Although the Harrowing of Hell in Christian theology refers to the descent of Jesus Christ into the underworld (hell) after his death and before his resurrection, the Dutch band Hellevaerder is anything but Christian. Recently, through Zwaertgevegt, Void Wanderer, and War Productions, they released their new album Fakkeldragers. So it’s time to have a talk with Daan.
The new album Fakkeldragers is now a reality – how has the response been so far?And has the record turned out the way you envisioned it?
So far the response has been overwhelmingly positive! Much better than we hoped for, and are very happy reading the many kind words about it.
The album has turned out better than we envisioned, mainly due to everyone writing on this album instead of just myself. The style for the music was already defined but this time everyone gave their own fillings on the concept, so we all have a piece of ourselves in the music which makes it more authentic.
The recordings and mixing were again all done in-house, but for the first time we decided to give the mastering duties to someone else. A good master is a skill on its own and so happens that my friend Devi Hisgen (also part of Zwotte Kring) is a master engineer. After some back and forth he got the feeling for Hellevaerder pretty good, and with not too much work he made our idea into something truly worth presenting.
Can you tell us about the concept and inspiration behind your latest album?
This album picks up where the last one left off, reflecting on everyday existence but through a darker, distorted lens. At its core, it explores the contrasts within human nature: light against dark, the instinct to hold on to life versus the temptation to dissolve into emptiness—to vanish like a grain of sand lost in an endless desert, or a single gear turning unnoticed in the machinery of the cosmos.
The narrative unfolds through two opposing voices: the “Guardian of Light” and the “Followers of nothingness.” Each track represents a new chapter in their eternal struggle. To celebrate life and worship death—that is our motto. Savor the present, for it is mortality that grants life its meaning.
Once again, you’ve worked with Zwaertgevegt for the vinyl and tape releases, and with Void Wanderer for the CD. How did this collaboration go?
Right after telling Alex&Storm (Zwaertgevegt) about the writings of the new album, they told us they want it released on tape and vinyl. As we are very good friends and long lasting partners with them, this was a deal we hoped for. Just laid back, friends among friends with a shared passion for music. We shared many evenings together where I kept them up to date on the progress of writing, recording, artwork, mixes, etc. Their opinion matters a lot to not only me, but the entirety of Hellevaerder.
While working together with Void Wanderer Productions (and lets not forget WAR productions, he does many co-releases with him) was the first time for Hellevaerder, I already released an album through them with my solo act Duindwaler. Ward is also a great friend of mine, also part of Zwotte Kring. After some back and forth between us we came to an agreement. Also being involved with every step of the release, he also came up with the idea of a T-shirt with the artwork of ‘Fakkeldragers’ and took all the work from it.
All our labels involved are built from years of friendship, trust, and speaking our minds to each other. They aim to help us grow, and get exposure. We aim to give the best we have at any moment, and want the labels to grow. It is a symbiotic relationship between band and labels. And to share that not just with labels, but with people we can call friends, is something we enjoy every day.
What challenges did you encounter during the recording and production of this album?
We did not really encounter real challenges during the recording of this album. We have learned from previous recordings and knew a lot better how we wanted to do things for this album. A big part of this is having a line-up of people I can trust, or better said. We can trust. We know and respect each other, and became good friends over time. The common goal serves over personal wishes.
During the previous full-length, ‘In de nevel van afgunst’ we had some struggles with recording the drums due to Covid. But we solved that by getting our own microphones. For this release we used my personal drumspace (which I did not have at the time of ‘Nevel’). I had all the gear that was needed to record ‘Fakkeldragers’, I had the space to record it in, and with some gear and noise reductions from guitarist Arjen we had all we needed.
The only small trouble I had was making appointments with other band members. As we recorded everything but drums at my place, we needed to align agenda’s. And everyone is always busy! But a single reschedule cannot be called a challenge. We were aligned and knew what we wanted.
Everyone wrote the music together during our writing sessions. One person had a few riffs, but it needed filling, and during those sessions we all focussed on making a track out of those riffs. With 4 people being able to play guitar in the band the ideas kept flowing. When one person lost the feeling of creativity another one would pick up the pace and keep the flow flowing.
It only became serious in the last stages of mixing/mastering, as we had made a deadline with our labels for production. And I like to do the final touches under pressure, as it forces me to accept what something has become. So during mixing I had to accept that the product was to the best of my capabilities so far. Devi grabbed those files and with some back and forth made it to what is now our second full length.
How would you describe your musical evolution since your debut? Has the band developed in terms of themes and sound since its formation?
We became more mature, in music and as people. Hellevaerder started as my new brainchild (after Throne of Time), and it took a few years to find the right people in the right spots, with the same mindset. I wrote everything myself up till ‘In de nevel van afgunst’, as I did not dare to let my grip of the concept go.
Fakkeldragers is a new chapter, with the right people and minds aligned. We knew what we wanted with this band; furious riffs, thundering drums, madness filled vocals and yet keep a melodic touch.
From the beginning the theme was duality of mankind, light versus dark. After the first demo ‘Aan de aarde teruggegeven’ I started working on the concept of the Guardian of light versus the Worshippers of nothingness. It made everything a bit more theatrical and gave space for more stories to be told. The first release shortly after the demo was a single ‘Gehekeld door een ieder’ where the worshippers where portrayed for the first time.
Our second full length has only built on the story that has been told. Giving multiple sides of a story in the same track, acted out with a diverse array of vocals from Miranda Visser and some backings and cleans done by Valentijn van der Poll. The instrumental sound is still what it is; raw, furious and haunting.
In what ways do you aim to create a deeper connection or transformation in the listener through your music?
During the chapters of Fakkeldragers we take you through many stories from the Guardian of light. We build up tension, we release it, we destroy it. We want to embrace the listener with a blanket of hope, just to take it away and throw the listener in the fire. Feeling the darkness and making a connection with it, while clinging on to daily life. Feel the duality.
We share our anguish, our torches being deafened by the shrieks of Miranda, and trying to set them ablaze again. Some people want to destroy the world, some people see hope in that darkness. During many passages we try to take the listener towards our vision, but can you crawl back?
How do you see Hellevaerder’s role within the broader Black Metal scene and the cultural landscape?
That is a difficult question, and hard for me to answer. There are many great projects and live bands that make excellent music. We are not that busy with thinking how we fit in the growing NLBM scene, we do what we want and try to perform to our best for every audience we can play for (well at least give us some drinks and food hahaha).
We strive to make every show better than the last one, and keep performing our hobby. It only costs us money, but hobbies may cost money. We just want to have a good time, and keep doing what we love!
You recently became part of De Zotte Kring, a collaborative group centered around Void Wanderer Productions. Has this already led to any new projects?
I was introduced as a member of our beloved Zwotte Kring before a gig, and afterwards we shared many laughs, ideas and some shows. Zwotte Kring is not only a group centered around VWP, it is a group of like minded people. Passionate about the music we create, people helping each other with everything in their capabilities. We are not just a group, we are friends by default, many talents combined, and use them to grow musically and as people.
Before the official announcement, Floris Velthuis (Asgrauw, Schavot, etc) and myself worked together with an unknown banshee on vocals, and created ‘Magistraal – Fantoom van de Deemsterburcht’.
Floris and myself (Floris on instruments, me on all vocals and lyrics) also have a full length planned at the end of this year. Expect steel milling levels of gore!
And what the future beholds… keep on waiting!
You’re known as a live band – how important are live performances for you?
To me personally it is not important at all. But I can only speak for myself. Playing live brings a lot of planning.
Stuff like: How long can we play? Can we park and unload nearby? Is there food for us? Is there a backstage area to chill down after a show? Is there some food and drink for us after a show? Is there room for merchandise? What backline is proposed? Every minor thing is something to agree on beforehand. As time is limited, we have around 8 people that need to come to the venue, we do not travel freely. You catch my drift?
Currently we can say that everything is going fine, we can say we can perform with playing even or make a very small cut.
We play live because we want to share our music, and enjoy doing it. Getting rich is never a thought for us, we do it out of passion.
What will be the next step in Hellevaerder’s journey, or do you prefer not to plan that far ahead?
We are already working on upgrading the stage image, while rehearsing for the ‘Verloren vertellingen’ show! We already have a few shows planned, and are open to booking more shows next year.
While doing that we have also started exploring ideas for the next album. Nothing set in stone right now, but ideas are flowing!
Generally we are planning at least 6 months ahead. Everyone works, and has a filled agenda when it comes to personal stuff. We are open for anything, just get to us asap and mail at hellevaerder@gmail.com
The final words are yours…
Thanks for taking the time to ask me about our band, our pride and joy for many years. Great questions, good communication. Hopefully till next time!
Hellevaerder:
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Zwaertgevegt:
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Void Wanderer Productions:
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War Productions:
Website
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