Interview with death metal band from United States - HYPOXIA.
Answered Carolina Pérez Arango (drums), thank you!
Recenze/review - HYPOXIA - Defiance (2024):
Ave HYPOXIA! Greetings to New York. I hope you're well. You should be, because you're just releasing a new record, "Defiance", after five years. I have to say right off the bat that it cuts with the right side of the knife. It's a massacre, just like it should be. How did the album come about and where did you want to go from your last record "Abhorrent Disease"?
Thank you!
This time working and writing the album was a very different approach,since Carolina, the drummer doesn’t live in NY anymore, so it was sent back and forth until we were happy with the results.
Since this is our third full length album we now know more how we want to sound like and it definitely is a step up from Abhorrent disease, since we had more time and experience to work on everything.
HYPOXIA is a band that is made up of all experienced musicians. Each of you have commitments in your home bands. How did the idea to form HYPOXIA come about in the first place? Please take us through the history of your pack.
Hypoxia started back in 2009 by Carlos and Carolina, just with the idea of writing old school death metal and thrash, we went through a lot of line up changes since it is extremely difficult to find people that are serious and dedicated to their art.
We crossed paths with Mike Hrubobcak when we were looking for a vocalist for Despondent Death our first album, he is a master of his craft and we really like the way he does his job in the band.
Stylistically you are somewhere between traditional death metal (SUFFOCATION, SINISTER, VADER, DEATH) and thrash. In your songs you combine fast passages with even faster ones. I would like to see you in concert, it must be crazy. Who is the main author of the music? I'm interested in the process of creating a new song.
The music is all written equally by Carlos and Carolina and the lyrics are all by Mike Hrubobcak.
Extreme music is always very much about the sound. Noah Buchanan's signed to it. The new album "Defiance" is a real blast. How did you guys get together and why him? If I'm not mistaken, Joe Cincotta mixed the album last time. Why the change?
Noah is great and very experienced, once we heard the work he did with other bands we really wanted to work with him, Joe is great also but we wanted to try a more organic approach for Defiance.
I must admit that I really like the covers created by Андрій Ткаленко (Andriy Tkalenko) - DAEMORPFH. This year he really did a great job. Still, why don't you get the covers painted by singer Mike Hrubovcak, just for example the last work he did for Swedish DERANGED would fit the new release just fine. How did you and DAEMORPH get together? And why him?
He is so awesome! We really like his vision as an artist and like to support him.
As for Mike, he is also an amazing artist and he also loves working with Andriy, support each other, you know?
We met DAEMORPH, through our first label.
Mike Hrubovcak sings in MONSTROSITY, the drummer plays in CASTRATOR, not to mention the guitarists, you are each members of so many bands and projects that you can't even count. How do you even find time for HYPOXIA? Is it difficult for you to arrange, for example, concert dates?
It is difficult, you have to be very disciplined to find time to work on all your projects, we are all very respectful as well and assign deadlines so we can work best in our own time.
There is a lot of emails going back and forth, that is for sure.
The album cover and the promo clips refer to the Middle Ages. Or at least that's how I understand it. But what are the lyrics about? Who is the author and where did he get the inspiration for them? Your music is very dynamic, angry, wild. How do the lyrics translate into the music?
The idea for the album cover was all by Mike Hrubobcak, he writes all the lyrics and since he is an artist, he has a great vision. The artwork match the lyrics for bleed for blasphemy.
Let's talk about the concerts. Will there ever be a chance to see you in Europe? Are you planning any tours, festivals? How do you enjoy live music? I've been told by fans who have attended some events where you've played that it was total carnage!
We would love to play festivals in Europe, we just haven’t had any offers, it is very difficult for an underground death metal band to get offers like that unless you have the right connections, unfortunately.
Who inspired you when you started out in music? Did you have any role models? What about your first gig? And your first performance on stage?
We all have different inspirations and heros in music but we definitely all agree on the greats! Like Dismember, Morbid Angel, Gorguts, coroner, etc.
We also come from very different backgrounds and our first shows were like everyone else, a local gig, wanting to have fun!
You are experienced musicians who have done a lot of great work. Still, death and thrash metal and actually all extreme styles are still underground. At least here in the Czech Republic it is. Do you enjoy music? Or do you have to have other jobs (which ones?)? As a father of two teenagers, I can still think of some? How do you manage to keep up with it all?
We all have day jobs and do music as a hobby but it is our lifestyle at the same time, it is extremely difficult, almost impossible to make a business out of a death metal band.
What does music mean to you? Is it a hobby, a lifestyle, a relaxation? How would you define to someone who is not into death and thrash metal what these styles mean, represent? And what do they mean to you?
I can speak for all of us and tell you that music is our lifestyle and love playing metal, music definitely means everything to us, death thrash to put in plainly is an extreme form of music that releases different emotions from other kinds of music, you definitely have to be or like extreme music.
What are HYPOXIA's plans in the coming months? If you want, feel free to say something to the fans.
We want to focus on the release of Defiance, we hope that it is successful and hope to get some good show offers so we can play live.
We want to ask our fans to go follow us on socials and support us if you can!
Thank you very much for the interview. I really appreciate it. I have to thank you for your music as well. It's great! That's the kind of carnage that runs through my veins. Have the best of luck and may the new album "Defiance" sell well. I'm going to listen to it again! May you do well in your private life. HYPOXIA RULES!
THANK YOU SO MUCH! 🤘🏻🤘🏻🤘🏻
Carolina Pérez Arango
Recenze/review - HYPOXIA - Defiance (2024):
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