The Metal Crypt - Hammers Of Misfortune Interview

Interviews

Interview with JC
Interview conducted by Sargon the Terrible

Date online: February 28, 2004

What inspired you to make The Hammers Of Misfortune a separate musical entity from Slough Feg? Was it just a desire to do something on your own?

I started Hammers before I was a member a Slough Feg. I didn't get involved with TLWSF until after Hammers was well underway, and I asked Mike to join.

The lyrical focus of "The August Engine" is very different and poetic, what writers/poets/lyricists have been influential in that regard?

Grimm's Fairy Tales, CNN, Poe, Brian Eno, The Beatles, J.K. Huysmans, Baudelaire, Bowie, Flaubert, and various religious texts.

Has it been a struggle to get the album out? I imagine finding a label to handle such unique music was not easy.

It took well over a year, and we never found a label. The label found us…

Do you have plans for HoM to continue to record and play live? Be a real band rather than a project?

We've always been a "real band". Of course we plan to continue. It seems you have mistaken my band for a Slough Feg side project. This is hardly the case…

Was it always your intention to use Mike (Scalzi) on vocals? Has it been hard finding band members to fill out the roster?

I asked Mike to get involved after hearing him sing with Slough Feg. I thought his voice would be perfect for the material. Yes, it's been difficult to find people willing and able to tackle our stuff, but we found them somehow.

The music is rather similar to Slough Feg in places, but has obvious differences. What bands have been influential on the sound of HoM?

Beatles, Bowie, early Queen, Stranglers, Thin Lizzy, all kinds of classical music, early Van Halen, Uli Roth era Scorpions, Sweet, Venom, early Metallica, Pentagram etc.

The band was originally called Unholy Cadaver, as I understand it. What led to the name change?

That name was for a keyboard driven darkwave type thing I was doing, which morphed into the band now known as Hammers Of Misfortune. Once the band was born, it was obvious that the name was completely wrong and had to change.

Do you intend to continue as sole songwriter for the band?

Not necessarily. I'll always write the majority of stuff, I guess, but I like to collaborate too, when people have the time or the inclination.

What current bands or musicians do you enjoy? (If any.)

Apocalyptica, Mutiilation, Pelican, Asunder, Khanate, Yob, Agalloch, Fantomas, Sleepytime Gorilla Museum, The Fucking Champs, I'm sure I'm forgetting some.

Does it frustrate you to see unoriginal, derivative music succeed? (not just in popular music, but in metal as well.)

Almost everything – in all broadcast media - is unoriginal, derived, fake, rehashed, ersatz, contrived, pre-meditated, affected, self conscious, overcooked, underfed, unduly hyped, false, nostalgic, ironic and sophomoric these days. I try to ignore it.

11.What is one question you want to be asked, but no one ever does?

"Hey man, want a line?"

Is there anything else you would like to say? The last word is yours.

Thanks for taking an interest in our humble band! We very much want to tour Europe and/or Japan this fall. If anyone knows how we can set this up, please get in touch!

Other information about Hammers Of Misfortune on this site

Review: The August Engine

Review: The Locust Years

Review: Fields/Church of Broken Glass

Review: The Bastard

Review: The August Engine

Review: The Locust Years

Review: Fields/Church of Broken Glass

Review: 17th Street