hdr---blog

We're celebrating three years in existence - Thank you all!

Mon, 14 Nov 2011 08:54:48 +0100

Hello all,

Just wanted to let you know that HDR is now three years old!! (or has been for about 3 weeks, or will be in 12 days from now, depending on how you wish to count)

As usual on the annual "anniversary" of the label, we will be releasing a free online compilation album from all

our artists as well as some guests. This year's edition will be released on November 26th with the following audio tracklisting:

I - Ov Hollowness - End in View (7:07)

II - Our Last Day on Earth - Omega Vibration (5:16)

III - Neige et Noirceur - Hymne II : Neige Noire (9:16)

IV - Epitimia - Epikrisis V - Rorschach Inkblot (6:47)

V - The Foetal Mind - We Are Nothing (5:01)

VI - Stroszek - Crows (5:26)

VII - netra - Mind-bending Chemicals (5:00)

VIII - Ekove Efrits - Faceless Moments (6:51)

IX - Old Forgotten Lands - ...with each prevailing wind (9:03)

X - Funeral Fornication - In Exile (7:17)

XI - Silent Path - Filth of Mankind (6:50)

As well as this, we are releasing a three year anniversay package deal which will be released on the same date, November 26th and is now available to pre-order. The anniversary pack will include the first ever Hypnotic Dirge Records Shirt, an HDR Poster, anniversary card, photograph, and 2 CD's of your choice.

More info here: http://www.hypnoticdirgerecords.com/hdr-m-004-hdrshirt.php

The paragraph below is what will be written on the three year anniversary card. I wanted to make it available for everyone to read as opposed to only those who bought the 3 year anniversary pack. Here it is:

Over the past three years, Hypnotic Dirge Records has grown and evolved from a small label which was created with the intention of releasing a few albums in the ambient or depressive black metal style from close friends and acquaintances on short run CD-r format into what it is today. Never did I imagine at the time that the label would still be alive today, much less thriving with 20 official album releases through 2011, a sizable distribution section, merchandise, and an annual compilation album series among other things. Now with an artist roster reaching all areas of the world, and diversity in the sounds and inspiration of the artists within, it appears as if HDR has progressed nicely so far throughout its brief history. However, with that being said, our motivation and inspiration has remained unchanged and our main focus is still to release music and art which we feel is the most deserving of attention. Thank you very much for supporting Hypnotic Dirge Records and its artists over the past three years. Your attention towards the music we release is the only thing that keeps us able to release new music. We hope you will continue to find value in what we do.

In sickness and in hate.

-Skog

HDR signs two new projects!! - 'Epitimia' and 'Silent Path'

Thu, 27 Oct 2011 18:32:02 +0100

Hypnotic Dirge Records News Update - October 27th, 2011

Hypnotic Dirge Records signs two new bands!! - Epitimia, and Silent Path
Hypnotic Dirge Records has signed two new bands onto its artist roster, with both bands planned to have a release in the first half of 2012. The new bands added to the roster are EPITIMIA and SILENT PATH.

Silent Path is a one-man funeral doom metal/depressive black metal project from Iran created by Saman Nu. The project's only member is also known as Count de Efrit, the musician behind the project 'Ekove Efrits' which is already signed to Hypnotic Dirge Records. We will be releasing the debut Silent Path album 'Mourner Portraits' within the first half of 2012. In the meantime, you can listen to streaming music from Silent Path's upcoming debut album, and read more in-depth about the history of the project on the official SILENT PATH PROFILE PAGE.

Epitimia is a black metal/post-rock band from Russia consisting of three members known simply as A., K., and M. Epitimia has released two prior full-length albums, as well as two split albums. Their latest album was called 'Four Truths of the Noble Ones' and was released through Grailight Productions in october 2010. Epitimia's next album will be called 'Faces of Insanity' exploring the story of an individual suffering from a mential disease, and will be released through Hypnotic Dirge Records in the first half of 2012. For the time-being, check out the EPITIMIA PROFILE PAGE which features streaming audio, band members photos, and a full biography.

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Epitimia

EPITIMIA was founded in January 2008 by A. and K. The first their song was created as an experiment with acoustic guitar. It was called “The moment of the final spring”. After that came the decision to develop that depressive metal-like sound.

"Epitimia (from Greek ἐπιτιμία - penance) is to be understood as an interdiction which, according to Church canons, the priest as a spiritual physician may apply in certain cases in order to treat the moral diseases of his spiritual children". But for the members of the band it has a little different meaning. Epitimia – is an individualistic way to control the human spirit through self-improvement and self-contemplation.

The recording of the first demo “You, Whose Name Dies On Quivering Lips” took about two weeks. The name of this work is borrowed from the poem of Russian poet Lev Mei. The music on this demo combines the elements of atmospheric and depressive black metal with melancholic lyrics. Soon this demo was released by Mexican label “Self-Mutilation Services” in a limited edition of 150 tapes. It was re-released on CD-R on Russian label “Rigorism Production”.

The first full-length titled "To the non-existing shades..." saved the mood similar to the demo. The sound was pretty rough, but there were many successful songs, that were re-recorded and appeared on next works of Epitimia. The release appeared on Russian label “Firstborn Chaos Production”.

In the 2009 Epitimia invited a new member - Maria at first as vocalist (on the five-way split with Circle of Ghosts, Man o'Moon faces, Fluctus and Nirmal Hriday), and then as a drummer. With her great help a good work with russian black metal band Gmork was done. The split "Solar wind/Four seasons" appeared in May 2010.

The second full-length titled "Four Truths of the Noble Ones", was released on CD on the 29 of October by “Graillight Production” in Russia. The vinyl version was released by German black metal label “Occult Devotion Production” on the 16 of November. The sound became more black metal-oriented, but there were some experimental parts in a couple of songs, such as violin solo and emulation of full classical orchestra.

The third album called “Faces of insanity” is soon to be released. The sound became more eclectic with the influences of post-rock music. The new album is strongly conceptual. The main idea is to tell the story of an individual suffering from a mental disease.

Band members say: “With the every new album we try to improve the sound quality, to add new fresh tunes to our music, to improvise with the atmosphere. In our music we do like quotation from classical masterpieces, so if you are careful listener, you will find many interesting bright moments in our works”.

A. - Music, Guitars, Sound Engineering

K. - Vocals, Lyrics

M. - Drums, Additional Vocals

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Silent Path

Silent Path is a solo project created by Saman N. - the musician who is also known for his melancholic experimental black metal project Ekove Efrits. Whereas Ekove Efrits presents a more experimental black metal sound, Silent Path focuses on a more straight-forward atmospheric sound with influences from Funeral Doom and Depressive Black Metal genres. Founded in the year of 2009, Saman quickly began work on the debut album entitled "Mourner Portraits" which was completed shortly afterwards. Sadly an official physical release of the debut album was delayed for some time while searching for a label, but promotional albums were sent to various webzines during this period and the feedback was quite favourable. Furthermore, an official music video for the track 'Grey Dolls From Nowhere' was created by Saman in 2010.

In October 2011, Hypnotic Dirge Records signed Silent Path to its artist roster and is planning to finally release the debut album 'Mourner Portraits' in the first half of 2012.

MORE INFO TO COME...

HDR - 024 : SILENT PATH - MOURNER PORTRAITS

PENDING RELEASE: MAY 2012

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NEW MEDIA:

-Old Forgotten Lands - Old Forgotten Lands SLIDESHOW

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cxqxU6uMuBw

-Mike Johnson/Stroszek - If the World Hadn't Gone Insane SLIDESHOW

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rEJiFih8KKQ

-Silent Path - Gray Dolls From Nowhere MUSIC VIDEO

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l_zs3m7vxwQ

-Epitimia - Epikrisis IV: Jamais Vu SLIDESHOW

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iwb-1bNYfbk

***NOTES:
-The Old Forgotten Lands song is another song from the forthcoming 'Primal' album to be released very soon on Hypnotic Dirge Records.

This video also features the model 'Michelle' which will included in the album cover and booklet art for this album.

-The Mike Johnson/Stroszek "if the world hadn't gone insane" video includes both the original track by Mike Johnson recorded in 2006, as well as

the Stroszek cover of the song which will appear on the upcoming Stroszek album on HDR 'Sound Graveyard Bound.' The original lyrics in the song is

not about social issues as it is portrayed in the video, yet I thought the theme was quite fitting for the atmosphere/lyrics.

-The Silent Path - Gray Dolls From Nowhere music video was created by Saman Nu, the project's only member (also known for being the sole-member of

Ekove Efrits) back in 2010. If you want to hear more from this project, check out the Silent Path profile on HDR which has 3 songs streaming from the new album.

-The Epitimia - Epikrisis IV: Jamais Vu video is a track from the upcoming album 'Faces of Insanity' which will see a release through HDR in the first half

of 2012. This slideshow also serves as an introduction to the band members behind this project. If you want to hear more from this project, check out the Epitimia

profile on the HDR website for 3 streaming songs from the upcoming album.

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Other News

-The Hypnotic Dirge Records Shirt Design will be revealed very soon. Pre-orders will likely begin this weekend, and the release date is currently

set for November 16th, 2011. There will likely be a poster that goes along with the shirt design as well.

-The 3rd annual HDR compilation album is well on its way at this point. Similar to last year's edition, it will feature AUDIO, VIDEO, VISUAL, and TEXT

components as we try to incorporate every aspect and medium of art into these compilation albums. Album artwork, title, and tracklisting will likely be released in

about a week's time, This year's edition is scheduled to come out on Novemeber 16th, 2011, the same date as the T-Shirt.

-A distribution update is long overdue, but as you can tell from the rest of this email, HDR is keeping busy with other priorities at the moment, so this is likely to be 3-4 weeks away still. In any case, the distro update will include 40+ new titles from labels and artists around the world.

-While on the subject, I encourage you all to check out the distro section as it stands today. There are over 200 titles available in the distro alone, and it

seems as if older additions to the distro get forgotten about relatively quick, and a lot of fantastic albums are not getting the proper attention.
Furthermore, we also carry 80+ titles from Solitude Productions/BadMoodMan Music as well in our 'SP RELEASES' section of the website.
There is a lot to choose from as far as choices go. Please support HDR if you find an album that you like rather than downloading it. This will help us with all of the plans we have

set for 2012 which we may or may not be able to make a reality, depending largely on finances.

HDR Artists Winds of Sorrow, and The Foetal Mind participate in Compilation

Tue, 11 Oct 2011 07:00:37 +0100

Hypnotic Dirge Records artists Winds of Sorrow and The Foetal Mind have participated in the first annual digital compilation album from the webzine 'Threnodies.'
The compilation features 15 tracks from black metal artists around the world including A Forest of Stars, Woods of Desolation, Geist, Bonjour Tristesse, and many more.

Threnodies sound in authmn woods - sampler no. 1

I just promised it, and now it’s reality! The “little surprise” I wanted to share – for the absence of new reviews and the birthday surprise of threnodies at the same time – is here! It is the first (of – hopefully – many more) sampler of threnodies.com. It was enabled through the help and participation of 15 bands and/or labels. All bands are playing some kind of black metal, and I hope there is at least one song for each reader, that pleases him or her. Details below!

First of all I’d like to thank everyone who helped making this sampler possible, the bands and of course the labels for their participation! You’ll find the following bands/tracks on the sampler:

Geist – Durch Lichtlose Tiefen
Winds of Sorrow – Beneath A Sea Of Tears
Woods of Desolation – Darker Days
träumen von aurora – nie ist alles schon gesagt
Waldgeflüster – Kapitel III: Fichtenhain
Gallowbraid – Ashen Eidolon
The Foetal Mind – The Grand Contraction
A Forest Of Stars – Raven’s Eye View
Dornenreich – Flammenmensch
Dämmerfarben – Nebel und Regen
Finnr’s Cane – The Hope For Spring
Bonjour Tristesse – Lebenskraft
Fäulnis – Trümmer
Sorcier des Glaces – Through the Veils of Frost

Thränenkind – An Hour and Ten Minutes

If you are interested, you can download the compilation for free HERE

Hypnotic Dirge Records is now an official distributor of Solitude Productions!

Wed, 28 Sep 2011 16:56:13 +0100

I am pleased to announce that Hypnotic Dirge Records is now an official distributor of Solitude Productions in North America. All of the currently available Solitude Productions releases, as well as the releases from its side labels, 'BadMoodMan Music', 'Slow Burn Records', and the 'Art of Silence Series' will now be available to order from Hypnotic Dirge Records. Subsequently, all future releases by Solitude Productions and its side labels will also be distributed by Hypnotic Dirge Records.

You can order any of the Solitude Productions releases by going to the newly created 'SP Releases' section of the website which will serve as a portal to 80+ new releases now carried by Hypnotic Dirge Records. Click on any of the album covers on the SP Releases page to be brought to a new page complete with a paypal button, album information, tracklisting, cover art, and a YouTube video of a track from the album. These pages will be structured similar to how the individual HDR Releases pages are structured.
http://www.hypnoticdirgerecords.com/sp-releases.php

Unlike the albums in our 'Distribution' section, the Solitude Productions releases will not become unavailable after it is sold out from HDR's stock. Instead, it will be placed on 'backorder' status and we will list an approximate date on the webpage of when the album will become available again, as we will be getting new stock from Solitude Productions periodically.

-Skog

P.S. More info on Solitude Productions can be found here: http://solitude-prod.com/blog/lang/eng/about/

Reminder to North American customers: Order 10 or more CD's - Receive free shipping!

Thu, 01 Sep 2011 00:01:07 +0100

Hello everyone,

This note is simply meant to be a reminder to North American customers that we offer free shipping on any orders of 10 or more CD's within North America.

This deal applies to both the official releases, and the distribution releases. Basically, this means you have about 225 albums to choose from to

take advantage of this ongoing deal! Official Hypnotic Dirge Merchandise can also be counted among the 10 CD's and free shipping rates still apply!

With this ongoing deal, you can typically place an order of 10 CD's for under $100. We carry releases from labels all around the world including Solitude

Productions (Russia), Avant-Garde Music (Italy), Obscure Abhorrence Productions (Germany), Misanthropic Art Productions (South Korea), Sun and Moon Records

(Romania), Endless Winter Productions (Russia), Red Stream Records (USA), Self-Mutilation Services (Mexico), Pest Productions (China) and many more.

All of our releases are brand new quality CD's, and we only distribute what we like!!

Furthermore, we have recently released three new albums through Hypnotic Dirge!

HDR - 018 : Funeral Fornication - Pandemic Transgression

HDR - 019 : Ekove Efrits - Conceptual Horizon

HDR - 020 : Ov Hollowness - Drawn to Descend

Worldwide Customers - While we unfortunately cannot offer you free shipping due to the high cost of shipping international packages, I will however apply a $15.00

rebate to any orders of 10 or more CD's. The $15.00 is the average price of shipping about 10 CD's within North America.

The funds made through sales are currently going towards funding the first ever Hypnotic Dirge Records T-Shirt, which will be released in an edition of 100 copies

in size Small, Medium, Large, and X-Large, as well as 'Girlie' shirts.

More details on this shirt will be made available soon.

Please help support the funding for this if you can!

Please take a moment to take a look through our available titles, and see if you'd like to take advantage of this offer.

Official HDR Release: http://www.hypnoticdirgerecords.com/releases.php

HDR Distribution Titles: http://www.hypnoticdirgerecords.com/distribution.php (Info, Album Art)

HDR Distribution Titles: http://www.hypnoticdirgerecords.com/distribution---text.php (Text only - Alphabetical order)

If anyone has any questions, feel free to ask.

You'll receive an answer within 24 hours.

Thanks for reading,

Skog

HDR Interview w. Pest Webzine [07/21/2011]

Fri, 22 Jul 2011 02:09:35 +0100

I recently conducted an interview with Pest Webzine from Romania.
Thanks goes out to Adrian for setting up the interview.
You can read the interview at its original location here: http://pestwebzine.ucoz.com/index/hypnotic_dirge_records/0-413

FULL INTERVIEW POSTED BELOW:

Hypnotic Dirge Records

Hi there, Skog! Busy Summer, isn't it? Last month you have signed two new acts and this month you have planned 3 new CDs for release...

Busy indeed. It's been good though as I had a fairly slow first half of 2011, due to being busy in other aspects of my life. However, progress and slow promotion has been occuring on both the Funeral Fornication, and Ekove Efrits releases since about February. Ov Hollowness however sort of came out of nowhere, and added another release to concentrate on. In actuality, doing three releases on the same date actually makes things easier in a lot of ways, as everything can be grouped together and worked on at once.

Also, about the two new acts you mentioned, this is correct. Stroszek, and the previously mentioned Ov Hollowness are now members of the HDR roster.

I've been reviewing your releases since last November, so not for a long time, but in the meantime I've seen your label progress a lot and taking a more and more professional attitude. How much time do you spare for HDR daily?

Depends on the day. Sometimes, I spend up to 7 or 8 hours working on various aspects of the label. (There really is a lot) but sometimes it is mixed up in between periods of procrastination as well. Other times, I go a few days without working on the label, asides from the absolutely necessary aspects like answering emails.

HDR is starting to become a business or do you treat it as a hobby? If it's just a hobby, do you think you can keep it up for a long time? Any ideas how will you fight against lack of time if the label keeps expanding?

Always a hobby! To be honest, there has been a few times where I have felt like maybe taking a break on the label or even quitting entirely in the not-so-distant future may indeed be a good idea, but that has never happened, and I always tend to get excited about something coming up, whether it be new releases, new signings, or just good enthusiasm about the label, so I always go back on those thoughts. HDR will probably keep on going for as far as I can see, although it's hard to predict the future, so I'll just take it one release at a time.

As for time, well, you always have to find time in life for what you enjoy to do. As long as it's the label I'll find time for it. If the label becomes unenjoyable for me, then I probably won't be doing it anymore.

Hey, let's talk a bit about HDR's beginnings. Was it like the old labels, started out as a distro then evolved into a label, or like the new ones that are besically started for own bands' releases and in time enrole other bands? When did you open it?

HDR began in October 2008 out of a desire to have complete control over my own project Ancient Tundra. I wanted to eventually be able to release quite expensive packages and also wanted to experience the label-side, and the responsibilities that came with that for my own project. I figured I was perfectly competent to handle doing the promotional aspects that I was getting from outside labels and there was no reason why i couldn't do so myself. At the time, I hadn't spent thousands of dollars on CD's yet so I had a fair bit of money to "invest" in the beginning of a label, so the idea basically grew from there, and I figured I shoudl ask a few friends of mine that I had met over the internet that were without a label if they'd be interested in having their material released on my label. Specifically, this was Mort (Winds of Sorrow, Exiled From Light), Scott (Astral Luminous), and Bruno (Immndus).

I guess over the years, it has really grown beyond what I expected from it at the beginning, but as is the case with underground bands and projects, it is the same idea with labels...you have to grow and build slowly, and over a fairly long time period. Hopefully HDR can continue to build slowly into the future.

Tell us a few words on each of the bands on your roster. Also, what happened with Immundus and Echoes Of Silence, were the deals finished or were there any problems?

There was absolutely no problems with Immundus. We have known each other for a few years now, and in fact both released our debut albums around a similar time, and continue to respect and keep track of each others' work to this day. The reason why Immundus is no longer on HDR is simply because he received an offer from Quartier23, which is one of the better underground ambient labels in the world, which specializes specifically on Dark Ambient, whereas on Hypnotic Dirge, dark ambient has sort of turned into more of an afterthought. Simply put, Immundus' ambient music wasn't catching enough attention on Hypnotic Dirge, as asides from a small handful, most followers of HDR seem to be more into the metal variety, albeit with ambient influences placded throughout. Bruno accepted the deal with Quartier23 for his latest album 'Eye of the Serpent' but we remain friends and there are certainly no hard feelings.

As for Echoes of Silence, I will just say that that was a mistake done by a young label which should have known better. The music of Echoes of Silence does not in any way fit into what HDR is trying to acheive, and the release of the Echoes of Silence album on HDR is unfortunetely something I regret to this day.

As for all the other projects, unfortunetely, I'll be writing an essay if I continue to write a paragraph for each project, so I will simply state that they are all great, and different from each other, and encourage readers to go to the HDR website, and check out the profiles on there dedicated to each specific artist.

You're based in a quite remote part of Canada. Does it had an impact on your work with HDR or that doesn't matter? Was/Is it hard for you to build the distribution for your releases?

Not really, actually. Everything is done on the internet now, and the postal service here is the same as the rest of the country. In fact, since last summer I've moved to a fairly well-sized city called Saskatoon which has about 250,000 people and a bit of a metal scene as well as a couple independent shops, so it is a lot better than where I used to live which was a lot smaller.

The distribution of the releases has not been a problem at all. First off, HDR ships worldwide, and an airmail package can reach anywhere in the world within 2 weeks. Asides from that HDR releases are represented in distros and online shops all around the world and in 4 separate continents, and recently a North American distro deal was made with RED Distribution for the latest three HDR releases, which I think will be a really good thing for the label.

From my point of view, your biggest hit up until now was the release of netra's latest album. Was/Is it a big success for the label?

Thank you! The netra album is amazing, I personally really enjoy it to this day. The best news I have received in the past month or so is that a second album is now being worked on and will likely be ready for a 2012 release. As for whether the album was a "success" for the label, that depends on the way you look at it. In terms of finances, it was not any more or less of a success than most of the other HDR releases, and like all but one of the releases on HDR so far, I have lost money on it. However, way more importantly it was a great success in terms of the feedback which the album has received. I have seen nothing but positive feedback on that album, and out of about 30 reviews of the album, only one was negative, with a lot of the others giving the album a lot of praise, and one particular reviewer statting that it was the best release of 2010.

The new netra album in 2012 will be released alongside a T-shirt, and a poster - much like the current Funeral Fornication package deal going on now.

Do you still have time for your musical projects? Please tell us a few words on them and their plans for this year.

I haven't worked on any new music for a long time, to be honest.

However, I have been playing keyboards regularily still to make sure I still know how to play, and I am finally going to be able to get myself a new Korg Kronos keyboard in September or October which has been about 4 years in the making now.

So for that reason, I'm excited, and having an amazing keyboard like that will no doubt lead me to start writing music again! It will be a while and there are no updates, but it will happen someday.

What are you looking for in the bands/projects you sign and what are you offering your bands?

Mostly, I am looking for quality music, presentation, and dedication. I have come across so many shitty projects that have a myspace profile with a few of their songs on there recorded in horrible quality, and no other trace of them anywhere else on the internet. These are usually the projects to send me a 2-3 line email asking me to listen to their myspace page and looking for an album release.

I have stated before in interviews, but just because a label (or artist for that matter) is underground, does not in any way mean that their presentation should be amateur. There are now more bands and projects than ever before, so you cannot expect a label to sign you if all you have is a myspace profile. I only want projects that take their art seriously, and are dedicated to it enough to actually put some time into their presentation and promotional aspects.

Once I do sign a project or band, they can expect some pretty good promotion and distribution in return, as well as high-quality professional releases. They shouldn't expect to make any money as I don't either, but what they can expect is worldwide distribution of their releases - both from HDR itself, various other labels and mailorders through trades, local indepedent shops in Saskatoon, and digital shops like Metalhit.com, iTunes, Amazon, etc. Furthermore, it's important to me that myself as the label owner, and the artists maintain regular contact and that I am always available to answer questions or concerns.

You have 3 new releases coming out this month, can you please present them to our readers?

Sure! The three new releases are Funeral Fornication, Ekove Efrits, and Ov Hollowness.

The latest Funeral Fornication album 'Pandemic Transgression' is being released together with the first ever Funeral Fornication T-shirt with the slogan 'Black Metal is Dead, I am fucking its corpse' along with a poster signed by Vultyrous of Funeral Fornication.

Also being released is Ekove Efrits from Iran, which is in my opinion, a contender for the best black metal album released in the Middle East thus far. Saman is an incredibly talented individual who is a multi-instrumentalist, and graphic artist.

And finally there is the new Ov Hollowness album entitled 'Drawn to Descend' which is a one-man project from Edmonton, Canada.

In reality, all three releases are fantastic, come in large booklets with all of the lyrics printed, and are of the utmost quality. However, they all differentiate from each other, and some listeners may appreciate some more than others, naturally. They are all available for pre-order already and officially come out on July 29th. I would also invite the readers to check out the HDR website, as there are streaming songs from each album, as well as links to download specific tracks from the album for free.

Your releases are mainly on CD. Are the CDs selling well nowadays? Are you planning on sticking to this format or will there be some other formats as tape or vinyl in the future, too? What about t-shirts, do they sell well?

CD sales have been staying steady for the most part. I definitely do not sell 'a lot' but I sell enough to keep the label afloat, and in position to release 4-5 releases per year.

I actually plan on sticking to only CD for future HDR releases as well. There's nothing wrong with vinyl, and I understand the nostalgic value, but for myself and for HDR, I could not be bothered to get involved in another format. Another problem is that the cost of manafacturing vinyl is a lot more expensive, as is the rate of shipping, and Canada is already one of the worst countries in terms of shipping prices, so for those reasons I will probably just stick to CD's.

There are quite a few good underground labels that can fill out the demand for vinyls, and HDR artists are welcome to release a vinyl edition through them if they want.

As for T-Shirts, I definitely plan on making them more often in the future. They sell pretty well, but mostly I would just like to eventually have a T-shirt released for every band on the roster for aesthetic reasons. The next T-Shirt released will be an HDR T-shirt released in an edition of 100 this October.

Since most of your releases are on the Ambient or Depressive side of metal (and not only) music, what do you think of the actual state of the worldwide scene (the Ambient and Depressive Black Metal scenes). how do you think this period overcrowded with bands will affect the scene's future?

I guess what has happened lately with the overcrowding of bands, as well as labels was inevitable in the age of technology and instant communication. I can not honestly say I hate it, as otherwise I would not have a label, so I obviously benefit from it as well. Like always, there are a lot of mediocre bands, and then some that stick out and create amazing music. No matter the amount of technology in recording music, it cannnot replace good creative ideas, and competent musicianship, so all technology really does is provide a tool for musicians to create music. If you sucked before, your still going to suck. If you were good before, and lacked recording equipment, it has become a lot easier to record a professional sounding album with the sound you desire for your music.

You're a pretty young bloke, but your professional work made you respected in the scene. Who was/is your inspiration? I mean, do you have a label or an individual you look up to? What's the best reward for you when you look back at the years working on this label?

I don't really have an inspiration of any kind. There is a lot of people that I respect, both in music and other arts, and in society in general, but I wouldn't say there is anyone that has "worked hard" in the scene that I look up to or anything like that.

One label that I really do enjoy personally, as a fan though is Solitude Productions from Russia. They have released a lot of really great sounding albums, and all of them come in really impressive packaging, and quality artwork. Also, they seem to be a label that doesn't worry about

"genre restrictions." Despite the fact that they label themselves as a doom metal label, the music they release encompasses a variety of different styles, and their mantra seems to be quality music and quality presentation above anything else. So thinking again, Solitude is defintely a label I really respect.

I think I'll know a lot better what the best reward for HDR is in a few years. Right now, the label is not quite 3 years old, so nothing is too far in the past yet. I suppose the best reward is getting the music to as big as audience as possible, while not sacrificing artistic integrity, (and letting the artists make all of the creative decisions on their work. ie. No censorship)

Are there any bands out there that are not signed with HDR but you would have loved to have working with you? In other words are there any bands not signed with HDR that you can recommed us?

Yes, there's bound to be a few. Some are realistic and some are just bands that I like a lot but know will never be on HDR.

I'll only recommend a few bands, as I could go on all day. These are all different styles, and some of these are not black metal, but I'll state a few:

Unleash the Archers, The New Jacobin Club, Mirrorthrone, Ea, The Morningside, Alcest, Austere, Deep Mountains, Njiqahdda, Pensees Nocturnes, and one mainstream one - Serj Tankian.

Who takes care of your website and graphic related things for the label? Is there anyone helping you first hand with the label or you're on your own?

I built and regularily update my website myself. In terms of the programming there is nothing on the website that is too hard that I - as an average computer user - cannot handle myself. Plus, since I update the website every few days, it would be way too much of a hassle to have to contact someone else to constantly be doing these things for me. As far as graphics go, I am really horrible at graphics programs actually (it's really time to learn) so I have a couple of friends who always help me out with that. It's been a giant help, and their contributions are absolutely necessary to the graphics side of the label.

In fact, the upcoming Hypnotic Dirge T-shirt is being designed by a friend right now. Of course, I am contributing themes and ideas, but the actual work itself is being done by him, not me.

Ok, Skog, thanks for your answers, I wish you the best of luck with the label and hope to speak again soon.

Thanks for the interview Adrian. Keep up the good work with Pest as well.

Also, thank you to everyone for reading!

www.hypnoticdirgerecords.com

www.myspace.com/hypnoticdirgerecords

www.youtube.com/user/hypnoticdirgerecords

www.facebook.com/pages/Hypnotic-Dirge-Records/289020060460

Interviewed by Adrian

Answers by Skog

July 2011

HDR signs acoustic project 'Stroszek'

Mon, 27 Jun 2011 07:01:04 +0100

Hypnotic Dirge Records signs acoustic project 'Stroszek'

Hypnotic Dirge has added the Italian one man acoustic project Stroszek to its lineup. Stroszek is the brainchild of Claudio
Alcara, known for being the bass player in the influential and long standing Italian Black Metal band 'Frostmoon
Eclipse'. With Stroszek, Claudio is able to create the music he had always envisioned, stating "I wouldn't call
Stroszek a side project as such, it's just really my material, something that's been inside me for a long time." Already
at this point, Stroszek has released two full-length albums through the American label 'God is Myth'. Through Hypnotic
Dirge Records, Stroszek will release his third full-length album 'Sound Graveyard Bound' in the latter half of 2011
[Pending Release: December 2011] which includes a cover of country artist - Mike Johnson's track 'If the world hadn't gone
insane'. Also citing Johnny Cash as an influence, as well as his writing style with Frostmoon Eclipse, there is no
denying that Claudio Alcara of Stroszek has eclectic music tastes - something which we encourage through HDR!
You can listen to music from Stroszek including tracks from the upcoming album at the new STROSZEK profile. Keep
posted to that page as well for new developments as we near the release of the new Stroszek album SOUND
GRAVEYARD BOUND.

Stroszek - Sound Graveyard Bound

Pending Release: December 2011

I - can't make things undone

II - shipwreck

III - hope I'll never know

IV - leftover

V - self closure

VI - adrift

VII - spirits dwell

VIII - crows

IX - if the world hadn't gone insane (Mike Johnson)

ADD STROSZEK ON FACEBOOK: http://www.facebook.com/stroszekofficial

HDR Interview w/ ZWaremetalen.com [05/18/2011] English Version

Thu, 19 May 2011 17:17:34 +0100

HDR has conducted an interview with the zine 'Zwaremetalen' which is the biggest Dutch speaking metal zine in the world!

Thanks to Bart, and the rest of the ZWaremetalen staff for the opportunity!

Obviously the version on their website is in Dutch so is unreadable to the majority of English speakers. Therefore, I have decided to also publish the interview in English. You can read it below:

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HYPNOTIC DIRGE RECORDS vs Zwaremetalen.com

Interviewer: Bart Alfvoet (Hypnos)

Hello Nick. Thank you for this interview. You are the head of HDR, the president, how is your baby doing?

Hello! The interview is a pleasure. I hope this will help HDR reach more of an audience in the Dutch speaking world, and your help is certainly appreciated. While I may technically “run” Hypnotic Dirge, and I am responsible for much of the work of the label, I must stress that I don’t really like to think of myself as “running” anything, or being in “charge” of anything. On the contrary, the more the musicians in the projects contribute ideas, and work together with me in all facets of the label, the happier I am. And certainly this has been the case with many of the artists on the label! Generally though, I think HDR is doing fairly well. There is always room for improvement, but at the end of the day, I (we?) measure success by the satisfaction reached by our releases, and of course the more people appreciate the releases, buy the releases, or even illegally download the music, at least it shows that people appreciate and like the music. Success is not measured commercially, or through sales. With that being said however, commercial success is still important in the fact that HDR must be self-sufficient and able to recuperate at least some of our operating costs.

You are Canadian I presume? Quite a scene you have over there! Labels and bands are popping up. Do you know your colleagues from Transcendental Records or Sepulchral?

I have tried to contact both of those labels in the past, but sadly have not gotten any replies. It is a shame too because we seem to have similar visions, so it would be nice to cooperate with them through trades and other things. However, there’s lots of labels around the world that are interested in trading, maintaining contact, and other things so I’m not too worried about not being in contact with these two particular labels. I wish them all the best though. I have bought a few Sepulchral releases before starting HDR and they have some fantastic projects!

You don’t limit the releases to black metal only. Dark ambient and neo-folk are welcome to. Does this reflect your taste in music?

Definitely. I obviously like black metal, and it would be a lie to say that I am not a fan of black metal as a whole. However, with that being said, black metal can also be a really restrictive genre of music, as can all genres of music. When choosing bands to have on Hypnotic Dirge, or just choosing bands to listen to on a regular basis, I tend to try to find something a little bit more innovative. Nothing is more boring than hearing the same “pagan black metal”, or “satanic black metal”, or “depressive black metal” project that is a perfect representation of the genre, because that just means that they are sticking to a basic formula and are unwilling, or in some cases unable to truly create art, which is not something that can be calculated, or boxed in to a particular sound. At the same time though, let’s not kid ourselves. Being totally original is not really possible. Your always going to have influences from various bands, and music genres, but there is a big difference between creating art, and sticking to a “safe” formula.

For this moment, I see ten “projects” on your roster. Are these really projects, or bands?

They are all projects at the moment. However, I’m really looking towards getting some touring bands signed onto HDR as soon as possible at this point. I get hundreds upon hundreds of demos it seems, and 99% of them seem to be “bedroom projects.” I’m not saying that there are not good one-man projects, because there are undoubtly tons of fantastic projects that do not tour, including the projects on HDR which I obviously like since I wanted to sign them! The problem is that I need to actively seek out some larger projects and bands in order to keep the label alive at this point, and help expand the label’s reputation as truly legitimate. If I can get a nice mixture of touring projects, and recording projects in the future, that would be ideal!

Some releases are not Canadian (like Neige et Noirceur), but far away, even from Iran! How do you get in touch with Ekove Efrits for example?

I was contacted by Ekove Efrits this February and was really intrigued and impressed by the music he sent me. It’s absolutely fantastic stuff. The Ekove Efrits project has been around since 2002 now, and what I really appreciate about it is that it has grown steadily throughout this entire time. I’ve listened to some older material from the project, and while it is still good, I don’t think it is nearly as good as the Conceptual Horizon album which will be out through HDR this summer. Also, Saman (Ekove Efirts) is a really nice guy, who creates excellent music which is actually a perfect representation of all the various moods and elements that I’d like to showcase through Hypnotic Dirge, so it’s a perfect fit.

To me, I don’t care where the project comes from. Whether it is a local project based in Saskatoon, or a project from any country in the world doesn’t matter. As long as the music is good, and the band/project doesn’t mind that their label is situated in Canada then the situation is easily workable.

I must say that you have one of the most generous labels that I know. Downloads are often offered for free, the promotion is made very professional and frequent. It seems you are a musical messiah!

I don’t think there is any point in denying that people download music both illegally and legally. This might sound very uncharacteristic for a “label guy”, but I believe that music should absolutely be free. In an ideal world, art and business would be kept completely separate. Business destroys art. At the end of the day, a musician’s true motivation is to create music, play music, and share their art with all those that find value in it. If their primary motivation for writing music is to “pay the bills” then I don’t think that person is a true artist. As for a label, I believe a label’s job is simply to help spread the music, help promote it, and take care of the logistics that the musician does not want to concern itself with, such as printing CD’s and merchandise, certain aspects of promotion, distribution, etc. The whole reason why labels have a bad reputation in the first place is that when most people think of labels, they think of six assholes in suits that completely leech every cent from the musicians while contributing nothing artistically. That’s a fair assessment because it has happened so much in the past, and continues to happen, especially in the mainstream world.

The flipside to all of this though is that the label obviously needs money to print CD’s and merchandise, promote the releases, and distribute the music around the world. It’s a sad fact and unfortunately the ideal situation cannot be attained. Therefore, I encourage people to download music if they want, but also urge them to support the label and the musicians by buying CD’s and merchandise whenever they can as well.

How many different releases have been sent into the world with the HDR-label until now?

So far, HDR has released 17 albums since November 2008. It has slowed down lately though since I’ve been spending more detail, and money on each individual album. Coming up next is HDR – 018, and HDR – 019 which will be the new releases from Funeral Fornication, and Ekove Efrits both to be released this summer.

I see there are two new albums that came out not too long ago. The French project netra (no capital N?) and The Foetal Mind. Can you tell us something more about them?

That is correct. The Foetal Mind’s The Grand Contraction album, and netra’s Mélancolie Urbaine were both released this past December, and are the latest HDR albums at this time. The Grand Contraction is a giant step up from the previous The Foetal Mind album in the sense that the production, and guitar sound has been improved tenfold! It’s an interesting album because of the fact that it’s a very guitar-heavy album with lots of interesting leads and melodies while also having to distinction of being highly instrumental. Most people seem to have either really enjoyed the album, or dismissed it for its “clean” sound and lack of vocals.

As for netra’s Mélancolie Urbaine, it’s a really interesting blend of trip-hop, depressive black metal, and alternative rock. Really hard to characterize but when I received the netra demo last year, I was fucking blown away. It’s a fascinating album that really seems to embody the emotions that depressive black metal albums try to do without resorting to the typical elements of the genre. Also, the album from start to finish really flows like a story. Of course, the entire thing is open to interpretation, and Steven (netra) would be better able to describe the album than I am.

What has been your favourite release up till this moment in time?

This usually changes all the time, but at the moment, I would have to say that the netra album is definitely one of my favourites. But, with that being said, I also really like the upcoming Funeral Fornication album, Pandemic Transgression, and the next Ekove Efrits album Conceptual Horizon

What do people have to do to interest you in making them a member of your roster? You probably have some preferences or conditions before you make a band licensed.

The main thing is that I have to like their music. If I’m going to spend a lot of time listening, promoting, and being an advocate for your music, I have to like it! I’m not going to promote something that I don’t want to listen to. One of my primary motivations for signing a band/project and later promoting them is to try as many like-minded people to listen to the music which I’m certainly not going to do if I don’t like the music myself. Other than that, there are some basic agreements we have to come to in terms of how we choose to promote, and they obviously can’t be expecting “big label” type support, but usually agreements are really easily made between band and label. As long as the band doesn’t want or expect to make money from their music, then our expectations and goals are the same.

Do you live in the French speaking part of Canada or the English speaking region? I’m just asking because I’m Belgian and the two regions here (French and Dutch) don’t get along very well. We don’t have a government after more than 250 days because of the fundamental troubles between the two regions…

I live in the English speaking part of Canada in a city called Saskatoon which is a small city of about 250,000 people. This is a longer story then an interview possibly calls for, but to make it short, I was actually born in Montreal, which is a primarily French speaking city, but moved to Western Canada when I was 7 not knowing any English. I quickly learned English at that point, but in the process I forgot how to speak French completely.

I started to study French again a few months ago at university because I really want to know both languages at this point, so that is what I’m working towards now.

It’s a shame about the division in Belgium. It sounds like the situation over there is more severe but it’s definitely similar in Canada. It’s a shame that these two groups feel it’s worthy to compete over language and culture, because this unnecessary nationalist fervour has been the cause of so many conflicts and wars throughout time.

Do you play in a band, of played in a band? Does that matter if you are a label ”owner”?

I have had some projects in the past, but I don’t have any active music projects at the moment. In fact, I have released some of my own music through Hypnotic Dirge in the past such as the Ancient Tundra full-length, and a couple of split albums, as well as a short limited run release of a symphonic black metal project called Our Diabolical Embrace.

Right at the moment, I am in the process of trying to figure out a way to somehow get enough money together to buy a Korg M3 keyboard. My main interest in music at the very beginning has always been composing, and playing piano, and I have sort of deviated from that throughout the years as I became more focused on the label. That is certainly not a bad thing, as I consider the label important as well, but I would also really like to start a new project, and perhaps take the project to a live setting, and finding musicians for a live band.

What else is going on in your life? Is HDR the main purpose and source of meaning in your life?

It is a source of meaning for sure, but I wouldn’t say that it is the source of meaning. My main interests lie within music in one way or another, but I’m also interested in film, and photography. Basically Hypnotic Dirge takes up a lot of my time so I haven’t been able to really delve into anything else full time in quite a while, but as I mentioned, I’d really like to start up a new project/band playing the keyboards. I decided to go to university this past year as well which really took up a lot of my time having to do 20 page philosophy papers, and so on. But, I have also realized throughout this time, that music is my primary interest, so I would like to focus my time on getting a job instead to raise some money for the keyboard I mentioned and go from there. This will also benefit HDR too, because when I first started the label, I was working full-time and able to put in my own money into the label, but in the past 2 years, I haven’t worked except for the summer and have instead been living on student loans, so only the money generated through CD sales could be fed back into the label for new releases.

What are your favourite bands? I mean, which bands would you contract in a second without thinking if you had the chance?

There are a few! I think my favourite band of all time (and this may be a weird answer to those expecting a “black metal” band) is Nightwish. Tuomas Holopainen, the keyboardist from Nightwish is the epitome of true musician, and artist in my opinion. Obviously, bands like these are completely out of the question for possible HDR signings! I couldn’t provide a fraction of what these bands would require. As for actual logistically possible bands, here are some names: Alcest, Darkspace, Deep Mountains, Ea, Obitus, The Morningside, Pensées Nocturnes. These are all fantastic projects which I’d be honoured to have on the label.

Thank you for this interview. Any last words for our readers?

Yes, of course. Thanks for the opportunity! I would encourage any readers that might have possibly read through the entire interview so far without getting bored to go to the official Hypnotic Dirge website, www.hypnoticdirgerecords.com, and familiarize yourself with the projects on the label, and the HDR releases. There is lots of streaming videos and songs on there for exactly this purpose, and quite a lot to explore overall on the website. If you become further intrigued, it may be a good idea to “like” Hypnotic Dirge on Facebook if you use that site, as there are almost daily updates on there. Also, you are welcome to join the HDR mailing list, and please contact me if you have any questions at all!

You can read the Dutch version here: http://www.zwaremetalen.com/interview/18910/Hypnotic-Dirge-Records.html

HDR Interview with Nocturnal Cult Webzine [05/16/2011]

Wed, 18 May 2011 20:54:03 +0100

HDR recently conducted an interview with Brad from Nocturnal Cult Webzine.

You can read it at its original location here: www.nocturnalcult.com

Here is a copy of the interview in full

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Interview with Skog of Hypnotic Dirge Records

By Bradley Smith

Hells Skog, as the owner of one the most consistent and focused record labels I was wondering what motivated you to start a label? What do you look for in an artist when you are considering which bands to sign? How big of a factor does money play into it? How many demos do you regularly receive?

Hey Brad! Originally, the idea to start Hypnotic Dirge Records was simply born out of a desire to be able to release my own music and be in control of the promotion and distribute that went along with an album release. I asked a few friends I knew online that were without a label if they wanted to join the label I was starting up and have me release their albums. Specifically, I had asked Mort, who has the projects Exiled From Light, and Winds of Sorrow among others, Bruno from the ambient project Immundus, and Scott from Astral Luminous. Eventually over the months and years, the label expanded into a more complete entity, and to make a long story short, it just naturally progressed and grew from there.
First and foremost, I look for bands and projects that I personally like when considering bands to sign because if I do not like the music, I am not going to have much desire to work hard to help promote and distribute the album. To answer your next question though, money unfortunately has to be factored in to each decision which is a fucking shame. I obviously can't sign every band and project I like, and it becomes even more difficult if they are essentially brand new and unheard of because it is a delicate line for an extremely underground label such as Hypnotic Dirge to be able to survive and keep a consistent release schedule. I have gotten probably well over 500 demos at this point. A fucking lot of them. Some of them are quite good and I just have no money or time to take on another project, yet some of them are basically crap, which is of course a reflection of the fact that there are thousands upon thousands of projects nowadays.

Have you noticed that bands come to you with unrealistic expectations on what they are going get out of their relationship with you? How do you deal with a difficult artist and set them straight as to what you will provide? Without discussing money figures, what does a standard contract with Hypnotic Dirge involve?

I think most bands understand the situation with Hypnotic Dirge, as well as the current state of physical CD sales in the age where less than a week after you release an album, it is all over the internet on countless "blog sites" that give away your music for free. My stance is that if it were free to release the album I would be fine with it 100% because I have no desire to make money from this, but since it can cost up to $2000 per album release, maybe these blog sites should be helping with the costs of the album!
There have actually been no disrespectful artists so far. In fact, I am in a very good relationship with everyone on HDR, and we tend to work together very well in my opinion. There are no "hierarchies" in Hypnotic Dirge unlike the stereotypical label, and I think that is the case in most underground labels. I am content to hear any ideas, criticisms or anything else from each artist, and work together to reach something that works for both of us. And considering we both want the same thing, and money or royalties is not an issue within HDR as noone makes any, there have been no problems!
Actually, call me naive. But there are no "contracts" per se, just verbal agreements. People sign contracts because they do not trust each other, and I think trust is an important thing. The agreements are simple though. Artists receive 10% of album copies (typically 50 out of 500) and 25% of any profit that may come around after costs are recuperated although this has not happened yet.

What aspects of running a label do you think people most overlook? How much does advertising consume your time and resources?

I think some people understand the work involved, but it is hard to fully recognize until you are in the position yourself. Running a label, you are responsible for a lot of other people's art in a way and it's not like you can just fuck off for a week or two when you don't feel like doing anything. I mean, in some cases and times you can take breaks and that is very necessary, but you also have to make sure you are on top of all kinds of things and meeting deadlines. Most of the label work, in all honesty, is very tedious stuff. Lots of promotion stuff, answering similar emails, website updates, wrapping packages, keeping inventory, and going to the post office every couple of days. In the end, it is worth it because of the chance to put music out into the world, distributing it to various labels, the appreciation from artists who understand the work you are putting in for no "real" personal gain and most of all when you hear an amazing album/demo that you really want to share with others.
Also, the free CD's I take for myself through trades with other labels are a nice bonus!

I don’t want to set your roster against one another but what has been your favorite release so far on Hypnotic Dirge Records and why?

Hmm, no harm in being honest I suppose! I think I have mentioned this in another recent interview too, but if I had to pick, my favourites would be the netra album 'Melancolie Urbaine', as well as the two albums coming up next on Hypnotic Dirge - that is the new Funeral Fornication album entitled 'Pandemic Transgression' and the new album from Ekove Efrits called 'Conceptual Horizon' which is from what I have heard at least, my favourite black metal album from Iran. Simply amazing stuff!
As for a reason, all three of those albums have specific reasons as to why I like them the amount that I do, but to put it simply, it is because they are all unique in their own sense and represent a large part of the variety that I'd like to achieve on HDR. I mean, specifically with the netra album, who would of thought that depressive black metal, alternative rock, and trip-hop (a sub genre of hip-hop) would mix so flawlessly and produce an album that is so abundant in feeling. I was extremely pleased when I heard the netra demo for the first time!

Let’s get back to the name of your label, Hypnotic Dirge. Why did you choose that name and how do you think that moniker embodies what your label is about? What were some other names you considered during your brainstorming?

Haha, I don't remember the other names now. I have a stack of papers somewhere in my closet that had some other potential names, but who knows where it is now. Hypnotic Dirge Records is so engrained in my brain now that if I saw another name, it would probably sound completely stupid. 'Immortal Night Laments Productions' I think was one, but I'm not completely sure. In reality, that name actually became the name of an EP I released last summer through HDR of my symphonic black metal project.
As for why I chose the name...it's been so long that I can barely remember, but I think I had narrowed it down to 3 or 4 possible choices and sometimes when that is the case, be it with a label name, album title, song title, or lyrics, sometimes you just have to sit on it for a few days and then come back to it and decide what best represents what you are trying to achieve as well as what "sounds better."

Your ambient project Ancient Tundra is a very singular vision you seem to have. What emotions drive it and how do you approach your songwriting in regards to Ancient Tundra? How does where you live influence (not country, but environmental influences) inspire your musical output?

All emotions! Because Ancient Tundra has put out a variety of different types of sounds over the years, which may not be necessarily shown to the listener simply due to the fact that I have not released a lot of the music I wrote with Ancient Tundra, specifically the later stuff which is ironically the best material in my opinion, simply because I grew a bit bored with that project in all honesty.

Some of the unreleased material is full on ambient black metal and one track in particular is 17 minutes in length and reminds me of the 'I will lay down my bones among the rocks and roots' song from Wolves in the Throne Room, although obviously different in many, many ways. Some of the other unreleased material is full-on classical melodies that sound very light in nature but also quite atmospheric but almost in a movie-score, disneyesque sort of way. Over time, I believe Ancient Tundra grew from simply being just another ambient project to being a vessel for all of my musical aspirations. Unfortunately, a combination of a period of writers block, a disinterest in writing music (which has now passed!), and the workload of the label meant the halting of that project and my favourite Ancient Tundra has sadly never been properly released. Lately however, I have been pondering the idea of finishing 2 albums that I began - One in an atmospheric black metal genre, and the other in a classical movie-score type of genre, and finding outside labels to eventually release some new material!

I know artistic vision/creation/direction is important to you in a project you choose for Hypnotic Dirge, but what to you does that mean? That sort of process can be so subjective.

You’re certainly correct there. I guess I prefer when a project puts some sort of intellectual process into their songwriting, but I also understand that a truly unique concept is not a strength of every person, and in reality there is hardly anything that can be defined as truly unique anymore. Everything is borrowed from something in the past and then reworked. I don't even really expect people to have a coherent theme throughout their music either, because I totally understand that you cannot be expected to have the same themes and concepts throughout many albums. I experienced that myself with Ancient Tundra, and I grew tired as fuck of writing albums based on winter. People grow, evolve, and change throughout their regular lives, and the main point of music at the end of the day is to express your feelings, so it is pointless to stagnate yourself into one theme if you have something else that you want your music to represent or portray. Look at Darkthrone! They have been doing this for over 20 years now. People that expect them to stick to one genre of music without any exploration throughout 20 years of their lives are fucking idiots. This sort of thing has been repeated by many in the past, but Nocturno Culto and Fenriz are doing what they want, writing the music they want, the lyrics they want precisely because they are real musicians. If they just stuck to what their fanboys wanted them to play, then that would cease to be art as it really is - an expression of yourself and your emotions.

A lot of people talk about how education has affected their growth as a person as well as intellectually. I know that you have gone in depth to college. How do you think it has helped you develop? I mean, where do you think you would be if you hadn’t ever attended higher learning? What courses did you most enjoy and what was your major?

I went to the University of Saskatchewan this past year, and while I did enjoy it and there was interesting things to learn, at the end of the day I realized it was not for me. I noticed that going to college to take academic classes such as Philosophy and English was interesting but it also deeply cut into my free time and ability to write music, take photographs, and work on the label as extensively as I would have liked. That is the difference between work and school. When you work, you go to hell for 8 hours and then you are free, your mind does not have to think about your job outside of work hours in most cases. When it comes to school, you do have to put time in outside of class so in a lot of ways it is more demanding.
I actually really enjoyed Philosophy class and I appreciate the knowledge I gained through that. It is something that will likely stick with me my entire life and something I will pursue at my own pace and leisure.
This is an entire different discussion point but I really do not appreciate whatsoever the fact that you have to pay money for knowledge, but that is capitalism for you. It’s absolutely sickening that there are hundreds upon hundreds of jobs out there if you take business and finance courses, which of course contribute nothing to society, yet if you take a philosophy course, there are literally no job options asides from a philosopher teacher. Business courses give you more opportunity for jobs than science classes. To me, that shows that the behaviour that is rewarded in society is completely backwards and flawed. In business, you learn to trade abstract concepts, and exploit people as well as entire nations for the sole purpose of profit. In science, you learn actual real physical knowledge, and contribute to the only thing that has actually improved and advanced humanity - technology.
As for actually answering your question, I only took one year or university, and now I plan on getting a job in order to save up money to buy a Korg M3 keyboard, and have more income to put into the label if necessary. At the end of the day, I don't appreciate having to pay for knowledge, and truthfully I will eventually regret getting a massive student loan.

I read in another interview that you didn’t really feel like you had branched out into the experimental regions you were hoping to yet. Do you feel since 2010, when the article was written, that you have managed to further push the boundaries of your roster into more experimental regions? And where would you like to go from here? Do you really feel that there is any truly “experimental” music out there anymore? At least experimental music that could have an actual audience?

Yes, I believe so! I think when the interview was written (I actually can't remember specifically which interview this was!) I had not yet signed netra or Ekove Efrits which are both perfect representations of the label. Of course, the quest is never truly complete and I want to eventually sign more bands when I can afford to do so. To be clear though, the criteria for signing to Hypnotic Dirge is not necessarily that you have to be "experimental", whatever that may even mean! It is just that I will not shy away from something experimental if the chance portrays itself. In actuality, what I think I was saying in that interview is responding to a question about my label banner at the time saying "Releasing Depressive Black Metal, Ambient, and Experimental music" which was something I couldn't really defend properly since I knew I had no real "experimental" projects on my label at the time.

I think there is still some experimental music out there, but as time goes on and more and more bands try new things that what can actually be classified as experimental dwindles more and more as time goes on. If you try to write based on a specific formula to create music that can be considered experimental, or something that has not been tried before on purpose, I believe you will fail. It has to come naturally, and I think there are still some artists out there who will break out of the mold and innovate new sub-genres of music but it will have to come completely unintentionally and simply be a product of their various influences and personality traits.

Of course, this will become more and more rare as time goes on.

What releases do you have slated for release in the near future? How do you want Hypnotic Dirge to grow? Any new Ancient Tundra recordings coming our way?

Coming next through Hypnotic Dirge Records are the new Funeral Fornication, and Ekove Efrits releases, as well as a Funeral Fornication T-Shirt which will all be released on the same date in July. The official release date hasn't been confirmed yet, but pre-orders will begin for this batch of releases in a couple of weeks. Afterwards, there are some definite plans and ambitions including the first ever Hypnotic Dirge Records T-Shirt which will be released in an edition of 100 copies some time in the fall. Asides from that, there are 3-4 albums in the sidelines right now but the order, and exact release times are still up in the air so I'd rather remain quiet about that for now. However, it must be stated that the more people buy the Funeral Fornication, and Ekove Efrits releases and help support the label's activities, the quicker the next stuff will be released!

As for Ancient Tundra releases, no clue right now, but I'll definitely be working on some new music of my own again soon. Whether it will be for Ancient Tundra, Our Diabolical Embrace, or a completely new project is up in the air right now, but I assure you that when the time is right, I will announce it.

I’ll leave any suicidal thoughts and overwhelming isolation to you. Death to bedroom black metal and “Give me a razor!”

Thanks for the interview Brad! Also, anyone who has read this far, thank you for your interest!
I encourage you all to go to www.hypnoticdirgerecords.com and explore further!

HDR Sale is over. What's next for HDR?

Tue, 17 May 2011 21:45:33 +0100

Hello everyone,

First of all, I'd like to thank everyone who participated in the Hypnotic Dirge Records Hypnotizing Spring Sale, where the entire distro and all of the

official releases were on sale for $5.00 ($8.00 for deluxe albums) plus shipping. It was a massive success, and helped raised about $1100 for the

label which will go into the forthcoming releases from Hypnotic Dirge Records.

Speaking of which, the next HDR releases were ordered from the manfacturing plant today and now the process is under way!
On top of this, the Funeral Fornication T-Shirts were sent to the plant as well today!

More details, photos, and the official pre-orders for the mentioned CD releases, and merchandise will be revealed in about 2 weeks!!
[You will receive a more 'official' newsletter when everything is prepared]
We will also be offering a limited to 50 copies Funeral Fornication package deal. Contents of this package will be revealed on the same day the

pre-order begins.

Asides from all of the release news (which you will hear much more of in the future), I have recently been busy with some other ventures:

***One of my current projects was to create a website for my photography hobby which is an official offshoot of Hypnotic Dirge Records.

Of course, some of you may have heard of this endeavor and some of you may have not. In any case, I advise you all to check out the new website

for Hypnotic Dirge Photography here: http://hypnoticdirgephotography.weebly.com/
New photoshoots are uploaded regularily, and I aim to take much more photographs in the future when time allows. In the meantime, please check

out the gallery and also read the 'store' and 'artwork for bands' pages to learn more. Especially if you have a music project and wish to use my

photography in your album art for free.
If you are label, feel free to spread the word of this endeavor to your artists who may need album artwork.
Also, if there are any questions, please feel free to ask.

***Furthermore, I have recently conducted interviews with Nocturnal Cult Webzine, and ZWaremetalen (which is a Dutch webzine)
The Nocturnal Cult Webzine Interview is online already, and you can read it at: www.nocturnalcult.com
The ZWaremetalen Webzine Interview is not online yet, but will be added in the coming days to their website in Dutch. For any english readers,

I will be adding this interview in English to the official HDR blog as soon as it is published.

***I'd also like to vaguely point out that there will be 2 new projects added to the HDR roster within the next 2-3 weeks. One will see a release

this summer, and the other will be later on - likely in the fall.

***There will be a distribution update in the next week or so of some fantastic releases from Solitude Productions (Russia), Pest Productinos (China),
Grau Records (germany), Hell's Headbangers (USA), Red Stream Records (USA), Negative Existence Records (USA)
I'd also like to point out that the stock of some of these are extremely limited, and that Solitude Prod. and Pest Prod. releases specifically sell out very quickly

on the HDR Store, so that when the distro is updated, if you are interested in these releases, act quickly!!

***While on the subject of the distro, I'd like to acknowledge that I do realize that many of the distro items are now sold out, especially the early additions.

The sale saw many more releases become unavailable as lots of people ordered a lot of distro titles. For all those worried about this fact, or interested in

getting some sold out distro items, I wanna say that once the new HDR albums are released, I plan on making a lot of trades specifically to get re-stocks

of currently sold out distro items before adding new distro items, as I'd like to have as many of my distro items availbale long-term.

***I am looking for more interviews - If you run a zine and are interested, let me know.

Cheers,