Interview with RSDX (Hell Militia)

1. Hello RSDX , thank you for accepting my request to do this interview! How were things lately? Hell Militia were silent for couple of years but now it’s time to raise. What can you tell us about the process of making this album?Well, this album has been a long time coming and there was plenty of stuff to get off my chest. So basically, the band was off the radar for a while during a tumultuous time, but this did not mean we were not working on anything. The whole writing process started back in 2018 or so and as is customary these days, the whole pandemic thing caused a delay in the recording and finishing of the album. We were in the rehearsal room in Paris working on the final touches in early 2020 when the world literally closed down on us. As some of us are living outside of France this meant we had to wait out the first wave and started tracking drums in the fall of that year. Instruments were done during the winter but due to travel restrictions and other chaotic events the vocals were finished in July 2021. The whole process took longer than expected, but as life took it’s turn straight up to the vocal recordings, the timing was exactly what it needed to be and this shaped the kind of album that Hollow Void became.
2. What gets you inspired writing lyrics for this album? do you also get inspired from books,literature?   Very little actually. I read a lot but it’s either Occult literature, subversive Manifestos, biographies, or anything reptile related. Aside from the subversive publications this is hardly the inspiration for when I write. That just usually is the universe of what I have going on inside and outside, anything fiction is not really an influence on me. The lyrics are basically an honest reflection of what was going on in the last years. Bitter days, unshakable religious faith, death, subversion, contempt for life, urban filth and an even more bitter aftertaste turned into the toxic cocktail we called Hollow Void. A lot of metaphors may be used in the lyrics, but the topics and inspirations are very real. 
3. How would you say the band’s sound has progressed from Jacob’s ladder (2012 ) to Hollow Void (2022)?  Hollow Void is a much rawer and more aggressive album compared to Jacob’s Ladder. We really wanted to make a true-to-form, punch-in-the-face album and combine the dissonant riffs of Jacob’s Ladder with the raw and filthy sound of our first album, Canonisation of the Foul Spirit and include some new elements. I think we succeeded in this as the sound speaks for itself and it’s 100% recognizable as Hell Militia. We just stripped down all that was not necessary and went straight down to the core.
4. What can you tell us about the artwork?  The front cover has been done by my good friend Manuel Tinnemans of Comaworx, also infamous for his works with Deathspell Omega, The devil’s Blood, Bunkur and many others. This was all done by hand, ink on paper over the course of several months and the amount of details that went into this are impressive to say the least. Layout and inlay drawings were done by other close associates. I like to work with people that understand my thoughts and concepts and can take these ideas to a higher level.
5. Being in the scene for so many years, I am pretty sure you have plenty both bad and good memories. Let’s stick to the good ones. Can you tell us a few?  I’m not the guy to look back, whether it’s in nostalgia or regrets. Neither am I the musician type that sucks his own cock over past accomplishments. Rather the one that hates his own creations. There are some releases i am proud of the way they have ended up. There are some releases where I think I could have done a better job. There were good and bad shows. The thing that matters most to me is the work I haven’t done yet. 
6. You’ve been away for a while and things have changed, how’s the world now in your opinion?  Well, the more things change, the more things stay the same. It just got worse. Social media got more retarded, real life got more retarded, people got more retarded. The only good thing is that society is more divided than ever, and people are at each other’s throats. Societal collapse is inevitable and the best thing we can do is accelerate it and get this over with.
7.  Do you plan a touring in the next future? Romania will be on the list as well? XD  Time will tell. A full-on tour is still quite complicated logistic wise in all this madness. I think focusing on mini tours and exclusive gigs is far more realistic for an underground band like ours until things get back to normal. We have no contact with promoters in Romania at the moment, but if someone wants to bring us over, contact us.
8. I think we’re at a good time to wrap this up. I would like to thank you for your time and of course, I will leave the last words to you. I don’t really have any last words as I am not a self-proclaimed Guru type… Check out Hollow Void I guess. Forget about your own problems and listen to mine for 45 minutes.

cover picture : Phobos