Info
- Band(s): Lord Humongous
- Interview Date: June 5, 2024
- Author(s): Justin Joseph
Irritated by the primal dissonance of Black Metal and fused with the nuclear reaction of Thrash Metal, Lord Humongous becomes a tyrannical force that reduces the aura it commands to its a rawest and feral form…pure, distilled chaos, enough to chain and terraform a desolate word to its own bidding!I had the privilege to engage in conversation with Tyrannical Arch Oppressor Humongous, to get an insight into the world that is Lord Humongous.So to you the reader, may the words that you read captivate you enough to explore the terrains that are carved through sound.
I salute you road warrior! Thank you for facilitating the zine with this interview,for it is a pleasure to have this conversation! So let’s get right into it, for the uninitiated, can you tell us about the formation of Lord Humongous? How did this machine come together? What was the artistic purpose for bringing life into its bones?
The idea for Lord Humongous came in 2012. I was discussing the resurgence of Thrash Metal with an acquaintance of mine and I stated that I would like Municipal Waste more if they had the vocals of Will from Mortician. I was too busy with a lot of other musical projects at the time to dedicate too much time to the concept but I did manage to record a primitive version of our song “Just Walk Away” with some deep whispered Mortician-like vocals as sort of a proof of concept. I also had the LH logo created at that time as well. Outside of that, the Idea went unaddressed all the up until last year. Somewhere around August 2023 I found myself surrounded by the right musicians to do make a band like Lord Humongous possible and we wrote the rest of the songs, recorded an album and played our first live shows within 6 months time. So the formation and execution was quick but the idea had been around for a long time. by the time the band actually formed, the Municipal Waste/Mortician idea that I had flippantly verbalized had changed to what you have now, which someone recently identified as “a band that looks like Blasphemy but sounds like Vio-Lence”.
Regarding the Lord Humongous as an entity, what is the message and ideology you hope to spread with this vessel? What is it you hope the followers of this band will attain?
The ideology of Lord Humongous is both a statement of intent and a worldview that we have distilled into the mantra “Fuck Subtlety. Hail Sabbaoth. All Mosh. Hail Baloff”. For those who don’t immediately understand, this is the invocation of the spirits of Sabbaoth from Goatpenis and Paul Baloff from Exodus. Both approached their respective bands with a very crucial mentality and refusal to compromise. We hope that the followers of Lord Humongous will learn to fear and respect the pit again. It’s not a place for Kung-Fu and gym shorts. It’a not a place to row a pretend viking boat, and it’s not a place for fun. It’s a place where blood is given to the Blood Gods. Hail Sabbaoth! Hail Baloff!
Rewinding the clock to your initial roots as an artist, what was the pivotal point when you realized this was the music you wanted to unleash onto the masses? But also, besides music, what else fueled your creative spirit and how did this shape you?
When I was 8 years old I heard Kiss. When I was 13 I heard Anthrax. When I was 15 I heard Dismember and Cannibal Corpse. I’m an archeologist when it comes to music. When I find something that I like, I’ll dig as deep as the genre goes, to the foundations and to the most extreme outliers. These 3 points in time undoubtedly lead me to conceptualize Lord Humongous, but the other 4 members have their own trajectories that are apparent in their contributions to the music. Musically, Lord Humongous is very much a group effort.
You recently released your first full length album ( last December), “Raped by the Nukes”. Seeing as no demo or EPs were done, how exactly did the composition of these songs arise? And can you take us through the writing process to the recording?
The songs were composed very organically. The perimeters we set were based on combining 3 albums. Sodom – Code Red, Goat Penis – Apocalypse War, and Exodus – Bonded By Blood. Once we chose this path, we did very little toiling over riffs and structures. I sat with Doof Commando 666 for no more than an hour and completed the song “The Toecutter”. Most of the songs are the same on the album as they were upon first draft. For the recording process, all drums were recorded first to a metronome from and then sent to the band members so that they could rehearse their parts. Our drummer memorized the structures from some rehearsal demos he had recorded on his cell phone. He owns a recording studio so he also mixed and mastered everything.
I want to shift to the artwork created by tattoo artist, Paul Anderson, can you go into the conversation which made the art a reality? I really appreciate the black and white look with the red, gives it a bestial look.
I had initially commissioned another artist to create the image. I was happy with the original but having seen Paul’s other work I just kept thinking that he could make it nastier and more mean spirited. Clearly, he exceeded expectations. The beastial look was very much on purpose. I didn’t want the clean, Ed Repka clone look that all the modern throwback party thrash bands use. Lord Humongous is not party music. We wanted to acknowledge that bands like Archgoat and Blasphemy are very much part of our DNA and we certainly identify more with them than we do many modern thrash bands. Modern thrash seems to only represent silly 1980’s caricature of thrash. Many have forgotten that it was full of violent lyrics and ideas. Zetro era Exodus had lyrics like “Good friendly violent fun in store for all”. While Paul Baloff sang “Get in our way and we’re going to take your life, kick in your face and rape and murder your wife”. While both are fictional depictions of violence, these things are not the same. Zeteo is clearly not a threat but somewhere in the back of your minds, you kinda wonder if Paul was just a little serious. Hail Baloff!
This was a question I was looking forward the most to asking..so it’s a no-brainer that Lord Humongous is influenced by George Miller’s Mad Max, what exactly about this universe and its characters appeals to you?
When the band was conceptualized, there were only three Mad Max movies. The universe that the movies take place in, feels like a living, breathing representation of all of the subject matter of thrash and extreme metal. War, famine, conflict. The tribalism and ritualistic nature of the tribes of the apocalypse is also very aesthetic pleasing. Initially, when the first demo was recorded back in 2012, there was no plan to to embody the Humongous or wear the mask. That came later as we began drawing inspiration from bands like Nifelheim and Blasphemy. At that point it made as much sense as war paint and spikes.
Following with the previous question, what was the driving force to blend both Black/Thrash and the themes of Max Max into one cohesive element? But also, in regards to your sound, which has a Black/Thrash/Death sound, what made you choose this medium to represent your ideas?
I think it comes from being rooted in American thrash metal. I am very much attached to the riffs, hooks, and mosh parts that we got during the first wave of thrash. But the vocals were always a sticking point. I enjoy them and appreciate them for what they are, but I always felt like they were the weak point. Bands like Demolition Hammer have managed to find a good balance between intense vocals and thrash riffs, but we wanted to be something more extreme vocally. Musically, at our core, we are a black thrash band. Ideologically, we align with War metal. We have also made an effort to incorporate elements from that genre into our songs as well. But I do think it is important to make the distinction that we are primarily a black thrash band. To be a War metal band with thrash elements would be essentially perverting what War metal is at it’s core. To some it might feel like splitting hairs but to us, the distinction is important. You can’t be a tourist in the war metal. Hail Sabbaoth!
So as a Mad Max fan I just had to ask, did you see Furiosa and what did you think of it? Also , I’ve seen you’ve placed elements of Fury Road into your song titles such as “Coma Doof is fireproof” and “The Bullet Farmer”. So is it safe to assume that you also enjoy the newer iterations of the series?
I did see Furiosa and very much enjoyed it. But tonally it feels different than the rest of the films. The scope of the film felt very broad and maybe it was time for that. It helped characterize the fictional universe that recent Mad Max films take place in. The first two films felt like a projection to a possible future for mankind in our own universe. Both Fury Road and Furiosa are incredible films.
Keeping on the themes of influence, are there any current bands that ignite your creative spark?
Yes, many. I am constantly listening to new music and seeking out new bands. Black metal is constantly producing new bands that I appreciate. Kvlt of Odium, Till, Wendol, and Funeral Harvest are some more recent bands that I have been listening. As well as the nee Hellbutcher album.
On the album, you did a tribute to Goatpenis, so I’m curious, what impact has this band have on you as an artist? And was the decision to pay tribute to them always there? Because in my opinion the album does have a bestial aura to it at times.
Goatpenis is integral to Lord Humongous. While perhaps not always immediately evident in our sound, the influence of Goatpenis has been present since the beginning in our imagery, ethos, and visual approach. Likewise, their Apocalypse War album is of the utmost importance to our sound. They were playing an evolving the style of music long before war metal was a form and fashion. Their music stands head and shoulders above all other bands in the genre and is immediately recognizable. Hail Sabbaoth!
From viewing live recordings and pictures of your performance, the aesthetic and the theatrics you bring to the stage enhances the experience in my opinion, it makes the album …alive. How important is this to you, in correlation to the onstage presence, what is your mindset when donning this presence? In addition, for each show you perform, what do you hope to attain from the crowd?
It is of the most importance. Some people failed to understand why these things matter in this genre. It’s not about dressing up in a costume, it’s more about tribalism and ritual. Goatpenis and Slipknot, both bands incorporate gas masks into their image. Based on image alone, clearly these two things are not the same. Even for those unable to articulate what the difference is, they know there is one. It’s a very clear and perceptible difference. On one of the last Mutiilation albums the lyrics say “You say why? I say what for?”. The difference between these two bands is the “What for?” It’s the difference between school play and school shooter. Hail Sabbaoth!
Regarding future music with Lord Humongous, would you expand upon the Mad Max influence, or would you explore different themes, also, as the artist, where do you hope to take this entity?
Our next release is a live rehearsal demo entitled “Rehearsal Discharge”. It was recorded live in the studio with no overdubs, no drum triggers, and no after effects. It feels like an important statement to make for us before we proceed with album 2. We could have released it first as “Demo 1” and then released the full length, but it would have been inauthentic. The full length was recorded before our first full band rehearsal. After that Jemslabel will be releasing ‘Raped By The Nukes’ on vinyl,
Ending with this interview, I extend my gratitude to you, for it was an honor preparing these questions. May you read eternal on the highways of Valhalla! I leave the remaining words with you, anything you would like to say to the readers
Fuck Subtlety! Hail Sabbaoth! All Mosh! Hail Baloff! HAIL HUMONGOUS!
Lord Humongous
- Country: USA
- Style: Black Metal, Thrash Metal
- Links: Instagram, Bandcamp, Spotify