1. Hello my friend, pleasure to have you on Rotten Pages ´zine. How are you doing today? Let us set the scene first. Where do we find you right now? Please describe your surroundings.
Hello, thank you a lot for featuring my band! I'm pleased to answer to your questions. I am doing well, and hope it's the same for you. Right now, I'm answering from the comfort of my house and immersed in the dark, while blasting some '80s City Pop (which might come as unexpected, hahaha).
2. The band was formed in 2023. How did you come together to create the band, and what motivated you to start making music under the name Herrementari?
I actually have been somewhat obsessed with creating music since my late teenage years. I had a few experiences on my own, with my sludge/doom solo project called WHOREHOLE, back in 2014, but haven't really created anything for nearly a decade. Back in 2022, I've been listening to tons of music again and started to do vocals for fun when I was on my own, and slowly, seeing all these new cool bands, I've been really inspired by them and decided to give it a shot one more time! Then I found Zachu (which is my session musician, but without him there would be no Herrementari so I see him as fully part of this project too) and things went smoothly since then.
3. Band is from France… What genre of metal is most popular in France among younger generation of metalheads?
It's somewhat difficult to say because I am somewhat removed from the scene, as of now. I'd say that whatever is trending internationally will also be trending in France: genres such as deathcore, slamming beatdown or metalcore all have their big names in France, as well as of course many classic and cult bands such as Benighted and Sublime Cadaveric Decomposition. I suppose we could say the general public might still be gravitating towards groove, melodic death and alternative metal. Interestingly we can see how many French bands from the late '90s to early '00s like AqME or Eths evolved from nu-metal/alternative metal to a more groove and/or melodic death metal sound during their careers, and it's pretty representative of what's trending I suppose.
4. At what age did you start listening to extreme metal? Which bands would you cite as influences both fundamentally and in regards to your band’s sound?
I have been first exposed to metal through Slipknot when I was 10 years old, and have been loving this kind of music since then. Initially I've been listening to alt/groove/nu-metal mostly with bands such as KoRn, Sepultura, Deftones, etc., and discovered hardcore a few years later with Terror and Hatebreed, then death metal with Cannibal Corpse and black metal with the Norwegian scene. A big turning point in my life was discovering deathcore with bands such as Despised Icon, Suffokate, Waking the Cadaver and Suicide Silence, which later shaped my future tastes and opened for me the doors of slam/brutal death metal. 2013 was one of the most important years in music for me, with Black Tongue's debut EP, Acranius' debut album (I consider this band very important since they were the first mixing slam, beatdown and deathcore this way), the rise of No Zodiac who made their debut one year earlier, as well as the rise of Abominable Putridity after their second album, Devourment's "Conceived in Sewage" (a big influence on me), etc. I suppose we could say Herrementari's music is rooted in the moshy brutal death metal of Dying Fetus, the beatdown hardcore of 25 Ta Life and the black metal of Darkthrone. The bands that directly influenced our sound are, among others, No Zodiac, Never Prey, Bashed In, Xibalba, Suffokate, Waking the Cadaver, Annotations Of An Autopsy, Black Tongue, Devourment, Kickback, The Acacia Strain, Heinous Killings and, my favourite band of all time: The Last Ten Seconds of Life. Also a few sludge metal bands such as Primitive Man, Coffins or EyeHateGod. I'm speaking for myself mainly, Zachu having a lot of influences such as Cannibal Corpse, Kraanium and Abominable Putridity, or outside of death metal, bands like Pantera and Mgła. I could say he's bringing the brutal death metal influence, while I'm mostly bringing the beatdown/deathcore one. Somehow, Herrementari's sound is at the crossroads of extreme metal and metallic hardcore, so despite the slamming beatdown label, many bands and genres can be an influence on our sound.
5. The new album “Exterminate and Dominate” is very aggressive and crushing (to say the least). How are you able to maintain that momentum and intensity?
Thank you a lot! Believe it or not: we have TONS of music written, the album still has about 5-6 "b-sides" and for the next album there are already about 30 songs instrumentally finished, but of course, some of them are reserved for later while I pick those who fit the more into the spirit of the album. This is basically how “Exterminate and Dominate” was written (and again, Zachu is doing a formidable work).
6. What factors played a part in the band deciding to record the album on their own with no label support?
I can't say it was a conscious decision; I initially wanted (for the debut EP) to collaborate with more people but got no answer, thus motivating me to create Slamdown Nation which will eventually function as a label and a promo page in the future (for Herrementari and bands willing to collaborate with us). All I can say is that I wanted to make music, Zachu is a very hardworking and creative musician, so there was no reason to wait. I suppose I could say it's just about living the dream and making it a reality. That being said, it doesn't mean that I'm closed to the idea of working with label support in the future, as long as we can figure out something that is satisfying for everyone and for the future of Herrementari.
7. With eight distinctive tracks on the album, how do you ensure that each song stands out individually while also contributing to the overall flow and cohesiveness of the record?
Very good question, and the answer lies partially in what I said in the answer of the fifth question. We have a lot of material recorded and ready, which allows me to pick the best association possible; however, I also do not put a constraint too severe and go with the flow as I write lyrics and vocal lines for the songs. With the EP, I just wanted to do it, you know, it was time to take action. Then with the single (Arrats) and this first album it was a bit more about experimenting. I tested new vocal techniques, and as the recording of the vocals was progressing, I found stuff that I liked and figured out things I could do, so it allowed me to give each song its identity: the last songs I recorded were “Utter Disgust” and the re-recording of “Homicidal Self Loath” (a song from the first EP, that got a brand new and vocally better version for the Split EP with Insumisión); and to me these two songs were where I could fully express all I learned. Now I'm excited to record our next material to experiment more!
8. What kind of sound you were going for? Are you satisfied with final results?
With the first EP, we were heading towards a kind of blackened version of Bashed In/Lashing Out-type slamming beatdown; with the first album it was more bands such as Suffokate, No Zodiac and The Last Ten Seconds of Life, making a sort of hybrid between our previous blackened slamming beatdown sound on the one hand, and some sort of beatdown deathcore on the other hand. As I would discover the new songs every time Zachu would finish them, I was really excited to make this album because they were exactly what I always wanted to hear! Our next material will also include tons of new influences, at times something more akin to brutal death metal with the influence of Dying Fetus, but some other times a darker sound influenced by sludge metal bands such as Primitive Man. Experimentation is the keyword, thanks to Zachu we have a very distinctive sound so the idea is to keep being Herrementari while exploring new horizons. Concerning my own performance: I'm satisfied of some songs, but there are some other songs I'm less satisfied with, listening to them a few months later. But I'm still proud of everything we accomplished. If I'm not satisfied fully, it means that I'll do even better next time to be proud of my performance, holding myself to a standard instead of remaining lazy and playing it safe.
9. What are the most challenging aspects when writing a song and how do you go about the approach?
I can only answer for the vocal parts: I will admit that I often find it difficult to choose the best vocal lines at the best part of the song and find the right lyrics and make it all fit together. This is for me the most challenging aspect of being a vocalist. When this is done, the rest (performing the actual song) is the easiest and most pleasing aspect.
10. With so many metal bands coming up these days, how do you manage to keep your material relevant? How challenging is it to come up with newer material?
I will admit that I do not particularly worry about keeping it relevant: I do what I love to do first and foremost. Coming up with new material is actually pretty smooth as you might have guessed from the previous answer. I'm blessed with the collaboration of an extremely talented musician, the rest is just a question of challenging myself to honour these songs with the best lyrics and vocal performance I can come up with and finding the right moment to record! Herrementari will always follow the steps of our predecessors and take influence from them, experiment, also take inspiration in newer bands and modern sound, but there's no pressure to fit in a certain category.
11. Are there particular songs that you feel best define the Herrementari sound or perhaps ones you find most notable for whatever reason?
Of course! My favourite songs of ours are “Utter Disgust” and “Homicidal Self Loath” because they are the ones I could unleash my full potential after learning new stuff, and I'm also fond of “Godless Rat” — I think the one that instrumentally pleases me a lot is also “Eth Diable Qu'Arritz Damb Nosauti”, all these songs are pretty representative of what we do.
12. The underground metal scene has its own dedicated following. How do you navigate this scene as a band, and what role do you feel Herrementari plays in keeping the spirit of metal alive?
Right now... I'd say we're pretty new so more importantly, I want to focus on us making the best music possible to show our worth and what we are capable of and make a name for ourselves. This is basically how we will be able to play a role in this scene, step by step.
13. If you had to highlight one important message behind your music, what would it be?
Given the lyrical content I write... I could say that “life is war” could be our motto. Our songs touch subject such as conflict, war, depression, suicide, anger, but also contain a distant yet nonetheless present sense of hope. So, I could say that the overall important message I'd like to address to the listener is to never give up, to conquer the self, to conquer this life and to never let anyone crush them.
14. On an international level, how has your music been received? Do you try to promote your music on a large scale?
I am mainly doing the promotion on my own via Instagram, also helping me grow my Slamdown Nation project. After a few months, I've been able to work with some promotion pages and more importantly to collaborate and form friendship with a clothing brand called Murderous Creations, by my friend Cristiano from Portugal, which is also distributing our CDs. I'd say that internationally, most Herrementari's listeners are from the Americas: the U.S, a little bit in Québec and I've also interacted with many people from Latin America which seems to have one of the most dedicated fanbases in both metal and hardcore. For example, Insumisión with whom we did our Split EP is from Colombia. Outside of that, a few people here and there in Germany or the Balkans which isn't surprising since one of our major influences (Never Prey) is from Bulgaria.
15. Care to share any strange hobbies or habits that the band members may have?
Again, I can only talk for myself here. I suppose that outside of music, my biggest passion is lifting weights and combat sports. I'm kind of obsessed with history, geography, linguistics, mythology, esotericism and philosophy; on the other hand, I'm not very big on pop culture things except for when it comes from Japan.
16. What do you do other than the band, for fun/work and do you like being in France?
I have been sort of obsessed by entrepreneurship over the year, with the goal of reaching total independence, which would in turn help me to develop Herrementari even further. I suppose that the most fun I have outside of the band is in the gym. Again, I only talk for myself here. For my musician Zachu, I invite you to please check his other work as a songwriter (on YouTube) and his main band called Carnage Within.
I can't say I hate living in France nor love it, just trying to play my cards well, some people definitely having it worse. My ideal scenario would be to grow old in Gascony which is the South-Western part of the country where I am culturally attached to, and I think that this cultural affinity (which also influence Herrementari a lot, since some of our songs are written in the Gascon language) is what inspires me to study so many different cultures, histories and languages. Hopefully I can visit them in the future!
17. That's all the questions I have for you man. I'll let you have the final words by saying whatever you'd like to our readers and your fans out there.
Let me thank you for that interview and for giving me the opportunity to present my band to more people and explain some things that I've never explained before! To your readers who took the time to read this interview and to everyone who have been supporting Herrementari through 2023 and to those who'll do it through 2024, I also want to thank you, for you are helping someone else give meaning to his life!