Tell us a little bit about the new album
Our debut album is called 'Woe to the Kingdom of Blood' and we plan to release it early 2020. The main theme with this album has unintentionally become that of a broken world. People lying, mental illness, suicide all very sensitive subjects so it's a heavy-hitting album and there are no punches pulled.
How do you go about the songwriting process?
Most of the time we don't have the intention of actually writing anything. What usually happens is we get together at practice and once we've all set up one of us will start jamming something random and the others join in and that lays the foundation of a new song and all we do is build on it gradually. It's probably the best way to write in my opinion because it lets us slowly add and remove stuff to let a song be it's best instead of rushing for a deadline and having regrets or wishing we'd done something different every finished product is how we wanted it.
What's your favourite track?
Chris: My favourite track on the album if I had to choose would be Stigma, it's not released as a single so won't be made public outside of a show until 2020 however I can relate to it very heavily and it's just so good to play. It's one of our longest songs but you don't get bored playing it because it changes up so much and it's a very intense song there's no interpretation to it the lyrics are in your face and it just kicks your arse.
What would you be doing if you didn't make music?
Chris: If I hadn't had become a musician my Hope's as a kid were always the armed forces. Since I could speak I wanted to be a soldier and I got as far as the selection process after applying but they didn't accept me due to my medical history. So that was when I really buckled down with learning my instrument and then eventually by chance I crossed paths with Liam and then I haven't looked back since.
What inspired the album?
Well what I wanted was a picture of our fractured world, the truth behind the false, where it’s all about war and death but how we have to pay to live this life, the horrors that we go through each day where it’s in our minds or outside! The truth no one likes to hear!
How did you form the band?
Well, Hellfekted turned out shit with the wrong people because I wanted people who were dedicated and wanted the dream-like me so it was me for a while because other people didn’t cut it but then I ran into Chris and his friend Carl in a club and we were so drunk and I just asked them if they wanted join and then we got a practice straight away and me and Chris clicked and literally could create a song within 5 minutes but sadly Carl couldn’t cut it on drums he didn’t have the idea and dream we both wanted but then we met Myles and Myles literally was us just in a drummer form and we got speaking and then he just left his old band and joined ours and ever since we have been making sure we’re getting bigger and bigger day by day and going after our dream of making HELLFEKTED BIG!!
What is next?
Next, it to release the album, get a music video sorted, get more merch ready, power through loads and loads of gigs and also sort out the new songs for the next album that we are going to announce 1 week after when we release Woe To The Kingdom Of Blood!
What advice would you give to someone starting out?
For someone starting out I would say be patient and take your time, there isn't a rush and music isn't a race. The best way to find your sound is to just give it time and let things happen naturally, don't be disheartened by setbacks, it's all about experience and building knowledge for the future. As a band, we have had setbacks but it doesn't stop us and it shouldn't stop you either.
What record changed your life?
The record that changed my life for this band would be 'Overdose Of Death' by Toxic Holocaust, they are fantastic and Joel is a brilliant songwriter, they have been around since the 90 so has a lot of influence on the current scene.
Who would you like to record one of your songs, and which one?
In all honesty, the 2 producers we have on this new album are perfect for the record, Tom Bath who recorded us in the studio wasn't particularly a metal producer but he just went with the slow and recorded what we played how it needed to be, and it was mixed by Matt Ball who is an excellent metal producer and it all sounds exactly how we wanted it to sound.
Who are your biggest influences?
As a band we have many influences that range from Metallica to Skinless, however, one of our main influences would have to be Bolt Thrower. As a British death metal band we aim to be able to play with their style and ability. We usually go to practice listening to Exodus, Cannibal Corpse, Lich King and many more. However, we are largely influenced by our own music and the progress we have made as a band.