1.Can you give us an update on what has been going on with the band since the recording and release of the new album?
Well, basicaly we are trying to get this thing on the road. We played a release show in one of our three hometowns and we are about to play a second release show on january 23th. After that we try to be busy playing live for the rest of the year but booking shows in small underground venues has become a bit harder than before covid. But yeah, thats basically the plan as of now.
2.In December you had released a new album, musically how does it differ from the stuff you have released in the past?
To me it sounds much more melodic, more song oriented and more rock n roll. The first HVRT record was basically written as a follow up to the last SHITSHIFTER record (the band we once were before changing our name to HVRT). CANCERBLOOM has more influences and we are experimenting a lot more with different sounds and different influences.
3.This was also your first album in 5 years, can you tell us a little bit more about the long wait in between releases?
The wait was long for sure. Covid was a huge factor in that peroid of time. We haven´t seen each other for almost two years and during this period our Drummer Tobias left the band. So we had to find a new Drummer and basically re-group ourselves as a band.
4.Lyric wise how would you describe your progress as songwriters over the last few albums?
I´m not sure if there is much progress…..At least for my part of the lyric writing. I´ve always wrote about stuff that resonated with me on an emotional level and I have never changed that approach. But yeah, in the end, there may be some progress regarding the quality of the lyrics. We write in English and German and I think we got better in mixing those two languages.
5.Originally the band was called 'Shitshifter', what was the cause of the name change and also the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'HVRT‘?\
Changing our name was something we thought about for a while. In the beginning SHITSHIFTER was a fun band that was all about making a lot of noise at maximum volume. We didn´t think too much about songs or melodies but more about how to maximize our sonic impact. At one point we realized that our music wasn´t the same anymore. We started thinking way more about arrangements, melodies, structures and different sounds. So changing the name to HVRT made a lot of sense. The inspiration was the song by Nine Inch Nails/ Johnny Cash…..we were talking about different names and our drummer had a note sheet of that song on his desk. Since we all love the song and the sound of the word, we went with Hurt. Because there is another band with probably the same idea, we went trve old school and ditched the u for a v ;)
6.Can you tell us a little bit more about the artwork that is presented on the new album cover?
The artwork es the work of our longtime collaborators Dasha Pliska and Lars Horstmann. Both are friends of ours and we collaborated with them on a lot of different projects. We had a hard time finding the right visuals for this record and we thought about trying different directions. But in the end, we stayed with working with both Dasha and Lars again since they know exactly what we like and what our music needs.
7.Out of all the shows and tours the band has done so far, which one stands out the most?
Tough question….I remember a show (still under the shitshifter name) that we played in berlin in a small squatted building. The whole place was hot as hell and the crowd went wild. For me personally, it´s all about the vibe in the room. I don´t care too much about sound, lights or other technical stuff….I like playing small venues with no stages and a good energy in the room. Most of the time, these are the shows where you can get very close with the audience.
8.Do you have any touring os show plans for 2026?
Playing live as much as we can!
9.On a worldwide level how has the reaction been to your newer music by fans of extreme metal?
So far we received a lot of very lovely feedback from the people that listened to our new record, at least when talking to people. Personally I don´t read any reviews about our music so I don´t know what the press reaction is like….but when I talk to people, the reactions are absolutely lovely!
10.Are any of the other band members currently involved with any other bands or musical projects these days?
Yeah, my brother (who is our singer and bass player) plays in another band named Raptvre. Make sure to check them out!
11.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
Right now, I don´t think too much about new music to be honest. I am happy that we managed to get this record out because it was a lot of work. But of course there is something cooking as we speak….;) In fact, we have probably enough music written for two more records.
12.What are some of the bands or musical projects the band members are currently listening to nowadays?
Our other guitarplayer Florian listens to a lot of old school black and death metal stuff like Vader, Marduk or Emperor. Both him and my brother are very much into black metal in general. Our drummer Stephan listens to a lot of the classic stuff like Metallica or Pantera but also a lot of americana/ singer songwriter music. I myself love music like Bruce Springsteen, Stephen Wilson Jr., or Warhaus (which my brothers is a fan of as well). On the harder side, I always listen to Converge or a lot of Motörhead recently.
13.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
Yeah, go check out or new album CANCERBLOOM, maybe come to a show and say hi and don´t hang out with MAGAs or other right wing scum.
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