Hooded Menace interview: If you do good and sincere work, you'll get some attention, sooner or later

The undisputed masters of the European horror doom / death, Hooded Menace, are back with a new record and on the occasion of "Effigies Of Evil", we talked with the workaholic underground hero and the band's mastermind, Lasse Pyykkö, who told us about his commitment to the traditional sound, his love for Cathedral, his numerous side-projects and many more.

"Effigies Of Evil" is your third record and until now you have shown that you are not one of the bands that keep repeating themselves. For example "Never Cross The Dead" was more melodic than your debut.  So, is the "Effigies Of Evil" another step forward for the band?
Yeah, I'd like to think it's a step forward again. More melodies have crept in and there's more mid-tempos to bang your head to. It's our most diverse and dynamic effort to date. Also we have a new label (Relapse) behind us so it's a step forward from that point too.

The changes in the line-up of Hooded Menace were quite frequent, but now I think that you are a three-piece band (Pekka, Teemu and you). Is there anyone else involved in the record?
It's only me and Pekka on the record. Teemu joined the 'actual band' recently and will be playing on our next release, a vinyl split with the US doomgodz Loss for Doomentia Records.

"Effigies Of Evil" seems to me even more doomy than your past releases and Cathedral is the band that comes to my mind most of the times when I listen to your record. Was that something that you intended or it just came naturally?
I don't know if it's doomier album really but then again it's a bit hard for me to be objective. Cathedral influence is notable I know. I grew up on Cathedral demo and "Forest Of Equilibrium" and I think it was the most interesting extreme metal at the time. Back then I was already getting a bit fed up with death metal that was all over the place and it was not so exciting anymore. Cathedral was something really refreshing and it had a huge impact on me, so I guess it´s no brainer that it keeps channeling into my own creations still to date.

Are the Blind Dead films the main concept behind your lyrics again? What other films do they inspire you when writing the lyrics and what other forms of art do you gather inspiration from?
Mostly it's 70s euro horror movies that inspire the lyrics. It's definitely not only about the "Blind Dead" films. On the new album we have lyrics based on movies such as "The Fall Of The House Of Usher", "Baron Blood", Blood From The Mummy's Tombs" and more.

The sound of Hooded Menace is more traditional than most of the bands nowadays. Have you ever considered of taking advantage of the new technologies and try to experiment a bit?
Whatever technologies we use it has to serve our purpose. We feel that we have still something interesting and relevant to offer in this death/doom context so there's no need for experimentation that much. Yet.

This is your debut with Relapse. How did this come up? What are the advantages of recording under such a great label?
They were one of the labels that offered us a record deal after "Never Cross The Dead" and their offer was the best. They provide us bigger budget, bigger promotion and wider distribution. So far so good.

You have gained a lot of success in a relatively short time. Where do you attribute that? Do you think luck has got to do anything with this?
I'd like to think that if you do good and sincere work you'll get some attention sooner or later. There're so many bands out there these days. It's not easy to stand out. As much as we owe to the old masters, we have our own thing going on. It's somewhat recognizable style I guess. We work really hard for every single song. It´s not quantity over quality-mentality with us and I think people see that.

You are one of the most hard-working musicians I know. Can you spare a few words regarding some other projects you are involved in?
Hooded Menace keeps me busy enough so I don't have as much time for side-projects as I used to. My metallic crust band Ruinebell (featuring Dopi from Machetazo and now also Pekka from Hooded Menace) is the only side-project with something lined up for now. We'll record a four-song EP for Doomentia at some point. When and if I have time and energy to focus on my death metal solo-project Claws I'd like to record a follow up to "Absorbed In The Nethervoid". We'll see about that... I don't want to make empty promises.

Acid Witch was a very interesting band. Do you mind telling me why did you leave just after the first record?
After the first full album I did "Witch House" 7" with them and left. I had my hands full with my own projects and wanted to concentrate on them. Also Acid Witch wanted to play gigs and that would not happen with me living on this side of the ocean. I think Dave does excellent job as a vocalist.

Since "Never Cross The Dead", you have made a series of splits with some of the most acclaimed bands in the genre (Coffins, Ilsa, Asphyx and Horse Latitudes). How did these collaborations come up?
We just hooked them up for it. Some of them we were already in contact with, so it was easy to start discussing about a split.

How difficult is it to attribute your work live? Do you request some extra help from other musicians to make that easier?
We have a five-piece line up for live purposes. Now that we have two guitarists it's a lot easier. It sounds right. I wouldn't return to one guitar line up.

Your artwork is great once again. Is Putrid responsible for this again?
Thanks! No, it's David V. D'Andrea's (Sleep, Roadburn, OM etc.) work of art. It turned out wonderful. I've been a fan of his work for a few years now. I'm glad we got him hooked up for the job.

The lyrical themes are once again circling around of horror movies. Have you ever considered of writing a soundtrack to a horror movie?
No, but if someone asks I would definitely consider about it.

What are your future plans from now and on?
Like I told you, there's Hooded Menace/Loss vinyl split and a new Ruinebell EP in works. These will be out next year on Doomentia Records. We also hope to record a two-song Hooded Menace EP for the same label at some point.

That's it Lasse. Thank you very much for your time. Hope to see you soon playing live in Greece. Cheers.
We hope so too! Thanks for the interview!