Review Fix chats with Hateful Abandon’s Vice Martyr, who discusses the band’s new album, “Liars/Bastards.†Martyr also discusses the band’s goals for 2015, as well as the band’s creative process, before setting the record straight on several genre classifications the band has encountered over the years.
Review Fix: What makes Liars/Bastards a special album?
Vice Martyr: Woah, that’s a hard question. I’ll try and approach it like I’m not involved. I don’t think you hear much like it nowadays, nor is it a particularly ‘retro’ sounding album. It’s varied without it sounding like a compilation of different bands. It’s angry and it’s sensitive.
It’s special to us because it was originally released by indie label ‘Todestrieb Records’ and later picked up by ‘Candlelight’ and shot across the globe, so it wasn’t really supposed to be heard by so many hence why the album is unmastered.
We play music purely to please ourselves so the output doesn’t always sit kindly on the majority of people’s ears. We’ve learnt over the last couple of months that it’s a love it or hate it album. To us it just sounds natural. We are very pleased and grateful that some people seem to really ‘get it’ though.
At the moment I think the next one will be a lot more special. We finished recording ‘Liars/Bastards’ in December 2013 and we’ve progressed a hell of a lot in that time.
Review Fix: What song do you believe stands out the most? Why?
Martyr: Ouch. Another hard one. I’ve always had a soft spot for ‘There Will Never Be Peace’ because when we play that in rehearsal it sends us into a hypnotic state. It becomes like a ritual. Like a tribal dance. I think ‘Culprit’ will be most other people’s favorite though.
Review Fix: What was the creative process for it like? Is there a story behind it?
Martyr: In the past, because there has been no pressure as such, we have met up once every couple of months and recorded, or not; because when we see each other we feel the need to let loose, a lot of times it turned into a music listening session, beers and laughter everywhere.
Really HA is an extension of our friendship, a way of making our love for music something real and creative. A way of shouting about what we feel passionate about. Cliche or not, it’s a pressure valve. Again, the songs were recorded with little thought of whether anybody else would like it or not.
Now we meet every couple of weeks to rehearse and write we’re a lot more focused on getting things done and rolling.
Review Fix: What bands or performers influence you guys the most?
Martyr: Everything we listen to influences us in some way. Primarily our favourite stuff; Killing Joke, Dead Can Dance, Suicide, PiL, Old Industrial, crust/anarcho punk, Techno, Dub, bits and pieces of old radio chatter, power tools, dirt and wires, old factories.
Review Fix: What performers do you guys love that your fans might not expect? Why?
Martyr: I honestly don’t think the few people that love our stuff would be surprised at anything we like as we’re so diverse. But I’ll go with Simon & Garfunkel.
Review Fix: For those who don’t know, how would you describe Post-Punk?
Martyr: I wouldn’t. I don’t think we are Post-Punk. People tell us we are so it must be true. I always thought it was the way that journalists described Public Image Ltd when they first came out. At least that makes sense. John Lydon has always said that PiL are ‘Folk music’ AKA music of the people. I would rather ‘music of the people’ were used to describe us.
Review Fix: How does the Goth incorporate itself into your tunes?
Martyr: I don’t think it does. I mean ok, a lot of what we’re influenced by has been at some point described as Goth. Doesn’t mean anything nowadays in my opinion. It used to mean Bauhaus, Sisters Of Mercy, Fields Of Nephilim, Early Cure, UK Decay…by the way, notice something about those bands? They’re all totally different sounding. They didn’t see themselves as Goth. It was a label put on them by the music papers and the sheep that flocked around them. These days it means Tim Burton, Cradle of Filth and bloody Marilyn Manson. And totally irrelevant to HA.
Review Fix: What are your goals for 2015?
Martyr: Play live and start recording our new album. To meet as many people as we can and share beers, laughs and music.
Review Fix: What do you think are the things holding you guys from being as successful as you believe you can be? How do you plan to address them?
Martyr: If we really really wanted to be successful we could trot out some catchy tripe that people would just lap up. We’re not stupid. We know music and we know what works on people. It would literally be the easiest thing ever. Where’s the fun in that? Success to me is JUUUUST making enough money to live. Not interested in having tons of cash. I could survive on 12 grand a year and if I can get that without having to compromise then that would be success to me. If we sold out and cashed in I would feel like an utter failure. Having said that, we would love to do film scores.
Review Fix: What’s next?
Martyr: Well, the World is going to end. Obviously.
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