1.For those that have never heard of you before, can you tell us a little bit about the band?
Tabotan: Well, we're a band dedicated to shedding light upon the forgotten gods of humanity, or those that were demonized by Judeo-Christian influence.
Lucithor: We started as a Slayer tribute band called the Final Command in 2002, and eventually we branched off into writing our own songs. Early Hierarchy was basically Slayer worship, with some Deicide thrown in for good measure. As we grew and new members joined, our musical influence expanded into what it is today. It was a natural evolution for us, although we did go through different "phases" of the band when we were unsure of ourselves. But the core sound of Hierarchy has always remained the same. We're a straight up blackened death metal band that doesn't pull our punches. We hit hard coming out of the gate, and the onslaught just continues until the record is over.
2.You have a new album coming out in 2021, musically how does it differ from the stuff you have released in the past?
Tabotan: Basically, the first album is comprised of songs from about 15 years ago that were never released professionally, and some lyrics have changed but most have remained the same, and now that we have that out we can move on to the new horizon which is going to be a more strict black metal sound while continuing to educate those of our spirituality and beliefs.
Lucithor: Like Tabotan said, the first album we just released is all older songs that I rewrote to fit today's landscape. Some of the songs that were written early on were too simplistic due to my inability to play and write well. Fast forward 15 years later where the skill has vastly improved, and you find it in yourself to want to make the material much better than it was. In the past we've released live albums and EPs and they don't quite hold up with time, but a lot of those songs were great and deserved a proper release. So what you're hearing on the record are songs that are over 15 years old, written when I was just a teenager. Revamped, re-written, and released in this day and age.
3.The band was broken up for 10 years, what was the cause of the split and also the decision to reform?
Tabotan: Life got in the way. Some of us moved away, some of us went on to do different things musically and some of us tried to make a living through labor intensive work. Come years later when none of that worked out we realized that we had some unfinished business and it was time to get to work in order to appease the gods.
Lucithor: The indefinite hiatus was largely my fault. I lost interest in the band and went on to explore other types of music. I played in a punk band, a hardcore band and a metalcore band over those years, and I also became an MMA fighter. So training took a large portion of my time. Years later when I was at an all time low in life, Tabotan was there to pull me out from the slump and remind me that Hierarchy was still alive and roaring to go. So I guess you could say this band saved my life, because it kind of did. And the best decision I ever made was to reform this band, because it has given me a new lease on life.
4. A lot of your lyrics cover Satanism, Occultism and Anti Christianity themes, can you tell us a little bit more about your interest in the dark arts?
Tabotan: I couldn't really get into it without writing you an entire book, which I plan on doing one day. So the short and sweet answer is this is just what vibes with me naturally. And also, look to the music and the lyrics for answers in the meantime.
Lucithor: I've always been drawn to the darker side of life, even as a child. I loved horror movies and all things death and morbid, so this type of music came naturally for me. I was raised in a Roman Catholic environment and had a severe distaste in Christianity when I was young. Even at that age I could see the bullshit and the hypocrisy that stems from that religion. But my main gripe with it comes from my Norse Pagan beliefs. The Christians basically rolled over everything in their path, and it was either convert or die. They eradicated so many ancient religions and beliefs, some lost to the ages. As for Satan, I also feel a pull towards that side as well, although I tend to fall on the Luciferian side of things. Satan equals freedom, and unlike the Judeo-Christian Jehova he isn't a jealous god, and allows you to worship and explore whatever you so wish. It's that freedom and strength from within that comes from those deities that really drives you forward on those dark days. Some days I thank Odin and Thor, while other days I may call on Satan to destroy an enemy. It's all in the same realm to me.
5.You also have some lyrics inspired by the writings of H.P Lovecraft, can you tell us a little bit more about your interest in his works?
Tabotan: Well that goes basically back to the question before hand on my interest in the dark arts and my beliefs in general. Short and sweet once again not to write an entire book, but when HP Lovecraft wrote about these gods he said they came to him in his dreams, and I believe its highly possible that he vibed with super entities from very far away, and that the stories might be more than just fiction.
Lucithor: Like the question before, I've always been attracted to horror and the dark side of life. And his stories and bodies of work just called to me. They were so mysterious and haunting, and always got my imagination roaring. But like Tabotan said, the gods came to him in a dream, and they very well could have been beings or deities from aeons past that spoke to him through dreams. You never quite know. Most fiction does stem from some sort of truth, doesn't it?
6.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Hierarchy'?
Tabotan: This isnt really my question to answer, seeing as how the band already had the name when I entered, being the 3rd vocalist to come along. But apparently the most influential. I didn't name the band, but I definitely believed in it and the Hierarchy name to me I saw as the potential to speak upon the forgotten gods and tell their story as it was told to me by my influences.
Lucithor: There's a short answer and a more involved answer. The short answer is that one day I was looking through a book on demons and demonology, and there was a chapter called "The Hierarchy of Infernal Demons", and that word just popped out and stuck with me. So I decided that would be a proper band name for this type of music. The more involved answer would be that as the band grew, so did our beliefs. Hierarchy could mean any form of structure within a belief system. For us, those would be the dark gods of those religions. Which is why we write about all things left hand path, no matter what sect or religious belief they follow.
7.Can you tell us a little bit more about the artwork that is presented on the new album cover?
Tabotan: Absolutely. My sister in law is an amazing artist who is also a follower of the left hand path. And unfortunately at the time a single mother, so I basically commissioned her to create some artwork for the band so that we could hopefully become somewhat successful and kick back to her to help her out with bills and such. And also to portray her skills as an artist and help her rise with us.
Lucithor: It's really a great cover isn't it? Tabotan's in-law (we call her Lilith) came up with the design after we told her what we wanted. Which was basically the hierarchy of all the demons, with Satan on his throne ruling them all. We wanted to stimulate a reaction from people as well. Kind of like when you're a teenager looking through the CDs at a record store and you come across one that has killer artwork, so you buy it based on that and discover something totally new. We're hoping that happens with our music. That someone would see this killer looking artwork and want to buy it, hopefully gaining a new fan of the music in the process.
8.What are some of the best shows that the band has played over the years and also how would you describe your stage performance?
Tabotan: As for our stage show we try to put on a visual performance that matches the tone of the music and lyrics within, in order to stimulate the audience's energy to create an atmosphere that we can all revel in.
Lucithor: We've been lucky enough to share the stage with many great bands, a lot of them our heroes or musical influences such as Deicide, Goatwhore, Mortician, Cannibal Corpse, Dimentianon, and recently Usurper and Kvlt of Frost. The Goatwhore show was a standout show because we got to hang out with the guys in the band and talk all things metal and left hand path. They were great dudes. We'd love to share the stage with them again. Deicide was another fun one, although Glen Benton really didn't talk to us that much. He kind of did his own thing. We've also had the pleasure to play with a lot of great local bands over the years as well.
9.Currently you are unsigned, are you looking for a label or have received any interest?
Tabotan: Of course getting help by being signed would be a lovely thing. I mean as far as getting the music out there and getting shows with other big name artists in our genre and also getting our merch out and becoming successful. However, it is not a breaking point for me if we don't accomplish getting signed. With the way social media is these days with Facebook and Youtube and the Bandcamp we can still continue on with the music and get it out there, which is in the end our main goal. Fortune and fame be damned...
Lucithor: I'd love to be signed to a great metal label. I think most guys who start bands and are serious about their music want to be signed to a label and tour the world, I mean that's the rock n roll dream, isn't it? But its very different with our kind of music. We've submitted to a few labels so far, including Season of Mist, Napalm Records, Noble Demon Records, Earache Records, and SPV records, which I guess is what used to be Century Media. We're also going to submit to Nuclear Blast eventually, and that is currently in the works as well. Back in Feb of 2019 we met Amon Amarth singer Johan Hegg at Duff's Bar in Brooklyn, and we gave him a demo, which he gave the guys at Metal Blade. So fingers crossed with that. Otherwise like Tabotan said if we don't get signed we have social media. You can get your music worldwide with the click of a button nowadays and we are grateful for that. So we'll see what happens.
10.On a worldwide level how has the reaction been to your music by fans of black and death metal?
Tabotan: Honestly I feel like there's only two ways about it. You're either gonna like the band or you're not gonna like the band. There's no middle ground in extreme metal.
Lucithor; Everyone that has heard the album so far has loved it. We've gotten responses from people in countries halfway around the world like Russia and Greece. We even had someone from France email us asking us for our autograph on the album, so that's a pretty cool feeling. All of the reviews we've had so far said great things about it, so that makes me very happy to hear. We worked our asses off perfecting this album, and we're glad that its getting the praise that it is, because we feel like we've earned it at this point in our careers.
11.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
Tabotan: Well, the plan was to get these original songs down and on an album, and then we wanted to produce a black metal album and then go on to do a Nordic themed album eventually. Then cover the Greek and Egyptian gods afterwards. So that's basically the direction we had planned on heading, but of course the future is subject to change.
Lucithor: We wanted to get the album of original Hierarchy songs finished and released first and foremost. That was our main goal. And now that we've accomplished that we can look towards the future for other releases. We have an EP called 'Ravenous" that should be coming out within these next few months. And that EP is just straight up brutal death metal. What I love about this band is that we aren't stuck in one genre. One song or album could have a thrash vibe, while the other is a 90s death metal sound, etc. But in the end you still know it's the same band. I feel like that gives us an advantage musically. We're also working on a melodic black metal album called "The Gospel of Judas" that will see the light of day eventually. Hopefully by the end of the year or early next year. So there's that. I also have an entire album written on the Norse Pagan deities, so there is most certainly no lack of material.
12.What are some of the bands or musical styles that have had an influence on your music and also what are you listening to nowadays?
Tabotan: When we met we were all pretty big fans of bands like Slayer, Deicide, Morbid Angel, Sepultura, Behemoth, Amon Amarth, Dissection, Dark Funeral, Cradle of Filth, Cannibal Corpse, and Vital Remains, just to name a few. Currently I'm pretty much listening to all of that still, with a few of the other bands I grew up on like Suicidal Tendencies and Metallica. I've also discovered some bands like Septicflesh, Gojira, HATE, and Watain.
Lucithor: For me, in the beginning it was AC/DC. I saw a live video of Highway to Hell and I was hooked immediately. I became absolutely obsessed with that band, and from there it got progressively heavier. Metallica, Slayer, etc to then early forms of death metal and black metal. Now, I actually play guitar in an AC/DC tribute band called Problem Child, and I do that on the side of Hierarchy, which still helps me get that love for the band out there. But today my favorite bands are Amon Amarth, Cannibal Corpse, Behemoth, Darkthrone, Dark Funeral, Watain, Deicide, Morbid Angel, Manegarm, and the list goes on and on. I'm always discovering new music. But metal isn't the only genre I love. I also listen to punk rock like the Misfits and Bad Religion, who happen to be in my top 5 favorite bands ever. I love classic rock, blues and even country. But nothing will ever surpass my love for metal.
13.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
Tabotan: If you let the magic and imagination die out in this world you're gonna be left with a very soul crushing life of politicians and rules. So I urge everybody to go out and seek something that brings you closer to the energies of the universe. Ave Satanas.
Lucithor: I just want to thank you guys for this interview opportunity, and for the great review on our album. I also want to thank everyone who has supported us over the years, and to all who have bought the record so far. But keep an eye on us, because the best is yet to come. Ave Satanas and Hail Odin!
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