Fear the Sphere: Hatesphere at Tuska Open Air, 2007
SEPTEMBER 2007: With all the extreme metal bands cropping up internationally, finding one that truly gets the blood pumping can be like searching for a needle in a haystack. Enter Danish thrashers HATESPHERE, a band that turned heads among old and new school metalheads worldwide with discs like 2005's "The Sickness Within", the band's impressive percussion and watertight riffing generating comparisons to prime SLAYER and AT THE GATES. 2007 finds the band unleashing a new platter of tunes entitled "Serpent Smiles and Killer Eyes". We talked with guitarist Peter "Pepe" Lyse Hansen about the band's past and future.
Marchman: It seems like you've got a concentrated effort on this record to mix up the speed with midpaced riffs, in tracks like "Floating", for example. How did this style evolve from the last record?
Peter Lyse Hansen: It came up naturally, actually. When we do the albums, we don't agree on everything before we get started. We just start writing songs, and if the songs are groovy, then the songs will be groovy. If we come up with some fast riffs, then the songs are going to be fast. I guess this time, with more midtempos, more slow stuff mixed up with the fast stuff. It's not intentional. It just sort of came up. We've been trying some more "rock" kind of riffs. Maybe we wouldn't have put them on the first album, but this time we didn't have any problems mixing them up. We just kind of wrote what came to mind.
Marchman: Now, that's interesting that you say that this may not have happened around the time of the first album. The band as a whole must have embraced some new approaches to riffs and songwriting. Something has changed between the band today and the time of the first album.
Hansen: First of all, we're older and we've got some more experience. We're more relaxed when we write songs - more confident, I guess. All the songs don't have to be fast, they don't all have to have a solo in them, etc. It's maturity and the fact that we have the balls to rely on ourselves. When we write a song, we believe that it's going to be a kickass HATESPHERE song.
Marchman: What have been some preliminary reactions in Europe and elsewhere to the new disc?
Hansen: The more albums you do the more reactions you get, because people get used to 'one sound'. If they're in love with the last one, then they want the next one to sound exactly like it. As a band, you don't want to do that. If you make an album that basically has all the same ideas as all the other albums, I at least feel that it's going to be boring. Not that we've been changing all that much, but we've been making a few changes in the music because that makes the albums more exciting to listen to, and more exciting from our point of view. It's good to try something different once in awhile. But to answer your question, the reaction has been overwhelmingly positive so far. Of course there are some that want it to sound this way, or that way.
Marchman: How about when you were a young music fan? I'm sure there were metal bands that changed their style, and it caused you to lose some interest in them.
Hansen: Oh, yeah! I've always been a great fan of MEGADETH - I'm a big fan now as well, especially the last couple of albums. But on "Euthanasia" when they started to do a more "rock MEGADETH" sound, I didn't like it. Then, when "Cryptic Writings" came out, I thought, "This is so bad!" But I recently bought that album, and I think it's amazing! But as far as HATESPHERE goes, there's going to be change. But we're not going to change that radically. We're just going to try to make the best of the style we play, and try to make it more and more exciting. There's not gonna be any "dance stuff" on a HATESPHERE album! (laughs).
Marchman: You guys were a lot more directly involved in the recording and production of this record than previous ones.
Hansen: We recorded the drums at Tommy Hansen's place in Denmark. Of course, we had our own opinion about stuff. But the reason we recorded the drums at his place was because he gets the very best drum sound, at least in our opinion. So, we wanted to use him. After that all the other instruments and vocals were recorded at Jacob's (Bredhal - vocals) studio. The cool thing about that was that it was in our home town. When we're finished, we can go off on our bikes and go home to bed! We can start and end the day when we wanted. It was also cool to know that Jason is producing lots of other bands, and he's always been involved in other albums as well. But this time he just worked on the bass, guitar, vocals, etc.
Marchman: So did you feel good enough about the process to do it this way again? Can you see future albums being recorded this way?
Hansen: I think this was one of the best experiences I've had with recording. I usually hate being in the studio. We've always recorded in Denmark, usually with people like Tommy Hansen and Jacob Hansen in the past. But this way - doing it at home - we feel like we have some of the best studios in the country in our own backyard.
Marchman: Your first tour was with MASTODON and THE HAUNTED in 2003. Was it a humbling experience for a new band starting out?
Hansen: That tour, it was their second tour in Europe, supporting THE HAUNTED like we did. It wasn't really a good tour for them in a way, because those audiences wanted to hear the thrash metal - they wanted to hear us, and THE HAUNTED. So MASTODON was the 'different' band on that tour. Some of the audiences reacted like, "Who was that band?" Then suddenly, it just exploded and they got huge! It was only four or five years ago, and now they're a huge band.
Marchman: You guys are playing a lot of metal festivals these days. What are some of the differences between preparing for a festival and a standard min-tour?
Hansen: It's just different at a festival - the idea of being so far away from the audience instead of having them right up in your face. That feeling is totally different! A regular show is much more intimate, of course. But when you play a festival at night, in front of thousands and thousands of people and you have the lights just right and a cool sound - it's like that 'rock star dream'! You feel like you're living it out!
Marchman: Yeah, I guess I can see that. It seems like there are a lot more metal festivals over in Europe than here in the states.
Hansen: Yeah, we've got a lot.
Marchman: There's something to be said about playing a metal festival in Europe with some ancient castle in the background, as opposed to over here playing in the 'Verizon Wireless Amphitheater" or "Fed Ex Field", that sort of thing.
Hansen: The atmosphere!
Marchman: Yeah, exactly. Another question - there are just so many bands now, so many musicians playing this type of music. What has HATESPHERE learned that has helped you stand out from some of the others?
Hansen: I think playing live is important. People can see that we play the way we sound on the records, and we enjoy doing it! We don't only stand up there and 'look aggressive'. We do some of that of course, but we also have fun. That's the cool thing - to play metal and still have a smile on your face! I think that's important and helps a band stand out - to really show the joy of playing. When I listen to a band play, I can tell if they're really good at it. But I can also see how other people can get confused about all the bands that sound kind of the same, who's the best and all that. It's kind of difficult.
Marchman: So it all boils down to the live show?
Hansen: It's the live show, but the music counts as well. It's just so difficult with all those crap bands that are out today. There are bands that are doing albums now that shouldn't be, in my opinion!
Marchman: I see HATESPHERE just finished up their first tour of China. How was it?
Hansen: It was different. They don't quite always know what to do when a band arrives, what equipment is required, and that sort of thing. But we knew that ahead of time. We knew it was going to be different. All the people over there were super cool, helping us out whenever they could. They gave us the best equipment they could possibly get for the shows - really worked their asses off. But of course, it wasn't like touring over here. It was fun to experience something like that.
Marchman: They're not seeing metal festivals every Thursday over there.
Hansen: No, definitely not! (laughs). They're just really happy to see shows over there. A band! From Europe! Aaaargh! Nobody's ever taken so many pictures of me before! Everybody wants autographs and everything over there. They're hungry for it. The first show we played in China was this big festival. We played at night with like 30,000 people, and they were REALLY into it! It was our first show in three months, and that was a great reception. When we play by ourselves, it's usually smaller venues.
Marchman: Have you met any bands during the tours and playing this type of music that have reached a level where they can actually survive on their music and quit the proverbial day job?
Hansen: I don't know for sure, but there are certainly some that could. A band like SOILWORK could. MASTODON could as well. We've also played with CHIMAIRA and KREATOR. Not sure, but I think they could potentially get to that point, sure. Of course, we'd like to as well.
Marchman: You're obviously doing something right. HATESPHERE is playing festivals, you're on a strong label, and there's a good PR push behind the last few records. What have been some of the keys to HATESPHERE getting this far?
Hansen: We've been playing our asses off, and we've always been good at making ourselves heard. I like our website, and we've got some cool merchandise out there as well. Playing good shows in the right cities also helps, and having contact with the fans is important.
Marchman: Before we wrap this up, why don't you share some of your favorite tracks from the new record and what you like about them?
Hansen: I think a song like "Damned Below Judas", one of the death metal songs on the album is one of the best. It starts off very fast, and then slows down in the middle. Not that we want to play death metal all the time, but I do like that side of our sound quite a bit. Another one is "Drinking With the King of the Dead"- it's a slow fucker, so cool to play live. It's almost the slowest song we've ever done. It starts out in an almost 'country' kind of way.
Marchman: Is that the one with the harmonica in the intro?
Hansen: Yes, exactly. Starts off slow, and builds up steadily.
Marchman: I was surprised to hear that! But I like it when a band takes chances or takes it to the outside a little.
Hansen: Yes, that's definitely one of my favorites from the new record.
Marchman: Thanks very much for your time, Pepe! Great stuff!
Hansen: Thank you! Keep up the good work!
HATESPHERE are Jacob Bredahl, Peter "Pepe" Lyse Hansen, and Henrik "Heinz" Jacobsen. Hear samples of their latest record, "Serpent Smiles and Killer Eyes" at www.hatesphere.com and myspace.com/hatesphere.
Pictures courtesy of Metalpics.ch
**The web version of this article can be found at www.peacedogman.com/ptihs***
