Horsehunter have been sonically brooding since 2012, but already sound like a band so tight and wise beyond their years.
Their interests include Slayer, kites and tacos. Two years in the making, their debut album 'Caged In Flesh' melted faces in 2015, and now these Melbourne metalheads are spending the night in an asylum as part of Adelaide's Winter City Sounds festival.
You're headed to Adelaide to play Hypothermia at the Z Ward at the Old Glenside Hospital. How excited are you to be spending the night in an asylum?
[Himi Stringer, bass + vocals] I'm used to it.
Without starting anything, who is your favourite band that you've played with?
It’d have to be Space Bong. We drove up and down the east coast together playing shows in strange places; it was just perfectly cooked and filthy, and Space Bong destroyed the stage every night.
And who would you like to tour with in future?
Well, we’ve got a tour with Hobo Magic coming up this July, which is set to be a beautiful experience. Cruisin’ the high life. Jah Rasta. However, in a perfect world we’d be touring the world with The Whispers for the rest of days. Rock steady.
The 'Caged In Flesh' album was epic in scope and sound, are you guys working on something new?
Yeah, we've recorded a new album. Just puttin' on the finishing touches. Get ready. Jah Rasta.
The drums on the album were recorded in a church, how did you swing that?
One of our friends owns an old Masonic Church down in Castlemaine. We met up with him, hopped in ‘The Hog’ with our producer Tigran Fuzzmeister, drove down to said church, and spent three days eatin’ chippies and watching Nick tap the tubs.
Do you like to explore sounds achieved with non-traditional methods?
Well, Dan lived in Africa for four years and studied under an albino drum master who taught Dan the least traditional way of sonically engineering sounds on a more ethereal level. To put a long story short Dan has achieved the tone capabilities of a god.
How did you guys meet?
Ashley Madison, before it was cool.
Best story Horsehunter can tell us from their time on the road?
The first time we ever went to Sydney we rocked off the plane with very little money, nowhere to stay and no idea of where the gig was. So we booked a room in the first backpackers that guaranteed a lockable door. We went off and played the gig and returned several hours later. On the way back from the gig we were on the search for some of that sweet leaf, and for anyone who’s been to Sydney they would know Sydney's fucked, and you couldn't get no nothing no damn place.
We finally stumbled upon a fella who sold us a shitty bag of crumbs and we went to smoke a scoob on some stairs somewhere. We were happily sitting, easy tokin', when the drunkest man we’ve ever seen started stumbling up the stairs. We were sitting at the top and it took this geezer a solid five minutes to get to where we were sitting, and once he did he sat next to us and started yelling at us about the navy.
He explained that all the navy do is play 'Call Of Duty' until they’re allowed back on land, and then they ‘get on the piss cunt, and fuckin' get some hookers'. Nick and I proceeded to sit at our window and throw complimentary soap at all the people leaving the nightclub across the road from where we were staying. Soapin' c#nts, breakin' hearts.
Where do you find inspiration?
Our dark past is always following us.
Your Facebook said you had eight months of rejuvenation, what did that entail/ mean?
Dan was in the Arctic circle for a year while we wrote and recorded a new album.
For those who roll their eyes when hear 'doom music', how do you defend the genre?
Smoke the weed. Get over it.
Horsehunter play Hypothermia as part of Umbrella: Winter City Sounds at Z Ward Old Glenside Hospital 5 August.
Written by Ryan Grice
Horsehunter Tour Dates
Thu 7 Jul - The Groat (Newcastle)Fri 8 Jul - Old Bar (Melbourne)
Sat 9 Jul - Ancient World (Adelaide)
