HESSIAN – The Classic Metal Storm
1. Please introduce the band to the readers.
Dear readers of Skylight, we are Hessian from Portland, Maine. We play wild and unrepentant Heavy Metal, and we insist on a good time.
2. How classic metal inspires your sound and your lives in general. After all the years do you still believe that heavy metal is a lifestyle?
Our sound is very much inspired by the Great Old Ones of Metal. For me the best moment of metal history was when it was still a part of rock ‘n’ roll. The sounds that come out of that era are the soundtrack to my life, and a very important part of it. I’m not sure if Heavy Metal is a lifestyle, but it is a music worth dedicating your life to!
3. Please present us your album Mercenary Retrograde.
Mercenary Retrograde is our second full-length album, and we are very pleased with it. Appearing on this album are Greg Souza on drums, Mike Pearce on bass, Ryan Curry and myself on guitars, and Zöey Haab and myself on vocals. The songs are stranger and more diverse than the last album, and we hope to move further and further in this direction as we go along, while keeping the core of rock ‘n’ roll sound that animated us to begin with.
4. By exploring your sound, I am travelling to the British metal of the early 80s. Can you tell me about your main musical and cultural influences?
We take a lot of inspiration from all over the place when we are writing songs, but I think it is fair to say that it is all wrapped up in a paper of NWOBHM and proto metal. I grew up listening to classic rock radio, so there is influence from all across that spectrum, from Billy Joel to The Eurhythmics, but I might also get an idea from listening to Bach or Turkish folkster Selda. Whatever gives me a good musical feeling I try to incorporate into my writing.
5. Do you have any plans for a tour?
We are doing a few New England dates to celebrate the release in September, and we are opening for Satan on October 13 in Boston. Then we are working on going out more fully in the spring.
6. Do you have a permanent line up or you have hired guns in your band right now?
The lineup of Greg, Mike, Zöey, and myself is the permanent lineup.
7. Is there still space for classic metal in our days?
Of course, I think there is more space than ever before! We aren’t at the mercy of the record and broadcast industries as we used to be, and people are free and able to find whatever they like to listen to. The music scene is so much more rich and varied that in the 90’s, and while there are some downsides, I think overall it is a great thing for any music that is outside of the mainstream.
8. What have you learned from the music industry the last years?
A lot, I suppose. As with anything, it is full of cool and enthusiastic and helpful people, and it is full of dicks. But the former outnumber the latter, and outweigh them in every important way. Also it is up to you to make your band happen, and keep it that way. Nobody is going to hand you something you aren’t willing to reach out and take. Also double check everything, you aren’t as smart as you think you are.
Band info: http://www.urtodrecords.de/
