HIRAX (Eng.)
1. First off lots of thanks for answering our interview. How is the band currently doing after the release of «Immortal Legacy»?
Katon – thank you for your kind words now that Our knew album Immortal legacy has been released On Steamhammer / SPV Records worldwide it is a very exciting time in the HIRAX camp now we are preparing for our European tour which begins in April/May 2014.
2. It has taken you 5 years to release new material again. What caused this gap of time and what has happened throughout these last 5 years?
Katon – since the release of our last studio album El Rostro De La Muerte 2009 we have been doing a lot of touring and building up our fan base. All of the hard work and touring that we have been doing for the last five years has paid off and made us an much better and stronger unit and I know it has had a great effect on our new album.
3. Already talking about the new album, tell us a bit about the reason behind its title, the cover artwork and your feelings on this new opus.
Katon – The album title Immortal legacy refers to our legions of fans and that our music has with stood the test of time. The artwork /Concept is very powerful and ties in perfectly with the music on the record The cover artwork is an oil painting created by legendary artist Philip Lawvere (Celtic Frost and Kreator) I am very proud of the new record and can’t wait for all of our fans to hear it!
4. Listening to the record, it surpises me the controlled aggressiveness and its good soun, without failing to overproductions that a lot of bands into the genre nowadays have. Isn’t mechanize at all and breathes old school all the way; is this how you wanted to sound?
Katon – yes we made a conscious effort to make the record sound the way it does it is important for us to maintain our integrity and stay true to our old-school sound. Powerful and heavy is our motto!
5. How was the songs’ selection? Did you have more tunes to include? And what does HIRAX sing about on this effort? Is there any kind of common thread between the tracks?
Katon – we were very picky and methodical about the songs on this album 14 tracks made the Final Cut which include two bonus tracks one on the download 
version of the album/iTunes and the other track is on the 12″ Color vinyl version of the album. All the song choices work very well together.
6. Do you all contribute to the tunes or is there any main responsible when it comes to the songwriting? Is HIRAX a steady band nowadays? What changes have there been throughout these 5 years?
Katon – The lineup has been very steady with myself and the Harrison brothers Lance and Steve being the mainstays. My lead guitarist Lance is also my songwriting partner we come up with the ideas together once we have the songs arranged and composed we bring them to the rest of the band and working out The music in band rehearsal. I am responsible for the concepts and lyrical content Lance is responsible for the riffs and music together we make a great team.
7. Something else I also like about the album is its length; on my opinion is the necessary to ejoy an album. Do you have these things in mind when it comes to record or is it just a matter of letting the songs flow without thinking about their length?
Katon – every album is different but with this one we had everything planned out from the very beginning even the total running time of the music. We wanted to take the listeners on a musical journey and I think we’ve accomplished that!
8. In line with the previous question, and still about the album’s length, at the old vinyls style; is there a vinyl edition?
Katon – yes as I said earlier in the interview there is a 12″ Color vinyl version for all true heavy metal maniacs, it is a high-quality gatefold with full-color photos and lyric sheet included the packaging is amazing and totally worth every dollar….. It is a must buy for all record collectors!
9. And another curiosity is that finding some titles or sentences in French or Spanish is getting quite common for the band. What’s the reason behind this?
Katon – some of our early influences are bands like Trust (French heavy-metal) and Baron Rojo (Spanish heavy metal), so those bands music are in our DNA but the main reason for those languages being intertwined in our music is because of our fans who speak that native tongue it is out of respect and we want to show them that we are thinking of them we love different languages and we love different cultures Those similarities unite us all.
10. I would like to talk a little bit about what the band represents. HIRAX released 2 albums in 1985 and 1996, both releases are cult albums nowadays. Have you noticed, because of the Internet and the easy access to discover any kind of things, these albums have somehow revived?
Katon – yes the Internet has been a great thing for us it is a big reason for the revival of THRASH metal and HIRAX we now have new generations of fans young and old who were able to find out about us via the Internet. It also made it easier to put this new album together Immortal legacy was a combination of online communication between us and the special guest musicians/guitarist such as Rocky George – Suicidal Tendencies, Jim Durkin – Dark Angel, Juan Garcia -Agent Steel And working with legendary producer Bill Metoyer (Slayer, W.A.S.P., Sacred Reich, D.R.I., Armored Saint, Corrosion of Conformity, Lizzy Borden, Cirith Ungol) etc. we were able to listen to all of the rough mixes by sending files through the Internet so yes it has been great in the process of making this album and educating our
fans to the old albums and back catalogue.
11. Is thanks to this why the band got back on track into the scene in 2004? Or was it never out of it?
Katon – yes in 2004 things really started happening for the band more touring and more trips over to Europe where are legions / Fanbase continues to grow every day.
12. How would you define the evolution of HIRAX since its early days up to the date? And how has this new period, which started early the last decade, being?
Katon – we have always believed in letting our music do the talking and over the years are Music has progress and grown technically and the songwriting is way more advanced than ever before. However our music is still evolving and the future only looks brighter for the band! Our best work/songs are yet to come….
13. And coming back to the new album; how is the touring or festivals plans in support of it going? Are you already rolling?
Katon – our upcoming European tour begins April 25 in Spain and we will continue to tour across the world in support of the new album the fans can expect to See use on our conquest for world domination. in July we will play at the Bang Your Head festival in Germany along with Twisted Sister, Michael Schenker group, Europe, Exodus etc. Expect to see more tour dates announced soon!
14. On a view to the future, are there plans for new releases? But with not such a huge gap of time between each other.
Katon – yes we have already begun The starting stages for the next album but that record won’t see the light of day for at least two years because we will be so busy touring and promoting Immortal legacy stay tuned for more details! you can expect the next album to be heavier than the last…..
15. That’s all from our side, hope to see you unleashed soon in Spain. Our best wishes.
Katon – thank you for your Diehard support we will see you on the road and in Spain very soon!!!! Long live THRASH Metal….. Please check our official websites for information and updates,
http://www.blackdevilrecords.com/
https://www.facebook.com/KatonHIRAX
http://www.hirax.bigcartel.com/
