HKSPK Interview

Q1: For those encountering HKSPK for the very first time, who are HKSPK, and what vision did you set out to realise when the band was formed in 2023?

HKSPK: HKSPK is a group consisting of 3 dudes (Leon, Arne, Jim) from East Germany. Our music is settled between Black Metal and Death Metal with our own little twist. Our vision? Our vision is conquering the festivals of Europe.

Q2: HKSPK blends the hostility of death metal with the cold atmosphere of black metal, while your newer material introduces stronger doom influences. How would you describe the band’s sound in your own words, and how has it evolved since your earliest releases?

HKSPK: Our sound combines the brutality and groove of Death Metal with the atmosphere and darkness of Black Metal. It’s our very own blend of both worlds that we call “the HKSPK sound.“

Our live and studio experiences pushed us forward to a more progressive song writing style. Because of many different real life situations our songs became more serious as we grew older.

Q3: Your music deliberately avoids excessive polish, embracing a raw and organic production style. What does that authenticity mean to HKSPK, and why is it so important to preserve?

HKSPK: It’s nothing we do consciously. It’s exactly how we want it. Nowadays a lot of records have such a soulless, overpolished production. Most of our favorite albums don’t sound like that. We kind of want to keep this organic sound alive.

Q4: You have often described yourselves as a live-first band. What atmosphere or experience do you hope people leave with after witnessing an HKSPK performance?

HKSPK: After a show the crowd has to be just like us: sweaty and with severe neck pain. The people shouldn’t think that they just saw another underground band. We want them to think that they just saw a new generation of the future metal scene.

Q5: Every band develops its own creative chemistry. How do the three of you approach songwriting, and how do individual ideas become a finished HKSPK composition?

HKSPK: It always starts with a little guitar riff. Either by Jim or Leon. The riff builds the centre of the song. From there grows everything else. And then we think about the lyrics and which event or story “belongs“ to the music. We focus on keeping it simple, what gives the songs a catchy character sometimes.

Q6: The Human Butcher embraces a grim horror atmosphere, while Rot in Despair moves towards darker emotional territory. How has your approach to lyrical storytelling evolved between these releases?

HKSPK: We would not say it changed. New themes have been added, both in music and in our lives.

Q7: Rot In Despair also introduces a slower, heavier, and more atmospheric dimension to your music. Was this a natural progression, or a conscious step towards expanding the band’s sound?

HKSPK: It was a natural progress just like our other compositions. It depends on the main idea (guitar riff, rhythm,…) that we have at the start. From there grows everything. If a guitar melody idea is doomy – the whole song becomes doomy.

Q8: Many modern extreme-metal bands embrace elaborate aesthetics and theatrical presentation, yet HKSPK stands firmly on honesty, simplicity, and performance. Do you see that approach as a statement in itself?

HKSPK: It is a statement (kind of). You have to be true to yourself and the art you are doing. The more you focus on presentation the more you loose the connection to what is really important – the music. We want to be remembered for our art and not for our looks.

Q9: Every underground scene has its own character. Has your local environment in Brandenburg shaped HKSPK in any meaningful way, or has the band always followed its own path?

HKSPK: Our region inspired us for many things that we did as HKSPK. The nature, the people and the spirit of Brandenburg are a part of us. Because of our circle of friends and families we are complitaly free of influences and pressure. They don’t try to change us. They only evaluate the result.

Q10: Your forthcoming full-length album, Heimkehr, marks another significant milestone for HKSPK. Without revealing too much, what chapter of the band’s story does this album represent?

HKSPK: It’s not just another part of our history. It’s another step on our path to world domination (haha).

Q11: Looking back on everything HKSPK has achieved since forming in 2023, what has been the band’s greatest lesson so far?

HKSPK: Lesson 1: Don’t lose your enthusiasm for it on the long way to success.

Lesson 2: think about who’s going to be the driver after the concert (haha).

Q12: The underground survives through musicians, labels, promoters, photographers, reviewers, and devoted listeners. What does the underground community mean to HKSPK, and how important has that support been during your journey?

HKSPK: We are part of this underground community. We still feel like audience that also plays sometimes. We became members of the scene at a very young age and were warmly welcomed. Especially in our area the connection in this community is very strong. For us it is very motivating.

Q13: Finally, if someone were to experience just one HKSPK release before hearing Heimkehr, which release would you recommend, and why does it best represent the band today?

HKSPK: Our sound is based on diversity and different influences from other bands which makes it pretty hard to pick out only one song. Even though there isn’t a single song that represents us the best, we would recommend those 3: Rot In Despair, Nocturnal Beheading and Human Butcher. 3 different songs with 3 different sounds and characters.

Thank you so much for your interest and time and being part of this journey. We’ll see where it takes us.