Hanzel und Gretyl: The Monsters, Madness and Magic Interview

I remember exactly what I was doing and where I was when I first heard Hanzel und Gretyl’s music. I was riding down Jefferson Davis Highway with a friend of mine (yes, there’s a highway in my hometown named after the President of the Confederacy… for your own sanity, dear reader, it’s best to not dwell on it for too long), when he decided to throw on “Hellalujah” from HuG’s 2004 opus Scheissmessiah.

I was hooked instantly. Ever since that day, I’ve checked out every new album they’ve released and have only grown to appreciate them even more as artists. We seem to live in a time where everyone wants to over-analyze everything, and the machinations resulting from this menial, mental masturbation seem to leave everyone drained in all the wrong ways. So, I think the complete and utter lack of pretentiousness in a discography that contains songs with titles like “Hammerzeit” and “Heil Hizzle Mein Nizzle” is exactly what we need. Thanks to Athan at Metropolis Records, I was able to sit down with Kaizer Von Loopy and Vas Kallas themselves for a short, but sweet interview in which we discussed the influences on the GRIMM SHIZA trilogy, as well as tour plans and other subjects.

Without further ado, I give you Hanzel und Gretyl.

Jason Edwards: Hail to both of you, Vas and Kaizer, it’s an honor and privilege to have you both as our inaugural interviewees on Monsters, Madness and Magic! How are things in the Black Forest?

Vas Kallas: Today the Black Forest is dark and full of terror with a chance of sun later in the day!! But all things are stable here with the HuG team.

Kaizer Von Loopy: CHAOS!! Always CHAOS!!!

JE: Hexennacht is the final chapter in the GRIMM SHIZA trilogy, which started with 2015’s Black Forest Metal and saw you incorporate Black Metal themes and musical influences into the unique mythos of HuG to phenomenal success. What are some of the Black Metal bands you turned to for inspiration for this terrifying trilogy?

VK: Well, I’ve been a fan of this genre since the late 80’s, listening to bands like Celtic Frost and Venom. My roommate’s boyfriend at the time was deep into the black and there was all kinds of hellish music coming out of the bedroom! I have an eclectic taste in music and listen to a lot of genres, but since then I got into Tryptikon, Satyricon, Dimmu Borgir to name a few… also the aesthetic of Mayhem and the grooves of Rotting Christ. But I only like certain parts of Black Metal... the more Gothy bits.

KVL: OG’s Black Sabbath (of course). Being a lefty guitarist, I like to think right-brained guitarists write the baddest riffs! Mayhem! Just the band history and that meter-less wall of hellish noise alone is unparalleled in the genre. On the more technological end, certainly Dimmu Borgir for the orchestration and impeccable programming and production. I can be very selective with the Black Metal genre, as so much of it can sound cookie cutter and indistinguishable. Especially now that it’s trending so hard stylistically.

JE: You’ve gone on record that the numerological strangeness surrounding the release of Hexennacht was not planned, which just adds even more to the album. Are there any more tales of sinister synchronicity, whether they be numerological in nature or not that stand out from your career?

VK: The universe has a plan, it guides you and at times shows you the numbers. You can never plan anything in life… That whole 11/11 scenario with the release was super kool! We’ve also had the “11:11” song on Über Alles, which was an homage to the WTC Towers. Even our graphics artist, Will, uses 11:11 as his signature icon. Besides that, the world is made of numbers, if you really want to get deep into it… we are all assigned our astrological planetary numbers at birth, which influence us our whole lives! But the majority of humans on our planet do not believe in this shiza… some even think your nuts to even talk about it… but it does exist…

KVL: Vas and myself have a different relationship with the more metaphysical aspects of our creations, both visual and musical. I don’t really buy into a lot of the hocus pocus crap! HOWEVER, all of it, numerology, occult, astrology, conspiracy theory, propaganda is simply great fodder for an absurdist and surreal landscape by which to express something inexplicably dark and ominous! So, it’s easy for me to jump right in to it!

JE: I’m a huge fan of your 2003 release Über Alles, which saw you utilize fascistic imagery and lyrics in a satirical, tongue-in-cheek manner. Vas, I know where you stand as far as bringing politics into music goes and I’m in agreement, but what would the both of you say to the growing, screeching sentiment that “all art is political” and can’t be decoupled from the ideological beliefs of artists?

VK: Well, I would say those people are ignorant. HuG Art is in no way political, and if anyone thinks so, they are delusional and just want to start shit in their own head. As you stated, I will never create art to state a political stance. I despise politics. Art to me is an escape from the propaganda war that is politics at the moment. I have no desire to be part of that circus. I’d rather ignore that power struggle of self righteous egos and create music and lyrics to get on the magic carpet ride, entertain, uplift and to travel to other dimensions! Along with some bier und schnapps and good company of all people! 

KVL: Über Alles was meant as a dark and parodic melding of Star Wars and WWII imagery. However, I do think it reflected something of the political climate at the time, inadvertently or not… It was released post-9/11 and right before the onset of a long, protracted and exceedingly unpopular war that changed the trajectory of the entire world dynamic. That being said, whatever one’s artistic intention may be, once you put something as ambitious and, yes, daring as Über Alles out for public consumption, you should expect all forms of criticisms and interpretations. All we knew is that we had created something intense and we were very satisfied with the final product. It’s fair to say it’s still the album we are most commonly known for.

JE: Finally, are there any plans for a North American tour in support of Hexennacht?

VK: It’s been over two years since our last tour in Europe and probably five years since our last show in the USA! Crazy! At the moment HuG is unable to make any show commitments. I have to be honest and say it’s been difficult not to do what I love, which is travel and perform and create beautiful chaos, but the fans will have to wait for it. We get so many messages and offers to do shows and it’s a bummer not to be able to accept and get on the road. Obviously the universe has another plan for HuG at the moment. I look forward to our return, when we can tour again!! 

KVL: We are making the most of our down time preparing a live set that can encompass the entirety of our catalog, from the 90’s to present. We have delved into so many area’s of this so-called “Industrial” genre, from Ambient to Electronic to Southern Rock to Black Metal over a period of 25 years! Articulating this into a cohesive performance is what we are working on right now. We look forward to returning to stage!!

JE: I can’t thank either of you enough for your time and patience in answering my questions. I, and all our readers, can’t wait to see what the future brings for Hanzel und Gretyl!

VK: Thank you! We’ve been hacking at this game for over 25 years now! And we got more to come!!! We appreciate the uber love and support we get from our fans and we promise to hit the road when we can!

KVL: DANKE UND PROST!!!!!!

Hanzel und Gretyl’s newest album, Hexennaccht, is available now on Metropolis Records. If you liked this article and want to listen to more bands that I think are awesome, check this out.