(by Mike Riddick)
If ever there was a veteran of the thrash metal era, it must be Katon De Pena, vocalist of HIRAX. With a background playing and performing with musicians attached to historic bands like Metallica, Dark Angel, DRI, etc., Katon was a growing part of the Bay Area thrash scene in the early 80s. Even the band’s logo was drawn by Tom G. Warrior of Celtic Frost fame! Metal Maniacs caught up with Katon to discuss the band’s current activities, some thoughts about the past and their upcoming new album, “Rostro de la Muerte.”
Like a stubborn passion, HIRAX have weathered a storm of changes in the metal scene over the last few decades and your music remains consistent in its expression and roots. What is the driving force that keeps you ticking and keeps the HIRAX sound united?
KATON: That is a great question. Let me start by saying that it is because of our loyal die-hard fan base and great support that we have kept our music going after all of these years. We will continue to fight on and spread our message of true THRASH METAL!
Everyone knows who you are! I’m aware you used to write to tons of people by mail back when the underground was connected through the postal system. How did you get started with that and how did you manage to get tied into the underground?
KATON: That is a tricky question. Even though HIRAX is quite well known amongst true thrash metal enthusiasts, we continually work hard to spread our music more and more worldwide. Since thrash metal’s conception, in the very beginning, I was involved in the tape trading and pen pal underground movement. For those who don’t know, long before the Internet, correspondence and networking was done through snail mail, which nowadays is considered very dinosaur and basically obsolete. Through years of writing letters, I came into contact with many, many of the legendary thrash metal bands such as Kreator, Destruction, Sodom, Celtic Frost, Exodus, Possessed, Violence, Nuclear Assault, Overkill, etc. Most of us are quite good friends to this day and remain metal brothers.
Do you still have contacts and friendships from the early 80s?
KATON: Yes. Because of touring and the Internet I remain in contact with a lot of the people or friendships that I had in the early 1980s. There was quite the camaraderie because all of us that are still alive feel like we have been to battle together. I honestly feel honored to know all of the people that I have met over the years. It is a humbling experience to see them every time I run into them when we are on tour.
You guys were right alongside previously unknown bands like Metallica, Exodus, Slayer and Death Angel, collectively giving birth to speed and thrash metal. Give us a snapshot of what that was like. How was it like to share the stage with these guys back in the beginnings of true thrash metal?
KATON: Let me say that I am damn proud of it!! Who would have ever thought, in the beginning, that thrash metal would have become so influential all over the world? Because we were so young back in the 80s…it was a very exciting time…and everything was new. The concerts were very wild and crazy. It was the first time that people had ever seen stage diving and slam pits. Today it’s normal, but back then it had never been seen before. I must also say that sharing the stage with all of those bands was amazing. I know that we fed off of each other, always trying to up the bar to come up with the most extreme metal that we could, which only made us that much better. It was very competitive, and it made us create some of the most original music of that time period. Nowadays we are continuously trying to make our songs and music BIGGER, FASTER, BETTER and HEAVIER than ever before. We will always strive to maintain and keep that attitude
At one point, Paul Baloff of EXODUS, handled your spot in HIRAX for a brief period. What were the circumstances behind that situation and do any HIRAX recordings exist with Paul?
KATON: There are no recordings that have surfaced so far yet. Since I wasn’t in the band at that time I don’t’ know if there were any official recordings done. When I left the band they tried to get Paul Baloff to join. I know that he worked with them for a little while, but it didn’t work out. You have to understand that Paul Baloff was a friend of mine and I love and respect him as a human being and as a musician. Anything that he did I was supportive of and if he would have ended up replacing me I would have been happy for him. He has been gone for some years now, and I will miss the guy forever!! Rest In Peace Paul Baloff!!
How about your stint with the creation of PHANTASM? You guys had some key metal personalities in that group, including yourself! What was the origin behind it? Where can the PHANTASM material be purchased today? Are you familiar with the other Wisconsin-based PHANTASM from the early 90’s underground?
KATON: I am not familiar with the Wisconsin based PHANTASM. But the Los Angeles version of PHANTASM was originated in 1987. It featured myself, original Metallica bassist Ron McGovney and drummer Gene Hoglan (ex – Testament, Dark Angel, Death and now Strapping Young Lad / Fear Factory). The origin behind it was just that we were really good friends and we knew each other from playing together over the years. PHANTASM’s “Wreckage” CD / 12” colored vinyl copies can still be purchased through Black Devil Records.
I understand your guitarist, Glenn, also had some involvement with DARK ANGEL in the past. Can you tell us anything about that?
KATON: Somehow that information got twisted around. Glenn Rogers used to hang out with a Southern California band named Viking. Dark Angel ended up recruiting one of the guitar players from that band. He was a really good friend of Glenn’s. Because of this some people think that our guitar player was from Dark Angel when he really wasn’t.
Why do you think your band, during the thrash heyday of the 80s, was overlooked? You guys busted your ass and have consistently made killer music. What gives?!!!
KATON: My outlook on that is that we were really young and crazy kids just having a good time. We had no idea how to run a band or how to conduct a business. Also, to be quite honest with you, I know that we could have worked a lot harder than we did. I have no regrets about the past, but I am very excited about the future of HIRAX. We are more popular now than we were in the early days. I look at the resurgence of our music as a great opportunity to make up for lost time. We are seizing the moment and are having one hell of a great time! Sooner or later, hard work will pay off. You just have to keep at it.
Your first album, “Raging Violence,” was published by Metal Blade back in 1985. Being one of the earliest releases from this once fledgling metal label must feel like an honor. What do you think of Metal Blade today?
KATON: It is totally incredible! When I look back on it now and think of the bands that were our label-mates, I am totally blown away! It was a great thing to be a part of! When our first record came out it was released with Celtic Frost, Trouble, Voivod, Destruction, Slayer, Armored Saint, and many, many other great bands. So yes, to be a part of this historic metal movement is a total fuckin’ honor. It’s also hard to believe, back in those days, that Roadrunner Records distributed our music throughout Europe. Today, Metal Blade Records is still at the forefront of the heavy metal movement, and HIRAX is going stronger than ever. We both have stood the test of time.
Tell us about your involvement in the thrash metal documentary “Get Thrashed.” How did that come about and what were your thoughts on the final production?
KATON: The ‘Get Thrashed” documentary was something that I was approached to do by the director, Rick Ernst. I had no idea at the time that it would be such a historic documentary and that it would open up a lot of people to HIRAX’s music as well as many of other legendary thrash metal bands. Ernst called me and asked me to meet an MTV film crew out in the hills of Hollywood, CA. I showed up, did the piece and pretty much had forgotten about it as the years went by. It took awhile for the film to be released because all of the red tape. Finally, now we can enjoy it! It seems that almost everyday I receive mail from fans that have seen the movie, thanking me for my contribution. I always think to myself that it was an honor to be in the movie. I am grateful for the opportunity. I will continue to do what I do: play THRASH METAL! IT IS MY LIFE!
How did you guys secure such a solid South American following? It seems they worship you down there!
KATON: It is something that over the years has developed. We’ve always had a strong fan base from the Spanish speaking audiences … whether it be in Los Angles where we are based, Chicago, New York, Texas and throughout the United States as well as in Spain, Central America and South America. It is also something that we have worked hard to build because we have a lot of respect and love for our fans there. We have also played some countries that a lot of bands never, ever go to. We never let politics get in the way of the music. We will go anywhere where the audiences are to perform and play our music. That being said, the South American audiences are some of the wildest and craziest fans that we have EVER seen!!! We love playing for them and we will continue to return to play concerts in the future because they are true, REAL, metalheads. Everytime we go back to play, our fan base grows bigger and bigger.
I understand Tom G. Warrior of CELTIC FROST fame drew the HIRAX logo. What’s the story behind that?
KATON: Tom and I go back a long, long ways. We have been friends for many years and still are. We were pen pals in the early 1980s when HIRAX was starting out and he was in a band named Hellhammer. He was starting his new band at the time called Celtic Frost and he asked me if he could design a logo for HIRAX. I agreed to it, and said, YES! He designed our logo at the same time he designed the Celtic Frost logo so if you look at them, you can tell that they were both created by the same person: Tom G. Warrior. To this day we still use the HIRAX logo that he created for us.
You have a lot of energy live. How do you keep up the momentum and what do you think makes a great lead vocalist?
KATON: Up until 10 years ago… I never really took being in a band that serious. But when HIRAX started up playing again in 2000… I realized how serious it was to be a musician. What I mean is that people buy your records/music, they buy merchandise like t-shirts and they come out to concerts and pay money to see you live. So they deserve to get 100%, top quality for their hard earned money. I take what I do now very seriously because I don’t want to let the fans down. I believe in trying to stay as healthy as you can and fitness is very important. Not just to be able to play fast music… but to be able to keep up with a demanding and grueling touring schedule that bands like us go through every year. Flying on planes, traveling in busses and going from countries such as the U.S.A. to Japan, over to Scandinavia and back to South America can run you down if you don’t take care of yourself… especially if you are a singer. So I work out and stay in the best shape I can, so that I can give the best concerts to the people that come to see me. I am VERY LUCKY because I have some of the best fans in the world and they support what I do! LONG LIVE METAL!!
You’ve been exposed to so many bands…do you have any current favorites?
KATON: ARIA (Russia), Rata Blanca (Argentina), Angelos del Infierno (Spain), Kreator (Germany), Slaughter (Canada), Trust (France), Sarcofago (Brazil), Moonspell (Portugal), etc., just to name a few. Usually when we travel we are always exposed to some great new bands! Because we are such huge metal music fans we are quite spoiled and have a lot of access to a lot of GREAT music!
How do you feel about the changes in metal over the decades. Are there any genre deviations that have attracted your interest?
KATON: I like a lot of METAL! Obviously my favorite is HEAVY and THRASH metal. But I do like Black, Death, Grindcore, etc. metal as well as crossover music. Some people would be surprised to know that I like bands such as Cannibal Corpse, Deicide, Death, Massacre (Colombia), Morbid Angel, Napalm Death, etc. If it has metallic riffs and a brutal sound I can listen to it! I think metal music will always progress, but I hate over produced, over technical metal. I still like the basics, such as speed, heaviness and a mixture of tempo changes. I still find time to dust off the old classics because those records inspire me the most. Albums such as Venom “Black Metal,” Mercyful Fate “Melissa,” or the first Iron Maiden record. That is the kind of stuff that I like the most. It inspires me to create and strive to make better and better metal music myself. That is the stuff that I grew up on and it’s imprinted in my DNA.
There has been a general resurgence of thrash metal recently. Has this proven favorable to HIRAX as a band and what do you think is the catalyst for this reborn interest in thrash?
KATON: Yeah… most definitely there is a resurgence in thrash metal. There are many new bands. It has been a great thing for us because now there is a whole new audience of young metalheads interested in our music. Our concerts are bigger now than they have ever been before and we are selling more and more CDs as well as digital downloads on the internet. The catalyst for this style of music has always been that there is a die hard strong fans base. Even though in the U.S.A. it has gone underground over the last 15 yars… it has stayed very strong throughout the world. So it doesn’t surprise me know that it is at the fore front of metal music all over again. For us, HIRAX it is kind of a coincidence because we reformed in 2000 and we did it because we love playing this kind of muic… it’s just ironic that almost 10 years later thrash metal is back and there is a whole new movement of people supporting this music again. I think it’s great!!
You guys are in the midst of wrapping up a new album. What can we expect from this new release and when or where will it be available?
KATON: You can expect from our new release – “El Rostro de la Muerte” (”The Face of Death”) as always a natural progression in our music. Every album we do, we try to maintain the HIRAX concept which is to play fast, heavy and loud!! As well as a bit of technical playing… but mainly keeping it straight in your FACE METAL! Every new release will continue to get more brutal! This CD will be our longest album to date. It will consist of 14 thrash metal classic tracks – ultra heavy production and very professional sound. It will be on CD format and 12″ vinyl as well as limited edition picture disc. It should be released at the end of August/early September 2009. I guarantee you that it will be the ultimate HIRAX CD… wait til you hear it!!
Black Devil Records is your own label. What inspired you guys to manage this on your own?
KATON: The fact that my wife and I can run our own business. We totally believe in doing it yourself and we live by those words! Having the Internet is a great tool to help spread our message of music and network with other like-minded people. Also, mainly to have control over HIRAX. We can work with who we want and we make our own decisions as to how to market and manufacture our music for the metal masses! It is a lot easier now to manage your own music/band than it was back in the 1980s. Through our official website www.hirax.org, people are able to keep up on everything that we do. There are so many other outlets for people to get information about HIRAX on: MySpace, Facebook, Reverbnation, etc. The word is spreading more and more every day. Black Devil Records is something that we created so that anybody interested in HIRAX would be able to go on the Internet and get official news.
Ed Repka did the cover art for the new album. Did you feel it was important to have such a classic metal illustrator involved in representing the music visually?
KATON: Yes and no. As you know, there are a lot of great artists out there. Originally we had Derek Riggs from Iron Maiden doing the new cover artwork for “El Rostro de la Muerte.” But me…being the artwork freak that I am…I wasn’t happy with what he came up with. So then I was put in contact with Ed Repka and I was familiar with his artwork through Venom, Death, Vio-lence, Megadeth, Possessed, Toxic Holocaust, Nuclear Assault, Municipal Waste, etc. So I knew that he would understand what kind of artwork I would want on the new HIRAX CD/12″ vinyl. Once we spoke on the phone I knew that he was the right guy. We both really liked a lot of the same comic books and artists, so it was easy for me to communicate to him what I wanted. He did a sketch and sent it over to me and I was totally blown away! I think that once all of the fans see this new record with Ed Repka’s incredible artwork on the front of it they are going to lose their minds and freak out! It is a definite thrash metal classic. I think that the time is right for it to be released. The combination of our music and his art is a perfect match.
Thanks for your time Katon! Any closing words?
KATON: This is just the beginning of more great music to come. To all of our die hard fans out there: THANK YOU for the many years of your true support! We will be on the road traveling and touring all over the world, so keep an eye out for us and visit our website for all of the official HIRAX news, free mp3s, photos, merchandise, etc. See you soon!
www.blackdevilrecords.com
www.myspace.com/hirax
