STOP THE MADNESS! •2• •3• Greg War: Sabathan contacted me in June 2009 to join the band. At that time the band consisted of Sabathan, David DC and the first singer Laurent. The name HORACLE had already been chosen by Sabathan and David DC. I noticed in an interview you did for That’s Metal #18 that Sabathan (the band’s bassist and founder) has been in bands since the mid-80s, but what about the rest of you guys? What have you been up to before forming/joining HORACLE? Drinking and listening to Metal doesn’t count as an answer, musically I mean… Terry: I played in a couple local bands before, nothing big though. I am in another band too but we struggle with the line-up since... quite a while now... Though I also have another project in preparation for next year! Dyno: I’ve made my classical studies. Then I bought my first electric guitar playing old MAIDEN, METALLICA and GNR’s stuff. I’ve played in several local bands since more than 20 years, but the more established one was my latest before HORACLE, OIDHEHE BAALTINNE (Black Death Metal with pagan inspirations). We had an EP and played gigs in Belgium and France, opening for bands like VADER and MARDUK. We split in 2013, one month before recording a full length album, due to the lack of personal involvement of a part of the musicians. Greg War: Nothing serious for me, musically talking, only a few jams with some friends. So THIS means that HORACLE is my first official band. As far as I know (please correct me if I am wrong), the band’s first HORACLE is a new speed Metal band from Belgium, a release was the s/t mini-CD from 2011, which you did on your own. country not much is heard from when it comes to new Were there no demos before, or was it a deliberate choice to record your first songs and present them in your local fans but also abroad as bands playing classic Metal… Both their mini-CD’s (2011 professionally as possible? and 2013) are highly recommended and since the band is Dyno: The first EP has to be taken as a demo. As we did not have a label, we had preparing their debut album (set for release later in 2015) to propose a record to get people to know about us. Actual technologies allow an interview became an “obligation” for us. us now to not record shit and you can do something great with a lower budget than in the 80s. So we wanted to have the best product possible with the lower Below is what Terry (singer), Dyno (guitars) and Greg budget possible. War (drums) had to say… This release is already sold out, how many did you print? The cover has a weird charm, do you like it? Hello guys and allow us to congratulate for the very good EP’s you have Terry: The cover sucks as far as I am concerned! lol! No offense to the guy released so far… The band is currently working on its’ debut album. though. We had Velio Josto work on an “updated” artwork for the first EP and What should we expect? he did a great job on it! Because we intended to re-print it, people still want to Terry: Hello Kostas, and thank you very much for your compliments as well as have a hold of it. 400 copies were sold. for this interview! Yes, we are on the very last preparations for our 1st full length Dyno: Vinyl Edition with Velio’s cover should be out early in 2015 under Emanes album, every song is already composed and we will start recording in the studio Metal Records. About the original cover, this is the result of what I said above: in less than two weeks up until early February. It will be released in the current “…with the lowest budget possible!” Lol! A friend of ours did this drawing, nearly of 2015. What you should expect? Nothing less than some pure, full on Heavy without any charges, but it was the first time he was drawing on a computer. Metal record like there is so few these days! It will be the natural evolution Anyway, I love our shitty cover LOL. for the band in that in general, the songs are better and more constructed, Greg War: Dyno said it all, I just wanted to add that I deeply think that many the riffs are sharper and slightly more complex for some, hard edged and bands had some fucking worst artwork for their first cover! straight forward for others. I also had the time and the opportunity to show Why did you go for a second mini-CD with “A wicked Procession” my evolution in the vocals. My voice is more powerful, I have more range and instead of recording a full length? Did the prospect of a deal with Dying dynamics and I am more confident than before, which led me to really get crazy Victims led to you such in a decision in the sense of “holding back” a on those vocal lines and harmonies! (laughs). So, to wrap it up, it is a varied, debut release in case more interest would come from this, since they focused and powerful album! obviously have better connections and distribution? Tell us a few more things about it, which label it will be on, recording Terry: the same old situation: Money! We didn’t have the funds to release a full info, title etc. Will it be released on vinyl or CD only? length album so far... Looking from the outside, it might seem a bit odd... But Terry: The album is entitled “Dead eyes Revelations”, which symbolizes the looking back, I don’t regret it personally. Dying Victims didn’t have anything to visions of the Horacle. We will record it in a studio in Belgium called the “Noise do with it, you see, most labels don’t pay for the studio nowadays, so it’s all from Factory”, our 1st experience with them, but Alex, our guitar player has already your pocket! But honestly, the band is a lot stronger now, we really work more worked with them with his other band BURSTING. About the label… nothing is as a unit than when we released “A Wicked Procession” and we grew enormously set in stone so far, so we can’t really tell right now, we’ll see! But it will, and we as musicians and as A BAND. So really, NOW is the right time for us to release insist on that, be released on vinyl at some point!! How, with who and when... the full length album. we don’t have a definitive answer right now, but, IT WILL be on vinyl as well as The last song in “A wicked procession” is “Freewheel burning” by JUDAS on CD. It will also be available for legal download on all the big sites like amazon PRIEST, which is not mentioned in the back cover of the CD. Would it be mp 3, itunes, etc, where you will also be able to find our first two EP’s. for copyright reasons? Let’s go a few years back, when HORACLE was formed. What brought Terry: Well, you will have to ask the label! Lol! We didn’t have anything to do you together and how did you come up with the name? with that decision. Terry: Personally, I arrived in late 2010. Dyno: The label had a project for a cover compilation but he finally didn’t get Dyno: The previous singer of HORACLE is a friend of mine. At the time he was the rights for it. In the same time, we had already recorded the song. “A Wicked trying to complete the line up so, as it was my stuff, he introduced me to the Procession” should have been normally out with only 4 tracks, so I imagine that other members. the label didn’t want to lose such a piece as our cover lol. •4• Are you satisfied with how it turned out? What was the feedback from it, as well as “Horacle”? Would you agree that the production makes the 2nd effort sound more “in line” with the current Speed/thrash wave than you actual playing and attitude is? Terry: I don’t know exactly...We really lacked of promotion, I don’t blame Dying Victims though but with some serious promotion this band could be A LOT bigger! ”A Wicked procession” in my opinion is a better CD than “Horacle”. A more professional product and for my part, I was contributing really in the band, so a much better experience! Now about Speed/Thrash, I don’t know really, HORACLE is probably a Heavy Metal band in the general term, very much infused with a lot of traditional NWOBHM but also some Speed and Thrash bands as well. I think that the song “Axes of Blood” actually is quite thrashy! Still a more organic sound would probably be better for us, but nowadays it’s tough to get really that. Dyno: I totally agree about the sound of “A Wicked Procession” and that’s the way when you work with the wrong people (studio side, I mean). But anyway, music speaks by itself and it sounds heavy. It’s clear for all of us that we definitively do not want to slide to modern stuff and the upcoming album will be more rock ‘n roll than ever.