Hellborn Interview

Hellbörn are from Trois Rivieres, Quebec, Canada who play a raw form of old school death metal. They have been in existence since 2012 and have two releases so far (Earth Punishment EP from 2013 & a full length – Pillage in the Land of God (2018)). Some of the members are also a part of the thrash band Satanic as well. Having heard and seen Satanic live, I was later introduced by some of the members to their other band Hellborn. It would be their latest CD – Pillage in the Land of God that I would hear out first and would take me by surprise, making me a fan of this band! After getting in touch with Izaac from Hellbörn, I asked if I could interview the band for Blessed Altar Zine and he agreed. Here’s what followed…

– Hi Izaac and Hellborn! Well first off, thank you for doing this interview for us at Blessed Altar Zine! We are happy to have you on here! So, I think I would like to start with asking about how things have been going with Hellborn lately and how is your latest release doing– Pillage in the Land of God?
– Everything went as planned! Last Saturday we did the last show related to the release of the album in our hometown Trois-Rivières. We received excellent feedback that warmed our black hearts.

– I have noticed you have had different shows going on in the last while. Has this mainly been in Quebec or elsewhere too? Will you guys go on a tour to play some more places as well?
– A tour is definitely something we want to do in a near future. However, without the right promoters, it is financially very risky and we are still looking for the right connections. We would like to go on tour without having to sell our belongings for it, lol. We haven’t played outside Quebec yet but we’re open to possibilities.

– Musically, what would you say are your influences on the type of death metal that you do?
– Thrash metal like Slayer’s “Haunting the Chapel” or Possessed’s “Seven Churches” are rightfully very influential to us. The first of wave of black metal is equally important. Sarcofago, Venom, Hellhammer, Bathory… Never overly technical. Sometimes less than 3 riffs in a song but powerful memorable riffs. Simple but deadly raw primal energy.
These bands really were onto something special. They brought metal to a higher level, which I believe is why they were influential to so many bands, including us.

– Where do you see Hellbörn in a few years from now?
– If all goes well in the next few years, we’ll have released another record or two. We do not care for commercial success but hopefully, we will acquire some reputation in the underground. We are currently working on our next album and I can tell you it will be unforgiving!

– With yourself and some of the guys also being in the band Satanic, what separates both bands for interests and writing styles?
– Lyrically, Satanic is more about politics and conspiracies while Hellbörn is more about death, darkness and the worship and triumph of evil. Gogol (lead guitar) is the main songwriter for Satanic. When he composes for Hellbörn, he switches to a different playing style than with Satanic. With Hellbörn, I write most lyrics but the music is created as a band. We individually bring our raw compositions then we shape it into a final version together. Another difference between the two bands are the drums tracks, which are more complex with Hellbörn than Satanic. The guitars are tuned differently too.

– What inspired the band to choose the name Hellborn?
– In the early days of the band, we went through many line-up changes. Once the line up had stabilized, we had all agreed to play old school metal. We needed a more serious name and Hellbörn was it. The ö in our name is a direct tribute to the mighty Motörhead.

– It obvious that you guys all have interests with the older school death metal of the 1980’s & 1990’s style but are there other styles or eras of metal that you like as well?
– We have similar music tastes in the band. Death metal aside, we listen to thrash classics like Destruction, Possessed, Slayer and old black metal like Beherit or Tormentor is highly appreciated within the band. Mexodus (rythm guitar) and I play in a black metal band (Messe Noire) where he does bass and I do vocals. I listen to some more modern metal bands but they are all old school-rooted. I have no excuse, I really like that old-school shit!

– What do you also think of the different styles of metal in more recent times that tend to combine death & doom or black & death or thrash, black & death, etc?
– I think as long as it’s well executed, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with taking influence from an equally noble subgenre. When composing songs, we don’t really care if its strictly death metal or not. Our primary concern is to create an evil feeling that will compel your head to bang and your face to grin.

– Will Hellborn as a band stay with its sound or writing style in the roots of the old school? Or is there a chance that other forms of metal may be applied with the band in the future?
– I can assure you that our formula will remain the same. We surely will evolve as musicians but our interests won’t change. There will be only vicious riffs and diabolical screams: music of damnation in the image of our sad cursed world.

– Its well known that the province of Quebec in Canada has a lot of great metal bands and releases that have come out over the years. There always seems to be a thriving interest and on-going support there for what I have seen. What do you think makes all this possible?
– Indeed, Quebec is host to many excellent bands. However, I wouldn’t say the interest for old school death metal is thriving in or around the region of Trois-Rivières. I’ve played gigs for empty venues a couple times. Perhaps we’ve been unlucky about that.

– Thank you Izaac and Hellbörn for doing this review for Blessed Altar Zine! We love the underground! Would you like to say anything further about the band or offer any thoughts, opinions or advice on anything in life for the people to know?
– Thanks for your questions and devotion to the underground and thanks to all readers and fans. May all crosses be upside-down…!

Interview by Eldritch Of Death