Band: Hell Is Other People
Latest album: Moirae
Genre: Post Black Metal
Country: Canada
Label: Transcending Obscurity Productions
Today Black Metal ZIne was fortunate enough to catch up with Ontario based post black metal outfit Hell Is Other People. We discuss the origins of the band, their inspirations, greek philosophy and most importantly, black fucking metal.
Thanks so much for your time today guys!
So could you guys tell me a little bit about your background? When did you guys start and what were some of the influences you guys got into playing this stuff?
NF: I’m an obsessive metal nerd and have been for over 15 years. Post-black metal has always been one of my favorite styles, and I was (and still am) a huge Agalloch fanboy. I joined the band around 2018/19 when the band was already established. The other guys can speak more to the band’s evolution and development in the early years, but I feel like I bring a more straightforward black metal/DSBM sound into the fold, mostly via my vocal stylings.
James Ditty, drums: Nate and I started jamming here in Windsor with some local guys, pushing for a more post-hardcore, doomy alt-rock sort of sound, and as we cycled through a number of members, we sort of dialed more in on a dark droney kind of foundation. We had been playing shows just the two of us and our then-vocalist as a three-piece when we met Nathan at a London show and he was really interested in joining our group.
We knew him from his other bands so decided to give him a shot, and it’s been a great ride with him ever since. We actually have Nic as our guitar player because those two are best friends and that fella can play just about anything.
As for influences, bands like Alcest, Amenra, Numenorean, Oathbreaker and Deafheaven are some big ones for me. I like some artsy with my fartsy lol.
Does Ontario have much of a black metal scene? Or did you find yourselves more focusing your attention outside of your local scene, do you end up playing live out much?
NF: I wouldn’t say it’s a crowded scene, bands are few and far between, but because of that, you have to stick together. We’ve been fortunate to connect with other groups in our region that vibe with our sound and ethos, whether it’s more post-rock, death/doom, old-school black metal, dissonant death metal or something in between.
Some of our favorite groups our region, including but not limited to bands we’ve played with: Dismal Aura, They Grieve, Ignominy, Mors Verum, Ischemic, Stolos, Lowheaven, A Flock Named Murder, Where the Light Fades, Vaste, Vomitself, Fractal Generator, Drofnosura, Cogadh, Thantifaxath, Mistwalker, Adversarial…and, of course, Nepenthe. We’ve played with Nepenthe so many times I’ve lost count, and plan to continue doing so. Sorry if I missed anyone!!
We’ve stuck to our locale of Ontario and Quebec for shows, but we do try to stay active and play live regularly. As much as we can, we try to host out of town/touring bands from the west coast of Canada, the USA and beyond…but getting there ourselves is a challenge. Canada is very spread out geographically, and even though we’re right on the US border, playing across the pond is an expensive and daunting undertaking with Visa costs, wait times for approval, and no guarantees we’ll even get approved for it. This is something we are looking into as we speak, though.
How long did you guys to arrive at your current sound in terms of writing ? (I really like your specific sound by the way).
JD: Thankyou, Nate and I have been playing together for a little over ten years, starting from more of a hardcore, post- sort of outfit. As we moved through members and positions, (myself from bass to drums) we sort of figured out something that the both of us really enjoy in the slow-but-fast, drone-but-blast beat kind of vibe. It’s a little funny to me how everybody has a different way to describe what we’re doing, but I think it’s because we’re not really thinking about it from a genre perspective until we get to doing vocals.
NF: Thanks for the kind words! I think the core/founding members of the band could elaborate on this further, but essentially the band started out as more post-hardcore/early Alexisonfire styled (which has a bit of the DSBM/emotional tinge you mentioned), and then we gradually integrated more black metal elements into our sound. With me and Nic in the fold I think we come from more of an old school black metal setting, so when you put it all together it forms into the atmoblack/post-black/DSBM mishmash you hear in Moirae.
How was the process of recording the latest album?
NF: Our main founder and songwriter has a studio and a background in recording/engineering/mixing and mastering, so we were able to do everything ourselves. It’s a blessing and a curse. It’s great because on the one hand it saves us thousands of dollars and we can still create a product we’re satisfied with – on the other hand, it means there’s no deadlines, which can inevitably extend how long it takes to get things done. We spent many, many months tinkering with the production, and it got to a point where my non-engineer ears couldn’t hear the minute differences.
Nate Boots/GTR: it was really nothing out of the ordinary, really. I did re-track the rhythms 3 seperste times, and had to tell myself to stop a few times. I just wanted it to be as perfect as possible-I think we captured a very accurate representation of ourselves, so for that, I am very happy.
What are some of the themes you guys write about lyric wise? (I found the whole concept of using the 3 fates Clotho Lachesis and Atropos very cool in a black metal context to talk about the life and death of a character, is there anything i missed beyond that basic idea?
NF: I think you more or less got it! I am a big believer in leaving lyrics and themes open to interpretation, especially with this band. We agreed on the Moirae being the central theme for this album and I filtered this through my own deterministic lens and briefly touched on themes of purpose, loss, and death. If people get something completely different out of the lyrics, then I know I’ve done my job.
I always come back to this Bataille quote: “We have in fact only two certainties in this world—that we are not everything and that we will die”.
The artwork by adam burke is unreal how long did that take to put together
NF: I don’t know how long it took him to paint, but for us it was no time at all! It wasn’t a commission, he had artworks for sale to be licensed, and we found one we liked and then wrote the lyrics/concept based on the artwork. Was kind of a backwards way to do it, but it all worked out okay.
In terms of what you do, are you guys more focused on albums or live shows at this point ?
NF: We’ve got a couple of shows lined up for the spring in our home region – follow us on socials to get more details on those, we’re playing with some really cool bands. Beyond that, everything else is still in the works, but in the future we’d like to start breaking new ground and getting into areas we’ve never played before. The East Coast of Canada (Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Quebec) is one spot we have our sights on, and like I mentioned before, we’re working on finding our way into the US. Playing out west (Alberta/BC) or even in Europe are more long-term/bucket list goals for us, but it would be amazing to get over there someday.
Thanks heaps guys, as a final question. What are you guys currently listening to at the moment?
NF: I’m spinning Flood by Boris. I’ve wanted a physical copy since high school and I finally stumbled across one at a local record store, so I’ve been re-familiarizing myself with this post-rock/doom/ambient masterpiece.
JD: I’m on a rocketship listening to the new Blood Incantation on repeat, dude
NB: I jump around so much, but Pillar of Light, They Grieve, and Sons of a Wanted Man.
Support theme here: https://hellisotherpeoplebm.bandcamp.com/album/moirae
Catch them here April 12 at the Coffin Club (Ontario)
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