Country: Portugal
Genre: Black/Thrash Metal
Hail the Devil! Introduce yourself to the readers.
Infernal greetings to you and all the readers and maniacs who keep the black flame burning! I am Hellkrätus, desecrator of the imperial drums of the abyss and Ill write on behalf of Gallows Rites!
For those who haven't heard the band, how would you describe your sound?
Gallows Rites is nothing new, nothing elaborated, just pure, raw evil and desecration, just as the first masters showed us! I’d say our sound is as fast as Nifelheim, simple but carrying a black aura guided by just one guitar, like Desaster. It’s as raw as the first wave of black metal, combined with devotion and an attitude against modern metal and "underground" wimp trends.
Where does your path to the underworld of damned black/thrash metal begin? How did you meet and decide to form a band?
For Gallows Rites, there was never any doubt about what the band would be. We all share the same devotion to the genre, with all of us, except for the vocalist, having previously played in bands of this style! It all began before the pandemic, when Evil Slaughter traveled from Brazil to Portugal. The borders closed, and he got stuck here! Weeks passed, and he and I started hanging out. It didn’t take long before our afternoons of deliberate alcoholism turned into rehearsal sessions still without much of a long-term plan and with plenty of alcohol involved too, hahaha! When we started writing songs, we called in The Dreadful, a friend of mine, for vocals it was his first band! The chemistry between the three of us was immediate... Another maniac joined us and in a few good months we wrote songs, rehearsed, and desecrated sacred ground!!! The last addition was our bassist, Sordidus. When it came time to record, he helped us by taking on the bass, and after being embraced by the wings of chaos, he stuck with us!
Last year you had your debut. What message do you want to convey to the listeners with Witchcraft and Necro Desecration?
Witchcraft and necro Desecration aimed to resurrect the old and filthy sound that we hadn’t seen being done at least in Portugal, in that way. Beyond the occult lyrics about witchcraft, sexual rituals, and desecration, this EP is a manifesto of our will and devotion to what we stand for and the singular and collective attitude we stand for.
What is your songwriting process like? Where do the ideas and inspiration come from?
The songwriting process is probably as basic as it should be - and it never fails! Usually, when we don’t have anything planned, we get together in the rehearsal room, listen to classics, and drink until some kind of idea - whether riffs or lyrics comes up. It never takes long!
Tell us about the cover art. What is depicted on it, what meaning do you put into it. Who is the author?
The cover is a black manifestation by our brother Rui Valente Torres, who undoubtedly captured the entire concept and translated it into the EP’s cover. The artwork reflects everything we talk about. Being a friend of ours and sharing the same tastes, we gave him full freedom to create something that embodied total sexual witchcraft and necromancy!
How long did it take to write the material for your new album and why did you choose this name?
If I understood the question correctly, we don’t have an album yet. Witchcraft and necro Desecration was an EP and, for now, it’s our only release! I can tell you that we already have material recorded for a split that will be released soon, and we’re working on the album! We’ve written songs for it, and things are going in the right direction by Lucifer’s will!
What are your plans for live performances?
Gallows Rites: For now, we don’t have plans to play live. Over the year of 2024, we might do about 10 shows. At the moment, our focus is on recording the album and playing more shows only when it makes sense. We’ve always been selective about the gigs we’ve played we don’t just play for the sake of it. For us, each live ritual needs to justify itself so that the malevolent energy can be shared between us!
And new recordings? Should we expect them?
Without a doubt! As I mentioned earlier, we recorded two new songs in October and re-recorded two from the EP for the split with Blasphemaniac, which will be released soon. It was recorded in the studio of our brother Fernandes, who worked with us on our first EP! Future recordings are also expected the satanic manifestation cannot stop! ARGHH!
How did the listeners react to Witchcraft and Necro Desecration?
Honestly, I think the feedback was great! Since this type of sound wasn’t being made in Portugal and carried with our black flame, it garnered a lot of support from old-school people and also from people who recently discovered the genre and liked the raw and devastating sound!
How has the black/thrash scene in Portugal changed in the last 11 years? Has it gotten better, worse or stayed the same?
The black/thrash scene in Portugal has never been strong. There are very few bands playing this style I think I can count about three that are still active. Better or worse is relative... You can have many bands, which might make the scene seem strong at first glance. But if most of them lack attitude or simply don’t make you feel anything, then the scene is weak! The problem is that now bands don’t follow the steps or influence of the creators; they want to be copies of the copies that came much later, and this cuts all the genuineness and interest I might have in a band.
Since you are in a black/thrash band, I thought you could give us, the explorers of this genre, some tips on rare and obscure bands from Portugal that we should check out that you recommend.
What I can recommend from the small country of Portugal - though I’ll stray a bit from strictly black/thrash is: Alcoholocaust, Wanderer, Filii Nigrantium Infernalium, Ventr, Morte Incandescente, Decayed, Voemmr, Necro Chaos, and Kazan.
Horns Piercing the Sky! Any last words to close this interview?
Thanks and Eternal Hails to you Vlad, may this bond endure for countless years to come! We are blood, fire, and will always be driven by the raw, primitive energy of pure and satanic black devotion!
Hailz to all the maniacs who truly live and breathe the scene - and to all the bastards who dared stand in our way!!!!!
To the rest: FUCK OFF.
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January 2025
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