Interview: Rachael Kozak (Hecate, Pentagram Studio)

Most of you might know her for the work and collaboration with Belphegor (lyricist, cover model, performer) or best known as Hecate. Rachael “Hecate” Kozak is a performer artist, head mistress and musician, which by the begining of 2020, she  had founded Pentagram Studio (where she is the head  an underground bunker in Vienna-Austria. But what can we find, or do in that studio…?
I had the pleasure to talk to Rachael, which she took the time to answer some of my questions, talking about how she’d founded Pentagram studio, what’s in there, if there will be a new Hecate release soon and other interesting informations (Horror. Fetish. Fantasy).

Please let us know about Pentagram studio: when was is built, the idea of it, what are you doing there.
Greetings all at Antichrist magazine and all heretics worldwide! Let´s get this interview started!
As many in extreme metal are well aware, I spent three and a half years living six hours North of Helsinki,in a black metal marriage and am now happily divorced. I returned to Vienna, the place of my last residence before the marriage as my father was born here, to restart my projects where I left off. With full support from my of my Austrian friends and Hecate fans worldwide I was able to solidfy my vision by starting Pentagram Studio officially in January 2020. I signed the contract on my 130 square meter underground bunker lair in central Vienna in the middle of November 2019.
The main focus was to have an art atelier and workspace which could also house my collections (at 44 years old and having travelled the world several times; all my collections are immense) as well showcase the new constructions which are collaboration pieces between myself and my mountain building team, who shall remain anonymus. When I knew I could make a large scale installation complete with custom designed furniture I went for it 666%. The main point being I am working on both short and full length films and these pieces will be used as the props and settings for them.
Pentagram Studio is and shall remain to be a completely new concept in interior design and Satanic manifestation. First of all, I completely renovated the 200 year old coal cellar floor which was absolutely disgusting and took till about Christmas to be able to see that it was actually a gorgeous asphalt floor under all the arcane dirt which covered it. Hard work, and I am ever so fit after all of this! Next my Vienna team and I built up the Stage, other accoutrements and the bespoke glory door, all the while I worked on a three meter mosiac piece which details the fall of humanity during the months of December and January. During this time I received and installed the massive wood pieces you find adorning my lair, some of which Helmuth from Belphegor helped to deliver. My custom designed coffin, my two meter heavy as fu*k wood bondage Pentagram, my two meter throne, and my massive whipping horse! Other gifts were made for me and the studio including a custom copper fetish mash masks, custom designed one of a kind whips and even… sex machines no one has ever seen or used or imagined. The coolest thing about Pentagram Studio is that, although it was built and conceptalized by my own pervert imaginings, it could never have come together without the backing and support from so many different people all over the world and mainly in Vienna. I thank everyone who put anything or any energy into this place and believe me, it has been too many to mention. Of course starting this huge new concept right before the supposed pandemic apokalypse hit, well, that goes as just another fu*king cross to bear, martyr for my own witchery! Unrepentant as ever, we will survive this bulls*it and if not, I have my own coffin already. Hahhaa!

What can we find in the studio?
I moved “all” of my things from Finland by car driven by another of Satan´s servants, which means I showed up here with everything from my bed to my rugs and lamps, my entire record collection and leather etc. All of my art of course. Upon arriving, I started working on more art and collecting more 2nd hand things I like to “upscale” which means taking old pieces and making them even better. You will find loads of pieces like this in the studio. As previously mentioned I had a lot of custom furniture designed by my good friends in the Austrian mountains. In addition to these the studio features many works in progress as well many gifts either traded or given to me by all types of perverts in the area. I will make an equipment/furniture/in progress list for you now:
CALIGARI CASKET– custom fitted to me complete with panels to remove, lined with sound insulation to muffle my screams and/or snoring. Adorned inside coffin cover with a Sid Vicious montage. I painted and decorated the whole thing. Looks amazing!
TWO METER BONDAGE PENTAGRAM– Heavy wood fashioned from the Austrian hills. If you do not like it upright, I tie you upside to look at it as you prefer.
PESTAPOKALYPSE WHIPPING HORSE– Another massive piece, one I did not commision but proud to have in the collection, also fashioned in the mountains. I did hammer the copper saddle and iron cross on the leg whilst I was in the Werkstatt to add to the detailing of this demonic beast, which features a real horse skull and crown made of jawbones of another. Never forget the tail which is a custom made whip.
BLOODTHRONE– every countess needs a Blood Soaked Throne! Also two meters. This features a crucifix in the middle of the gaping fire burnt hole, still a bit of a work in progress as is every piece. I generally add some frsh or old blood to it once a month.
BATHORY BANQUET SET– six chairs and one massive table all made of nut wood from the beginning of 1900´s. I am just starting to pimp this out. I want to darken down some of the wood, bring out the gold so it is brighter and fasten it with heavy bondage hooks for my ultimate feast which will contain absolutly no human food whatsoever.
WHORESIE– my own invention. I bought an old school wooden rocking horse and fashioned it into a bondage horse for the smaller framed persons I deal with in my therapy sessions.
VINTAGE WILHELM REICH ORGONE ACCUMULATOR– Newest of my experimental additions here. I traded three of my collages to a Doctor here for an original ORGONE ACCUMULATOR (rather unscientific esoteric healing appatatus) which he found at his family house. Supposedly it was built by another doctor in the family in 40’s or 50’s. We are just in the misdts of installing it now in my backstage mediation lounge.
LATEX VACCUUM BED/ CLINIC TABLE– As a therapist of sorts, I scored a very heavy duty doctors table from one of my furniture reselling friends here in Vienna. I usually lay my Latex Vaccuum Bed bag over it as a sheet. I have the frame or the Latex Vaccuum Bed fashioned for me by another friend here as a gift! I am big into shiatsu and massage therapy so of course I have to have one here.
MILITARY/HOSPITAL METAL BONDAGE BED– no holds barred, extreme old school wheelable metal bed with no matress. This is the stuff of nightmares!
GLORY DOOR– custom designed Czech pervert precision. Our toilet door is also a Glory Hole… Nothing more to be said!
TOILET CHAIRS– one from 150 years ago I am now restoring, another that is about 100 years old I already restored.
SEX TOY COLLECTION LIST– f*ck machine, violet wand, other electric torture intruments, 2 bespoke custom made heavy duty never seen before crazy sex drills made from the mountain crew, countless dildos, huge latex warddrobe, massive boot and high heel collection, tattoo machines, several custom whips, rope, chains, and countless torture implements.

When did you actually started all these: as a performer, musician, multidisciplinary artist?
I started in the cellar believe it or not! My brother lived down there listening to Iron Maiden and Dio (which I fu*king hate), playing D&D, black lights and evil posters I used to go down there when he was out. I went through his D&D books and looked through the Demigods and Deities book especially, choosing who I wanted to be. Ishtar was pretty cool but I always chose Hecate! She was so strong with the belt, moon and wolves by her side. I was seven years old at the time but I always kept her as mine. Next was being absolutley scared at 11 by the Samhain poster which funny enough I ended up replicating and continuing through my own Blood Art. I had a talk with someone at my last exhibition about this, it’s beyond “what kills you makes you stronger”. I have taken on the most horrific and made it my own. I have no idea how that effects other people and to tell you the truth I don’t fu*king care!
I was always good at drawing, always in “special classes” where I probably was just sniffing glue and trying to destroy myself at age 6? Graduated from a private school at 16 to go on Raving in Detroit on tons of LSD with the techno legends in destroyed basements before going on to art school in NYC in 1994. I decided that was a waste and took the money I made from torturing peple when I was 19 in 1995 to start my Dark Electronic label Zhark recordings in NYC. This lasted 13 years. I toured the world. I started many careers for my friends. We were on the frontlines of total self destruction. Always incredibly trashed and envisioning more. After I had my entire music studio (50k) stolen out of my apt in Berlin, I moved to Vienna and concentrated on my paintings. I could not be fu*ked to get that back and nor did I want to. It was an inside job, obviously, and I realised that no one can take my actual physical skills from me. I am a fine draftsperson, I can silkscreen, I can sculpt, I even know how to forge a knife in as a blacksmith. These are things you can never steal from someone. You can destroy a drawing, but, hey, if you drew it once, you can draw it better. I have years of practical experience in drawing/painting, audio/video production, sculpture, screenprinting and human torture on many levels, besides that I am always willing to learn new techniques and push my knowledge further.

You’ve appeared in some documentaries/films. What can you tell us about them?
I have been recorded many times. Some for extreme rituals that I had to train and meditate for over a month before aka Impaled Upon The Cross of Sathan and also the live rituals with Belphegor on tour. Most recently I was recorded performing a rather sacrosanct blood ritual revisioning a sigil that Michael W. Ford designed which has held true on my chest for over 10 years which was recorded for breakfast TV on ATV! I was interviewed last week about my blood magick rituals and artwork. This will be premiered on three television channels in Austria this weekend which is amazing timing as this is the exact one year anniversary of signing the contract down here! I have managed to build the most surreal lair since signing on that dotted line, obviously much blood has also been let in the process.

You had an exhibition recently. Tell us more about it, what did you expose there?
Speaking of which, and also just previously touched upon. Yes! I just finished up my second official exhibition which was entitled “Fukkin Hell“. This was an intense ritual and public experimental magickal working fueled by the most disgusting of blood, ordained by and dedicated to the Goddess Hel. I painted the effigy of her before I was married in Finland, back in Vienna 2014. I actually painted her for Helmuth from Belphegor but she was watched for almost 5 years by Martin Schiercz from Pungent Stench. He had her adorning his music studio for many years whilst I was in Finland. He took really good care of her! I was amazed. As soon as I got my hands back on her I shredded some paint somehow, and went in to rework her a bit especially durung the beginning of this absolute bulls*it pandemic fu*king culture death pharma hell apokalypse. That is exactly what I did, set up the energy around Hel whilst concentrating on focussing the peripheral demons which surround the Gates of Death, especially those that rule over the levels of Hell associated with violence. From the first group exhibition conceptualization over three months ago (before the dramarama bulls*it which occurred only like 6-8 weeks ago), I fathomed that I would construct a working “BLOODRITUALAKTION” in the rather large back room; to start testing the actual frequency and vibrations that extreme violence leaves behind. Resonating either within the confines of the actual archetechture or even within the monds and (maybe subconcious) actions of those present or witness to the work.
Originally I planned for over three months to present my custom made coffin and my rather decadent banquet table and focus the action and performance around this. That was up untl like 4 days before the opening where I was told the “Art Insurers” refused to give me any insurance for my furniture pieces as furniture design is not an art. Seriously Austria?! Who the fu*k is running your “art“ whatsoever? I would love to have a drink on me of course! This is rather esoteric business of which I am still processing not only the outcome, but the physical reverberations and resonance of. Stay tuned for the forthcoming Lab HQ report and as always I bought the domain RESONANCEOFVIOLENCE.COM ages ago it seems!

You are also known for the collaboration with Belphegor. Will you have a contribution on their upcoming album, again?
Yes I will. Helmuth was inspired by my studio and the lighting here in the past year! Surprisingly enough he asked me for a text based on the the reflecting psychedelic color and mirrored lights down here. I wrote a text on the red light district. Little did I know that pertained to the fu*king pandemic hoax. This is all fictious bulls*it!

Not only that you are known for your work with Belphgeor, but also with your solo project, Hecate. Will we hear new music soon from you?
Happy to tell you that now that Anders Odden from Satyricon/Cadaver is much healthier after the cancer thing. I imagine that we will finally be able to get that bassline in place for the track “Extreme Mortification“ that I wrote and recorded the lyrics for already. With Helmuth on guitars, Anders from Unleashed on drums (already recorded and it’s amazing) and now Anders Odden can do his part! This will be the first Hecate release in ages and an epic one at that!

Picture by Posthuman Morulus

What is your biggest achievement so far?
Besides staying alive with a rather keen sense of humour? Haha! Uh to date, I would say, moving back to Vienna months before the pandemic apocalypse and building up the sickest goddamn studio on earth within a year! Coming back all the way from up North and just kicking ass all over the place! Two art exhibitions already (in the pandemonium), already back on TV like I was before I left, studio is solid as fu*k, and I look great as ever! The art council of Vienna just goddamn hates it, I tell you.

What would be your next one?
Riding out this bulls*it epidemic! I hope you and all the demons that read this can help spread the word and support for Pentagram Studio and the forthcoming output from myself and the others involved! We will be offering international memberships, some pretty hardcore material thru onlyfans, streaming some insane s*it and also the magazine Fever in the coming months! Please bear with me as I am fu*king packed with a trillion things to do every fu*king day, and also no surprise. I have to enjoy myself, otherwise there is no point in doing all of this! If I am not having a good time, it will reflect on the mood and output. I want to give my best and most brutal, beautiful energy to everything I create! Never stop the madness as we say!!

Is time a problem for you to be involved into these all?
Time is irrelevant. I set the deadlines.

Is there anything else would you like to add?
I would love to extend my true love and respect to Helmuth and say how the f*cking upset he is that he had to cancel 85 gigs this year because of some unscientifuc bulls*it! That is just too fu*king ridiculous. We’re already dead like 100 times over so we will always tour/work/create no matter what! Keep it real and keep it on! Thank you so much for featuring us and stay tuned for more incredibly sexy and demonic output from Pentagram Studio Bunker Lab HQ Vienna!

https://www.facebook.com/Pentagramhq 
http://www.pentagram.studio/