Interview with HEXENNACHT
Welcome to the FILTHY DOGS OF METAL Webzine.
Tell us a few things about HEXENNACHT (Members, Starting Year etc).
Hexennacht is the manifestation of my dream to have a solo metal project. I've been writing songs almost since I picked up my first instrument - the guitar - few years ago, but I had this project in mind since 2023, I think.
You have recently released your demo ''Hexennacht''. What is the feedback from your audience as well as from the press?
I did not expect any attention at all - I did little promotion and lacked any social media presence (besides my friends and fellow musicians I met along the way). All I wanted was to put my music out there, without any expectations of how many people would hear it. To my surprise, I gained a couple of followers on Bandcamp, few of them even bought the EP! This attention and positive feedback was way more than I expected and I'm very flattered.
And what about the lyrics?
This EP is my first time writing any, and all I wanted to make were some cool sounding, dark & edgy metal lyrics. Nothing too serious, that's how I like them in general - songs about demons, black magic, witchcraft etc. I'm also interested in the history of my region: "Trickster, Trickster" references a local legend about a fellow who sold his soul to the devil in exchange for fruit on his wineyards, and "1663" refers to the years of witch hunts that took place centuries ago in my hometown (also referenced on the cover).
Are you in searching for a record label? What do you prefer, Label or DIY and why?
At the moment I want to keep Hexennacht to myself and remain DIY, because it's only a passion project I do on the side. My main focus is my garage rock band Rabbithole, and I don't think I could manage those two if both became more serious.
How difficult (or easy) is it for a musician to compose all the tracks on their own, and what challenges did you face during the recording of your EP?
Total control is a plus - it definitely feels good to be the only one in charge of all decisions, but that's exactly what makes this process incredibly time-consuming. It's also where my biggest challenge came from - I spent so much time working on the same songs, that I started to lose the bigger picture and the ability to listen objectively. What helped was sharing demos and listening to others' opinions, as well as taking breaks by working on something completely different (or not working at all!).
Is there any funny or weird story from the recordings or from your live shows that you would like to share with us?
Not really, haven't played live and all this music was recorded at home by myself - not many ocassions for any interesting stories.
Do you prefer Vinyl, Tape, CD or Digital Format and why is that?
As a fan, I do like to collect physical media - mostly CDs, rarely tape, I don't have any way to listen to vinyls. But for everyday listening it's definitely digital, though I try to get away from streaming services - especially Spotify, because of shady controversies and unfair treatment of artists. Recently I've been enjoying building an offline digital music collection.
Which are your main influences (Favourite Artists / Bands etc.)
First and foremost, the old-school must-haves: Venom & Bathory. I'm also obviously hugely inspired by other one-person operations, especially Hellripper - seen them live in 2023, that was the catalyst to start my own project; others include: Toxic Holocaust, Midnight and fellow Polish project Visteria. Besides metal: punk (Discharge, G.B.H., Siekiera), all flavours of post-punk/gothic rock/new wave (Siouxsie and the Banshees, The Cure, New Order), stoner/doom/etc. (Electric Wizard, Castle Rat), and more.
Which things do you think a band should sacrifice in order to succeed? Have you ever sacrificed anything in your life for a better future for your band?
My biggest sacrifice is probably most of my free time (no regrets tho!), and I think that's a must - a band is as good as all the work, time and sweat put into it.
Describe your ideal live show as a performance band. Have you already experienced that?
Hexennacht hasn't played live yet, but I think I had my dream live performances with my band: the magic happens when the audience is into it, the other bands are your friends (or just awesome human beings) and we are well-rehearsed and excited to be on stage.
What do you think about the rise of AI in music production?
I strongly think that AI should help only with the most tedious, time-consuming and non-artistic tasks - removing clicks, pops or distortion from a recording; normalizing the volume of tracks in a fresh mix; frequency analysis of reference tracks etc. etc. But for anything creative, the human touch is the only way for making art that's exciting and honest. Also, generative AI simply steals existing works, that's a fact and a total dealbreaker.
What attributes do you think that a new Metal Band should have in order to gain identity and be unique?
I'd argue that having diverse influences, including those coming from different art forms than music, helps the most with being unique. It also leads to the art being more personal, because the artist combines everything they know and enjoy, building their identity in the process.
Do you believe that Digital Platforms help the new Metal Bands? Which, do you think, is the ideal way for a band to promote its work?
Yes, I think they help a lot, because putting out music through digital platforms is extremely convenient, making sharing your work easier than ever. Especially Bandcamp - I think the most straightforward & fair.
From your experience in the music industry, what would you tell to a new Metal band to avoid or what to do?
I don't have much experience yet, but I like the cliché: stay true to yourselves, do only that what you truly enjoy.
Tell us a few things about the New Underground Metal Scene in Poland (Bands, Fanzines, Webzines, Metal Clubs etc.)
The Polish underground is exciting: solo projects like Visteria who I mentioned previously, and fresh bands like Gallower, Sexmag, R.I.P., Wij, Hamulec, Night Lord, Frightful, Technophobia, Buddah (seen some interviews on your site with some of those!). Lots of gigs, the scene is alive and vibrant!
What does Metal mean to you? And give us 10 metal albums that run in your veins.
Metal - and music in general - is one of those forms of art that speak to me in a very special way, and push me to do creative work myself, which I consider one of the most exciting things in my life. My 10 most special albums:
1. Kat "666"/"Metal and Hell"
2. King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard "Infest the Rats' Nest"
3. Bathory's self-titled
4. Hellripper "Complete and Total Fucking Mayhem" compilation
5. Venom "Welcome to Hell"
6. Owls Woods Graves "Citizenship of the Abyss"
7. Death Evocation's s/t
8. Toxic Holocaust "Conjure and Command"
9. Metallica "Ride the Lightning"
10. Megadeth "Peace Sells... But Who's Buying?"
Do you know anything about the Hellenic Metal Scene?
Not much, but I've been dabbling in it recently in search of fresh sounds, so far I'm enjoying it!
What are your future plans?
I'd like to take a short break from metal and focus on another project of mine, post-punk Fortune Misfortune (you can find it on Bandcamp). But I got a few songs written for Hexennacht that I might release in a year's time or so - planning a couple of singles and another EP.
Thank you very much for your time & keep up the good work! The closure is yours.
Thanks for reaching out! Find me on Bandcamp - hexennacht.bandcamp.com
Support your local scene, form a band, make music by yourself, go to shows, that's what life is for. Cheers!
By Steve the Filthy Dog.