Interview with HYL

Hail! How did the band members come together to form HYL?
HI THERE! The first person I approached was K. Klingbein as I needed a good drummer. I’ve been following his social page for a couple of years and as he works with many bands as a session for recording or live, I contacted him and he agreed to play. Later I contacted Dariusz Sieradzki (Shadow), who leads the Polish band “Black Altar”, because I’d listened to their latest release and really liked his voice. He also plays in Swedish Ofermod. I needed a singer to match his voice, so I contacted him immediately and he accepted.

What was the inspiration behind the name HYL?
Hyl (meaning ‘howling’) was born out of a period of meditation, an introspective journey in relation to the human condition and nature, a sense of melancholy linked to social unrest, pessimism and misanthropy, a kind of physical and mental refuge in the woods. It is atmospheric black metal played through evocative music, conveying a sense of emptiness and sadness.

Can you describe the creative process for your upcoming debut album, “Where Emptiness Is All”?
I started to play riffs at a time when the world was going through a lot of difficulties (I remember that we were in the middle of the Covid 19 pandemic). That feeling of global dissatisfaction, hearing that thousands of people were dying all day long, made me go into a kind of death spiral. While I was playing, I had negative, black visions, accompanied by the need to completely distance myself from the human presence and run away from the society. Then I stopped for a while because I wasn’t satisfied with my compositions and started again after 2 years. I composed 4 songs and some ambient parts that I wanted to put in the album and then I got in touch with all the members of the band to make it happen.

How does the band balance its Italian-Polish roots in terms of musical influences and style?
Well, I have my own way of writing and understanding Black Metal, I certainly play what I like to hear, and I have to say that the best Black Metal music in recent years comes from Poland. But I have Italian blood in my veins and I grew up listening to the old thrash (as well as black metal) music. I play in ‘Schizo’, an Italian cult band known for making one of the most beautiful albums ever, ‘Main Frame Collapse’, so I always tend to give the songs a touch of ‘Italianness’, but I always try to create something contemporary and ideally international. In this way, the presence of the Polish components has given the band a certain edge. K.Klingbein comes from the Polish school. You can feel it in his touch on the drums. Dariusz has a great attitude and a great voice. If you listen to his voice on “Black Altar” it’s completely different from Hyl’s, in fact when I hired him I specifically asked him to give a different timbre than Black Altar, something colder and giving a sense of emptiness, and he did it really well. I’m very happy with his work, he really believes in what he’s doing and puts a lot of effort into it.

How did Rick Costantino’s previous experience with Schizo and Krigere Wolf influence the sound of HYL?
Krigere Wolf is my creation, born in 2009, and I still lead the band today. In fact, for those who do not know the band, I invite you to listen to our discography on Bandcamp. I’ve only been playing in Schizo for a few years and I’m proud to be a part of it, as it’s one of my favourite bands ever… As far as the stylistic aspect is concerned, neither of the two bands has influenced Hyl from a compositional point of view, but I can say with certainty that the only influence that both bands have given me is the seriousness and professionalism with which we work. I have been playing with S.B. Reder (leader of Schizo) for many years, as we played in a side project. He is a few years older than I am and his way of playing and his approach to music has helped me to grow a lot. I learned a lot from him and now I know how to behave on a managerial and professional level, he is a great guitarist, a great leader and what honours him is that he still carries Schizo with great passion and seriousness. That’s what’s most important and fundamental in a band, to be serious and to get involved.

How do you see the relationship between black metal and nature, and how does HYL’s music reflect this relationship?
Black Metal, as I see it in Hyl, is a refuge from modern society, to get away from everything material, to put a higher value on the transcendent, to look for the self in the vastness of the universe and nature, to look up to the sky and see the stars and the moon reflected on a sea of blood, a vortex in the introspection and malevolence of the human spirit, through the expressive music of black notes and darkness. Only by retreating to nature, to the forest, to silence, you can reflect on the tragedy of the world and try to express it through music.

Black metal has often been associated with controversy and extreme behavior. What are your thoughts on this topic, and how does HYL approach it?
Every musician or artist in general expresses his thoughts through his art. He wants to convey what he feels inside, his emotions, his feelings, his discomfort, his love or hate towards someone or something. It has always been this way in the history of art and music. Black Metal is something negative that can be expressed through hatred and rejection towards Christianity, towards life, through the manifestation of discomfort and depression, Satanism through different forms of ritualism. This negativity is expressed through something more introspective in Hyl’s case. I don’t like to fall for the obvious, but try to move people’s minds through deeper, metaphorical, psychological texts. At this point I would like to thank my wife Claudia for writing the lyrics of “Where emptiness is all”. She did an excellent job.

How do you think HYL’s atmospheric black metal style sets it apart from other black metal bands in the scene?
I don’t think I’ve brought anything new to the table. There are too many of us in the world now. I just play what I like. It reflects who I am without making comparisons with others.

What was the experience like working with Dionysis Dimitrakos and Devo Andersson on album production?
Both of them are really great producers. I have worked with Devo Andersson many times in the past, he has been the producer of many Krigere Wolf albums and I have always been satisfied. But I wanted to do something different from Krigere Wolf, so I entrusted the mixing to Dionysis Dimitrakos, who I met thanks to Dariusz. He took over the mixing and general mastering of the album, while Devo was doing the vocals, and by working together something great has come out. They are both very professional.

How does the album artwork by Claudia Sanzà – Elysivm reflect the themes of your music?
Since we first met, Claudia and I have been one and the same person. I complete her and she completes me. That’s why I like working with her on Hyl, because she knows exactly what I want to express. So who better than her to bring the album to life artistically and graphically? All the artwork is based on photographs she took during our frequent walks along Etna’s nature trails. On the cover there is this desolate snow-covered landscape with a dry tree. It is the perfect image to explain the concept of the whole album: “Where emptiness is all”.

What are your plans for touring or live performances in support of the new album?
I spoke to Dariusz about it a few days ago. Of course we won’t be able to play any concerts this year due to time constraints. But probably in the next few years we will organise ourselves so that we can do everything live. At the moment I’m concentrating on writing new songs. Soon we’ll be back in the studio to record something amazing for our future projects. Until then, I thank you very much for the space you’ve given me and for allowing me to officially introduce the band to you. See you soon, my friends!