Interview with Katon W. DePena of Hirax, by Dave Wolff from AEA

What made you decide to reform Hirax after such a long absence?
I reformed HIRAX in 2000, after a 13 year hiatus, purely because of our die hard fan base. We still and always were getting a lot of letters / emails from all over the world… people that were interested in our music. It made me realize that I couldn't let them down or let HIRAX fade into obscurity. We are BACK, STRONGER THAN EVER!!! Touring and recording albums is what it's all about. We are still creating strong music and continue to strive to put out our own brand of TRUE THRASH METAL!! NEVER COMPROMISING AND NEVER SELLING OUT!!! That is our goal.
A few people know the Hirax band logo was designed by Celtic Frost frontman Tom G. Warrior. What led to his designing your logo?
Tom G. Warrior was one of our first fans and supporter. He was in contact with us back in 1984 and he really wanted to design a logo for us… so he did. He sent it to me from Switzerland (where he lived) and as soon as I saw it … I knew that it was the right one for us! We still use it to this day… it's on all of our albums, flyers, etc. It is synonymous with our music and represents us like our own flag!
In what ways does the new incarnation of Hirax compare to the old?
In many, many ways we still are a true METAL BAND with roots in Thrash Metal and Punk Crossover Music. We have always stayed true to what our original style was and is. The only difference is that we are a lot more focused and responsible about being musicians. We know that we are lucky to be able to do what we do and that a lot of people come to our concerts and spend their hard earned money so they deserve the best… and they deserve 110% from us. We always deliver the goods!! That is something we take VERY seriously!!
Are you still in touch with older members of Hirax, from the 1980s?
Not at all. My life is way different than their lives… I am TOTALLY committed to music!! I REALLY couldn't tell you what they are doing now. I would have probably still worked with them if they were REALLY down to give their lives to the music. Playing in a band that is constantly on the road… just wasn't in the cards for them. It is something that I love to do and will probably continue up until the day I die. I can't say the same for them.
What is your favorite Hirax album from the 1980s?
All of them that we recorded… “Raging Violence”, “Hate, Fear and Power”, and “Blasted in Bangkok” … these are different in styles … but similar and all in the HIRAX vein. They also show different time periods of my life… all great memories for me!! I have realized over the years that I can't put one album above the other. I do appreciate that I was learning how to write songs and it shows on those early recordings. I am constantly growing and working at my craft. I think it shows. Even on the newer material… like “The New Age of Terror”… there are some similarities… but technically the band is light years beyond what it used to be! As to your question, I LOVE ALL of the recordings I did.
What went on at Hirax performances back in the day?
We were really different and original compared to the bands that we started out with. We played a lot of shows with bands like Slayer, Megadeth, Exodus, Metallica, Death Angel, Possessed, etc. We always had an element of crossover and punk intertwined into our music even though we were and still are a metal band. Our audience was a mixture of the same…people who were into metal as well as punk. So the shows/concerts were REALLY CRAZY!! Stage diving, slam pits, headbanging, and a hell of a lot of fists in the air!! Probably some of the roughest shows of ALL TIME!! Everyone respected each other and got along though. We never really had many fights at our shows. Our message was always about accepting each other for being different and it still stands true to this day, no matter how wild our concerts are.
How well has The New Age Of Terror been received since its release? When you were in the studio recording it, did you expect the comeback the band has been making?
Yes… I expected a strong comeback and to be received favorably… but nothing could have prepared me for the response that we have gotten!! What's weird about “The New Age of Terror” is that the record has been out for over two years and people are still acting like it's a new album! It is selling well all over the world! And still receiving great reviews! I think because it's not on a major label that people have gone out of their way… whether they buy it on the Internet, through mail order, or at DIY/independent record stores … to search out and find this KICK ASS CD. We are very proud of it and are honored that so many people are enjoying our new music. The success of the band continues to grow all over the world. We are still touring to support our cause!
Who helped mix and produce The New Age Of Terror? Would you work with these people again?
Michael Rozon – He is a great producer based out of North Hollywood. We recorded it and mixed it in his home studio in an incredible 9 days! Most bands couldn't even lay down drum tracks in 9 days and we did the whole CD/album in that much time. It sounds great, the production is KILLER and the CD has a LOT of music on it! People get their money's worth! We intended to put together A VERY STRONG PACKAGE. It is independently released, but has been picked up by major distributors so heavy metal fans can get their hands on a copy of this relentless thrash metal classic. We will continue to work with Rozon as long as he permits us to. He is never easy on us and pushes us to play everything to our BEST potential!! I'm sure that he wouldn't mind me saying that he works us like a tyrant!! There have been many times that I have left the recording studio tired and with a sore throat … but I am always happy with the results he gets out of me.
Where did the lyrical inspiration for songs on The New Age Of Terror come from?
A lot of different ideas are on this album. But one of the main inspirations was from when the twin towers in New York City fell 9-11-01. That day not only changed America… it also changed me. I couldn't believe that so many innocent people died! So I had to write some words down about it. It was my own therapy. If you hear the title of the album, “The New Age of Terror” that should make you understand what the title track it about. I was born on the east coast and have a lot of family there… I could not help but think about them and others through this difficult time. Like many others, I felt helpless. Luckily I have my music to vent these feelings through. I can't believe in this day and age that there is killing going on over greed, oil, religion, etc.!! WE ARE ALL HUMANS!! Nobody is better than anybody else… I believe. I think that we all need to respect each other. That's the way I choose to live my life!! Some bands are afraid to speak their minds but I am not.
The band released a live DVD, Thrash Til Death: Live In Concert, compiled of performances at the 2005 Minneapolis Mayhem festival, the 2004 Sweden Rock festival, the 2004 Dokk'Em Open Air festival in Holland and a few other fests. How were the shows chosen and which are your personal favorites?
That's a very hard question to answer … but I will try. There was so much footage … YOU WOULDN'T BELIEVE! There will probably have to be a “Thrash ‘Til Death” PART 2. Most people, when viewing this DVD realize that there is over 2 hours of concert, interviews, etc. on it. We crammed a lot of material into it. Basically all of the shows I really love or they wouldn't be on the disc. As to a favorite… or highlights… Sweden Rock, (Bang Your Head) Germany, and (Dokk’Em) Holland were AMAZING! San Francisco is our home away from home. We always love playing there. The Minneapolis Mayhem Festival was our first time playing there … the response and live footage is incredible. I really like the whole DVD… so for me to point out one personal favorite is unfair. Ill leave that up to our fans to decide.
Hirax recently formed a new lineup, with guitarist Lance Harrison, bassist Steve Harrison, drummer Fabricio Ravelli and guitarist Glenn Rogers. How did this lineup come together?
Glenn (lead guitars) and I have been together for some years now. We wrote the album “The New Age of Terror” together. The other players – Lance (lead guitars) and Steve (bass) Harrison are brothers and have been friends of mine for quite some time. They were naturally great choices to join the band. The newest recruit is from Brazil, Fabricio Ravelli, our drummer. We all love playing metal and are on the same page when it comes to going on the road/touring and recording. One thing that we all have in common is that we grew up on pretty much the same music. Bands like Deep Purple, Thin Lizzy, Black Sabbath, Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, Motorhead, Venom, Ramones, Discharge, etc. So we really know each other and what we are all about. It comes through in our music.
You have a company, Black Devil Records, that distributes CDs by Hirax, Venom, Cro-Mags, Nasty Savage, Deceased, Ramones and Phantasm, a band you were in with one time Metallica bassist Ron McGovney. Black Devil Records also has T-shirts of Dark Angel, Venom, Black Sabbath, Hellhammer and Possessed among others. How long has the company been around and how well does it do?
We've been around since 2000 and Black Devil Records is basically run by my wife, Anne and me. It's a lot of hard work because HIRAX keeps us very busy. We help distribute and support those other bands because we love their music. It's definitely not about the money, even though we do alright, our main thing is to give the fans great options to where they can get the music and T-shirts and merchandise of their favorite bands… all from the same place www.BlackDevilRecords.com at a great price. It's custom stuff, hard to find of the best underground bands from all over the world! Our customers know what they want when they come to our website looking for product…more and more people are starting to catch on to what we do. It's all about the music!!
The band is preparing to release a new EP, Assassins Of War. Anything you want to tell about it?
Yes, it will be our BEST recording to date! VERY strong production with razor sharp vocals, lightening dual guitar riffs, thundering bass and pounding drums!! “Assassins of War” was originally going to be an EP… but has now morphed into a full length album. Now that we have two guitar players, Glenn and Lance, who are constantly writing material… we have an abundance of ideas. So on this new album/CD we will take the BEST of the BEST … arrange them into complete songs … and lay them down in the recording studio. Once we have picked the FASTEST and HEAVIEST tracks… then we will finalize, mix and master it and release it to the world. I am very confident that this new HIRAX disc will KILL EVERYONE!!!! And MAKE YOUR EARS BLEED!!
Are there any other plans Hirax has for the future?
The new album, Assassins of War will be released very soon. In the meantime we will be touring all over the world supporting our HEAVY METAL CAUSE!!. The Thrash ‘Til Death DVD and the first two albums (Raging Violence & Hate, Fear and Power) on one disc titled Not Dead Yet are AVAILABLE NOW!! An added tour date: August 26th 2006 – Minneapolis Mayhem 3 - Star Central | 4005 Central Ave NE | Columbia Heights, MN.
http://www.hirax.org
http://www.blackdevilrecords.com