Getting aware of AGALLOCH through a friend in the US some years ago the band keeps me captivated with every new output, although they put the patience to the test, since it took four years till Portland gents finally came up with the follower of the outstanding The Mantle album. With Ashes Against The Grain they stripped down all these elements and instruments to keep it basic and display a quite harsh black metal approach. In pleasant anticipation for the band’s first European live dates I wanted to take an interior view of what the band is about…

Dajana: Congratulation! Ashes Against The Grain made it to the album of the month (August) on Nocturnal Hall. I think it’s for the first time that you could spread your music worldwide. How are the responses so far?
JH: The responses have been positive overall. Obviously, after 4 years, an album cannot always live up to people’s expectations. I just hope that it will grow on those who are skeptical or disappointed and, more importantly, stand the test of time.

Dajana: You got a huge distribution via The End Records in the US. What about the rest of the world? I know that your new album is available in Germany, what about the other European countries? Will elder albums now distributed in Europe too? I bought mine all at The End…
JH: Grau Records has released The Mantle and Ashes Against The Grain for the European markets. I don’t think our albums are difficult to get, especially in the age of the internet and Ebay. Ordering our first album directly from The End Records is also a very quick and reliable option.

Dajana: Your new album goes quite back to the basics of what AGALLOCH seems to be about. Acoustic and folkloristic traits were moved more in the background, no special single instruments and no layered singing and choirs. Ashes Against The Grain altogether displays a more gruffy and harsh metal approach as the predecessors did. Intentional or a natural development?
JH: Yeah it was intentional. After The Mantle we wanted to do something a bit more stripped down and live sounding. I still think we achieved a great amount of atmosphere but it is different than our last one. This album is more like a post rock/black metal album, where as The Mantle focused more on a neo-folk/experimental approach.

Dajana: Isn’t it paradox that – although Ashes Against The Grain has a more gruffy and harsher metal approach people compare it with a warmer season (late summer for example) than the previous albums (winter and fall, as many did)?
JH: No, although I don’t really pay too much attention to what most people try to make of our albums. Perhaps it is the color scheme of the artwork that calls to mind a warmer aesthetic. We certainly wanted more fiery elements this time around and I think the layout justifies that. So, no, I don’t think it is a paradox.

Dajana: You are known for not being very present in the public/media. But now you have to go through the typical promotional campaign as every other band has to go through too. You once said: “AGALLOCH prefers to let our music and imagery speak for itself. There is no reason to whore ourselves and our work out to the public. If this is construed as being obscure, then so be it. We have no problem being in the shadows.” It’s over now with the obscurity, isn’t it?
JH: Not for me personally, no. I am still as reclusive as I have always been. What our bassist meant with that quote is that we do not feel the need to hype our work and pander to our audience. If our work is available to a wide audience and they want to check us out, that is perfectly fine with us. We just do not feel it is necessary to force our work down people’s throats or beg to be noticed. That is not our style. Obviously a promotion campaign is something the record label cares about. They want to sell records after all and make good on their investment. If it were up to me, we wouldn’t do very many interviews. However, we are obligated to do so by our record label and, besides, it is sometimes interesting to discuss our work to those who are genuinely into it…

Dajana: Regarding your CD packaging and cover artworks, you had an elk on it two times that seems to be sort of Portland’s landmark. Does the elk have a special meaning to you personally? And now it’s a bird…
JH: That elk statue certainly is not a locally celebrated landmark. Most people complain about it because it stands right in the middle of Main Street. I guess the local idiots put more worth in getting through an intersection easier than they do in public art! I have always liked that statue/fountain so I thought it, along with other nature statues in town; it would make great artwork for The Mantle booklet.

Dajana: All your releases reflect themes of nature - references to oak, bleak coldness, dark nights, wind, the elements and the environment in general… As I’m right you are not activists in this matter. How to deal then with all that destruction around you especially in the US?
JH: I don't think this "destruction" in the US you speak of is any worse than most places. Sadly, deforestation, pollution, etc exists everywhere in the world. I cannot speak for the other guys but I am not an activist - I am a realist. I understand that, for example, we depend on a timber industry and I'm fine with it as long as these companies are environmentally responsible. I drive a car because I have no other way to get from my house to my job because public transportation is non-existent in the area I live (outside the city). I think an expanded and aggressive recycling campaign is necessary not only with the public but with corporations as well. I also think America should step into the 21st century, get off its addiction to oil and start developing wind power, fusion, and various other clean sources of energy. I think things could be better if society changed its bad habits. I try to do my part as much as possible. However, that doesn’t impede the fact that PEOPLE are the problem. It doesn’t matter who we are racially, culturally, or nationally; people will always be the key enemy of the planet. This includes me, you, everyone reading this, politicians, religious people, sign-waving hippie activists, rich people, poor people…everyone. Humans are, simply put, a destructive animal.

Dajana: Knowing that you are big Swans fans and I being a friend of Jarboe I wonder how a collaboration might sound? Is she an artist you would like to work with if there is any chance given? Do you know her and what she does musically nowadays? Did you attend one of her recent West Coast dates? There was a Portland gig I think…
JH: Her voice added a lot to Swans; however, her solo stuff doesn’t really interest me. I have heard some of her Thirteen Masks and Sacrificial Cake albums. Our guitarist, Don, is a bigger fan of her work than I am. Maybe if I saw her live I would change my mind.

Dajana: Any other musician/artist you could imagine to collaborate with?
JH: Hmmm… I think it would be really interesting to collaborate with DornenReich. I think Eviga is a tremendously talented and imaginative artist. Obviously it would be great to work with Current 93 or Les Joyaux De La Princesse but I highly doubt they would take us seriously. I also think it would be very appealing to work with independent film directors making soundtracks and such.

Dajana: The first tourdates for Europe got announced. I guess it’s the very first time performing beyond the pond. Curious or nervous about it? What do you expect? And, I mean sharing the bill with November’s Doom seems to be very pleasant, regarding the musical direction.
JH: I’m not nervous at all about the tour itself. I love Europe and I enjoy visiting whenever I can. I am not, however, looking forward to the actual airport hassles and I hope our many effects pedals and cables won’t get seized by airport security. I think that will be the foremost pain in the ass for Don and I. Beyond that, I’m looking forward to touring with our friends in Novembers Doom again, visiting new countries and cities, and meeting our European contacts. I think that is going to be a great experience for all of us.

Dajana: Regarding the fact that the half of our crew is from Austria, they of course miss gig dates there… Generally speaking the tour is quite short. You wanna see how it works out before you try any bigger?
JH: That isn’t the reason at all. If we could, we would tour Europe for two months and visit every country! However, Don is a college professor so his schedule does not allow for him to join us for a long tour. This is why we will be missing out on the Italian and UK gigs. It is quite frustrating but 6-8 gigs in Europe are better than none at all. I did request that we play at least one Austrian gig, either in Salzburg or Vienna but it unfortunately will not happen.

Dajana: In many of the reports from the last couple of years till today there is to read that AGALLOCH is the spearhead/number one of the American scene of dark and experimental metal. You see yourself at this position? How to deal with that “status”? Do you feel pressure or commitments in your neck?
JH: No we don’t feel any pressure. We are not in competition with anyone, nor have we ever tried to be “the number one band” or anything. We are lucky to have such a cult following and we appreciate the enthusiasm from our fans, but mass appeal is nothing we have ever strived to achieve.

Dajana: Why, do you think, is it so difficult for listeners to see/experience bands/musicians as individuals creating music that comes to them or out of them? I mean, detached from all categorizations, comparisons, influences, idols… etc. and just take it as it is and enjoy what they are listening to?
JH: Well when I was a young, I looked up to these people as sort of “magicians”. I couldn’t imagine how such art, atmosphere, and sounds could be created. It was very magical to me. So I can relate to where some of these listeners are coming from. I still have some idols of my own that I look up to and measure my work against. There are some musicians out there who simply blow my mind.

Dajana: Ok, I’m at the end of my questions. Thank you very much for spending your time on them and I hope we see you in the fall during the tour :) Cheers and my best wishes.
JH: Thank you Dajana for the interview!