interview with Hellripper
What are your names? / Who plays what? / How old are you? I'm James, I am the only member of the band. I'm 20.
Have any of you played in other bands? I play in a couple of other bands. I am the sole member of Lock Howl, a goth/post-punk band in a similar vein to Joy Division and Beastmilk etc. And I am the guitarist/vocalist in Rats of Reality, a black metal influenced crust band similar to bands like Darkthrone, Oathbreaker and Amebix etc.
Where are you from? I am from Aberdeen, Scotland.
What year did the band form? Officially, 2014 is when things started taking shape.
What's your style of genre? I describe it as a mixture of first-wave black metal mixed with speed and thrash metal. There is a bit of punk thrown in there too.
What inspires you? Anything can be inspiring. Usually it's listening to music or watching a film.
How have you developed since you started with the music? Some of the early demos that were written (and either not recorded or not released) had more of a standard thrash feel and were much longer similar to stuff like Agent Orange by Sodom for example.
What are your songs about? Most of the songs deal with horror themes such as witch burning. The songs wouldn't feel right if the lyrics were quite upbeat.
Do you start with the music or the lyrics? The music is always first. In some cases I may have a title or a line in mind while writing the music, but the music is always finished first.
What was your first gig like? I haven't played live with Hellripper yet, although hopefully that will happen in the near future.
When did you start to sell merchandise, and what do you have for sale? I started selling t-shirts not too long after the first EP was released. At the moment all I have are the t-shirts and some cassettes.
Where can people buy your merchandise? Via the bandcamp page: http://www.hellripper.bandcamp.com
What do you think about people downloading music instead of buying records nowadays? I personally don't do it, I always prefer to have the CD of an album I like rather than a digital version. But I believe that free music will bring more exposure to the band and the fans that would pay for the music will buy it regardless of it being available for free.
How do you think and know that this interview will help you in the music business? Hopefully it will be of interest to someone who hasn't heard my music and will make people check it out.
Is it easier to find inspiration from older bands, or bands that are more active today? I find they are both equal. Good music is good music regardless of how “new” it is.
Do you have any new material?
I have a few split EP's planned for this year and early next year.
What are your web sites?
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/Hellripper1
Bandcamp: http://www.hellripper.bandcamp.com/
How can people reach you? Either by messaging the band facebook page or by e-mail at [email protected]
What are your plans for the future? Just to continue releasing music and to play live.
Do you have something to add? Thanks for the interview and to anyone still reading, check out the music! Cheers!