A few questions - interview with black thrash metal band from Poland - HEXENALTAR.
Recenze/review - HEXENALTAR - Descending Curse (2026):
Ave, can you introduce your band to our readers? – When was it founded and what style of music do you play etc.?
Ahoj! Hexenaltar was founded in mid 2021 as solo project, but later that year it became a full-time band.
At the very begining I wanted to play something near to blackended speed/thrash, but when I was recording those songs they became more black/thrash/death in final. I think it’s much better for final result. Years of playing death metal have changed my style and taste for good, so Hexenaltar became more heavy sounding than I was expecting at first.
Where and under what conditions were you recording the new album? Who was in charge of sound, production and mastering?
Well it was kinda complex process. Instruments were recorded in Sound of Records with Haldor Grunberg, we were also trying to record vocals there, but I was sick, so they had to be re-recorded.
So I went to Polifon Studio to record those vocals with Michał Kirmuć. He had oldschool condenser microphone and I was quite happy with results. At the end our good friend Filip Żywiec Weyher recorded intro for us and our drummer Johnny componed outro.
Everything was mixed by Michał Grabowski, he works as live sound technician for Vader, so I trusted him with this process.
How many copies were released and which medium was used for this new edition (CD, digital, vinyl, cassette)?
Oh to be honest I don’t remember that well, I think it was about 500cds and 200 vinyls and just a few copies of cassettes. Of course there was a bit of merch like t-shirts and pins and we want to make patches, but hell... it’s quite a long process again. We want them to look just perfect and we are waiting for our friend who will make design, but now he has a broken arm so we will have to wait, a bit more.
Who is the author of the lyrics and how were they created and about what do the lyrics deal with?
I wrote most of lyrics, but for two songs my friend Beton helped me – drummer of Abominated.
But to be honest it’s a lot easier for me to sing lyrics that I wrote. They are mostly about medieval horror. Witches, evil priests, possession and burning altars haha. They don’t touch serious topics like religion, society or politics. Music sounds like 80s slasher movie, so in my opinion lyrics have to fit the music.
Who created the logo of the band, and who took care of the graphics and the website? What about you and social networks? Do you consider these things important?
I made sketch for logo with pencil and I asked my friend if he can make it more professional, and he did! His name is Skadvaldur, talented artist from Iceland, he also did the first artwork for our demo – Tormented Possession and EP Bestial Damnation. Current artwork was done by Juanjo Castellano, he is a real maniac, I am glad that we found him. And website or social media... Yea, without them you are nothing nowadays. You just have to be on Instagram and Facebook, but we are not planning to have www site like hexenaltar.com.
Which label did you choose for releasing your album and why this label? Are you satisfied by how your label represents you and takés care about you?
We choose Godz ov War from Poland, because I know Greg, the CEO of Godz ov War and yea, he treats us just right in my opinion and we are still a young band, so we are really happy that our release was realased in multiple formats. this is very important, because it’s so good feeling to hold vinyl in your hands. It makes you appreciated. So yes, I can recommend this label.
Which bands do you idolise and where do you get your inspiration?
Of course original thrash metal godfathers of the genre like Kreator, Sodom, Slayer, Sarcofago, Kat.
I am not a big fan of modern metal music or modern bands, of course I know it’s not open-minded attitude, but that’s just my taste, I tried to change it, but I’ve failed.
Did you send your record to some Labels - which are the labels? How was the response?
Yes, I’ve sent e-mail to some labels, but what to say. We weren’t interested in some labels and some labels weren’t interested in us. So we decided to stay with GoW, there is no need to make changes when current deal just works good.
How many gigs have you played? Which type of gigs do you prefer, whether it's (clubs or festivals) and which of your performances would you consider as the best?
I think that we have played about 25 gigs and they were all club concerts for now. We would love to play some open-air concerts, but probably we are still too small band to get offers for playing such events. But I hope that future will bring some open-air shows for Hexenaltar!
What about your plans for the future? What do you want to achieve with the band?
For sure we would like to record more stuff. Last months I was focused on Abominated’s 2nd album and getting new job, but for sure I will spend some time to write new music for next release.
And playing some open air concerts will be good achivement. Maybe Black Silesia
How and where can your fans contact you? Can you provide some contact information?
Best way is Instagram or Facebook. It’s fast and efficient. You can of course do it by e-mail or via our record label Godz ov War!
facebook.com/Hexenaltar
instagram.com/hexenaltar_speed
Thanx for the interview.
Thank you! I hope that we will be able to drink some Czech Kozel beer together!
Recenze/review - HEXENALTAR - Descending Curse (2026):
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