Eradicator: Thanks, good to hear that you are enjoying the EP. Pre production for the album is well underway. Most of the material has been written and I am in the process of piecing new songs together and recording demos of these tracks. Optimistically I’d like to think we could have it out by mid year, but realistically it will probably be towards the later end of the year. The album features a broader range of styles and influences than our past releases so expect something different to the EP.

LH: You recorded your demo in 2006, which I haven’t heard although from what I have read elsewhere I get the impression the sound was a lot rougher, and you have reworked one track, ‘The Ravens Swoon’ for the EP. Do you think your sound has progressed or developed much over these few years since recording the demo?

Eradicator: The demo is pretty rough. When I recorded it I wasn’t sure about where the band was going to go. In hindsight I would have spent more time on the demo but it served its purpose in the end. We did rework The Ravens Swoon, I thought it was a solid track and the demo recording didn’t really do it much justice. It is fair to say that our style and sound has progressed since then.

LH: Despite only being a short EP, I like the “epic” feel that is given to the recording by the intro/outro tracks and it kind of makes the tracks work together as one piece of work – I was wondering if the tracks all follow a particular theme or concept?

Eradicator: It is not a concept release but there are themes that flow throughout the tracks. The ordering of the songs and intro/outro was all very purposeful. I thought that those tracks set the mood well and gave the release the sense of a definitive beginning and end.

LH: I read somewhere that you deliberately wanted to stay away from the typical lyrics you find in metal, in particular this style. It’s understandable that you’d want to avoid the usual clichés, although was curious to know if there is any particular gripe you have with lyrics in metal, particular within black metal?

Eradicator: I think Decaylust has always aimed to write unique and interesting lyrics. I wanted to steer clear from the typical imagery and ideas that you would come to expect in metal. The underlying themes are still inherently the same as other bands but the lyrics and meanings are a little more subtle. There are obviously some bands out there that write some very dark and intriguing lyrics, the only gripe I have is with bands that restrict themselves to the childish and mundane.

LH: Bathory are the obvious band you’ve cited as being a big influence to the Hunter’s Moon sound. Are there any other influences?

Eradicator: 80s/90s Black & Death Metal.

LH: How did Hells Headbangers come to sign you to the label, and can you see yourself working with them for the next few releases or possibly longer?

Eradicator: I met Chase from HHR when he was on holiday in Australia. We got talking about the Hunters Moon release and he expressed some interest in working with us on it. Our relationship with HHR has been excellent and they have proven to be a very professional and reliable label. We will be working with them on our upcoming full length album.

LH: You formed Hunter’s Moon so that you could play this style of epic black metal that you couldn’t really put to use with Denouncement Pyre. Had you thought about incorporating these influences into your existing sound, or would you rather keep the different sides to your music separate?

Eradicator: I don’t think mixing the two sounds would have worked overly well. DP is more chaotic and crushing. Despite the differences between the styles, I think there were some HM ideas in some DP material over the years. There were no artistic restrictions in DP but overall I think the bands work better as separate entities.

LH: I understand that you have left Denouncement Pyre and also Nocturnal Graves, which Decaylust is still involved with. Do you intend to focus solely on Hunters Moon, or do you have more things in the pipeline? I also read that you will be producing Denouncement Pyre’s next album.

Eradicator: That is correct. I only played on Nocturnal Graves Satan’s Cross album but left the band after the release as I did not want to be part of a touring band. I spend a lot of time producing my own music and other peoples so this has taken up most of my spare time. As far as metal goes I am solely dedicated to Hunters Moon. I play in other bands and projects outside of the metal realm also.

LH: It’s just the two of you at the moment, and you write and record all the music while Lust does vocals and writes the lyrics. You also had a session drummer in for the recording – do you intend to search for any more full-time band members?

Eradicator: At this stage I don’t intend recruiting anyone else. We will collaborate with a drummer before beginning the recording of the album. Since HM is restricted to the studio I don’t see much point in recruiting a full line up. Decaylust and I are both on the same page in terms of our musical philosophy and that isn’t something that I would want to taint.

LH: I thought you made a fair comment about the Australian metal scene, when you said in a recent interview that it is full of mediocre hybrid-metal bands, which sadly a lot of the bands I come across from this part of the world fit into this category. Most of the Australian bands worth hearing seem to have been around quite a while (Naxzul, Destroyer666, Pestilential Shadows), so this perhaps doesn’t bode well that there is so little “fresh talent” coming through. Are things really so bleak over there, and do you think there are any factors that make it difficult to have a really strong metal scene over there, as opposed to some places in Europe and Asia where the scenes are much more active?

Eradicator: To be honest I am so out of touch with what is happening within any music scene here. It just seems as though all the classic bands here are on hiatus or the venues in which they use to play are all being shut down. As you mentioned, most of the worthy bands have been around for quite sometime. It is pretty rare that you will hear a new band from Australia that will catch your attention. Even the good ‘new’ bands from here seem to be made up with people from old defunct bands. It is a very incestuous scene. Fact of the matter is extreme music is not the flavour of the month here.

LH: Do you think it’s likely that you will tour with Hunter’s Moon, or do you consider yourselves more of a studio band?

Eradicator: Very unlikely. We do not have a full line up and I do not really have the time or ambition to pursue that path. I find that my time is better spent writing and getting a new release out rather than it being wasted on rehearsing etc.

LH: Thanks for your time, and all the best in 2010!

Eradicator: Thanks a lot, appreciate your interest in the band.

For more on the band check out http://www.myspace.com/thehuntersmoon

Interviewed by Luci Herbert

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