Sombre Arcanec

Clément: Hello Graham. To begin, can you explain how did you pass from a noisegrind band (Agoretion or Agortion ?) to a black metal band (or extreme speed metal or any fucking tag you want) ?

Graham: We've all played in different bands growng up, punk, metal, whatever. Agoretion was pretty much a joke to begin with, if you'd ever heard us you would understand, it was all about noise and pissing people off and for whatever reason some local punkers and grind freaks really liked it and we ended up playing lots of shows, oddly enough. When the idea of Hellacaust came up, the four of us had just finished playing a Motorhead tribute set , where we actually played REAL music to the best of our ability and sounded like a legitamate band which showed us the potential we had to form a real kick ass metal band instead of just making noise like we were in Agoretion. Hellacaust began as a project for a Halloween gig, where we would play covers of bands like Slayer, Sodom, Mayhem, Bathory, War etc. and we wrote one orginal song ('Hellacaust' which appears on 'Dark Age Descending'). We had no intention of moving forward with the band but after that one gig it was obvious that we should say "Fuck Agoretion , this is what we should be doing" .

Clément: And so, do you really have a black metal spirit or you don’t give a fuck of Satanism, misanthropy, etc…? I say that because at the end of the tracks Millennial Regression we can hear some laughs and sounds of bottle. (Well, I remember Morbid with the track Disgusting Semla…)

Graham : I don't give a fuck about religion. Anyone who subscribes to organized religion is fucking pathetic and weak. Sure, we can look at different aspects of religion to inspire us, but it should never be so cut and dry that you have limitations in the way we are supposed to think and feel. Black Metal is very important to me, I can relate to the individualism and pride it promotes, but it isn't going to stop me from smiling, or laughing or enjoying a beer with my friends. Life is not about being miserable. The last part of 'Millenial Regression' is a celebration of the metal/punk community and the fact that with all the bullshit we put up with in everyday life, at the end of the day we are laughing at it, laughing at all these political, corporate figures striving for the next big thing, because we (the metallers and punkers) HAVE what we need and we will always be content with that.

Clément: Besides, your last album, Disgust, sounds less black metal than the two previous, why ?

Graham : It just happend that way, our band is not about being black metal, or thrash metal, or death metal. We are about creating music that will DESTROY everything around us...the energy, the volume, the speed...its all about 'more is more' . We all write the music in the band, we don't pass off riffs that don't sound black metal, if they're good, they're good. Chances are if you're listening to Tankard, you're not going to be inspired to write shit that sounds like Beherit. Saying that, we still do take ALOT of influence from black metal, it just gets fucked up when we play it and ends up sounding like it does on the record...it's not our intention to be less or more black metal than before.

Clément: We can hear some things more punk, heavy metal, thrash metal, and technical elements, sometimes near to the modern mathcore. Was it a real will of the band to take a new way with Hellacaust, more open on other kind of extreme music ?

Graham : The technical aspect is there because to us it enhances the insanity. Like I said, we live by the 'more is more' philosophy when it comes to writing music, we want to get off on it...I fucking hate that mathcore shit for the most part...but we do enjoy some more technical shit like older Cryptopsy or Angelcorpse . And of course we want to take a new way for Hellacaust; we want to be our own band, not a clone of any other. We are all over the map when it comes to influences and we don't really have a filter when we write, we just collectively know what we're going for.

Clément: When I listen to this last album, I think to Sarcófago, Bathory, Possessed and old Mayhem. Are they some of your influences ? Who are your main influences ?

Graham : Of course those old bands are huge influences on us. Like I said before, our influences are all over the place. I personally lean more on the older-style thrashy stuff, as does Evan (drums), like the bands mensioned, but also newer bands with that style like Impiety, Gospel of the Horns, Aura Noir, Destroyer 666, Nifelheim, Sabbat (japan) etc. I love crust and punk (I play in a crust band as well called Napalm Raid and used to play in Sytem Shit). Troy (guitar) is a big thrash head but also is very into old Entombed, Rotten Sound, Napalm Death...pounding, grindy shit. John (bass/vocals) is the biggest Sabbath fan in the world , loves Testament, Ted Nugent, Anthrax...Collectively, I would say our MAIN influence are Sodom (from all eras), Immortal, Summon, Nifelheim, Tankard, Terrorizer, Testament...I could go on forever.

Clément: I find the artwork looks like very punk, don’t you ? It’s very different from the previous. What is it, who have done it and what does it represent for you ?

Graham : This time we wanted the artwork to be simple and to the point. What it represents to us is that if you deviate for the expected norm, huge consequences will be faced. Its like there is always somebody there to keep you in line, on the straight and narrow path. We felt the album had to be very blunt, we took that approach with every aspect of it, music, lyrics, recording, imagery...even the album's name...everything. This was the most to-the-point album we've done in every way and I think it best represents the band at this point in our lives.

Clément: Is there any concept behind the album, or a main theme in the lyrics ? I think it’s also a bit punk (yes, one more time) with titles like Disgust, Millenial Regression, The Same Old Shit, and almost all the titles.

Graham : I think the punk feel comes from our distaste for poser, postured "metal" bands, bands that are more concerned about asthetic and reputation than they are about the music and the honesty behind it. We see alot of these bands that try to come off as "professional" and are complete fucking tools...we show up at gigs to do two things : get drunk and rip your face off. Thats what we do on the album as well. Others are concerned about combing their hair, finding the right bondage pants, talking about how they don't listen to metal anymore because its childish...whatever...basically being an elitist asshole who thinks theyre better than everyone. The blunt, no frills approach is what we wanted to say "FUCK YOU FANCY PANTS!!! YOUR BAND SUCKS!!!!". As for the lyrics, the album name 'Disgust' sums it up well...there is alot of cynicism in the lyrics.

Clément: After the release of Disgust, did you go on tour ? Will it have some dates in Europe or in Maghreb ?

Graham : We toured extensively in Canada. Europe, States etc. is all in the cards for us but people have to understand that until someone else pays of this shit, this is on our own dime (the lyrics for "Whore" touch on that). We do things at the pace we can afford to. But we are lifers , we will play these places in time.

Clément: Do you speak French and do you like the Métal Noir Québecois ?

Graham : No I don't speak french, touring in Quebec can be difficult at times hah . A few Quebecoisi bands we've enjoyed are Anhkrehg , Nefaustus Dies

Clément: This interview is lead by a French guy for a Tunisian webzine so; do you know and like some metal bands from Middle Eastern, Maghreb or France ?

Graham : I'm sure I do

Clément: How old are you and when did you begin to play music? Did you begin with extreme metal ?

Graham : We are all young, we started doing this shit in diapers. I am 24 , we started this band when I was 15. The others are somewhere arund 26, John (vocals) and myself played together since I was 12, he was 14. We used to play in a band that covered everything from Sabbath, Venom, Minor Threat, old Bad Religion, Slayer, Misfits...a bunch of shit. My father is a professional Irish/Celtic musician, so I grew up with a fiddle in my hand and crazy musicians all around me....I had no chance from the start!!!

Clément: Well, I think playing black metal doesn’t feed a man so, what is your job ?

Graham: I'm a cook, John's a cook and janitor, Troy's a cook, Evan's a butcher. Jobs suck, that's what "Whore" is all about...I wrote the lyrics to that hanging off the back of a garbage truck, knee deep in everyone elses shit.

Clément: OK, just left one cartridge so, have you got a last will ?

Graham: Thank you for the total support dear Clément! It is really interesting.

Cheers Graham and Hellacaust! http://www.myspace.com/hellacaust