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Interview to HORI HOLOCAUST (New Zealand)

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1. Hey Herb, pleasure to have you on Rotten Pages ´zine. How are you doing today? Let us set the scene first. Where do we find you right now? Please describe your surroundings.

- Its a pleasure to be apart of it. Im currently sitting in a Mistubishi Outlander. Its 3am, its raining and im doing sweet fuck all at work.


2. Let’s start with the boring basics. Care to explain to the unknowing precisely where in the world you emanate such an aura of sonic destruction from?

- the aura sonic destruction i truly believe comes from my surroundings. i tend to gravitate towards loud sounds to a point where even my closest friends are annoyed just at how loud i move sometimes. whether its concerts, construction noise, parties or domestic disputes, each of those things contribute to a part of that aura in a big or small way.


3. Hori Holocaust started initially as a joke project in 2016. How has Death metal and Grindcore music influenced your development and growth as musician? How much exposure did you have to extreme music growing up?

- i never really got into the extreme form of metal music until i was in my early teens and it was more my decision into going that way. Deicide's self titled album played a big part in the eventual push down that hole of extreme music. before that. all i ever listened to was 90s rap, and reggae music because my family is very big on it and in NZ those are very common forms of music to hear in the hood. even now i still go back to classics like Cypress Hill or Desmond Dekker.


4. Could you describe the vision/hallucination that inspired the name "Hori Holocaust" and how it relates to the band's identity and music?

- the word "Hori" to some is actually considered a derogatory term to describe the Maori population (but in actual truth its the name George) who grew up dirt poor and often get into mischievous shit. to be a Hori is to get up to no good, drink, party, fight and do thug shit. the term Hori Holocaust is when we wish to continue that cycle of bad shit for generations without questioning if we could be better than that. when we continue to give judgemental fuckwits the reason to consider Maori as a deplorable group then that i believe is our Holocaust. in simple terms. when we keep doing bad shit and give reason for others to hate us that is OUR HOLOCAUST. A HORI HOLOCAUST. i may not show my pride in the same way many others do but i am indeed proud to be Maori.

5. You´ve released an EP and 1 demo so far. Both of them delivers a powerful, massive, and chaotic sound. Can you tell us about the inspiration behind al these tracks and how it felt to release your music to the world?

- there are many sources of inspiration across all my releases. "Once Were Warriors" is one of NZ's greatest movies which details what its like to come from a broken home. i grew up in a family that was gang orientated which is quite commonplace among Maori people. i tend to sample alot of audio which is directly related to our people and only people from NZ would know where these come from. it felt really good to release this music to the world. its not the first time Maori culture in any form has come into Metal music and it definitely wont be the last so in a way the releases are just me being a dog and pissing on a tree to make a mark.


6. Can you give us a glimpse into the creative process behind your music? How do you typically approach songwriting and arranging?

- the Hip-Hop head definitely played a part in this because the ideas I usually get for a riff stem from a drum part I think about. drums go first then i dick around with riffs that i think will fit and continue to add from there. it sometimes gets to a point where ill forget the first idea and have a new idea and that ends up being the final product.


7. The themes in your music, such as Social Commentary, Dark Humour, are quite intense. What draws you to explore these topics and how do they manifest in your lyrics and sound?

- as i mentioned before. i grew up in a gang oriented family. bad shit going down was commonplace growing up (although nowadays its quite tame compared to what it once was) the social commentary is really just me saying shit that i know happens. the dark humour is me laughing about that shit. i used to really loathe being around domestic disputes, gang violence and just general dick headed things but now i find it funny. im almost 30 now and im in a space where i no longer have to be around it and i can look back and laugh.


8. Although you are a solo performer you hooked up with a couple of vocalists on this release, could you mention some of them and outline your friendship with them.

- Junior who did vocals for Pot of Greed was one of the first people I met at a dive bar I frequent. he plays in a really neat Thrash Metal band called Forsworn and he is also Maori so i can say hands down that there were already reasons to click.


- Jay who did vocals for Mangu i met at the same dive bar. he plays in a Heavy Psychadelic band called Exit Sign and hes a real fucking ripper of a musician. we spoke about Grindcore one time and he had some of the funniest ideas. absolute good dude.


- Dylan who did vocals for Fist 'Em All and i use to play in the same band called Jake the Mah. it didnt work out in the end but once he heard i was doing a solo project he wanted to give vocals a crack and i sent him a track. can say it was worth it coz its a good track.


- Ben who did vocals for Too Much Weights Not Enough Speedwork i met him at a Suffocation gig but didnt really speak much to him until i spotted him at Rotting Christ some time later. i told him about my project and he wanted to do vocals so i sent him a couple tracks and he belted out some great vocals.

he has an absolute killer one man project called Skull Carving and i recommend you hear some of his shit coz hes a fucking unit. i consider Ben to be a good friend at this point in time and i barely know the dude.


9. You made all recordings at your desk at home with no major knowledge. What were the main challenges you faced in learning to mix music and how did you overcome them?

- the main challenge was finding the time to do the recordings in the first place due to working most days. the way i approach mixing is to just make it sound louder than the default sound because the default sound is just too fucking quiet. i like loud shit and i want it to be loud. thats how i overcame the mix challenge really. just by making it sound louder.


10. How much of your work is the result of conscious deliberation and how much is spontaneous inspiration? How, if at all, has your approach changed over the years?

- its all spontaneous. the idea shows up and i run with it. when i first started it was the same. only difference is in 2016 i didnt have the proper setup to do home recordings and had an actual drum kit so the first track i ever made in 2016 was done with a shitty laptop microphone, a shitty 10 watt amp and a crappy drumkit that i bought for 400 bucks. nowadays i have an audio interface, programmed drums and a couple guitars i switch between and even though the approach is far better than in 2016 the spontaneity is still the same as it ever was.


11. Are there any plans for collaboration with other artists or musicians in the future, and if so, what excites you about the potential of those collaborations?

- im looking to do a 3 way split with Skull Carving (Blackened Death Metal) and Vortekke (Goregrind) in the future. both bands have some fucking crazy chops and it goes hard. im looking forward to that the most. 


12. How much of a DIY scene is there still left around the world that can support you if you want to tour or release an album on your own?

- the metal scene in NZ is quite a small but closely knit scene from what ive witnessed. i received support from some people in it before i had even released music on bandcamp (because of the instrumentals i post on Instagram) and i would be keen on doing shows with them in the future. it can be done if you know the right people. they are supportive. you just gotta be ready to show up and show out when the clock strikes 12.


13. I personally am not a great friend of humans. I think most people suck big time. What is wrong with mankind in your opinion?

- the thing thats wrong with mankind right now is cancel culture. some have become so comfortable and privileged that it has contributed to a weakening state of mind, body and soul among alot of people. some folks have gotten a little bit too comfortable with getting the crust cut off their sandwiches and being proud of participation certificates that they dont realise that there are alot of things that are way worse going on. if the world really does go to shit what can they cancel? focus on living a life thats eventful and fulfilling rather than being so fucking focused on bullshit matters on the internet.


14. If HORI HOLOCAUST was an odour, what the fuck could it be?

- it would smell like cigarettes, marijuana, beer and burning tyres.


15. Any tips for people visiting New Zealand this summer? Where do we go to listen to some really good music?

- always keep an eye one eventfinder for gigs happening in Auckland, Wellington or Christchurch if you want a major act.

- local metal shows in Auckland will always happen at a few places like Ding Dong Lounge, Whammy, Big Fan or one of the many small brewhouses in or around the city


16. It might be too early, seeing as you’re working on it right now, but what can we expect from the forthcoming album?

- a short, violent, gang related stabbing to the ears that has life sentence written all over it.


17. Many thanks again for your valuable time and your effort! I wish you only the best! The last words to our readers are of course yours!

shoutouts to the homies. Hailen "Stealth" Carpenter hes been the biggest supporter of Hori Holocaust since 2016. Wiremu "RoyalSan" Haimona his uncle is in DamNative and theyre a legendary HipHop group in NZ. Isaiah "iScat" Kingi coz he just doesnt like to listen to people and reverse psychology will always work on him. Theo Kelly from PettyCashRecords coz he put me on and is an absolute good cunt. Ben Bevin from Skull Carving coz his music is actually underrated and he has some chops. Joseph and Luca from Vortekke coz why the fuck not. Ginge from SwampKultRecords coz hes pretty legendary in NZ.

Junior Grant from Forsworn coz his family reps the rival gang but thats cool he still the homie. Shaq and Mike coz if it werent for that one band we started in school id have never became who i am and Blitz from Dings coz hes quite literally the most Punk person i know and hes a fucking top cunt.

LONG LIVE NONE PIZZA WITH LEFT BEEF!!!



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