BOG MONSTER INTERVIEW WITH JACK. PREPARE FOR THE FUZZY WARMTH AND SLUDGE VIOLENCE OF HM2 WORSHIP.

 



BOG MONSTER INTERVIEW WITH JACK. PREPARE FOR THE FUZZY WARMTH AND SLUDGE VIOLENCE OF HM2 WORSHIP.

Killer band with awesome releases, and each album adds intense layers and expected heaviness. Jack is a top human who is articulate and a heavy music devotee.

We had a great chat, and you need to buy all their releases and catch them live.




dhz-You have just dropped LAST YEAR a sensational album by the name of Servants of the Necrosect, tell us the background to it and the differences between previous releases?

We were keen to do a full-length album with one side being a single concept. I'm a massive nerd, and I love dark fantasy and DnD so I looked for a concept in that theme. One day I got interested in the gods that Ogres worshipped and found a story about Lamashtu. We wrote it into this epic 3 part song.

dhz-To someone that has never heard you before how the hell would you describe your sound? And what bands have influenced you the most?

I try and keep my ideas about our sound pretty loose. I'm not that interested in being a reliable product as much as an art project that makes me excited to be alive. Whatever we're excited about at the time colours our writing. We also let muscle memory do its thing. Life is such a fucking shit fight, it's liberating to just let something pour out of you. As far as bands that influence us, well I can only speak for myself: Entombed, Conan, High on Fire, the first 3 Mastodon albums.

dhz-How do you seeing your music being an intersection with art, be it album or merch art, music videos etc.? Your album covers are classic and hectic, SAME AS YOUR INCREDIBLE MERCH.

I love visual art. I love paintings and ink illustrations. I grew up a kid with ADHD that hated reading but loved staring at pictures. I'd get lost for hours flicking through pages of my older brother's RPG rulebooks, DnD, Shadowrun, White Dwarf magazines… It was powerful shit. Being a 90s kid too it was a time when labels had more money than god, they'd throw a music video budget at WEEN for fucks sake… anyway I'm getting off track. Art is communication. To communicate clearly, our music and the art that comes with it needs to be speaking the same language.

dhz-What is the lyrical focus of the band? Is there any particular meaning or message? In videos you seem to have tons of fun!!

I don't intend to make a clear message as much as create a specific atmosphere. Having fun is something I wanna do more. It's a process, learning to let go and let it happen. I guess the lyrical focus is on monsters, heros, the fall of empires… ah, I like to throw in a bit of political shit sometimes… sometimes I just write dark nasty nonsense, use words like colours instead of a literal thing.

dhz-What is current state of your local and national music community or scene?

What do you think you can achieve creatively in live spaces that you can’t in your recordings and vice versa?

I can't say I participate in my community that much. I hide in my studio a lot. I like it there. I've been playing shows mostly in Melbourne for 15 years. The state of the community seems more diverse, safer. Less gross dudes, more women, more queer people. I think recording and live shows are two sides of the same coin. We recently supported Isua, that sonic gut punch they deliver doesn't translate to a recording. You have to see it live. Same with Zombie Hunger, Phil's presence on stage is so entertaining. It's such an integral part of the band, that isn't accessible from a recording.

dhz-Your live performances are energetic and always seem like you enjoy yourselves immensely. How have you cultivated your physical presence during performance?

That physical presence can't be achieved without destroying the ego. It's a process, and I'm always working on it. Sometimes I take a stage like I'm ready to die, and let loose and it's incredible. Last show I played my rig malfunctioned and it put me off my game. It can't be helped, it's a chaos I accept. Some shows feel great, some feel absolutely terrible. I've learnt that the crowd don't notice which one you're having. The bad ones teach me things about myself. I used to drink a lot to get out of my head, now I play sober and try and feel the experience. The exhilaration of it is very special.

dhz-How do you feel that changing economic structure impacts creativity?

Does your creativity help you connect to and navigate or deal with the world?

I'm not sure how the economic structure impacts creativity. I used to write more when I was broke, that's for sure. This next question is very interesting. So I like music and movies and other art forms that remove me from this world. Art is a salve, it's got me through a lot. The art I make is also based in fantasy, but the creation of it, the sharing of it, makes a connection to other people. So I'm not like a folk singer connecting with what I see and hear in the real world, and then connecting with others through writing about it in my music. I'm  continuing the tradition of telling stories about good and evil, heros and demons, life and death. I see patterns in music, stories, paintings. Like we're all woven into the same thing. I just want to keep adding to the weave, and look back every now and then I feel good about what we did.

dhz-What are some of your highlights of your career so far? And what is happening next?

Our recordings are the biggest highlight for me. I absolutely love recording. Working with Tye and Luke at Dangertone has been such a privilege. We're playing one more show to wrap this tour, then we're in pre-production for a new EP. First recording experience with Aidan and Rael in the band, and I can't wait man.

dhz-Any bands or releases you can recommend at the moment?

At the moment I'm loving the latest Mammoth Grinder EP, the last Horrendous album that came out late ‘23, Blood Incantation, Artificial Brain. I've also been going through a nostalgic trip and listening to all the albums I thrashed in my mid 20s, The Sword Age of Winters, Orange Goblin Healing Through Fire, Lamb of God Ashes of the Wake.

dhz-Final words to the fans and readers?

Thank you. Every merch sale, every stream, every supportive comment at shows or message on social media means the world to me. Lastly, I want to say that women, LGBTQI+ folks, people of colour, you are welcome and safe at our shows. And if you're feeling unsafe because of someone's behaviour, come and tell me. Peace ✌️

HOPE YOU ENJOYED OUR QUALITY CHAT, DON'T MISS THE GIG THIS SUNDAY AS THE BAND TAKE A BREAK BEFORE DROPPING THEIR NEXT EXPLOSIVE RELEASE.





 

 






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