Halphas from Hesse play traditional, rough, but still partly atmospheric black metal, which is skillfully manifested on the two albums so far and a previous demo. Reason enough to talk to drummer Tempestas.
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Hey, how are you doing at the moment? I saw on your Facebook page that you recently played live again at the Barther Metal Open Air. Was that the first gig after the corona-related break? Soon there will be some more I have seen.
Like pretty much all the other bands, the Corona timeout hit us relatively hard. But it was especially frustrating that this time-out started right after our album release. This took the wind out of our sails and it wasn't easy to get out of this hole. But we started right away with some great gigs. The Barther Metal Open Air as well as the Fimbul Festival were a really magical comeback for us. The magic between us and our fans was unbroken again. That makes us very proud.
Please outline the band history, especially for those who don't know Halphas yet. How long have you been around, how did the band form, were there any particularly striking developments or milestones that come to mind off the top of your head?
We've been around since 2014 and we started from scratch together in the current lineup. We didn't have any big resolutions and didn't want to make music according to a blueprint with any pigeonholes in mind. There are already too many of these bands, which unfortunately too often lack honesty... We just wanted to make our kind of Black Metal according to our understanding and feeling. As uninfluenced as possible by current trends or obsessive genre thinking. Our fans also perceive our art as honest and unfiltered. What makes us very happy and confirms us in what we do. It didn't take us too long to find our sound. Nevertheless, we are constantly developing, but without reinventing ourselves in any way compulsively. I think that's a healthy mixture...
As already mentioned, categories and pigeonholes are not our thing. Sure, we do Black Metal, very simple. But I don't have to endlessly categorize every kind of music or art. We are of course aware that we haven't invented anything new. But I also ask myself nowadays - is that a sign of quality? Exceptional these days is often just exceptionally bad. What is good is good. It doesn't have to be anything new for that. Quite simply.
I have already heard in the "Hartschnack" podcast with your singer Legatus that the topic "black metal" or the scene is an important one also outside of the band, in the sense that many developments go against the grain for you or at least your singer. I share a lot of that, especially concerning such topics as certain stultification tendencies. On the other hand, I found it interesting to observe, especially in this conversation in the context of the podcast, that the moderator was probably very interested in understanding between certain sub-scenes, which didn't seem to interest your singer at all - at least that's my impression, haha. Following this conversation, which is also about the modern technical developments in the Internet age: what was better in the past, what is better today? Of course, many things are easier today, even doing this interview would have been much more complicated in the past without the Internet. On the other hand, a lot of magic has been lost, everything is available in abundance, just the next click away, so to speak. To deal with an album in the long run, which doesn't ignite directly, is one of those things, which-although understandable-is unfortunately lost. Actually, you should use the positive side, and ignore a lot of negative - as in my opinion almost all of these metal Youtuber - completely, unfortunately, this rarely works. How do you see it?
We have now stopped getting upset about others or dealing with such things in a big way. We follow our way and look less to the right and to the left. But of course everything has become more complicated in today's internet world. Especially the politicization of art has increased a lot. Today, as an artist, you have to place yourself politically in some way. If you don't do that proactively, you immediately run the risk of being pigeonholed. Especially in the metal scene, this often leads to absurd online debates that no longer have much to do with the real world. But here too - less is more. Less talk, more delivery. People should learn to measure themselves by deeds again, instead of words. You will never read any political statements from Halphas. Everyone who knows us, knows what makes us tick. And I think that's quite OK ..haha.
As far as consumer behavior is concerned - you shouldn't condemn digitalization too hastily. After all, it has never been so easy to distribute your own music as it is today. In the underground scene, people buy records anyway, regardless of whether the stuff is available online. I think the problem is more the big music industry and not the underground metal scene.
Everyone should absorb and live this kind of art in their own way. I don't think much of pseudo-intellectual events. But in the end it doesn't matter to us, whoever finds it cool should do it for all I care. But it is the same principle as mentioned above. People should learn again to talk things up less and instead open their hearts and minds to the art. If I enjoy analysis and theories, I can go to a math class or listen to technical death metal..haha. Everyone as he thinks....
What about German black metal in your opinion? Lunar Aurora, Nagelfar, Dies Ater, Graven - to name a few flagships - don't exist anymore, Secrets of the moon don't play black metal anymore. Desaster are still an institution, Creature I also liked, especially the last album called "Helioskron", Zarathustra is unfortunately also long gone. Paragon Belial and Sarkrista are still around, Bethlehem, who I throw into the pot because of the atmosphere they create, have returned to their old strength after a few bad albums and Darkened Nocturn Slaughtercult have become an institution, even if I can't quite understand the band's status despite their qualities. After all this "post" hype is fortunately over, there are more and more bands that indulge in the more original version of black metal again, like Totenwache , Ortus (do you know them?) or Halphas. I always found Endstille overrated. Membaris come to mind, also Ungod is still around and Baxaxaxa even again. Graupel I also always found great, but unfortunately there seems to be nothing more to come. There are even some reunions, like Agathodaimon or Mystic Circle, especially the latter the world has been waiting for, haha. Maybe a lot more former Last Episode / Last Epitaph bands should be raised from the dead again, a lot of things have been suppressed successfully, haha. Now that I have thrown some names into the pot, how do you see this? Which of the bands mentioned may have influenced you or even just influenced you by their attitude
It wouldn't make sense to list all the influences here. There are almost infinitely many. But I can keep it very simple: We love rock music and heavy metal. Very simple. We're not guys who say things like "I only listen to German black metal before the year so and so blablabla". I find something like that just limited. It doesn't really show the free spirit that this kind of art should stand for. Our influences go from Kiss to The Doors via Dissection or Ulver, further to Phil Collins ...haha. Whoever sees us live and knows us, knows that we don't stand for stiff hooded black metal. Our gigs are uncompromising and energetic. And yes, Ortus are known to us. One of the guys knows Legatus personally. Greetings go out.
Well, for us it's an essential component. We've been close friends since the beginning of the band and I think that's also reflected in our live performances. You can tell if a band is really close-knit or if it's just three session musicians and a solo artist...We've been through hard times together that would have led to the breakup of many a band. We came out of it stronger and more mature.
Let's talk about your label Folter Records, which I think fits perfectly to Halphas and your attitude. Is a label in this case nevertheless rather a means to an end or how important is it to you that on Folter Records already such great or historical bands like Isvind, Arckanum, Svartsyn, Mayhemic Truth, Nox Intempesta and Decayed have released? Well I should probably ask the label maker Jörg but do you have any idea why Folter Records as a rather small label still exists after all these years, while very many that started around the same time and had a similar status have stopped, be it because they lost inspiration or had to give up?
I think for the same reason that some bands are still around. Consistency and perseverance always pay off in the end. Bands that saddle up to every hype will always be successful only for a short time. But you can apply that to other areas as well.
What about side projects or other bands of yours? Say something about Hraun and Terrorazor -will there be new material regarding the latter? What other musical activities are there ?
Me and Forcas are active in parallel with the doom metal band Cross Vault and the doom metal project Angel of Damnation. Legatus is active with Hraun. Also, Thurstan has a very interesting new project called Huld. You should keep an eye on that as well. All other projects are currently on hold.
What is coming up soon and in the distant future, what is planned? Other than that, feel free to let out anything unsaid so far here now!
We are currently working on our third full-length album. You'll have to wait for more details though...we'll keep you posted!
Thanks for the invitation to the interview!