Good morning, thank you so much for answering these questions. How's everything going in Katowice?
Bene: Thanks a lot for the invitation for this interview. Katowice is a great and modern city. Last year it won the competition as the best city to live in Poland.
Hegeroth was formed around 2010. What prompted you to create Hegeroth? What connection can we find between your previous band, Mortifer, and Hegeroth? Why the name Hegeroth, and what does it refer to?
Bene: Mortifer split up when we were entering our adult lives. After a few years I thought it would be fine to be able to play guitar and record it (I was bass player in Mortifer). In a couple of following years the first riffs appeared and with Kele (Mortifer drummer) we founded Hegeroth and began to find other members. A year ago Chors, original voc of Mortifer joined Hegeroth! Regarding Hegeroth name - it means nothing, simply we wanted the word which sounds good and is unique in google search.
"Soaked in Rot," Hegeroth's sixth album, has just been released. It comes three years after its predecessor and features lineup changes, with Bila leaving and Chors joining. How did Bila, a fundamental pillar of Hegeroth's structure over the last few years, leave? How did this affect the songwriting and recording process for the new album? How did you get in touch with Chors to join Hegeroth? What brands of instruments did you use during the songwriting process?
Due to personal matters, Bila had less and less time to meet up and work on music. At some point, we talked, and Bila suggested to look for someone to replace him so it wouldn’t have to put the work on hold. That’s when I thought of Chors. We played together in Mortifer in the ’90s, then lost touch, and after more than twenty years, Chors came to a Hegeroth concert in 2019. When Bila left at the end of 2024, I reached out to Chors, we met up, and we got right to work.
Regarding instruments, I will tell you some details as I like to read such things in interviews…
Guitars were recorded on Ibanez RG2550EX (passive Dimarzio Tonezone) and Schecter C1 Platinum (active EMG57). Bass with Fender Precision - always good sounding and present in the mix. The old Peavey Bandit was used as a guitar amp (with Engl Pro V212 on one channel and Bandit speaker on second channel). Sure SM57 as mic and Focusrite 4i4 as interface.
The sound of the new album showcases those Polish black/death influences; however, throughout Hegeroth's career, there seems to be a recurring theme in the structure of other extreme metal styles, such as thrash and doom. How would you define the sound of the new album for someone who hasn't heard it yet? What bands or styles influenced the composition of the new album?
I think our music has little in common with black metal, though others, including Chors, tell me I’m wrong. Growing up in the ’90s, we experienced a wave of thrash, death metal, and black metal. To me, it all blends and harmonizes nicely, and that’s what Hegeroth’s music is like. Though probably in reverse order. As for influences, I actually don’t listen to much black metal these days, though there are bands like Armagedda that blow me away with their music. Come to think of it, I’m most inspired by classic bands like Slayer, Cannibal Corpse or Immolation— I love them, and they’re what drive me to try doing new things.
Is there a shift in the themes of your lyrics with the addition of Chors on vocals? What themes do the lyrics of "Soaked in Rot" cover? Do the lyrics adapt to the music, or vice versa?
When we started working with Chors, he got to know Hegeroth’s lyrics. He said that the subject matter suited him and that he’d be more than happy to work in this direction. He certainly brought his own style, interpretation, and arrangements to the table along with his lyrics. As for the content, the lyrics mock the thoughtlessness, dogmatism, and meanness of the Catholic world around us, which wants to impose its way of thinking at any cost. In the case of Soaked In Rot, the music came first, then the vocals; let’s see how it turns out in the future.
Once again, the album will be self-released, which is noteworthy. You're not newcomers, and you've maintained this approach since your beginnings. What motivates this decision to self-release your work? Is it related to greater control over your music, a lack of interest from record labels, or is it simply something you feel more comfortable with?
Bila and I both decided that we wanted to release our music ourselves, without even trying to send our material to potential labels. When Chors came along, I brought up the topic, thinking that if necessary, we could change our approach. It turned out that Chors had the same approach. We do everything our own way, when we want to, and when we’re ready. With this approach, we know that everything depends on us; the release and promotion won’t happen on their own.
Beyond his work at HHSoundLab, Bene has been involved in the entire engineering, mixing, and mastering process. Why such tight control over this process? Is it because he wants and knows exactly how Hegeroth should sound and doesn't need outside interference, or is it due to other circumstances?
I’ve always been interested in how recording, mixing, and mastering are done. Back in the ’90s, we recorded several times at Cyberstudio in Katowice, mostly with Marcin Mikulski. I tried to remember as much as possible by asking as many questions as I could. Even back then, I was starting to play around with Cubase, and later I scoured the internet to learn how it all works in practice. After Chors joined, it turned out that he pays even more attention to production details and fights tooth and nail for his opinion 🙂
The cover art is by Maciej Kamuda, frankly very well done and among the best in Hegeroth's discography. Why did you decide to work with Maciej? What does this cover represent, and how does it relate to the album's content?
We began working with Maciej on our previous album, ‘Disintegration’. By the time we were working on ‘Soaked In Rot’, it was clear that we wanted to continue this collaboration. At first, Chors came up with the album title. We approached Maciej with that title. It was Maciej who came up with the idea for the baptism scene and did the sketch. Then, after a brief conversation, John’s head ended up on a stick and the worms began their endless journey—just as rot circulates within us alongside religious beliefs and rituals, from generation to generation.
I mentioned earlier the richness and variety of Polish black metal, from your beginnings as a member of Mortifer to the present day. How would you describe the Polish extreme metal scene? How does Hegeroth's style fit within it? What do you think has been lost in black metal over the last few decades, in terms of attitude and essence?
To be honest, I don’t really think about it at all—we’ve always just done our own thing. Do we fit in? I have no idea. And when it comes to music, I think it’s lost some of its musicality over the last 25 years. Back in the day, riffs were more catchy—you just wanted to hum along. Now, as technical proficiency has increased, music has become more and more complicated. I guess that’s why the material on Soaked In Rot turned out a bit simpler :)
One thing they're also firm about is the issue of concerts. Hegeroth has remained primarily a studio band for some time. Is this something that could change at some point depending on fan requests, or finding reliable musicians to perform your music live? Have you ever received offers to play live, and are you open to hearing them?
Right now, we're thinking it over and looking around, and we'd really love to put together a band to play live.
How did you get started in music? What were the first concerts you attended? What were the first albums you bought? What event in your lives pushed you to become musicians?
I started listening to metal music in the early ’90s. That’s when I came across a cassette of Slayer’s ‘Chemical Warfare’—it was a shock; I didn’t even know what instruments they were playing. Then I discovered Tankard, Ratos De Porao, and Kreator—I was hooked instantly. Then Sepultura and Max, with his half-growl vocals, were my gateway to death metal: Pestilence, Massacra, Morgoth, Unleashed. On the black metal side, I started with Satyricon’s ‘Shadowthrone’, the first two albums by Impaled Nazarene, and ‘Cradle Of Filth’. The first original cassette I bought was Vader’s ‘Morbid Reich’. As for concerts, I’d like to mention two events: the Vader concert in 1993 and the Full of Hate Easter Festival in 1994 featuring Cannibal Corpse, Unleashed, and Morbid Angel (whom I didn’t understand at the time).
Which album represents the essence of black metal for you? What are the most recent albums you've bought?
Satyricon ‘Shadowthrone’ is the essence for me. Last time I bought Zhrine ‘Unorthea’ on vinyl - what a great album!!!
Thank you very much for taking the time to answer these questions for Black Metal Spirit. If you'd like to add anything for Hegeroth fans, this is the place. I hope you enjoy the questions.
Thanks a lot for the Interview, it was a pleasure to answer. Thanks so much for being here with us—please support the bands and come to the shows! These small gigs have the best atmosphere and the best acoustics; local bands are waiting for you!
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Third Eye Rapists – Hets Mot Allt 13,99 €
No hay comentarios:
Publicar un comentario