Ave,
can you introduce your band to our readers? – When was it founded and what
style of music do you play , etc.?
We are a blackened death metal band from
the east of the Netherlands. We have been around in our current form since
2014, although the instrumental section started off as early as 2012.
Where
and under what conditions were you recording the new album? Who was in charge
of sound, production and mastering?
Our bassplayer, ML, has done all of the
recording, producing and mastering for the promo and is currently doing the
same for the full-length. He has obviously put in a lot of time and work, but
we are very satisfied with the sound, as we feel it suits the atmosphere of the
music very well.
How
many copies were released and which medium
was used for this new edition (CD, digital, vinyl, cassette)?
For the promo, we printed 250 cds. For the
time being, we will not release the upcoming album on vinyl, but there are some
careful plans to make vinyl releases available for future releases. As for
cassette, there are a few great Dutch black and thrash bands that prefer that
medium, which adds to the old school feel of the music (check out Morbid
Devastation, for instance, if you don't mind a bit of mud in your coffee). We
aren't certain whether a cassette release is a good match for The Shiva
Hypothesis though.
Who
is the author of the lyrics and how were they created and about what do the
lyrics deal with?
I, as the vocalist, write the lyrics. There
is a main theme within the band, on which most of the imagery and lyrics are
based. This theme is destruction vs creation. The bandname is an embodiment of
that and the lyrics often deal with the concept as well. Besides that, the
lyrics incorporate themes of esotericism, mythology, alchemy, anthropology and
philosophy.
Who
created the logo of the band, and who took care of the graphics and the
website? What about you and social networks? Do you consider these things
important?
Rob Kohler designed our logo, which we are
very content with. We feel it is recognizable among all the rorschach test
black metal logos out there. Our guitarist, JB, takes care of the website and
manages the social media accounts along with ML. We feel that social media are
important these days to get the message of our music out to the public and
arrange for concerts and reviews/interviews. Since bookers often factor in
popularity on social media, it is important for us to be present. It is also a
good way to keep in contact with our (up until now limited) fanbase.
Which
label did you choose for releasing your
album and why this label? Are you satisfied by how your label represents you
and takés care about you?
We do not have a label as of yet. We did
get some offers, but we need to carefully consider what
the benefits of any particular label would be before signing with them.
Which
bands do you idolise and where do you get your inspiration?
It is a bit strong to say we idolise bands,
but I suppose we could stand in line with the screaming fan-girls for bands
like Behemoth, Dodheimsgard and Sulphur Aeon. Next to those bands, we also draw
inspiration from a variety of non-metal artists, like Fields of the Nephilim
and Wagner.
Did
you send your record to some Labels - which are the labels? How was the
response?
Not as of yet, we are currently discussing
amongst ourselves which labels to approach.
How
many gigs have you played? Which type of gigs do you prefer, whether it's
(clubs or festivals) and which of your performances would you consider as the
best?
I think we have played somewhere around
15-20 gigs. We've recently played at Tattoofest in Nijverdal, which is a
festival inside and around a tattoo parlour. In terms of atmosphere and
organisation, that was my personal favourite.
Another show that we thoroughly enjoyed was the one in Hedon, Zwolle.
What
about your plans for the future? What do you want to achieve with the band?
We plan to arrange performances abroad and
we would welcome the opportunity to be included into the line-up of a summer
festival. Next to gigs, there will be a focus on writing new material after the
release of the full-length that is currently in the works. We deem it most
important to keep writing and playing the music we love.
How
and where can your fans contact you? Can you provide some contact information?
We’ve recently unveiled our website, with
an old school .com domain (www.theshivahypothesis.com). We also have
social media pages galore, like facebook and twitter. Leave a message on any
one of these platforms and we will be in touch with you.
Thanx
for the interview.
Thank you for having us and supporting the
underground metal scene!
