"Horror is the future. And you cannot be afraid. You must push everything to the absolute limit, or else life will be boring. People will be boring. Horror is like a serpent: always shedding its skin, always changing. And it will always come back. It can't be hidden away like the guilty secrets we try to keep in our subconscious." – Dario Argento

Powerful quotes by such a brilliant mind of horror cinema should always be remembered and serve as a reminder that the preservation of an idea is crucial because you never know when it might be a valuable lesson for all those who wish to discover more than meets the eye. In the modern world, people claim that it's really hard to find great black metal bands with an element of mystery that surrounds them, while their music is enriched in such a macabre aura that feels so unreal and bewitching. Some even say that finding such a band is impossible or even futile trying, but I beg to differ because you only need to know where to look. Under the banner of the German label Dying Victims Productions, we have the phenomenal band Hexenbrett, which first caught everyone's attention around 2018/2019 with their debut EP "Erste Beschwörung", and have since then managed to maintain the magic in their music, as well as preserving their identities and the land of origin. I have said this so many times and I will say it again, this band is practically perfect for anyone out there who is into old-school heavy and black metal but also digs Italian horror movies by such brilliant masterminds as Mario Bava and Dario Argento. You simply can't deny that there is something special about Hexenbrett, and you've got to admire them for their creativity and the very key factor that is very much present in their works, and that is the element of the known. After diving deep into their newest album "Dritte Beschwörung: Dem Teufel eine Tochter", I have managed to get in touch with one of the members of the band who goes by the name of Josto Feratu, and get some info about the work on their official second full-length album, while discussing other things involving the key aspects of Hexenbrett which I wanted to explore even further. If you want to gaze into the Deep Red and enter the Bay of Blood, then you are most welcome to do so.

Vladimir

Greetings Hexenbrett on behalf of Metalbite! How are you doing?

Thank you for having us. The band is currently preparing for this year's final concerts while Scarlettina and I await the release of Dritte Beschwörung. Recharging is what we currently do.

I had the pleasure of checking out your new album Dritte Beschwörung: Dem Teufel eine Tochter, and I've gotta say that I was very pleased with how it turned out as a whole. I personally think that this might be your best work yet because you have truly taken everything to the next level with this one. How did you guys approach the overall work on this album? What were some of the key aspects that you wanted to explore further in the songwriting process and the overall musical direction?

Thank you very much, this was our goal. The main difference when it comes to the general approach was that we had more time. Time in all aspects; the songs were written over a longer period of time, then they were re-written, we took ourselves plenty of time for the preproduction, even had two demoing sessions for final tweaks and changes and lastly the recording process was about three times longer than for our previous outputs. This definitely helped us to fully develop and implement our ideas.

Although your music always provided very rich and complex song structures with highly expressive ideas, this one seems to head for a more progressive vibe and you can tell that your signature style was tweaked on this new album. Did you face some significant challenges along the way while preparing the new material?

It definitely took us longer to get studio-ready as the material was more demanding than on our previous outputs. The actual rehearsals took about 6 months before we entered the studio with Tommasso and even then, we were still pushed to our limits. But I guess this is the way it's supposed to be.

The band is certainly evolving fairly well in so many unpredictable ways, constantly adding new things here and there, but it always seems to turn out so excellent in the end, with the execution being simultaneously effective and flawless. Was there anything that you were looking to improve from your past works? Perhaps things like the overall atmosphere of the album or the song arrangements?

Basically, just writing good songs and providing them with all the musical necessities they need. Not too much on one hand, but not too minimal on the other either. We got rid of quite a few things on some songs, but also added things on others since it was necessary. Time, again, was definitely important for that.

One song from the new album in particular that got stuck with me is the instrumental track "La plese de la nuit", which really feels like a soundtrack-driven song that could easily fit a retro horror movie or TV series, as its main theme or the end credits score. I really have to ask, have you guys ever considered the potential of Hexenbrett to be further developed one day by writing soundtrack music or do you think that in doing so it would diminish the magic of the band?

That's a question that's not that easy to answer. Generally speaking, it's definitely considerable, but there are many factors that come into play with such an endeavor.  A good story, atmosphere in general, the right director, a proper budget and so on and so forth are crucial for such an undertaking.

The music of Hexenbrett is very unique and atmospheric in its own way, as I described it as an unholy matrimony of occult heavy metal and black metal, where you can hear influences from bands like Mercyful Fate/King Diamond, Witchfynde and Death SS fused with Master's Hammer, Darkthrone, Celtic Frost, and Tormentor, with some elements of the notorious Italian progressive rock band Goblin. When you guys started out before the release of Erste Beschwörung, how did the band exactly envision their sound and style?

We didn't envision anything. The songs were written and everything came together piece by piece. The only aspect that was important was that the songs were simple in their message and to the point in their execution.

One notable fact about the band is that you guys were heavily influenced by Italian horror films from masterminds such as Mario Bava and Dario Argento. Which of their movies are some of your favorites and how would you rank them?

That's a tough one. With Bava it's basically everything but Argento somehow lost his touch after Opera, even though Scarlettina is a huge fan of Wax Mask.

While we're still citing key influences behind the band, I would like to know what are your top 5 most important albums, metal or non-metal, which served as influences for Hexenbrett?

That's impossible to answer but five key musicians/bands would be Bruno Nicolai, King Diamond, Dani Filth, Glenn Danzig, and Claudio Simonetti.

Since the band's inception, the members have successfully remained anonymous and in doing so you manage to preserve the macabre aura and the mystery around Hexenbrett. It's a very hard thing to pull off in today's world with more advanced technology and social media, where any kind of information about bands and musicians seems to be readily available, and to some bands, it is practically impossible to hide their faces from the public eyes. To what extent is it important for you guys to preserve your identities? Is it just a matter of having your fans experience the band in a certain kind of way, or is it an established band politics so to speak?

It's simply not important. Scarlettina and I do exist behind the band, we control the narrative. This is all that matters. Looks, age, or origin are not important. They don't enhance the musical experience, so why should it be important in the first place? There are no personalities, only music.

The last thing I would like to point out is that I strongly believe your music is probably the most ideal for vinyl releases because your albums are just perfect to be owned on 12-inch vinyl, especially with the kind of artwork that you incorporate and the generally top-notch sound production that just keeps getting better and better. I have two questions about this topic: Do you feel the same way about your music that it's best experienced on a 12" vinyl? Also, do you still have that level of excitement when you finally get to hold the physical copy of your album in your hands and just admire the final product?

We totally agree and the music is usually written with that in mind. It's not about an ongoing stream of songs but rather a presentation divided into two acts. It's all about dynamics and atmosphere, both of which are essential when it comes to our concept.

Thank you so much for doing this interview. I am highly looking forward to hearing more great music from you guys in the near future and keep up the good work. Are there any final words you'd like to leave for the fans?

Thank you so much, we appreciate those words. Visit hexenbrett.bandcamp.com and keep your eyes open for future live concerts. So long, J.