Interview: Horda

Interview by Justin Joseph

From the depths of Tarnów. Blasphemous Black/Death Metal quintet. After releasing their unholy debut “Obsession”, the band played alongside names such as Hate, Suffering Hour, Angrrsth and Trauma.

On the 4th of March 2023, the band released “Form”, on which Horda reimagined its sound, prioritising the profane atmospherical aspects of Classic Black Metal.

This Is Black Metal Webzine had an interesting talk with Deimos, lead guitarist of the band about the present and the future of Horda!

This Is Black Metal: Hello and thank you for this interview. To the readers who may be unfamiliar with the essence of Horda, would you care to give us some insight into the conception and realization of the band?

Deimos: Hello and thank you for reaching out. Our main purpose is to play unholy Black Metal. We want to share our thoughts and emotions with everyone who wants to listen and understand what we’ve got to say.

TIBM: Throughout Horda’s lifespan what would you say is the main driving force that compels you to create? In other words, the very energy that is imbued upon your releases, how would you describe this unbridled force that fuels the art to feel potent?

Deimos: This is a certain need to get something off our chest. A complete escalation of anger, despair, and sadness that overwhelms us at the moment. This is some kind of therapy, it helps us to get through our darkest moments. We rarely think of it as sitting down and writing a song. It just happens, just like with lyrics. When the need arises, it just flows out of us. Only then do we polish the material and give it its final form.

Horda

TIBM: Your newest offering, “Form” was recently unleashed to the masses…and I must comment on the sheer unhinged spirit which is captured in sound. So tell us, how did the album come from its conceptualization stage to fleshing it into physical form?

Correct me if I am wrong, but it’s been 3 years since your previous release, “Obsession”, within this time gap, was “Form” conceived?

Deimos: Yes, that’s right, it’s been 3 years since the release of “Obsession”. Actually, “Form” was created very quickly after our debut album, but it was largely due to the pandemic. In 2020, we had a lot of concert plans, which we had to cancel for obvious reasons. We had nothing else to do but write new material. As I mentioned earlier, it all starts with the need to get something off our chest. The material was created very quickly.

Actually, in the second half of the year, we had the whole album composed, me and Forest wrote all the lyrics shortly after. “Obsession” was our first approach to this type of music. We had a goal to play anti-religious music inspired by bands like Behemoth, Hate, or Belphegor.

While composing “Form”, we drew inspiration from Classic Black Metal to achieve the effect of the spirituality you mentioned. Despite being atheists, spirituality is a very important aspect of life for us. We wanted “Form” to introduce the listener to a kind of ritual trance. As for the recordings – we recorded the instruments from November 2020 to January 2021. We recorded the vocals in the summer of 2021, but we had to take a 6-month break, because of our vocalist’s surgery. Then we worked on finding the sound, mixing, and adding additional elements such as ambient or strings. By the end of 2022, we had the album pretty much ready, and on March 4, 2023, we managed to independently release “Form”.

TIBM: It is one thing to see thought take shape and be birthed from mind to actual reality… in the process of recording these songs, can you take us behind the scenes of the synergy amongst the band members to craft these ritualistic sounds? I am most curious to get an insight into the actual mindset and aura that existed during this process.

Deimos: We are already such a tight-knit group that working on the songs was a pure pleasure. Our drummer Motus is largely responsible for the musical layer, as he usually brings ideas, which I and he then refine together. When we bring a finished piece to the rehearsal, we start playing it in full lineup.

When we are able to play the song in its entirety and feel it together, we start working on the vocals. When we have a complete view of the song, an aura is created between us, which completely disconnects us from reality. The music absorbs us, and we become one.

TIBM: Feel free to keep me honest here, but the cover art was done by Gabriel Bogacz (Baphore). I found that art acted as a medium to channel the sound and enhance the dense atmosphere. How did you go about seeking out this artist, but more specifically, what was the decision behind choosing this specific piece to be the cover art?

Deimos: Yes, the cover art was done by Gabriel “Baphore” Bogacz. We didn’t have to look far since we’ve been friends with Gabriel for many years and already used his services for Obsession. Interestingly, the artwork wasn’t originally intended to be the cover art at all. It was one of many works that Gabriel shared on his Instagram.

One day, while browsing his work, this particular piece immediately caught our attention. It’s a dehumanized creature that screams “agony” to the viewer in a disturbingly distorted way. Gabriel also had a big part in the creative process. He came up with the album title and made sigils based on music and lyrics. We’re very happy with our collaboration with Gabriel and hope to work together again someday.

TIBM: Since the unveiling of “Form” how has the reception been on your end and is it being received as you wished it would have?

Deimos: We were pleasantly surprised by how the album was received, especially by the Black Metal Promotion community. Especially, people outside Poland, like USA or Finland.  I think the reception exceeded our expectations. The same goes for the merch – the first edition sold out in less than a month. We’re still amazed by it.

TIBM: For those who ingest the sounds of “Form” besides relishing its atmosphere, what do you hope to accomplish in entrancing the listeners? What exactly would you wish for them to gain from such a ritualistic experience?

Deimos: First and foremost, we would like for listeners to understand what we have to say. Our narrative is not just based on heresy or the fight against religion itself, but we also delve into our own tragedies related to the theme of faith and spirituality. The best example of this is the song “Ścierwo Rodzaju”, which concludes the album. It is my personal reckoning with “god” at a time when I realized his non-existence.

TIBM: I want to shift towards the genre of Black Metal, in regards to what exactly does it mean to you both as a musical experience and a philosophy, how would you describe its mysticism from your personal experience?

Deimos: I’m not sure what it is about this music that makes me obsessively come back to it. The atmosphere of Black Metal is incomparable to anything else. Experiencing this music is almost transcendental. I think even the saints feel something similar during ecstasy haha! As an artist performing this music on stage, I can connect with my subconscious, my inner self. The whole aura of mystery further enhances all the sensations. I’m also a fan of combining Black Metal with other genres of music – it shows how versatile it is.

At some point, you start to see Black Metal in things that are not even remotely Metal. For example, Wardruna or Ulver – still play Black Metal, but they use different tools than Gorgoroth or Tsjuder. That’s probably the most beautiful thing about this music.

TIBM: In translating the sounds of Horda onto a live setting, what does it entail to you as both musician and artist? I’ve often wondered about the metamorphosis one has to undergo in order to transform into such a being to deliver these sounds, can you go through the process that it takes to reach this mindset that is seen in your live performance?

Deimos: Live performances are the main force of this band. When writing music, it’s also important for us to translate it to the stage as accurately as possible. Entering that state is already completely natural for us. During shows, we use corpse paint to completely enter our musical alter ego.

Our mindset is to play the best show we can and create a ritualistic atmosphere so that the listener feels both euphoria and anxiety at the same time. We hope we will be able to play more and more of them, maybe soon also beyond the borders of Poland.

TIBM: Belonging to the Polish scene where a myriad of legends belongs, does Horda take any inspiration from any of the bands that came before? If so, which bands and what is the Inspiration which was extracted from each one?

Deimos: Of course, we do. Poland is a country of many amazing Black Metal bands. I think the most important names for us are Mgła, Furia, Odraza, Behemoth, and Christ Agony. We are possessed by Polish Black Metal, and you can definitely hear it in our music.

TIBM: I would like to express my thanks for letting me host this interview, for it was a pleasure in asking these questions! I shall leave the last words for you, anything you would like to impart to you the readers?

Deimos: I would like to express our gratitude for the opportunity to give this interview and share our thoughts with the readers. Thank you for your interest in our music and the Black Metal scene. We would like to encourage you to discover new artists and genres of music, as well as support the local music scene. Stay open to new experiences and inspirations. Hails!