About two years ago I accidentally stumbled upon the Mexican band Necrohammer, because I have a deeply rooted adoration for old and ramshackle 80’s metal, from Venom and Hellhammer to Living Death and Sodom, it was love at first sight. Their ‘Unholy Black Steel’-demo is a perfect example of what metal sounded like in those roaring 80’s, right in the middle between those bands I just mentioned above. Not too long ago the band returned with ‘Ancient Metal Holocaust,’ although this demo has an even much rawer sound the love is far from cooled. So it was about time to get to know the band a bit better…
Hi there guys. This interview has actually been a long time coming, but I’m happy to welcome Necrohammer to these pages. Let’s start right away with something rather rudimentary. Listening to your music it is quite obvious that you are both musically and aesthetically inspired by Venom, Bathory, Sarcófago and Hellhammer. How do you feel that you translated their spirit into your own music?
Greetings from Necrohammer of the Black Legion of Mexico, respectful greetings from Aztec lands, a pleasure for us to be part of this interview, and grateful that you took us into account for it. Translating the spirit of bands like Venom, Bathory, Hellhammer, Sarcofago, to our music was thanks to spending the years enjoying each musical work of these bands that have been part of our lives, starting the path in traditional Heavy Metal as a reference. Morbid Destructor and Kleber Nawal, founding members of Necrohammer, since then we decided to express our ideas and influences to give rise to what is now Necrohammer.
In my review I used the term “Black/Speed Metal”, of course that is not something new and I wouldn’t say Necrohammer sounds close to, say, Midnight, but this terms felt most fitting. How would you yourself describe your music?
Using the term Black Speed Metal for what we play might be logical because it is quite close to it, mixing speed and darkness in our music. Maybe we don’t play like Midnight or the sound is close, but we are further away from what “Black ‘n’ Roll” is. I would describe our music simply as Black Metal, even though our work ‘Unholy Black Steel’ is more attached to fast metal, as I said before we base our music on our influences: MORBID METAL!!!
If I am well-informed, Necrohammer formed back in 2015 but it took about five years to come up with the first recordings, the ‘Slut Of Satan’-demo from 2020 and a 4-way split CD a year later. How do you look back to those first years of the band?
Necrohammer began as a Heavy Metal band by Morbid Destructor. With the project having another name, going through different line-ups with non-serious musicians, Kleber Nawal taking the bass, together starting what would become Necrohammer. We had indifferences with local bands, therefore, it was difficult to get serious members for the band. Given that our hometown was a small place for the local metal scene, there were only a few metal bands in our city, Necrohammer continued as a two-person project. Until three years later thanks to bands like Bulldozer, Törr, Hellhammer, Infernäl Mäjesty, Sodom, Razor, Angel Witch, Blasphemy etc. we decided to record a demo with every instrument on a different track, and including new members. I think the first years of the band gave strength to forge what today is Nechrohammer.
It was with 2022’s ‘Unholy Black Steel’ that you caught my attention with its alluring authenticity. Can you tell something about the process of creation of this demo? How did you achieve this specific sound and atmosphere?
For ‘Unholy Black Steel’, one of our most recent works, we began writing riffs and lyrics at the end of 2021. Songs like ‘Satanic Force’ and ‘Executioner’ were among the first to be recorded in a demo version in a home studio in the city of Guadalajara, Jalisco. We had applied in the same way to record instrument by instrument. For our rehearsals we were accompanied by a drummer named Lycanthropus Rex who was there with us for a short period of time. The recording continued on behalf of Morbid Destructor and Kleber Nahual, we believed that the sound would not be the best but at least the quality improved compared to the demo recordings. In the end we were satisfied with the result, so that was the beginning our first complete work, ‘Unholy Black Steel’.
Your latest demo tape, ‘Ancient Metal Holocaust’, released in the summer of 2024, sounds even more authentically old school. With its true, raw rehearsal sound it clearly breathes the same spirit as those 80’s demos and rehearsal tapes that were traded heavily at these years. Was it a deliberate choice to make this new demo sound ever rawer?
We always have old school metal as a reference, this last demo ‘Ancient Metal Holocaust’ was also recorded at home using a single microphone in the studio room, in order to record all together. ‘Ancient Metal Holocaust’ was intended as a demo for what is coming soon.
As far as I was able to find out, the four of you (including your former guitarist) have not been active in other bands in the Mexican Extreme Metal scene, not prior Necrohammer and not currently besides the band, at least it is not documented as such or you are keeping this well-hidden. Can you reveal something about your musical background, the journey that led you all to what you are all doing now?
Since the beginning of Necrohammer, or maybe even before Necrohammer we have had little contact with bands from the local scene in Jalisco. Since then musicians have come and been around through Necrohammer, we do not get involved with bands that do not take anything seriously, nor with non-serious musicians. There are bands that emerged out of mere fashion and for us it is an absolute waste of time to be able to get along with bands of that type. In Jalisco bands emerged which have earned respect like Morbid Messiah, Rotting Grave and Heretic Ritual, being faithful to and preserving the rotten sound of Black Metal! Of course in our homeland there was a band that influenced us and I would honorably like to mention Sargatanas and only speaking of our hometown, because in Mexico in general too many beastly bands have emerged! Most important for us are the bands that remain serious and faithful to their sound rather than the bands that only do what they do to fit in. We are not interested in being part of, or belonging to any scene just to fit in, or scenes that don’t take anything seriously and are just there to pretend to be something they aren’t. They take it as a fad and that’s a total piece of shit, we do what we do for the cult of damn metal and we will continue making metal for the maniacs who really support us! The idea is firm and present, to keep the essence alive! It’s not done for fashion or to please people. Shit to the fucking fakes.
With such titles as ‘Ancient Metal Holocaust’, ‘Slut Of Satan’ and ‘Unholy Black Steel’ it is quite obvious what your music is about, or at least in what direction you are looking when it comes to your lyrical and conceptual ideas. Can you take us with you into your own world? What is inspiring you most when writing music and lyrics? Any specific bands, books, movies, art or maybe even social and religious aspects that sparks the fire of your inspiration?
When writing riffs we are greatly influenced by pioneering bands. We take ideas and build them together, influenced by alcohol and riffs from bands like Black Sabbath, Uriah Heep, Hellhammer, Sodom, Sadistik Exekution, Sargeist, Pest, Mortuary Drape… When writing we always think about the dark arts, occultism, necromancy, sorcery, mysticism, medieval massacres, Satanism, anti-Christianity, horror, bestiality, rot, violence, etc. We base everything on our influences and that’s how it comes about!
For ‘Ancient Metal Holocaust’ you have chosen to record Von’s classic ‘Satanic Blood’. Obviously a very fitting choice as it seamlessly aligns with your music, but I am still curious what made go for Von and this specific track…
We have been playing covers for a long time every time we rehearse, from Sodom, Hellhammer, Sarcofago, etc. On that occasion we decided to do a small tribute to VON with ‘Satanic Blood’ since VON is one of the bands that has also been with us for a long time. And on some occasions we had decided to play it live too, but we only recorded and played it on that occasion. In the future we hope to take it to the stage as a tribute to Von.
There is not a whole lot information about Necrohammer on the internet. You do, however, have a Facebook-page that seems to reach quite a few people. When you shared my review there, this specific article reached a good amount of readers. So, while you are clearly as old school as they come, your following seems to be easily activated online. How does the internet and its advantages fit in the world of Necrohammer?
The Internet was a way to reach other parts of the world that we never imagined our noise would reach. Real maniacs who supported us from the beginning who shared the same damn taste for morbid and old metal. It was reaching countries from where incredible bands emerged and for us it was always an honor that they took the trouble to listen to Necrohammer. Without seeking commercial ends we were able to reach those maniacs loyal to the raw sound!
Speaking of aesthetics and old school values. One of the best pictures of you was taken at a graveyard and with your proto-corpse paint it reminded me of the first times I held ‘I.N.R.I.’ in my hands – clear Sarcófago ambiance in that photo. This fits so well with the Latin American, you would almost forget Necrohammer is actually a Mexican band. What is the musical significance of Extreme Metal from the South American continent for you as a band?
I can say that we owe everything to South American metal. To all of Latin America: we have always said it and we will continue to say it, Latin American metal has been and was the most extreme that we could have in our hands. Totally, Latin American metal for us is an elixir that we explore day by day, one of the main pillars on which Necrohammer was founded! Long live Latin American metal!
Earlier this you have shared some footage of a show you played around March, I think it was with the amazing Phantom. It seemed like a great underground gig, with no real stage and people packed like a can of sardines. I was not able to find back a lot of other footage, so I don’t know if you do play a lot of shows within the Mexican underground scene. But, can you tell us how you experience such an evening of playing music, or maybe as a visitor of such underground gigs yourself?
We have played a few times at underground events, the first one being in Mexico City. It had been difficult for us to play live since we did not have a stable drummer for some time, in our hometown it is difficult to find musicians who feel related to what we play. We currently have a stable drummer and upcoming live shows are planned. Last March we played again, but the event did not end as planned because the fucking police arrived and ended it. From then on there was one more Black Metal night on the list, at these underground events the people who have supported us are incredible! Except that we have had fights etc, due to some differences. 2025 will be a year where there will finally be more space for Necrohammer at live concerts.
Yet, Mexico too always had a very interesting Extreme Metal scene. Of course the most obvious bands such as Shub Niggurath, Cenotaph, Disgorge, Anarchus and The Chasm gained some good attention, but personally I have always been puzzled by the amazing amount of Mexican bands that never seem to get out of their native borders, even in these internet-connected times. How do you look at the Mexican scene yourself? Do you feel that Necrohammer is a part of it?
The old Mexican bands of course are an important part of our career, yet nowadays too many bands have emerged which are normally related to each other. Many have seen Necrohammer and many have not, the current Mexican scene does not give us much to say, since the reality is that if you are their friend they support you and if you are not their friend they don’t. Of course there are exceptions and there are very good bands within the scene, but we are not interested in being part of bands which seek benefits for their own conscience. From the beginning Necrohammer had more support from other countries than from our hometown, and we simply care about continuing to do this for the cult of metal, we do not care about being within a false scene where many are only there to fit in or to please themselves, fuck it!
Your ‘Slut Of Satan’ and ‘Unholy Black Steel’ demos have been issued on cassette tapes, in (very) small quantities. ‘Ancient Metal Holocaust’ didn’t get a treatment of a physical release yet. Any plans for a wider release of your older material and a cassette tape edition of ‘Ancient Metal Holocaust’?
‘Ancient Metal Holocaust’ is planned to be released in physical format, a cassette, around mid-2025. Due to certain manufacturing issues it could not be done this year!
One of the questions that I like to pop regularly is what we expect from the band next. Since Necrohammer is not quite the most prolific and is quite modest in its internet exposure, I am even more curious. So, what are you up to these days? What will 2025 have in store for Necrohammer?
This year there were some complications, but 2025 will be a year with more Necrohammer. A next LP, live shows, a new lineup: we will return with more power and new material!
Alright, that was it from my side. Thanks a lot for sharing your time with me. Just like almost all interviews, I’m also granting you the very last words. Feel free to add anything you felt was missing in this Q&A…
Thank you very much for considering Necrohammer for this interview! And many thanks to all the maniacs who took the time to read this, Necrohammer sends you greetings from Aztec lands! Hail to the black legions of maniacs who prevail!! THANK YOU!
