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HUNTERS MOON:
The Australian Horde Has Sounded the
Horn for Battle, Heed Their Call!
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Upon
long dead steeds ride forth the blackened duo known as Hunters
Moon. Hailing from Melbourne Australia, swords in hand, spewing
forth battle hymns where evil always wins. They've documented
their hate in the form of a mini-LP entitled "The Serpent's
Lust" on Hells Headbangers Records. It is an infernal invocation
to the gods of epic black metal. Below I play the role of
inquisitor, they the heretic, read the deeds.
All babblements by: The Mighty Mojon
All answers by: J. Eradicator
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You guys have been playing together since 2003, Denouncement
Pyre to Nocturnal Graves and now Hunters Moon. How long have you
known one another and what is it about your musical relationship
that has kept you working together for so long through so many
projects?
We formed
Denouncement Pyre in 2003, though Decaylust and I had both been
playing music together sometime before this. It would be fair to
say that Denouncement Pyre was our first serious band. We grew
up together and shared the same musical interests and ideals so
it seemed natural for our shared ideas to manifest themselves as
what would become Denouncement Pyre. We never played in
Nocturnal Graves together. I played on the Satan's Cross album
and Decaylust is now a member of the Nocturnal Graves touring
line up.
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You both have a history in other mighty Australian bands. Why
form Hunters Moon? What was the original idea behind the
creation?
I have always
had a great interest in this particular style of metal, right
from the time I first heard Blood Fire Death. Whilst playing in
Denouncement Pyre, new ideas started to emerge that were not
fitting for the chaos of Denouncement Pyre, hence Hunters Moon
was formed.
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Hunters Moon is essentially a two-man project, right? Who does
what in the studio and on stage?
All the music
is written by me, the lyrics and themes are a figment of
Decaylust's warped imagination. In the studio I handle the
guitars, bass and organs. A close friend of ours filled in on
session drums for the recording of the Serpent's Lust. Decaylust
is responsible for all lyrical content and vocals on our
recordings.
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Who came up with the name Hunters Moon and why?
I honestly do
not recall, but I think that the name is well aligned with our
epic style of black metal.
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What are you trying to convey with your lyrics? Is there an
explainable overall philosophy to Hunters Moon the band?
The themes and subject matter of the lyrics on the Serpent's
Lust are quite varied. The unifying aspect is that all of the
lyrics delve into the occult, dark and macabre. Decaylust is the
lyrical brain behind Hunter's Moon, but we both share the same
vision of what the lyrics should be about and the general theme
of the music. We have purposely steered away from the typical
style of lyrics that permeate this genre and metal in general.
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Denouncement Pyre is still active, are you guys involved in any
other projects?
Denouncement
Pyre is indeed still active. I am no longer a member of the band
but I am recording and engineering their upcoming full length.
The Serpent Inquisitor from Stargazer & Cauldron Black Ram is
behind the skins on this album and Decaylust is handling all
other duties. I have no doubt that it will turn out to be a
killer release. Aside from Hunter's Moon I play in a dirty punk
rock n' roll band on the side. Decaylust has his own metal
infused industrial project called Oxygen Abortion. I am hoping
to start working on some new projects in the New Year, weather
or not they manifest themselves as a metal band or not remain to
be seen.
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From the outside it seems like Australia has a pretty strong
metal scene that also seems quite incestuous. How would you
describe the current Australian metal community?
Outsiders tend
to share this view of the metal scene in Australia. Truth be
told, the scene for black/death/extreme metal is dying, if not
dead. There are plenty of metalcore and crossover bands, but
scene for extreme music in Australia has dwindled rapidly in the
last few years. There are rarely any black/death gigs and
whenever there is the turnout would typically be poor. Australia
has given birth to dozens of great bands over the years;
unfortunately most of these are no longer active. I personally
like to keep myself at arms length from any particular scene and
its attached politics.
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How is it being so far removed from the rest of the world? Does
it help to ferment a distinct Australian sound? All in all, is
it a hindrance or helper?
A slight
hindrance I suppose, since metal has a larger following
overseas. I don't really dwell on these sorts of things as I
think there are plenty of able musicians at my disposal if I
wanted to start a new band or project. Australia definitely
tends to have an associated sound; typically people from
overseas will reminisce on warring black/death bands of the 90s.
I don't keep any particular sound or vibe in mind when creating
the music for Hunter's Moon. I think that Hunter's Moon comes
across as sounding more like a European export than anything,
which is fine by me.
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Does the Melbourne area have many places for metal bands to play
live? Is there a venue you would consider the epicenter?
There use to be
some good venues. These have since closed down or they no longer
support metal bands. This seems to tie in with the fact that the
metal scene in Melbourne, and Australia generally, has dwindled
over the last few years. There aren't really any venues that I
would consider the epicenter, most of the venues are standard
pub venues which are converted for the course of a gig.
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The Asian continent holds your closest geographical metal
brethren. Have you ever played the area? Future tour plans? Will
we ever see a North American tour?
I have never toured those regions. I couldn't say that I have
any plans to. At this stage I could not really foresee Hunter's
Moon being a touring band.
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Most Australian metal has a certain filthy clarity to the
recordings. Is there a main studio or studio man that helps
drive the Australian bands to such dirty blackened ends?
Probably not a
particular studio, but there is a particular sound which is
embodied by the the 90's black/death bands from Australia. I
don't think the studio really matters if the execution and
production is correct. I have recorded in 'proper' studios with
'proper' engineers in the past and it has often proved to be a
tiresome and frustrating experience. I have since found that I
am able to achieve the desired sound by recording and
engineering my own releases. I have also started recording and
engineering other bands, for instance the upcoming Nocturnal
Graves and Denouncement Pyre releases.
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The Serpents Lust just breaks the 20-minute mark but still
comes across as grand and epic. Are you happy with the end
results, was your original vision realized?
I think there
are always things that you would like to change in hindsight,
but generally I am happy with how the release came out. The
response has been good too which is pleasing.
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"The Ravens Swoon" seems to be a holdover from your self-titled
demo, which came out in 2006. How long have you been working on
the songs for The Serpents Lust?
I had been
working on the songs on and off since the demo came out. There
were other songs written but I felt that the songs picked for
the Serpent's Lust were the most fitting for a release.
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To you what is The Serpents Lust about?
I don't think
this is something that can be portrayed or easily documented. My
interpretation is irrelevant in the end anyway. Interpret The
Serpent's Lust as you will.
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Who designed the cover art for The Serpents Lust?
Andrei Zikov.
He has also done work for Nocturnal Graves and a whole range of
other bands. He is a talented artist and I think he captured my
vision very accurately in his artwork.
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The Serpent's Lust is a mini LP. When can we expect the
full-blown onslaught?
Most of the
songs are written but it will be a while ‘til we get around to
recording them. I would optimistically predict mid next year.
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The opening and closing tracks add an epic quality to the blasphemic battle hymns trapped in between. As a whole would you
see The Serpents Lust as a collaborative realization or are
certain songs much more one mans fruit?
We each
contribute our own aspects to each song. I am responsible for
the music and arrangements of all the songs where as Decaylust
is responsible for the lyrics and their delivery. The overall
execution of the release is a collaborative vision of Decaylust
and I. We both share the same ideals about this genre of music
and the way in which it should be produced.
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The Bathory influence has been mentioned, what other names would
you add to the list of major influences?
The legendary
80s/90s Black/Death bands.
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If you could have a dream split LP with any band in the world,
who would it be?
I have never
really contemplated this. The idea of a 'dream split' isn't
really that appealing to me.
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What are your thoughts on elitism in metal? Limited release
records that turn into a cash crop for a few record hoarding
nerds and the like?
Boring. I don't
care for elitist attitudes, since most of the people who hold
them are degenerates anyway. As for limited releases, I think
these are more often that not done out of necessity rather than
trend. Most underground labels cannot afford to publish in
larger quantities. Most of the ridiculously small releases are
by bedroom black metal bands so it’s probably for the best that
their releases are confined to 6, 66 copies or whatever.
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What albums have you been digging lately?
New Destroyer 666 & Beherit albums, Dead Congregation - Graves
of the Archangels, Necros Christos - Triune...etc.
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Best Australian band ever?
As cliché as it
seems, Destroyer 666 - they haven't done a bad release to date,
the demo and Unchain the Wolves are untouchable. UTW is one of
my all time favourites.
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Under the Sign of the Black Mark or Hammerheart?
Both are good for different reasons. Under the Sign is the
essence of black metal. Hammerheart was a pioneering force in
the development of the viking/black metal genre, "One Rode to Asa
Bay" is a classic track.
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Victoria Bitter or Piss?
I wouldn't drink either.
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Whiskey or Rum?
Whiskey.
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So what’s next for Hunters Moon?
The full length
album. As I mentioned, we are hoping to record sometime mid near
year. Hell's Headbangers have offered to work with us again for
another release and we would be more than happy to oblige. They
have been a very professional label to deal with.
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Thanks for your time, any last words?
I don't think
there is much more to add from here on. Check out our mLP if you
haven’t yet and keep an eye out for our full length mid next
year. Thanks for the comprehensive interview.
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