In May 2014 the scene met the first track by Hateful Desolation, which quickly attracted all Depressive Black and Atmospheric lovers.
‘Your Memory Will Never Fade’ was not just an ordinary track but it was piece of beauty and a masterpiece. It is an evidence of the mixture of the glory of the Egyptian Metal Scene, which is currently one of most active, and excellent musicians in Egypt and the magic of the Italian Metal Scene and the upcoming promising generation. An excellent musician met a talented, emotional young vocalist and thought of combining both scenes with the greatness of Depressive/Atmospheric music with many influences. If you want to give your ears and mind a present of music, you may listen to Hateful Desolation, and if you don’t know what Hateful Desolation is you should read this interview, which carries the whole story of the band and more details about Withering In Dust.
What is the idea behind creating Hateful Desolation? Why did Void choose Atmospheric/Depressive Black Metal genre although Frostagrath is also Atmospheric/Depressive Black Metal Band?
Void: I wanted Hateful Desolation to deal with a different musical taste when it comes to Depressive/Atmospheric black metal; Frostagrath is to deal with more depression caused from pain of living, reason, and more of a philosophical point of view, more towards the tendencies of Nihilism, and misanthrope. On the other hand, Hateful Desolation, was meant to deal with more emotional tendencies, like relationships, like a dedication to someone I’ve met. There is so much difference between the compositions of Frostagrath and Hateful Desolation; I count mostly on Hateful Desolation on the hypnotic side of music that can drag the listener into an abyss of his own mind.
What are the lyrical themes of the band?
Void: The previous album was about an experience I’ve been living in at that moment, it’s a dedicational album to someone.
Gray Ravenmoon: In the next album I’ll speak about emotions, sentiments, thoughts etc. of a situation that I’m living from two years ago to now. Some lyrics are already decided, others not yet; they depend on how it will end…
How did the band’s members meet?
Void: It all has started with Gray Ravenmoon’s webzine Sadik Underground Review; he has reviewed Frostagrath few times, and one day I thought of asking him if he would be interested in being the vocalist, as I have sense that there is something unique within his vocals. Then I listened to his voice in ‘Your Memory Will Never Fade’ and I immediately fall in love with the sound, then the next thing he became an official member.
Gray Ravenmoon: Two years ago I had a webzine called Sadik Underground Review (now closed), and Void had contacted me for a review of his first Frostagrath release called ‘A Depiction of a Melancholy Reality’. After that episode we’ve spoken a lot of times, and now we’re playing on Hateful Desolation.
How did you receive the feedback on the demo?
Void: The feedback was great since the very beginning it somehow influenced me to make more tracks like this.
Gray Ravenmoon: I work as press officer/promoter, so I’ve contacted – and contacting – a lot of magazines/webzines for reviewing our demo ‘Withering In Dust’. We have received cool reviews and just one negative review – but receiving some no-sense reviews is normal. I know that Tim Yatras (from Austere, Germ, Grey Waters, Autumn’s Dawn etc.) have enjoyed a lot our song ‘Your Memory Will Never Fade’, but the thing that makes me happy the most is that the In Tormentata Quiete’s keyboard player bought our CD. They are not a really famous band, but their music is really magic and deep. They are one of my inspirations.
Why did Lord Mist change his name to Void?
Void: I wanted a name to best describe me in this project, in my opinion the void is the essence of everything and it also reflects a lot of my personality: The Solitude, the emptiness, the coldness, I was latterly drowning in a void of my sentiments.
Withering In Dust contains 2 tracks in addition to instrumental version for ‘Your Memory Will Never Fade’ but each track has a completely different atmosphere, what is the main purpose behind that?
Void: I wanted the second track to represent more anger and more hatred towards life but in the same time I wanted to keep the hypnotic parts and passages in it but in a different composition. While composing the second track, I felt some strange emotions; I didn’t know reality from dreams, couldn’t tell the difference of one day from another, it all looked the same for me, the feeling of disappointment, delusion and deep sorrow. Regarding ‘Your Memory Will Never Fade’ it has more of a hypnotic feeling to it as I mentioned before “it’s a dedicational track” it had to be done uniquely as this person was my main inspiration for Hateful Desolation and also as it has been a very personal track for me.
Gray Ravenmoon: For the vocals I’ve just expressed what Void has told me about the emotions of that track. ‘Withering Away In Solitude’ is full of anger, pain and hate; ‘Your Memory Will Never Fade’ sentiments are more on the pain of love, heartache, despair… etc. The next album’s songs will be a mix of these things, but musically more like YMWNF. We’re working hard to do something special and very deep.
I read in the biography of the band that Gray Ravenmoon recorded the vocals of the demo when he was only 16 years old. When did you discover that you are able to be an excellent Black Metal Vocalist?
Gray Ravenmoon: Hehe, yes. I’ve recorded this demo when I was 16 (now I’m 17). This is the first time that I say something personal: I’ve understood how to scream during my psychotic crisis. In that crisis I’ve understood how to do the falsetto scream (like Nattramn, to make you understand) and other things, but that types of screams damages my throat; so, for now, I don’t sing in falsetto scream. My screaming is just the expression of my emotions/sentiments/sensations. But what you’ve listened in Withering In Dust are just a little part of my emotions.
How do you think you developed vocally since you recorded the Demo when you were 16?
Gray Ravenmoon: I’m just 17 now, I’ve recorded it few months ago. Now I’m certainly better in it, but there isn’t a big difference – I think).
Void is a part of many projects, how do you choose every band’s stuff while composing or writing lyrics?
Void: It depends on the emotions that I feel while composing new riffs or lyrics. You see, for Frostagrath: the music and the lyrics revolves around the depression of life, misanthrope, more of a philosophical aspect, so both the music and lyrics must reflect that intention. As for Hateful Desolation: on the new stuff, Gray Ravenmoon will handle the lyrical part, but the music itself must reflect that part. And for Hecate: it’s a very different musical style it’s more of a Black/Death Metal yet the atmospherical passages need to be in harmony with the whole concept of the track. And when it comes to Astray, it has different influences it deals with lyrics of loss, sorrow, the feeling of being Astray of this world. So each project, in some sense is different than the other.
Gray Ravenmoon: Just for curiosity, I’m working on a Doom Metal and Swedish Death Metal bands.
It was a great honor to review the demo; I found that some lyrics of Hateful Desolation stuff are quite near to Frostagrath’s one, how would you avoid this point?
(Void): As I mentioned above, the new stuff will be written by Gray Ravenmoon, it will be a concept album. I’ve always found it very hard to express the emotions you feel in words than music, haha
Unlike the scene in Italy, The Egyptian Metal Scene hasn’t a lot of Atmospheric/Depressive Black Metal Bands. So, in your opinion, what did Hateful Desolation add to the scene?
Void: I think it’s another step to widen our horizons here in Egypt, as you know most people here don’t support this genre, because of its quality and ideology. I have met a very few number of people here who are really into this genre of music. People should give a chance to the new genres and to listen to it objectively. Hateful Desolation added some kind of the Australian sound to the music; people expect to hear some oriental scales and melodies, as soon as they think of an Egyptian band. As you can hear from the demo the influences could be summed into Xasthur (USA), Austere (Australia) and Woods Of Desolation (Australia).
Do you find difficulties recording due to geographical boarders?
Void: Absolutely not! I find recording is a really pleasant thing to do specially in solitude, haha.
Gray Ravenmoon: Sincerely no, I prefer to work with the distance – I know, I’m too solitary as well, haha!
Tell us about the process in recording your album?
Void: The recording process goes very smoothly, I do the composing of the tracks then I send it to Gray Ravenmoon as a rough demo, then if he likes it, I record the full instrumental version, then send it back to him to do the vocals then he sends the vocals back to me again for mixing and mastering.
Gray Ravenmoon: When Void records a song, he just sends it to me and I do the vocals. Nothing could be simpler.
What’s the upcoming step in Hateful Desolation’s road?
Void: We are currently working on a Full-Length that should be finished very soon. Thank you for this interview, I’ve enjoyed it a lot. Hails m/
Gray Ravenmoon: We are working, we are working. Thanks a lot for your interview and to all who reads this!
Edited by: NJ Bakr
