1.For those that have never heard of you before, can you tell us a little bit about the band?
J: Hunters Moon officially begun in 2006, however it wasn’t until we recorded “The Serpents Lust” mLP that our vision for the band really begun to take shape. D. & I have played together in various bands since our teenage years. D.M and I have been friends for years and it wasn’t until he agreed to take part in “The Great Pandemonium” that the bands sound was fully realised. Even though we haven’t released anything in over 10 years, we’ve never stopped writing songs and trading ideas between ourselves. The new album is the culmination of those efforts over the last decade. Our intention from here on is to be actively releasing albums more frequently, dictated by time and inspiration alone.
2.Towards the end of November you have your first full length coming out, musically how does it differ from your previous ep and demo?
J: The new album is musically more varied and at times more aggressive than our past releases. Our other work was mostly mid paced, never really crossing into faster tempo blasting sections etc. Despite this evolution, the atmosphere and epic feel of our former work has not been discarded on T.G.P. Having the benefit of time and experience, I think T.G.P is stronger than our previous efforts, both from a song writing and a production perspective.
3.This is also your first release since 2009, can you tell us a little bit more about what has been going on during that time frame?
J: All of us have been heavily entrenched in music in one form or another since our last release. I started an audio company (High Voltage Audio) where I design and build pro audio analog gear for recording/mixing/mastering studios. D. has been very active in both Denouncement Pyre and Nocturnal Graves. Both bands have killer new albums due for release in the very near future. D.M is a professional drummer and drum teacher. On the Hunters Moon front, D and I continued to write songs over this period until which time a suitable drummer was found and the new album could be realised.
4.Most of the band members are also in other bands, what is it that you bring into the music of 'Hunters Moon' that you are not able to do with your other groups?
D: J. is the main songwriter for Hunters Moon so my role is to help arrange the tracks as well as contribute certain parts to fill in around the ideas that he has constructed. As J’s riff style is very different to mine the foundation that Hunters Moon is built upon is based primarily on his style and feel, so stylistically that allows me to work from a different basis to what I’m use to and thus contribute in ways that are different to the other bands I am in.
Naturally I bring to it what I know, often your creative instincts will have a particular style, but the purpose of doing another band is to explore ideas away from what you would usually do, as well as see what ideas develop when working with other people, and that’s where Hunters Moon benefits from that collaborative approach. It’s about working together to create something new.
5.The lyrics and the artwork are also inspired by John Milton's "Paradise Lost', can you tell us a little bit more about your interest in this classic poem?
D: To correct you there, we took inspiration from John Martin’s illustrations of Paradise Lost. Both the album title and some of the track titles & lyrics are reflective of this. It ties in closely with the biblical and apocalyptic themes that align with what we wanted to capture through the music. Those artworks are visual representations of The Great Pandemonium - Foreboding, doom-laden, yet fiery and chaotic.
6.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Hunter's Moon'?
D: The Hunters Moon is the sign of the wild hunt.
7.Has the band done any live shows or open to the idea?
J: Hunters Moon has never performed live and I’m certain that we never will. Around the time that “The Serpents Lust” was released, I made the conscious decision to focus my efforts on writing and audio production as opposed to playing live. Personally I find the songwriting and recording processes far more fulfilling than playing live. Since we are recording and mixing everything in my studio, the typical pressures of a commercial studio setting are nonexistent. Although I’m averse to playing live, I think capturing a live feel is important in a recording. I like to experiment with different spaces and equipment when recording. On T.G.P we recorded the drums in an 18th century church. To my ears, the drums we recorded have this really open, lively feel - as opposed to the 2000s pro tools quantised drum sound.
8.In 2009 you also done an 'Angel Witch' cover, what was the decision behind doing your own version of one of their songs?
J: We all have an affinity for the classic 70s and 80s sounds, Angel Witch included. I’d like to think that there was a grand plan behind choosing this track but really the idea came from Jarro (of Nocturnal Graves). Having heard the direction we were taking with the songs we were writing at the time, he thought the Angel Witch classic was a good candidate for a HM inspired interpretation.
9.On a worldwide level how has the reaction been to your music by fans of black metal?
D: We are still a relatively unknown band in the grand scheme of things. We haven’t been active for over a decade although we have been lurking behind closed doors still working away at things intermittently. From the feedback we have heard so far it seems to be quite positive.
10.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?
D: I am a member of Denouncement Pyre and Nocturnal Graves. DP will have a new album out in 2022 on Agonia Records. NG has an album dropping in January ‘22, ‘An Outlaw’s Stand’ on Season of Mist. Check ‘em out
11.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
J: From a song writing perspective, there are no boundaries. Never afraid to blur the lines between genres and subgenres. The progression between releases has been natural and there has never been an intention to shy away from a particular sound. The only thing that is certain in my mind is that we want to be more actively releasing material, so I’m certain that another decade won’t pass before our next release.
12.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?
J: We all have pretty broad musical interests. Whilst our worship of 80s and 90s BM would come as no surprise, our tastes cross many genres.
13.Does Occultism play any role in your music?
D: Perhaps covertly though it is not the main focus here. The themes are inspired by biblical and ancient stories of creation & destruction, man living in disharmony with nature, and thus ill fates due to the inevitable cruelty of nature. Salvation, or lack thereof.
14.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
D: Thanks for the interview. Check out The Great Pandemonium via Hells Headbangers now.
https://youtu.be/hgux0fKihZU
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