HATESPHERE INTERVIEW
Denmark's #1 thrash/death metal band, HATESPHERE, has now released their 4th album (not counting the 2 EP's) in less than 5 years. Yes, it's a damn productive band - and it becomes even more impressive when noticing that they've also been touring A LOT in the past couple of years. A little chat with guitarist Peter Lyse Hansen was in place ...

Interview by Claus Jensen
1. First up – congratulations on your 4th full-length album. Once again a 100% thrash metal disc with balls, attitude and power. Tell us a bit about what YOU personally see as the difference between this one and the previous 3 discs.

"Well, we always change a bit in the sound and song structure from album to album. We don’t change drastically but we change! The sound on “Ballet of the Brute” was very dark while it this time is clearer but on the same time also more in your face than previous. I personally think that this is the best production, we have ever had. Music-wise we have varied the songs more this time. We have put in more melodic and atmospherical parts but just as a contrast to the very brutal riffs that still rule the record. Our basis is still death thrash metal but we like to put different riffs in there, to make the whole sound more interesting. So even if we still play faster than we have ever done on this album, this is also the album where we have put in the most slow and groovy parts, and the one where we have lots of melodies in there as well! We like the diversity of the album, and the fact that it kicks butt, he he!!"

2. During the last 5 years thrash metal seem to have had a new-life, with bands like The Haunted leading the way. You’re not just another “follower”, but by many considered one of the main bands in the “new wave of thrash metal” … why is it that way do you think? What does Hatesphere have that a lot of other bands in this style don’t?

"We don’t just play thrash, I think! We have always had other inspirations as well, and we like to groove. That means that we like to vary our songs instead of just making fast thrash songs. We play fast, yes, but we also do much more than that. I think that many bands just concentrate on one thing instead of listening to the whole song! There HateSphere is good at making our songs sound interesting without making them loose their power! Then I also think that we have our own sound! Not our own style but our own sound, we don’t sound like anybody else even though we play a genre with many bands. You can hear when it is HateSphere, and that is an important thing!"

3. “The Sickness Within” is your first full-length album with SPV. Before that you did 3 discs with Scarlet Records. Why did you leave Scarlet, and what can SPV do for you that Scarlet couldn’t?

"Well, they can do everything better simply! Scarlet did what they could for us, and they are friendly guys and all that but they couldn’t do enough! We have released three albums and got amazing reviews and been on good tours but still we sold almost the same with “Ballet of the Brute” as with “HateSphere” in Europe, that’s simply not good enough! SPV is top-professional and have the best distribution. Apart from that they also have 80 people working there instead of only 3, and that make much more things possible! They have the money to send us on great tours, and they want us to tour. That means that they know what to do, in order to make their bands come out to more people. Then they know how to promote their bands as well. Their preparations for the album have also been also amazing; we have never experienced such a great interest for an album already before it has been released. The people working at SPV are super cool but still extremely professional, and that is very important!"

4. You’ve been touring a lot for each of your releases – not just in Denmark, but also around Europe with hundreds of bands (okay, perhaps not hundreds … but a LOT). What has all this touring given you – except for an empty bank account?

"He he, well it has given us lots of precious routine, lots of new fans, lots of new contacts (amongst other SPV!) and lots of fun! It has meant that even though we had a relatively small record label, people out there still knew about us. We have spread the HateSphere name and punched some respect into it, and now we hope that this can help us get further, because we now at last have a big label to support us! Then we are also now better musicians and entertainers that we were before, and that helps us a lot, both when we are writing songs but also when we are on stage!"

5. How important is it to get out on tours for a young metal band these days?

"It is very important, because there are so many bands now a days. It is easy to get a record deal, it is easy to sound good in the studio but can you deliver the goods live? You have to show people that you are worth the pennies, and that you are better than all the other bands (that don’t tour!). So even though you make the best music in the world, you can’t be sure to get success! Go out there and show them what you are made of! And that is exactly what has been missing in Danish bands before; they have lacked the will to go all the way with their music, and to go away on tour for a month! That means that people haven’t known that there was a country called Denmark with some actually pretty good metal bands… they have thought that all the good bands came from Sweden, hehe!!"

6. Which bands has been the most fun to tour with? And do you have some cool stories from the road to tell us?

"Well, our recent tour with Soilwork and Construcdead was really amazing. All the guys were cool and friendly, and we all shared the same form of humour! And we could almost understand each other without having to speak English, he he! To tour with Scandinavian bands are always fun, so we look forward to the tour with Dark Tranquillity here in December! I have many stories from the road but many of them are only funny if you have experienced them, he he. On this last tour we surprised the Soilwork guys with hanging gay porn in their bunks in the bus… they woke up the next day they could just see these naked men hanging in their bunks, he he… they took it pretty nice though… I got some gay porn taped to my guitar as well, always fun…."

7. “The Sickness Within” has entered the Danish music charts in a higher spot than any other Danish metal album has done for 10 years or more … why do you think that is? Usually “Jante-loven” (the law of Jante: “You shall not believe that you are somebody”) is in high action here in Denmark and Danish bands usually seem to have a hard time getting the recognition they deserver here.

"We have also had a difficult time being respected but I think lots of people are starting to change. We have shown people that if they want to be something, they can be, if they work hard for it, and maybe they want to support that. Metal is also starting to be more popular again, and because we have played so much here, people know who we are, and are more interested in us. It’s cool to see that more and more people are supporting metal instead of just being fucking jealous. We still have some arrogant losers though who yell out their childish opinions in forums around the country but as long as they are doing that they are only making themselves more ridiculous, so I am trying to live with that, he he. But I still have a difficult time about people who are only throwing dirt at us, without having anything to back it up. Luckily that is only a few of the metal heads in Denmark, so we are glad that that many like our music and support us!"

8. You’re embarking on yet another tour now – with Soilwork – what do you expect from that?

"Well, as you have read we have already returned from that tour, and it was fucking amazing. Great guys, great gigs and lots of fun. We are already looking forward to doing this again!"

9. All right guys, I think that’s it for now, and I wish you all the best!!! Any last words?

"Thank you for the interview, it was a pleasure. And thanks to all the metal heads out there who support us and buy our albums. You make the wheel spinning! Other interested check out www.hatesphere.com for further info, mp3’s and a chat on the forum. See you all on the road!"