Interview with WRITHEN HILT
!!!EPIC HEAVY METAL FROM GERMANY!!!
Welcome to the FILTHY DOGS OF METAL Webzine.
Tell us a few things about WRITHEN HILT (Members, Starting Year etc).
Jendrik: We are David, Jendrik, Steffen and Lauritz and in this constellation we have been making music for about 15 years. The idea of Writhen Hilt started around five years ago when we closed down our previous project. We took quite some time to figure out where exactly we’d want to take this new journey and the pandemic surely did not help expedite things but we finally got our first release through the door and could not be happier with it.
You are going to release your new EP ''Ancient Sword Cult''. Tell us a few things about this project.
Lauritz: It’s the first EP we put out as Writhen Hilt, and we feel it gives a nice overview of the musical range we expect to cover in the future. We recorded the whole thing in our rehearsal space and mastered it ourselves. The cover is a beautiful piece by Florian Herold.
How did your cooperation with Jawbreaker Records occur & waht do you prefer, Label or DIY and why?
Jendrik: I think we got in contact with Gustav some years ago for issuing a special tape release. He is an awesome guy and when we started talking about contacting labels regarding Ancient Sword Cult, he came up naturally and was immediately up for it. Nowadays there is hardly any barrier for doing all the recording, mixing, mastering etc. yourself and you are free to work with whom you are most comfortable with so that is surely a huge plus.
Do you prefer Vinyl, Tape, CD or Digital Format and why is that?
Jendrik: They all have their place as far as I am concerned. Personally, I enjoy the convenience of digital releases as well as a CD or Vinyl just for the physical piece to enjoy and display, but surely would not deprive all the Lada-drivers of tapes to blast in their cars!
Your music style is Heavy Metal. Which are your main influences (Favourite Artists / Bands etc.)
Lauritz: Our influences vary a lot, but some we can definitely all agree on would be Warlord, with a hefty dose of Swedish trad metal like Heavy Load.
Describe your ideal live show as a performance band. Have you already experienced that?
Jendrik: Whenever you can really feel the energy from the audience, shouting your lyrics, raising fists… that can just push you on stage like crazy. To me, the size of the venue I tend to forget over time but when everyone just got really into it, that remains.
What attributes do you think that a new Heavy Metal Band should have in order to gain identity and be unique?
Jendrik: Probably just don’t copy what you like but be inspired by it and combine those facets into the exact music you want to make. If you’re passionate and put in the work you’ll find your audience. Heavy Metal fans just tend to discover honest music.
Do you believe that Digital Platforms help the new Heavy Metal Bands? Which, do you think, is the ideal way for a band to promote its work?
Lauritz: The best way to promote a band will always be performing on a stage, but digital distribution makes it easier to get your music to people. It’s kind of a conundrum, really. To get shows people must be interested in your band, and digital distribution can help with that, but the internet is a very wide ocean and it’s almost impossible to stick out, so you still need shows for people to even listen to whatever you throw online.
The last 4 years, worldwide in the world, we have faced many dark, strange & new situations in our everyday life (covid, lock-down etc.) Did all of this affect you positively or negatively?
Jendrik: Well we probably would have gotten the EP out of the door at least a year earlier. It was quite weird not being able to meet up in our rehearsal space and work out new ideas. But in the end you can’t control it so just make the best out of it and work around any negative aspects.
What are your future plans?
Jendrik: Currently we are polishing our live performance for the first show at Steel Held High Festival with Ostrogoth, Smoulder, Cherokee and Vanquisher. Then it is right back to writing more material for upcoming shows and the next release.
Thank you very much for your time & keep up the good work! The closure is yours.
Lauritz: Thank you for having us. The response to Ancient Sword Cult has been really encouraging, so thanks to everyone who gave it a listen and reached out or shared it with their fellow metalheads.
By Steve the Filthy Dog.
WRITHEN HILT CONTACT:
https://www.facebook.com/writhenhilt
https://www.instagram.com/writhenhilt/
https://writhenhilt.bandcamp.com/album/ancient-sword-cult