evil things since I was a little kid, so it’s funny I’ve actually been drawing similar things my entire life, skulls, devils, monsters and so on. Since those times I have also been attracted to weapons of war, mainly tanks, machine guns and military aircraft. So I have combined those themes in my art also throughout my life. I don’t really know how to describe my art. There are so many artists all around the world, especially tattoo artists that also do lots of skulls and evil stuff. But one thing that’s important to me when I’m making my art is that it must look angry, threatening and more like your enemy, not your friend! I see lots of supposedly evil art out there and when you look at it in fact it looks more friendly and almost happy. What some people or I should say what MANY people think looks evil or morbid, I think looks happy and nice. So yep, it’s important that my art does not also look happy and nice.

Am I able to make a living from it? Sure, almost every day I get people asking for this or that, but more and more I’m having to tell them that I have already too much art to do, so the waiting list is getting longer and longer. Of course, I’ve not been doing the  artwork full time for very long, so it’s only been the past year or two that it has become a full time job.

 

What are some of your favourite pieces you've done that you are most proud of? Furthermore, are there any other artists' work that you are fond of and support?

Well it’s hard to say. I’ve always liked the Sadistik cover paintings for KAOS and FUKK II more than the other Sadistik covers. They have some elements of weapons, machine guns which is maybe why I like them. Mostly though, after I have finished a painting or drawing I tend to look back and think how I could have made it better or I pick faults or problems with it. I suspect a lot of artists think like that also. As for other artists, well people often mention Away from VoiVod and how my art is similar or ask have I been influenced by his art. The answer to that is no. I like his art but in reality I don’t think I’ve been influenced by it at all. My influences have come more from stuff like war, occult imagery, horror movies and my own mind. But I do like other artists and the great surrealist painter Salvador Dali is one I maybe admire the most. I also see many great artists on Instagram these days and it’s inspirational to look at their work.

Can you share some anecdotes about some of the craziest gigs you've played with Sadistik Exekution? Have you ever been sober on stage?

Almost all the old Sadistik shows were totally fukked and stupid. Right from the first live gig we did in 1991 until the last in 2009 there was major problems and stupidity with all of them. Some that come to mind as I type my answer now are the third gig which I think was late 91 where I was on LSD and was throwing out pigs feet and fish heads into the crowd. Well I didn’t realise while onstage at some time during the ‘show’ I shit my pants, so I’m telling you for real I had shit in my pants I had to clean off after we got off stage! Another one that was never caught on video but I wish it had been, was another local show here in Sydney, maybe 1995 where I had collected bags of garbage, as in directly from some friends trash cans. I took the bags of garbage on stage and half way through the gig I ripped open the bags and tipped it on myself and all over the stage, as I was yelling out THIS BAND IS TOTAL FUKKING SHIT….

There were some really bad ones with equipment failure and I mean guitar amps blowing up and things not working. Perhaps some of the shows we did in Europe in 1995 were the worst for that sort of stuff and also I completely lost my voice while in Europe that year. Sadistik was the exact opposite of a well rehearsed, professional sort of band. The truth is we were TOTAL FUKKING SHIT.

How do you reflect on the legacy that Sadistik Exekution left behind and what is your opinion about all the poofters who misunderstood what Sadistik Exekution was about?

 

I simply care nothing about it. I wish that we could have played in Europe again or around the USA or other countries and on much bigger stages, in front of a lot bigger crowds. But what happened is what happened. It’s all in the past now and whatever people think of it doesn’t bother me. Things are very different now and I’m glad we existed more during the late 80s and through the 90s than being a newer band that formed in the post 2000 era.

What's 10 records you can't live without?

 

That’s hard to say. There are probably more like 20 records and I may have a slightly different answer each day, but this is what I would say on this day right now…

Black Sabbath – Black Sabbath, Black Sabbath – Heaven and Hell, Venom – Welcome to Hell, Venom – Black Metal, Deep Purple – Deep Purple in Rock, Judas Priest – Screaming for Vengeance, Judas Priest – British Steel, Judas Priest – Painkiller, WASP – WASP, Celtic Frost – Morbid Tales

 

I've noticed you tend to do a lot of artwork for lessor known bands, which is an attitude I respect very much. Do you consider yourself a supporter of the underground and are there any new bands you enjoy?

 

I’m definitely a supporter of smaller or lesser known bands who I believe are true metal and stand up for real metal, rather than being just a new trend sort of thing. Ok so most bands will say they are real or true or whatever, but I know real metal when I see or hear it. I know who is true and who is false. If people think I am childish or stupid for saying such things than that’s their problem, not mine. If I sound like a 16 year old who has just discovered early Manowar than so be it. I’d rather people mock me or misunderstand me rather than me just following trends or trying to be cool or fit in with the masses and their shitty opinions, like blind sheep.

Although I think there are way too many bands around these days and most of them are trend stupidity, there are also lots of truly great bands and bands that I like and believe in. Just off the top of my head, some of those are Australian project band Orbyssmal, Wraith from USA, AKU from USA, Emetophilia from Mexico and Asian band Exhumation and of course there are more…

 

What is your opinion on the crybaby mentality in metal nowadays, with the rise of social justice warriors calling out “bigots” and how they try to enforce their moralistic views? Do they belong in metal or not?

DO I NEED TO SMASH THEIR FEEBLE FUKKING HEADS WITH AN IRON AXE????? FUKK THEM IN HELL

 

Your opinion on the following:

 

Norwegian Black Metal: 

Norwegian Black Metal is a good thing BUT the blind TREND KVLT masses who follow it and try to be like it can eat their own shit and die.

Censorship: 

Human stupidity

Metallica: 

Would have been great if they stopped after their first three albums!

Abrahamic religions: 

The biggest problem of the world today

AC/DC:

Legends who should have stopped around the late 80s. With Bon they were great and they gradually got worse after about 1987

 

What are the main differences between your eponymous solo project, Rok, and Sadistik Exekution? Also, what inspired you to write music under the Rok banner? Will you ever record another album?

 

Ah, the really big difference is the musical style. Sadistik obviously is or was much much more extreme and over the top insanity. But me being such a big fan of simple, straight to the point metal like some of the old NWOBHM bands and stuff like early Venom, early Bulldozer and early Sodom, I just wanted to make some songs that had more of that sort of theme and also just a lot of ideas kept coming into my head that weren’t suitable for Sadistik, so eventually I used them for my two Rok albums, This is Satanik and Burning Metal. I do play guitar and bass and sometimes I make up new songs or ideas for song titles, lyrics and themes, but I really don’t think I will ever make any new recordings. I think now as can be seen, my main focus is on my art….

 

Thanks Rok!!! I wish you all the best with your future activities and artwork. If anyone reading this wishes to contact you, how should they do this? The last infernal words are yours. 

If anyone reading this wishes to contact or just see my latest art and activities, just look me up on Instagram. FUKK YOU ALL IN HELL – KILL THE FEEBLE TRENDS AND BE YOURSELF, NOT SOMEONE ELSE!