Scorpio: Hail Satans! Let's begin. Your debut album was released by S'n'G Prod. I've never heard of them. Can you tell us about the collaboration?
S.H: The label is shit! M.H: S'n'G Production is a young, local label primarily aimed at a narrow circle of Izhevsk black metallers. Working on the material with these guys gave us both the necessary experience — for us recording an album, and for them putting out a release. Bestial "Satanic Metal" 2002 became their first release. Shagrat and Garbag are planning to release a mini-album "Bestial Division" in the near future, as well as a reprint of the 1994 material "Bestial Control."
S: The band didn't release anything from 1994 to 2002. What was the reason?
S.H.: The band was renamed to Kazbek and played various styles of music until it completely fell apart in 1998. After that, I had my solo project. M.H.: Originally I was working on a solo project called Amduscias, which was a synthesis of Abruptum and Mysticum — things moved extremely slowly, and I probably wouldn't have finished it as a full album. Then in February 2002, Schlem proposed reviving Bestial. S.H.: Hey, dude, it was you who proposed that I join Amduscias as the guitarist. M.H.: Well, in the end, after several weeks under my solo project's banner, we decided to go back to the old name, radically changing the musical direction.
S: So that's probably why you've been writing new material at such a rapid pace. The second album is almost ready, while you only just released the debut last year. By the way, just a commercial question — how many copies of the first album were sold?
S.H.: The first demos — "Bestial Control" (1994) and "Hail To Euronymous" (2002) — weren't sold at all, so people got to know Bestial through "Satanic Metal" (2002). M.H.: It's hardly worth talking about a huge print run, but everyone who wanted this release got it. S.H.: No statistics from S'n'G.
S: What's the name of the new release, and tell us briefly about the material.
S.H.: We're preparing a reprint of the '94 demo and a new demo, Bestial "Division," which besides the title track and a remix will include 3 new songs. All the tracks are musically diverse, no less so than everything else written for the second full-length. Above all, this comes from the band having no musical boundaries — satanic metal is any metal music that propagates Devil worship in its lyrics. Of course, new musicians have brought something new to the sound, but there are no drastic changes. M.H.: In the autumn, the fully recorded album "Satanic Metal" will be released on Oupiric Production on cassette — 1,000 copies. The new sound is simply crushing in its power — it's a bomb of global proportions!
S: There's only two of you. Who plays what?
S.H.: Schlem the Hyena — guitars, backing vocals.
M.H.: Memphis the Hyena — bass, vocals.
S: Two people are certainly enough for recording, but for live shows... Do you bring in session musicians for concerts?
S.H.: Two is enough for live shows too. Plus a sound technician, personal security and, ideally, a manager. M.H.: Invite more musicians — one more mouth telling you what to do? Screw that. Schlem is enough. S.H.: All they'd want is mineral water for washing their faces, Jack Daniels whiskey, and girls in the dressing room. And then what? The more mouths, the more problems.
S: The hyena is your symbol. What about this animal attracts you? By the way, do you know how hyenas feed their pups? The adult males go hunting. They eat until they're full. Then they come home and regurgitate part of the food for the females and young.
S.H.: Hyenas are the most vicious and successful predators. By the way, hyenas have a matriarchy — the males get nothing until the females eat first. M.H.: One of the heads of the beast of the apocalypse is a hyena's head — and so the world will fall to the vile sounds of Bestial.
S: How did a couple of guys from Udmurtia become convinced that Satan is their spiritual father?
S.H.: I don't believe in the existence of dozens of gods for every nationality. And beyond that, as they say, you choose the lesser of two evils. M.H.: I'm merely a slave of the Master. He chose me, not the other way around. Not Schlem, mind you — me, Memphis the Hyena!
S: Do you hold satanic rituals in your hometown? What literature would you recommend to young satanists?
S.H.: I don't understand what you mean by "satanic rituals." Magic is practiced for the purpose of gaining some personal benefit, and we have nothing to ask for — the Master himself will give what he sees fit. As for reading, I'd recommend Bestial's lyrics — you don't need a ton of brainpower to understand them. M.H.: Several years ago I took part in something like that, during which I was made very clearly aware that I was an outsider in that system. So since then I've abandoned any attempts to "break through" to the other world — for good. Plunder, Kill And compel, The world A tomb In abundance Devil To madness In the mind Doors Open
S: There's a Slovak hockey player whose last name is Satan. Are you envious of him?
S.H.: Envious of what — that he's a hockey player, or that he's Slovak? Being a fatalist, I generally don't experience envy. M.H.: With a name like that, he could play better. Take Teemu Selanne, for instance — now that's a star. S.H.: And why play hockey with a name like that? He should just rake in the cash. Screw hockey. Football — now that's a game for real... men. M.H.: Yeah, and curling is a game for true Norwegians — same nonsense as their black metal. They can all get lost... S.H.: True Nords play "who can dig up and eat a rotten shark liver the fastest." And you shouldn't dis Mayhem. I know a band — Bestial (he says, referring to himself — ed.) — they even dedicated an album to Euronymous. M.H.: Mayhem collapsed in 1993 — seems like after Euronymous died, nothing worthwhile came out of them. Though I could be wrong. Yeah, Euronymous was a cool black metalhead, unlike the current generation of idiots. S.H.: And DIMMU BORGIR and Old Man's Child — you're going to trash them too? "Kings of posers." M.H.: That's a low blow — I'd completely forgotten about them. But Satan is still a decent hockey player — at least they beat Finland.
S: And what do your names — Schlem ("shlem" is russian for "helmet") and Memphis — mean?
S.H.: "Helmet — 3. A special device protecting the head from the environment" (c) S.I. Ozhegov. That's what it means. As for why I have this name — I have no idea. Names don't just come with explanations. M.H.: Memphis was the ancient capital of Egypt. Memphis's armies fought on Lucifer's side in the battle against the heavens.
S: You're probably a unique band — playing satanic black metal with russian lyrics. Is that an ideological choice, or is English just too difficult? (I initially thought the lyrics were in russian — ed.)
M.H.: No, well, I certainly have an ugly English accent, but I didn't realize it would lead to that conclusion — all our lyrics are in English! S.H.: All of Bestial's lyrics are written in English, except for the poetic epigraphs (in russian) that we perform before each song at concerts. By the way, I think "satanic black" is like saying "oily oil," because all black metal is satanic by definition. That state of affairs on the scene is precisely what led us to define our style more precisely — Satanic Metal! Let all sorts of goats call themselves pagan black, romantic black, nu black, whatever — we don't want anything in common with such posers who try to smuggle their wretchedness under the Black Metal flag. I don't think Cronos is very pleased with these innovations from the youth (and not just the youth, by the way). That's why we're not Black Metal — we're Satanic Metal!
S: Where do you dig up material for your lyrics?
S.H.: "At my heart there's a brand 666 and through my voice there Satan speaks..." (c) Bestial
S: What do you listen to? And what recent release hit you right in the gut?
S.H.: I like reggae, and Memphis likes chanson. Ha! And of course black metal — I won't hide the fact that among heavy music, I mostly listen to Bestial "Satanic Metal" (2003), because that's the music I want to hear, and there's so little of it on the current scene. M.H.: Mostly old bands — Sarcofago, Death SS, Typhon, Sabbat, IMPALED NAZARENE, Beherit, Blasphemy, Venom, KING DIAMOND, Hellhammer and others... Recently, Bewitched and Desaster really impressed me. The last Root album is simply excellent. And, naturally, Bestial!!! S.H.: Hey, I want to show off too — Vondur, Motorhead, W.A.S.P., Destroyer 666, Sodom, HOLY MOSES, Destruction, Judas Priest, Unleashed, Azaghal. What else is brutal out there on the metal charts?
S: And now — Satan's message to all mortals.
Bestial: Like storm-driven whirlwinds The dogs of war sweep across the world Enemies are crushed by the darkness in droves And at the front — the HYENAS of SATAN!!!
S: Thanks. For all the little satanists out there, our bedtime story has come to an end.
Bestial: Fall asleep to the cry of hyenas...