Hangman's Hymn. Interview with Xavier and Guy.

Interview by Jay Parker

1) When, where and why was HH formed? What is the current line up?

GVC and I have known each other for ages and were even in a few bands together, but had never really done our own thing. We have a similar taste in music and humour so when I wanted to start a new band that would bring mid-tempo black metal, he was the first person I asked. He was on board immediately and started writing songs. We placed an ad and found FG to do the drums. After the recordings, JL joined us as second guitarist.

The current line-up is: - GVC: Guitar and bass (Wound Collector, ex-Angeli di Pietra, ...) - XDS: Vocals and synth (Nyrak, Lichfield, Plagueland, Akem Manah, ex-Saille, ...) - FG: Drums (ex-Innervate) - JL: Guitars (Putrid Inbred, ...)

2) Your EP “The Misery March” is awesome. Doomy, melancholic, keyboards and riffs combined with melodic, lighter moments and some amazing guitar work... When and where was it recorded? What inspired the music and the lyrics?

Xavier: The intro, outro and all vocals were recorded in my home studio. The other instruments/songs were recorded at “The Rock Studio” in Belgium over the course of a few weekends in April 2020. We did the final mix ourselves and sent everything off to be mastered by Dan Swano. The lyrics for each song are different in nature. “Heartworm” is a rather typical depressed metal text, “Ozymandias” is inspired by the Shelley classic and “Discarded” has some Bukowski influences.

Guy: My inspiration comes from a great many things. Usually either movies or books and comics, but it can just as well be something I have seen during the day. I tend to write an enormous amount of music in various styles, mostly metal. But melodic black metal is something I came into contact with during the 90s and it stuck with me, so in a way it is easier to write this sort of music. I just pick up a guitar and go, whereas if I have to write in a different style, it takes a bit more work tweaking everything. Of course, I just do the basic tracks, but it all comes to life as soon as Frederik adds his drumgrooves and Xavier brings the atmospherics and of course the vocals.

3) Who are your influences? Which bands do you listen to today?

Xavier: We basically play the type of music we grew up with and still like. So a lot of nineties black such as Old Man’s Child, Troll, Covenant, Dimmu Borgir, Ancient, Legenda, Eucharist, Rotting Christ,...

Between work and being in several bands, I do not get to listen to as much music as I once did. My playlist changes quite a lot, but at the moment it contains Oransso Pazzuzu, Aetheric Existence, Morgul, Incantation, Gate Creeper, Hackneyed, Suffocation, Black Hill, Battlebeast, ... Guy: Guitarwise, my influences usually stem from classic hard rock and blues. There’s no doubt that AC/DC, Deep Purple, Ozzy/Black Sabbath, Stevie Ray Vaughan and BB King have left their mark. It is a bit different when it comes to metal and especially black metal. There, I usually gravitate towards bands with a certain atmosphere. So there’s no doubt that Dimmu Borgir, Cradle of Filth, Satyricon have all had their input, but I also thoroughly enjoy the more brutal variant with Marduk, Dark Funeral and Darkthrone. Couple that with bands like Celtic Frost and there is a recipe for our variant of black metal.

Nowadays, I listen to a lot of metal from various styles. Currently, it’s a lot of the more old school black, like Cultus Profano or Cirith Gorgor and slam bands like Pathology, Abominable Putridity or Fatuous Rump. And if I need something else, I usually put on something by Arjen Lucassen, as I have always loved his work.

4) What are the band’s plans for the future? Are you recording new material?

At the moment we are looking for a label and a booking agency. Planning concerts is a bit tricky at the moment - what with unclear Covid regulations and prospects as well as cancelled concerts from 2020 and early 2021 being prioritised - but we hope to be playing live soon. Meanwhile we are recording the pilots for our full album that we should hopefully record coming Winter.

After that, we want what most bands want. To share our music with as many people as possible by selling albums and playing some cool shows.

5) How do you see the evolution of Black Metal in the future?

Xavier: Over the past few years, Black metal has become, more or less, mainstream. Like all metal subgenres. Yet at the same time, getting your band noticed is harder than ever. I assume the current flood of new black metal bands will dwindle down to a trickle which will form a pool that sits in the pits of the public’s subconsciousness.

Guy: Tough to answer. From what I can detect, now there’s this massive flow of old school grim black metal and the more melodic stuff is slowly disappearing into the wings again. There’s also a bigger focus on overly technical death metal (which I also appreciate). I guess like with all things, it always has ups and downs. Right now, ‘true’ black metal is big once again, but in a few years, who knows what will be on top then? We could have gone the old school route as well, as the time is now right, but who’s to say that will last? We’ll just stick to what music we want to play and write right now and take it from there.

6) Do you have any other projects apart from Hangman’s Hymn?

Xavier: I have quite a few. Lichfield (lichfield.de) is a dark metal band from Germany in the vein of Amorphis, Sentenced, Katatonia, ... Plagueland (plagueland.eu) is a horror themed blackened death metal band. Nyrak (nyrak.be) is a melodic black metal band. And VoidWork is a dark ambient project.

Guy: Yes, I’m the guitarist for Wound Collector, a technical and epic death metalband with a saxophone as the lead instrument (woundcollector.com). There are some other projects in the wings, but Wound Collector and Hangman’s Hymn are the main bands I contribute to.

7) Do you have a message for our readers?

Xavier: Simply to check out our music and share it.