1.Can you give us an update on what has been going on with the band since the recording of the new album?
Bene: First thank you for a great review of our newest album in occultblackmetalzine!
Bila: We were finishing the ‘Perfidia’ album when pandemia started in Poland. We were closed in our homes for one month. The album was not finished, we couldn’t imagine the future. Generally speaking, things got complicated.
Bene: Basically, we had to finish the vocal recording - one track remained without vocals and we had no way to finish it. As soon as it was possible we recorded the vocals to it, it was: Raise Your Voice.
Bila: We have been wondering for a long time how to plan the release of the album. Will something change or will we go back to playing live? Then all events were deleted and the bands moved their activities mainly to the network.
Bene: It was then that we decided to take matters into our own hands and started to prepare the material for publication by ourselves.
2.In November you have a new album coming out, musically how does it differ from the stuff you have released in the past?
Bene: First album ‘Three Emperors’ Triangle’ (2014) was recorded with keyboard lines.
On the second album ‘Degenerate’ album we have decided to compose it and record it in classical guitar line up. The material recorded in this way turned out to be more dark, dense but not devoid of melody. While composing Perfidia, we decided to continue and expand the approach developed when creating Degenerate.
Bila: Perfidia is IMHO more rich, more diversified, more dynamic and open.
We realized that during the creation of the previous album a certain role was played by self-censorship. Composing Perfida we want to get rid of this. We thought this way: if in two tracks inserting the refrains would be a great solution for these particular places, why not try it? And what's interesting is that you pointed out these two tracks as the recommended ones in the review of ‘Perfidia’.
3.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band has explored over the years with their music?
Edward: Over the years the lyrical sphere of the lyrics contained on our records has evolved, which is a natural phenomenon in music.
From thrill stories on Ep ‘Spectral Fear’, through themes related to the cruelty of war on the ‘Three Emperors’ Triangle’. At ‘Degenerate’ I reached a very interesting for me sphere of spirituality and rebellion against religion which we have been suppressing us since childhood. ‘Perfidia’ is again a subject close to us, especially now in the current situation in the country and the ubiquity of the church. Maybe it is nothing special in the music we present and in metal in general, but we felt that we have to shout out, give vent to our emotions, and what if it is not the music that is best suited for this. Generally any form of extremism is bad and unacceptable and we are not rebels throwing stones, we have our years, we have children, so this form of expression seems to us most appropriate.
4.From 2014 to 2019 there was no new music being released, can you tell us a little bit more about what has been going on during that time frame?
Bene: Publishing of first album (2014) coincided with the departure of the Tailheg - keyboard player, and Kele's (first drummer) move to Germany. We stopped rehearsing and at that time Bila and I decided to do something else. This is how HexHorn (thrash-death metal) was born.
Bila: After releasing the first album of HexHorn we started to miss the black metal riffs. And that is the reason why we started composing Hegeroth’s second album in 2017.
5.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Hegeroth'?
Bene: Simply, there is no meaning, we wanted to have a name which is fine sounding and unique.
6.Can you tell us a little bit more about the artwork that is presented on the album cover?
Bene: As always we had some problems with the album title and idea for cover art.
Bila: I have problems with imagining how the cover will look like. I always need probes to see what it will look like. Of course, we had many ideas and discussions on this subject. But it is not easy to find a solution that will satisfy us all..
All elements of the cover art are connected with the lyrics and our feelings.
Characters are symbolic and mean for us, in a nutshell, powerful, bad, unpunished persons in our reality.
Bene: These people in the reality around us use the symbol of the cross to be above the rules, above the law.
Edward: All those feelings are expressed in covert art created by Threadbare Artwork.
Earlier we also considered other covers, a very interesting concept seemed to us to be the motif of the church, which on the basis of a kaleidoscope was drawn into a pentagram, but this cover does not last a test of time. You can see this idea in our latest clip for the song ‘Hand by hand’.
7.What are some of the best shows that the band has played over the years and also how would you describe your stage performance?
Bene: Honestly, it's not easy for a band like Hegeroth to find an opportunity to play concerts. Few shows were organized by Mara Production (label publishing our second album). We wrote many emails to clubs and concert organizers and the response was weak. But we can say that the ROCK KLUB IRON replied and we played there with In Twilight Embrace just before the lockdown (22th of February 2020 - photo by L.Kozlowski attached). Great Club and great band!
8.On a worldwide level how has the reaction been to your music by fans of melodic black metal?
Bila: I’m surprised, our music had good reception on social media and the most difficult thing is to encourage people to push the play button of an unknown band. But I see the change on many FB groups that people try to find and choose just good music for themselves. I'm a member of over 150 groups classified as a pure BM, classic BM, extreme metal, melodic BM and in each there is someone who is discovering our music.
Edward: Generally I don't like dividing sub-genres into other sub-genres, black metal is always just black metal for me, if someone added keys, if they put samples, female vocals or other ornaments, it was always just a black metal for me. Whether the bands used it skillfully or not it's a matter of taste of the recipient of the material and especially most of all the artist.
However, if we are perceived in this way, it is the feelings of fans, listeners, reviewers and we will do little with it. On the other hand, the fact that it is possible to catch a melody in our music and immerse our songs is an asset for us. I love records that are well recorded, the music is clear. I don't understand the last trend in BM where the bands try to get their sound dirty. Suddenly every band wants to sound like a Norwegian scene 20 or more years ago. I don't understand it, but as I mentioned, these are my individual feelings.
9.What is going on with some of the other bands or musical projects these days that some of the band members are a part of?
Bene: All of us are members of HexHorn.
Bila: Now we work on Hegeroth music and currently we have no conception for a new HexHorn’s tracks. But maybe in the future we will try to do something? We’ll see.
Bene: I am sure that sooner or later we will come back to it.
10.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
Bene: Time shall tell… the most important thing for us is composing new music.
Bila: Step by step, night after night we are looking for new riffs and that's the most important thing.
Bene: We are unable to plan our future releases. Riffs that we create and then arrange them into songs start to set the course for next releases. Probably that is why each of our subsequent releases is somehow different.
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?
Bene: I have noticed that people who grew up in the 90's (golden era death and black metal) are open to practically all kinds of metal. I listen to thrash, detath and black. I think I was most influenced by bands like Old Man’s Child, which were not strictly limited to one genre.
Bila: I’m a child of thrash metal and my first love was Metallica, later I began to listen to bands like Cradle of Filth, Dimmu Borgir or Behemoth.These bands as well as classical music are my inspiration for creating music.
Ed: I've been listening to metal since I was thirteen years old, I'm 41, so I've been sitting in this music for 28 years. I've never closed myself down on one subgenre of metal. It was never a problem for me to listen to the Master of Puppets after listening to the Burzum album, for example.
Just because I listened to metal didn't mean I couldn't listen to Vivaldi 'Four Seasons' or good rock and roll. I love music and it has been in my life since I was a little kid.
However, black metal has become the wind that blows in the sails of my ship, which I sail with most of my adult life, and bands like Emperor, Arcturus, Naglfar, Mercyful Fate or even Behemoth will always accompany me. There are so many inspirations that I am not able to name them all.
12.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
Bila: Thanks a lot for the opportunity to talk with you and we want to wish all of the metal community back to the old reality with live events and gigs. Stay with your metal fascinations and never surrender:)
Bene: Listen and share our music, support underground!
Edward: Just stay heavy and live with your eyes wide open.
www.facebook.com/hegeroth
www.youtube.com/user/hegeroth1
www.hegeroth.com
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