(by Mike Riddick)
Out of the cold environs of Finland we find HAMMER OF HATE, a small underground label dedicated to the furtherance of a Satanic agenda supporting genuine underground black metal. With a catalog of quality merchandise from bands like BEHEXEN, ANAL BLASPHEMY, IC REX and more, HAMMER OF HATE offer up quality music with a quality presentation that is truly chilling, despondent and wicked. Here is our exploration into the mind of the label owner, Molester, and his vision with the label…
Please tell us about your decisions behind the creation of HAMMER OF HATE…
Personally, Black Metal means a great deal for me in my life. It’s a passion that drives me forth and possesses my soul. So it was natural for me. In addition, my bands being involved in the Black Metal world, it made sense to create a Black Metal label dedicated to Satan and the spread of His gospel by helping decent Black Metal bands get their voices and propaganda heard in a quality manner. Quality manner meaning: good quality releases and professional, trustworthy, handling of their business and spreading their works. I’ve seen too many cases of labels ripping off their clients and even worse, their bands. I can’t understand how a label does not respect its bands enough to serve them with the quality they deserve. My aim with Hammer of Hate is honesty, honor and dedication. I think that it can be seen in my works with the bands.
Why have you chosen to only work with Finnish bands? Are your buyers typically located in Finland or is your customer base global?
It’s not a choice actually but only a matter that has been this way so far. I have never denied the possibility of signing a foreign band, on the contrary. It’s just that with Finnish bands it’s of course easy to communicate and thus get a better idea of their motives and thoughts behind the music. And of course, the current state of Finnish Black Metal is very good, so musically too, Finnish bands are high quality to release. The promos I’ve received from other countries haven’t shown anything interesting for me so far. But I’m always open for bands everywhere as long as there’s a needed balance of great music and dedication to the art. We are most visible in Finland, so most of our customers are from Finland, yes. The unfortunate fact of high postage prices in Finland limits also some part of sales outside Finland, especially overseas with vinyls, but since we offer CD’s without postage payments (worldwide), I think more customers from other countries will order from us too.
HAMMER OF HATE publishes both CDs and records, almost in equal scale. What inspires you to concentrate on both of these mediums and what is your philosophy behind the importance of records?
Both formats are definitely important when releasing albums. CD has its good qualities with its compact form and being a format that everyone can use. But personally I think that albums really get to their maximum with a decent vinyl release. The sound lives more than in the digital form and of course, the artwork is in a bigger size than the CD booklet. I have listened to vinyls for whole of my life, actually even before I got my first CD player, so it has been a natural format of music always. Both of them have their own supporters, meaning that there are a lot of people who don’t have a turntable and don’t care for its clumsiness and unpractical use and then there are the “vinyl diehards” who collect with enthusiasm all vinyl versions of the albums they like. So I think both are necessary, although it’s not of course a problem if a band chooses to limit their album to only one of these formats.
I tend to associate your label with high quality productions. For example, the presentation of your releases tends to be a cut above what other labels are doing. Do you believe this distinguishes your releases and artists from other bands and labels and what is your philosophy behind this?
I’m glad to hear that the high quality can be perceived from our works. That means a sign of success for us. Yes, I believe in high quality and not just doing a “left hand job” with our releases and it does separate us from labels that don’t put an effort into their productions. I think that shows our respect for the band and the customers and hopefully gives us a reputation of quality so that when a customer sees the Hammer of Hate logo he knows that it’s made with quality and effort. Sure you could earn a few bucks more by skipping some things and doing it cheaper. That could help the label to run better, (i.e. getting more releases in a shorter time when there’s more money to use) but I really like to put an effort into releases. Of course, a lot depends on the band and how they want their work to be released, meaning that some prefer a simpler outlook and we of course respect their wishes. But when a band wishes for something more, let’s say grandeur, we try to make those wishes happen. Personally, I enjoy a lot, the outlook of releases, especially when there’s a lot to see. I like to spend time with the album, not only with the music, but the visual side. That’s why I don’t enjoy the mp3 format. That shows only half of the music for me. And that’s the reason why I put an effort to the outlook of the releases too, even if it costs a little extra in money and work.
HAMMER OF HATE is a home for “puritanist underground black metal.” Please tell us exactly what you mean by this.
Puritanist underground Black Metal, meaning that mainstream melodic and produced Dimmu Borgir style Black Metal has no place here. Puritanist meaning that this is about SATAN and what real Black Metal is about. Black Metal these days has divided into so many subgenres and some of them I do not support myself. With Hammer of Hate I try to select bands that are still focused on the main thing and that the music can be identified as Black Metal. Well, someone would point out probably JUMALHÄMÄRÄ at this point and it’s a rightful perception. JH maybe represents something not so puritanist Black Metal but it is a channel of Satan and Black Metal, making a small exception to the policy of Hammer of Hate by not being the typical Black Metal HoH releases. But I like their style and that’s what counts.
You also run a mailorder store. Do you service mostly Finland or do you also support international orders as well? What can visitors expect to find in your online store?
We serve everyone globally, not just the Finnish customers. Like I mentioned before, all CD’s are post paid worldwide, which should interest international customers too. Our selection is wide with mostly Black Metal items but also some Death and Thrash metal too. People visiting our online store can expect to find high quality Black Metal in all formats including also merchandise like shirts and patches with fair prices and professional customer service.
BEHEXEN have been one of your most recognized artists on the label. Did they reach out to you for a contract or did you contact them personally? How do you feel the success has helped your label?
I’ve known the Behexen guys for a decade now and have been in contact with them quite actively over the years, especially last years. I’ve seen, as a bystander, how badly their previous labels have treated them…definitely how they don’t deserve to be treated. I said that I’d offer a good deal to them with also vinyl versions and merchandise (which they didn’t have with their previous labels). They didn’t need much persuasion to join the forces of Hammer of Hate and for what I know they’ve been very satisfied so far. Behexen is of course a band that brings good fame to us and we try our best to do the same to them, spreading their gospel of Satan. At the moment, Behexen is our top seller and best known band. Personally, I see Behexen as the strongest horde of current Finland and it has been an honor for me to get to release their black arts.
Tell us about the other bands on your label. Many of them have a mysterious aura and very dark music. Tell us about them…
There are several bands we’ve been cooperating with and I’ll mention some of the most important ones here…
FÖRGJORD is definitely not yet having the popularity they deserve. Excellent, COLD Black Metal with Finnish sung lyrics and most certainly has that mysterious dark aura you mention. One of my personal favorites (and worth checking out) for everyone into cold and raw yet brilliantly melodic harsh Finnish Black Metal.
VITSAUS keeps the Finnish Black Flame burning bright with a very Horna-like style. After their successful and much praised 2-CD demo compilation, they’re preparing a debut full-length to be unleashed.
IC REX manifests the deep occult spheres in form of symphonic yet raw Black Metal. This one man band has released three albums so far and each of them offers much for the listener both in music as with the deeply Satanic and occult lyrics.
ANAL BLASPHEMY is a foul creation of myself. Rotting hymns of Black/Death metal much in the vein of other bestial legions like old Beherit, Blasphemy, Havohej, Profanatica, VON etc. The popularity of Anal Blasphemy has grown a lot since the release of the debut album and new material is being released later this year too. Filth!
BLACK DEATH RITUAL consists of known Finnish Black Metal artists from BAPTISM and TROLLHEIM’S GROTT to name a few and is definitely worth checking out for all black cultists. Raw necro Black Metal of dark devotion!
NOENUM is a mystical duo performing melancholic esoteric Black Metal mysticism. So far they’ve only released one MLP with Hammer of Hate but there’s more to come. Quite original stuff with references to Burzum and Black Legions.
ARSONIST LODGE offers good quality Finnish Black Metal with a nice smell of burning churches. Raw blaspheming against Christ in the Nordic vein. Also preparing the debut full-length to be released.
JUMALHÄMÄRÄ is a strange entity among the others as I mentioned earlier. The music is recognizably Black Metal but also has calm parts with reference to old and modern parts of ULVER’s music. Their MCD has had VERY good response around the world and the debut full-length is almost finished too. Maybe a bit strange stuff for the really puritanistic worshippers but I’d advise to leave your doubts behind and get to know JH’s weird magic.
We’re also doing vinyl versions of ENOCHIAN CRESCENT’s albums and the first three masterpieces of ARCKANUM on picture vinyl. The mysterious aura of our releases is important, the atmosphere the band creates. If the atmosphere is missing it doesn’t matter how excellent or skilful the riffs and structures are. Black Metal is passion!
What are some bands you have been appreciating lately?
With the coming of dark autumn here in Finland I’ve been very much possessed by XASTHUR. Haunting atmospheres that are hard to describe. Much hated band I think with a strong fanbase too. I like it a lot. Just now listening to the “Defecting Epitaph” album. Also the Italian EVOL’s debut full-length “Saga of the Horned King,” early CRADLE OF FILTH (Principle & Vempire era), old Norwegian classics like GEHENNA and ULVER, KING DIAMOND and MERCYFUL FATE are on my player around the year, SUMMONING, DROWNING THE LIGHT, WOODS OF DESOLATION, old PARADISE LOST… it’s this bleak autumn time that makes me listen to a lot these atmospheric Black Metal bands and a little less on the blastbeat bestial stuff like BLACK WITCHERY, BEHERIT, HAVOHEJ etc… which I enjoy a lot too.
Please inform our readers what we can expect next from the HAMMER OF HATE!
Next you can expect more quality releases from HAMMER OF HATE! ARCKANUM picture vinyls are under works. Also, we’re releasing a special DROWNING THE LIGHT mini album soon which was composed and recorded by the Finnish live line-up (including myself on bass). Debut full-lengths of JUMALHÄMÄRÄ, VITSAUS and ARSONIST LODGE are coming up. Some split 7” EP’s of ANAL BLASPHEMY. More shirts and other merchandise. Keep checking our website and online shop at: www.hammer-of-hate.com
Any closing words?
Keep the Black Flame burning bright! Black Metal will never die when there are dedicated spirits supporting it, no matter how underground and invisible they may seem. Hail Satan!
www.hammer-of-hate.com
www.myspace.com/hammer_of_hate
Hammer of Hate releases at the Metal Maniacs Mp3 store
