HeavyHardMetalmania: Hellsaw

IN MY KINGDOM COLD

Hellsaw is latest installment in ever expanding Napalm records roster, this Austrian band turned many heads in their direction with the release of their third opus “Cold”. Dark and freezing to the bone, this piece of music will appeal for sure to all the lovers of old Norwegian scene. Vocalist Aires answered our questions.

Greetings, Hellsaw! How are you doing these days?

All good thanks. Busy as usual, rehearsing, writing and performing.

First thing’s first, and that is your latest release “Cold”. How are you satisfied with it when you compare it to you previous 2 albums?

We’re very satisfied with the way it came out. It represents a real milestone for us as I think we have reached a definitive Hellsaw sound, and obviously it’s a step forward from previous albums, as it should be. But each of the previous albums can stand up to close scrutiny in their own right. I’m proud of all of them.

Is style presented on “Cold” the perfect sound for Hellsaw or are you planning to expand even more from here? Do you see the band moving from BM realms ever?

As I said before, I think we’ve defined the Hellsaw sound, but that’s not to say we will stop here. I don’t think the essence of Hellsaw will change, but it will be developed. We have to progress to remain interesting both to ourselves and to our fans. But as to moving away from BM? No. We will never do that. We would stop being Hellsaw if we did.

“Cold” marks the beginning of your cooperation with Napalm Records, you may not be standard band or this label but they certainly had big influence on development of your homeland’s scene with acts like Abigor, Summoning and Belphegor... Are you satisfied with their work so far?

Yes. Napalm has been very supportive of us. They don’t dictate to us what we have to do which is good, as we couldn’t work like that. A band has to be free to create and not be forced into producing something it’s not comfortable with, and Napalm recognizes this.

In connection with the last question, tell us something more about the state of the scene over there, who are the most promising bands we should keep an eye on, and who are your favorite hordes from Austria ever?

I don’t have any idea about the scene in Austria. I don’t define music by location, I define it by what I like. I don’t see the point of making music a regional issue. It’s either good music or bad music, and where it comes from shouldn’t affect the way you think about it.

The core of the Hellsaw is made of 2 persons, if I am right, is that sufficent for you to fulfill all your visions? Are you planning to make the live members permanent staples in the band?

Myself and drummer Svart originally started Hellsaw, but it hasn’t been a two-man set up for a long time now. All five musicians are full time and permanent members of the band, and each has an active input. In fact, the songs are written by myself and the guitarists Isiul and Malthus, either together or as individuals. I think it’s very necessary to be a solid unit, where everyone’s strengths are used to their best advantage. You don’t get that if members only come in to do live session work.

Your name is quite unusual, more suitable for the DM act, I would say... tell us the main meaning of it.

It’s a word we invented by combining the words “hell” and “saw”. We liked the way it sounds, and its representative of something dark and threatening. I’ve never thought of it as DM I have to say, and no one has ever mentioned it before.

I quite liked “Cold”, it reminded me on old glorious Scandinavian acts like Immortal and Satyricon, but you most certainly have the dose of originality that separates you from the pack and give you own identity... What is your comment on facts stated above?

It’s flattering to be compared to bands of that caliber obviously, but I can’t say that they have ever influenced any of our writing or playing, at least not consciously. We write from our own experiences and from the way we feel personally rather than using templates from other bands, which is why you can hear the originality.

“Cold” is one blood freezing beast of an album and it instantly carries one’s soul to frosty winter landscapes. Since its sound is so strong and defining, do you see yourself moving away in future from said themes, or will you expand upon them?

The sound defines the record; because the record is about “Cold” but there is no way that we will keep repeating the same formula. The music will illustrate whatever theme we decide to use for our next album. You have to keep moving on. The band would stagnate otherwise.

I love the front cover of “Cold”, simple but very effective, who has done it? The main ideas behind it (besides the obvious connection with the title)?

The cover is the work of the Brazilian graphic designer Marcelo Vasco who works on a lot of album covers for bands. The idea behind it is quite simply a visual representation of the music and the album title.

Can you enlighten us about the lyrical message of “Cold”, since I haven’t read them yet...?

I don’t believe in explaining lyrics. They are personal to us, representing how we felt the moment in time that we wrote them. People should be allowed to interpret them as they wish. That’s the beauty of art in all its aspects; it means different things to different people without imposing any restrictions on them.

Are any tours planned for Hellsaw at the moment? I know that you are active live band, which aspect of band work do you enjoy more – touring or recording? I saw that you were on tour with cult bands like Inquisition, Skitliv and Shining, any interesting stories about them (Kvarforth and Maniacs are quite a characters indeed!)?

No interesting stories no. They are professional musicians who were there to work, just as we were. We are playing a series of European festivals in the summer, and we are hoping to do some touring in the autumn. Recording and touring are so completely different that we enjoy them both equally for different reasons. Playing live is a very important part of Hellsaw. Being able to communicate our music face to face is tremendously important, and of course, a live performance brings in a totally different perspective to the music for us as musicians.

That would be all for now, all the best and your last words.

Thank you for the interview, and thank you to all our fans for traveling the road with us.

Answers by Aries Interview done by Trifunović Slobodan