Metal Bulletin Issue# 23
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Metal Bulletin issue# 23 www.metalbulletin.blogspot.com www.myspace.com/themetalbulletin This zine is FREE. Donations appreciated: 50, 75 cents, 1 dollar, etc. Support DIY metal. contact: Metal Bulletin P.O. Box 571794 Houston TX 77257-1794 usa Hirax Askans Arvet (U.S.) (Germany) Nominon Infinity Overture (Sweden) (Denmark) Xolotl Smargroth (U.S.) (Slovenia) reviews: Awicha (Thailand); Bestemmia Aeternalis (Texas, U.S.); Cerebrum (Greece); Conqueror (Costa Rica); Diamanthian (U.K.); Futures End (U.S.); Human Carnage (Québec, Canada); Ixpapalotl (Greece); Janus (Italy); Ninth Kingdom (Texas, U.S.); Sanhedrin (U.K.); Thor (Canada); Urudium (Japan); Vomiting Skulls (Finland ) Hirax (U.S.) HIRAX consumes all of my time. The only family I have is my Their new album, “El rostro de la muerte” (The Face of Death), wife, who also helps me run the daily business of HIRAX; and she presents a power-packed guitar sound, supported by song- is totally into metal, so we are a great team; and HIRAX is our centered, speedy drumming in to-the-point compositions. High- child. Everyday, 7 days a week, it is music. The band energy screamer vocalist Katon details the functioning of a continually keeps us busy. But I love it, and I am happier than I working, travelling band sweating out their metal through a ever have been, but busier than ever before! bunch of different countries and rolling on through your town. Hirax is heavy metal thrash of the fast kind, and a no- What from “El rostro…” are you playing live currently?! nonsense approach is their trademark. They have quite a list of We will probably rotate songs, but the four that I can tell you recorded music, going back to their role in the period of classic right now that are part of the live set are the title track "El Rostro 80s thrash. For lots more info: www.hirax.org facebook de la Muerte", "Eradicate Mankind", "Flesh and Blood" and the www.blackdevilrecords.com www.myspace.com/hirax opening track from the album, "Baptized by Fire". But I can't --- give away all of the surprises. You toured Texas, Chile and Argentina. How was Texas and South America?! And Puerto Rico, too??! Hirax is very busy!! Napalm Death covered Hirax. What did you think?! There’s KATON: Hello Mauricio - Metal Bulletin. YES, we are VERY busy, probably quite a few bands covering HIRAX! Have you met just finishing up the final stages of our 2009 tour and we have Merciless Death and others inspired by HIRAX and classic thrash? just returned home from Puerto Rico. All of the tours/concerts Pretty much most of the newer thrash metal bands I have met. were very successful! We had a great time! Texas was very good Merciless Death is just one of them. They are really nice guys. and South America (Chile and Argentina) were totally crazy! Our Most of the newer young thrash metal bands have opened up for fan base is growing bigger each time we return to the us at one time or another. We are honored that so many bands countries/territories that we have toured through before. We are are inspired by our music. As to Napalm Death's version of our quite happy. song, "Hate, Fear and Power," I really liked the way they did it. They did it justice and they played it brutal, the way it should HIRAX has lots of albums. How can people get copies? itunes? be. copies of the cds? What is Black Devil Records? KATON: www.blackdevilrecords.com, iTunes, & we are How you ever played your classic albums “Raging Violence” and distributed worldwide by Seasons of Mist, Century Media and “Hate, Fear and Power” in their entirety live?! Nuclear Blast. Black Devil Records is our own record label, run No, and we never will. That is just not what we are about. We and owned by us. We still manufacture CD and Vinyl versions of try to play all of the classics and some of the more unknown all of our releases. Keep an eye out for the new album, "El tracks from our entire catalog. We just believe that everybody Rostro de la Muerte." There are some very special surprises has different favorites, so we wouldn't want to just play one full upcoming: a 12" picture disc and 12" LP version, both are coming album all the way through. We like to keep it exciting and fresh. soon! Sometimes we like to throw songs into the set that people weren't expecting. Our motto is to keep the fans guessing; it Metallers in Mexico hold Hirax in high regard. Are your Spanish- makes for a better concert. language song titles a tribute? Do you speak Spanish? Yes, we have just released our new CD, our first full length in 5 On those two albums there are moments of blast beats. How years. It has being received tremendously well so far! Yes, the aware of that were you all back then? You seem to not have Spanish title it a tribute to all of our Spanish speaking fans wanted to use it a bit more? Why? worldwide. To be honest with you, my Spanish is not so good, Yes, we are aware of that. It is an honor to be considered one of but through our travels through Central and South America, the forefathers of that movement. Now and again you will Puerto Rico and Spain my español is improved each time we continue to hear us do that style of drum patterns. If you look return. Mexico it is a very special place for us, we love it! Some through other albums of ours, such as "Barrage of Noise" you can of our most die hard fans are from there. Every time we play the hear similarities. Or especially on "The New Age of Terror" there song, "El Diablo Negro" in concert no matter where we are. We is a song titled, "Into the Ruins" that is reminiscent of our early pay respect to our brothers and sisters throughout Mexico!! stuff. The main thing for HIRAX is that we don't do blast beats just for the hell of it. If it fits the song, then we will use it. What are the lyric topics for this time around? The capitalist We deliberately try to always make our music fit the drum beats, system produces lots of wars and poverty, and you were already but don't be surprised if you hear more blast beats in the future. talking about that in the 80s, but now it’s a huge crisis of Even if we don't use them, I can guarantee that we will always capitalism worldwide! play FAST and HEAVY because THAT IS WHAT WE DO!! The topics we cover are everything from religion, poverty, greed, mass destruction, fear tactics, world history, evolution of man, What are HIRAX’s touring commitments for 2010? etc. As to frustration with capitalism, wars and poverty; it is a KATON: I along with Glenn Rogers (lead guitars); Lance Harrison fight that I think we will all have to deal with until the day we die. (lead guitars); Steve Harrison (bass); Jorge Iacobellis (drums) As far back as you can go in civilization there has always been will be doing a lot in 2010. We are going to be on the road in wars and capitalism. The rich and the poor will always have support of the new album. We hope to be touring most of the conflicts. Unfortunately, that is the sad truth. All of our albums, year: Europe, Japan, South, Central and North America, etc. including "El Rostro de la Muerte" come with the lyrics sheets Stopping only to record some videos for the new album. included so you can read and understand what HIRAX is all about and what we are committed to spreading the word of our When are you coming back to Houston, Texas? message: peace through music. Summer 2010. We will carry all HIRAX titles, t-shirts, and patches on tour at our official HIRAX merchandise stand. But you Talk about “Bombs of Death” now in Afghanistan, Iraq and can also go to our website to buy copies http://www.hirax.org Pakistan! THE END. Obviously we are a band committed to peace and humanity. All -- wars are bad! Plain and simple. Nothing good ever comes out of Askans Arvet (Germany) it. I think that the main problem is people understanding other Two observations about Askans Arvet: traditions and not condemning other religions. I believe that 1. It is true that their sound is undoubtedly raw black metal, and everybody should be able to worship whatever god they want to. as interesting as that is, it is in their imaginative framework of We are all created equal and we all bleed the same blood...red. black metal plus hooks, folk/prog shades where the treasure lies. 2. They have a willingness to practice the different sides Do you, Katton, have time for hobbies and family? separately, as in “Welke Blumen” (“Withered Flowers”) by itself and also together, within the context of a single song, as in the title track of their recording “Das Vermächtnis der Asche” (8:36) Is the song “Welke Blumen” part of a poem? You use the phrases (“Legacy of the Ashes”) which goes back and forth between “Lieblich glitzert der Reif…” (“Lovely glitters the frost”) in quotes? tremolo grim raw shrieked blasting black metal and Is that not your own? mellow/proggy moments. Good! www.myspace.com/askansarvet All lyrics are written only by Thomas.