HKSPK Interview

 

1.For those that have never heard of you before, can you tell us a little bit about the band?

1. We are HKSPK, founded in 2023. Arne on drums, Jim Tonik at lead guitar and vocals and Leon at rythm guitar. In 2024 we released our debut album Holy Scum and this year we released the Human Butcher EP. So far we played at some small festivals like Metal Underground Resistance and Summer Ends. Our style compines black and death metal with weird absurd lyrics.

2.So far you have released an ep and a full length, musically how do they both differ from each other?

2. Firstly, the production on the EP became more professional. On Human Butcher we also took a much more complex approach in the structure of the songs and writing riffs and melodies. Those new songs grew into a really brutal and dark atmosphere. 

3.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band has explored so far with the music?

3. Our lyrics are telling storys that we've experienced in a weird absurd way and we sing about events that we have heard about. The context is never that serious. Wich does not mean that there isn't a real statement hidden in the lyrics sometimes (for example Schwanzløses Gesindel).

4.I know that the bands name is an acronym for 'Hello Kittie Scum Porn Killer', how does this name fit in with the musical style that you play?

4. The name based on a sticker that we saw a few years ago. It showed Hello Kitty in a latex costume. We thought it was hilarious. 

The funny thing is: it fits our music, due to it's absurd direction. Our lyrics are weird and so is the band name.

5.Can you tell us a little bit more about the artwork that is presented on the new ep cover?

5. With the artwork, we tried to capture the atmosphere of our music. It depicts the story of the Human Butcher, and the swamp motifs are based on our concert banner and band logo. The motif was created in Oderbruch (east Germany). Jim took and edited the photos.

6.What are some of the best shows that the band has played so far and also how would you describe your stage performance?

6. In our opinion the 3 best shows we've ever played are the Summer Ends Festival, because it had perfect sound, perfect light and overall a very nice feeling, the Metal Underground Resistance Festivals, because it was the first time we played with bigger bands like Milking The Goatmachine and Warpath and we won a lot of fans and received so much positive feedback. Last but not least the Schafcity Open Air, because we had such an active crowd who moshed, sang our lyrics and we had a really great time with them.

What can I say about our performance? We move as much as we love playing live. We love playing live. We have an agressive blackmetalhead drummer, a strict and serious rythm guitarist and flying hiar in a hawaii shirt at the vocals and lead guitar. 

7.Do you have any touring or show plans for the future?

7. Yes, we have. At first we got some bigger festivals for 2026 and 2027 planned. Still there are some concerts we will play this year, for example the Summer Ends Vol. 2 or the Chemical Warfare in our area. Because we all have our jobs and the organisation is very complicated there won't be any tour soon.

8.Currently you are unsigned, are you looking for a label or have received any interest?

8. We are not interested in finding a label, because we like doing everything ourself. But we would like to join a booking agency.

9.On a worldwide level how has the reaction been to your music by fans of black and death metal?

9. It's just amazing. We are overwhelmed by all the positive feedback we get from many different countries. It actually feels so surreal that people love our music so much, they even promote it and write articles about it. Such a wonderful surprise.

10.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?

10. Right now we can't tell in wich musical direction we will go. It seems like we are a part of the new black and death metal generation. We always try to do something different and progress in the way we approach writing music. Tomorrow is a mystery.

11.What are some of the bands or musical styles that have had an influence on your music and also what are you listening to nowadays?

11. Nowadays we listen to a lot of different metal genres, including atmospheric black metal, slam, brutal death metal and even classic heavy metal.

We have many different influences. It ranges from german bands like Eisregen, Nargaroth and Mavorim to more famous groups like Slayer, Amon Amarth, Slipknot and Cannibal Corpse. We all have our own favorite bands from different genres, that's why our songs sound so different. There are also groups that we equally like. We try to create our own HKSPK sound, that's why we don't orient ourselves too much towards other bands.

12.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?

12. Right now we are living our personal musical adventure. We are overwhelmed by all the compliments from so many different people. Thank you so much for your interest. We hope you will all be a part of our HKSPK journey.

https://hkspk.bandcamp.com/