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| Hoth's logo, which doubles as the official flag of the desolate, ice-encrusted planet in the solar system of the same name. It's rumored that the logo will soon be instated as the symbol for the entire Anoat Sector (located in the Outer Rim Territories...something everyone who isn't a complete idiot already knows). Photo courtesy of the band. |
I think I need to preface this article with a statement: I have yet to interview a band that I don't listen to on a regular basis. All of them fucking rule. Period. While it may seem my like my nose is buried deep inside the asses of the artists I interview, I haven't, and never will, request an interview from band I thought of as "shitty," mediocre", or even "pretty cool, I guess". That being said, hold onto your fucking balls because they're in very real danger of being blasted into tiny particles of dust. If you don't have any testicles, I may grant you the privilege of holding onto mine. Although they're easily big enough (gargantuan is probably a suitable word here) for all of you to share, the decision as to who gets to grip them may necessitate some sort of sordid contest. Anyways, I hope you'll enjoy this next installment of "The Coolest Shit Available On The Internet Besides Porn".
If your band's logo unmistakably resembles a TIE Fighter, and said band is responsible for creating the best concept album of 2014 (Metal or otherwise), chances are you're either Eric Peters or David Dees. These are the two men who form Hoth, a group capable of combining brutal blast beats, demonic shrieks, fiery onslaughts of Metal riffing, symphonic keys and even (tasteful/brief) acoustic guitars into a style of music so unique that it probably necessitates its own sub-genre. In addition to successfully making star-crushing, mind-altering Metal, it should also be noted that the two Washingtonians have mastered a rarely discussed esoteric Jedi technique of making music which sets off similar brain synapses seen in studies of patients watching high quality lesbian porn on an Oculus Rift. Despite their busy schedule consisting of work, family, social life, band practice, playing cool video games and kicking ass, they kindly granted me an opportunity to interview them.
Their origin began with a shared fondness for cool shit. "We ended up meeting about 8 years ago in college," says Eric Peters. "We both enjoyed heavy metal and drinking beer." [Editor's note: I'm positive they still enjoy both of these things.] "It wasn’t for some years later that we conceived of Hoth. I don’t remember the exact time we conceived of it, but it was during a conversation about how metal the Star Wars universe is. After that, we decided to try to put together some songs. Those early songs would later go on to become our Infinite Darkness release."
The band, surprisingly, started out as something much different than the current form of Hoth, as David Dees explains. "We made At the Helm of the Executor with very rudimentary equipment," he says. "It was more for a joke, than anything. We posted it on Facebook and people loved it. Given the positive response, we flipped the switch from joking to ‘seriousness’ shortly after. We were surprised to see that this was a viable thing."
Before you sign into Twitter/Hipstagram and post something like: "dood theirs a Str Wars metal band lulz! #yolo#StarWars#Sriracha#cats#ImAfuckingTool", it must be stressed that the band doesn't simply write music about Star Wars (I'm not saying they haven't...e.g: "Torn Asunder by a Wampa" and "The Rancor" from 2012's Infinite Darkness sure as hell aren't references to Goodfellas). That's why Oathbreaker took Hoth to another level, and calling the band a gimmick would, in a perfect world, land you on death row with a free pass for the next available lethal injection.
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| Alternate title: Bonermaker |
On Oathbreaker, there aren't any direct references to Sarlacc Pit's, Star/Sun Destroyers or light sabers (and you can bet your bitch ass/bitch life savings that there's not even a slight allusion Jar Jar Binks). While Hoth is obviously deeply inspired by the lore of the iconic franchise, it's only a minuscule part of what makes them so unique. They use the fictional universe and holy trinity of films (there are really only 3 Star Wars movies...more on that later) as a vehicle to explore musical and lyrical themes that transcend Star Wars entirely.
Lyrically, Oathbreaker is just vague enough that one wouldn't guess it was about Anakin Skywalker (as I did) unless they were familiar with the band and had a slight familiarity/interest in Star Wars. I asked if I was correct with my assumption. "Very perceptive," says Peters. "The album was not supposed to be about any single thing. It was supposed to evoke the story of Anakin Skywalker for those familiar with it, but still those who are not familiar will find something of value in the music," he says. "The story is really about the tragic hero archetype – someone who despite his best efforts ends up destroying the things he loves. It is a common story found throughout literature and mythology. We wanted to give people the experience of interpreting our music in their own way but also providing a coherent story."
And it's not only the lyrics that tell the story: Oathbreaker was meticulously crafted musically to conjure the ideas, moods and themes of the timeless, universal tale Peters speaks of. In fact, the lyrics were the last part of the process in the creation of the album. Peters elaborates: "When we first conceived of the album we had some simple notes on how we wanted it to sound: a spiral descent into darkness. It had to get darker, lonelier, and more forlorn as you listened through the tracks. By the end, I wanted the listener to be crushed by the weight of the darkness. With that in mind we set out to create music that echoed that descent. The earlier tracks on the album possess some hints of hope, whereas the later tracks are devoid of any such thing. I believe when writing music, it is the music that needs to tell the story, the lyrics are secondary."
Once you listen to Oathbreaker, it all comes together: track one, "The Unholy Conception", has shimmers of hope and doesn't completely crush you under its weight (not to say it isn't rocking...it is). By "Oblivion" and "Despair," the last two tracks, it's dark, evil, and about as crushing as music can get. I very sparingly using the word "epic," but often utilize the term "tits-as-fuck". In this case, both apply perfectly if one considers how layered and multi-faceted Oathbreaker, and Hoth as a band, are. Why the band hasn't yet received a Grammy, a lifetime supply of drugs shipped straight from the White House in a gold-plated semi-trick, and a rushed induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, is all far, far fucking beyond me. Then again, sometimes when I'm feeling particularly sadomasochistic or need more proof of the absence of a just (or any kind of) god, I take a look-see at what the majority of you
I wanted to take a peek at what influenced the band musically, so I asked what they liked as individuals and where their tastes converged. Peters' and Dees' musical tastes obviously differ, but they still agree on the awesomeness of many classic bands, and many specific genres. "We are both big fans of pagan/folk/viking black metal like Windir, Winterfylleth, Moonsorrow, etc.," says Peters. "We [both] enjoy old Opeth, as well as classics like Iron Maiden. I am more of a fan of early second wave black metal like Burzum, Darkthrone, and Emperor than David [Dees] is. That is not to say he dislikes any of those bands in any way, I just think I enjoy that lo-fi aesthetic more than he does. We really don’t have any 'vehement disagreements' in our musical tastes."
Though Dees may lean a bit more to the blasty, more polished side of Metal as mentioned by Peters, Dees concurs that the two share a deep fondness for a plethora of tunes that inspire them as a unit. "I think I enjoy a lot of Death metal and Tech more than Eric," Dees says. "Bands like Nile, Vader, Inferi, Irreversible Mechanism, and Beyond Creation. But we tend to agree on most metal and have yet to offend each other. I think our enjoyment of Windir and our likeness for Pagan, Folk and Cascadian metal has played into our influences."
They mentioned bands that have been around for a while, the tried but true mainstays, so you may be wondering what their opinions are concerning the current shape of the glorious Metal genre. Well, it just so happens I asked them about it.
"Metal is in great shape," says Peters. "...particularly the underground metal scene. There are so many unsigned bands and bands signed to small labels that are putting out spectacular music. I often feel hardly a week goes by before I find out about another great band. And it is these bands, the underground bands, that keep the genre alive. These are the guys who work to keep it fresh. The most detrimental thing to the genre is probably lyric videos. I hate those things. Please stop."
David Dees agrees with his band mate, but offers his own thoughts on what's shitty and what's keeping the good name of Metal from going down the road of the planet Alderaan. "I agree with Eric," he says. "I think now, thanks to the internet, I am finding good, new bands almost weekly. I think the most detrimental thing to metal is (in totally my opinion) less emphasis on songwriting, and more on aesthetics, or pure technical skill. Not to say those things don’t have their place, but my least favorite genres, are all the –cores, and Djent, and I think Tech even walks a fine line between utter wankery and gloriously executed musicianship. My problem – and what I think the big difference is between good and bad metal, is song construction, and thoughtfulness. Does the person just thoughtlessly string riffs together? Do things transition well? It’s usually pretty obvious in a song, if it is vapid and whipped-out, or not. A good metal song doesn’t feel like the length of time that it occupies. A good example of that is Myrkgrav’s 'Vonde Auer'. That song is a little 6 minutes long and it’s always over before I notice. Conversely, if you play an Attack Attack song for me, I feel like it takes 6 hours to stop displeasing my eardrums."
It's good to hear that master craftsmen such as Dees and Peters hate the same shit, and are into a lot of the same shit, as I am. I felt an even stronger bond between the band and myself when I inquired about the three newest Star Wars "movies".
"No idea what you are talking about," answers Peters, as if he had picked at my brain and reflected my deepest feelings of hatred for the films in his own words. It makes me warm inside to imagine that he would have had a touch (or, preferably, a great deal of) anger in his voice were this a phone interview. His next words should be inscribed on a monolith so that humanity, or visitors to our planet in the distant future, will remember for eternity: "There are only 3 Star Wars movies." Dees was a little more subtle about his dislike for episodes I-III. Though he thought that the first one "Had some cool vehicles," he then concedes: "I don’t think I’ve made it through the [other two] more than once or twice."
Which brought us to the inevitable inquiry about the release of Star Wars: The Force Awakens. I'm a little hesitant about the new J.J. Abrams adaptation. I've learned to walk into a movie these days without any expectations. I recall having such high hopes for the new Godzilla. The trailers sneakily led me to believe that it was going to be a Godzilla movie and not another one of Hollywood's successful attempts to see how many times it can make me walk out of a theater with a rage-induced hemorrhoid.
All my rectal problems aside, the fellows in Hoth had a few things to say about the up-and-coming Star Wars film. "I am looking forward to it," says Peters. "I love the use of practical special effects and I enjoyed Abrams’ take on Star Trek, so I have confidence that Episode VII will be great fun."
Although he is obviously enthused at the potential the film carries, Dees is a little bit more apprehensive on the subject, and I can't say I blame him. "I’m worried that it will be another Kingdom of the Crystal Skull," he says. "But the good news is they can never take the trilogy away from us. The rumored story line of Kylo Ren searching the galaxy for artifacts of Vader, is quite badass. We’ll see, it’s going to be a great surprise! Eric and I have already filed for time off work on December 18th. We’re declaring it a holiday."
And, per usual, I discussed video games with the band I interviewed. You wouldn't think it, but some people don't actually play video games...luckily Hoth do not fall into this abhorrent subset of humanity.
"I love the Mass Effect trilogy with a great deal of passion," says Peters. "It is probably the best science fiction out there, video game or otherwise. I grew up playing a lot of Heroes III and Brood War. I also remember fondly the SNES and N64 Zelda games. More recently I have been playing a lot of Skyrim and some Destiny."
Dees mentions many of the games he's playing, and there's overlap and a pattern in their tastes. "I’m a long time WoW player," he says. "I play Alliance and Horde. I’ve got a human warrior and a blood elf rogue. I also play Starcraft quite often. I’m a big fan of the Kirby games (just the platforming ones). I think Eric and I share an equal likeness for the Zelda franchise. I also play a lot of JRPGs, I really enjoyed NiNo Kuni, most recently, and am currently playing Shovel Knight, Destiny, and Bloodborne."
And then I ask the divisive, yet most important, question: SNES or Genesis? "SNES," says Peters. " Zelda, Mario, Super Metroid!". Dees agrees, not only with Peters, but with every sane gamer out there: yes, Genesis had Splatterhouse 3 and a great deal of masterpieces, but it doesn't compare to the god machine known as the Super Nintendo.
"SNES," answers Dees. "Genesis had the Shining Force games, but SNES had Super Metroid, Super Mario RPG, Kirby Super Star, Super Mario All Stars, Chrono Trigger and the early Final Fantasy games." Spot on, guys. You just listed off some of my favorite games of all time. I'd buy you a goddamn beer if I lived in Washington.
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| Eric Peters and David Dees stand victoriously after a successful speed-run of Chrono Trigger. Photo Courtesy of the band. |
"I hope we will have something to show soon. We plan on continuing with Hoth for a good long while still," says Peters. "And to all of our fans: thanks for your support. Every album you buy, every t-shirt, really, truly, honestly helps us create more music." Dees would like to thank all you all for reading the interview, and says he's always down as shit to talk about Star Wars and video games. A perfect band to interview for a blog that is incorrigible with its inquiries to bands regarding video games.
Get their shit at the links below, and support some cool fucking musicians who make some cool fucking music (word on the street is, if you ask them nicely, they may just sign the shit you order upon request):
http://hothmetal.com
http://hothmusic.bandcamp.com
https://www.facebook.com/hothmetal
-Nuko Kapao
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