Khashm Interview
It is highly probable you won’t have heard of Khashm. A one man band from the Russian Federation that I have been following for a couple of months now. With only 200 or so friends on their myspace page at time of writing. It’s a kvlt thing you kvnts, so listen up as the main man Haoth spreads the chaos…and be sure to check out his music using the link below because I reckon you’ll like it.
First of all, not many of our readers will have heard of Khashm before Haoth, please tell them about your music and why it exists.
Khashm was formed as one-man band in the end of 2008. Before this i have played in many black/death metal bands since 2003, but then i saw, that they only want to be the fucking “rock stars” and to play live shows. And i decided to realise my dark anticosmic ideas by the one-man band. Khashm is the malediction to the world of light. Khashm is the demon of Wrath. So by my music and texts i guide the Energy of Chaos into this world.
In such a cold, harsh country, do you draw inspiration from the elements and environment or are you inspired by other means?
You re right. I live in little city close to the nature. I like to walk in the forests. There is no humans. You can clear your mind and speak with Chaos. My inspiration appears from the dark energies, that rules me.
I saw on your blog before that you were recording your debut assault. How far on are you with that?
I can say, that the work is done. Album is recorded. Now i record the EP, that will be released in the end of this year after the first album. These releases will appear on russian Morehate Productions in the end of 2009. This stuff will be also released by the sweden label Salute Records.
About Morehate Production i can say, that this is the realy good russian label, that release black metal.
Can you offer us any information about it like the title and release date?
As i said before – the release will appear in the end of 2009. The Album have title “Dark Path to His Throne” 9 tracks are filled with the Darkness.
Where will we be able to purchase this grim opus once it is unleashed?
You will be able to order this by post from Morehate and Salute records. Releases of Morehate will also appear in some Russian shops, that promote the grim music.
The tracks on your myspace show a nasty grimness in all aspects, will any of these feature on the album and will it sound as nekro?
Yes. It will sound like Hell! There are 3 songs from myspace, that will appear in album. Regnum Tenebrarum (but with the rewrited vocs), The Eternal Light of Darkness and the Roots of Creation
Russia has quite a strong scene in recent years with bands like Old Wainds gaining recognition. Where do you see the Russian scene a few years in the future?
You re right. Old Wainds from Murmansk is really strong act. But only as music. I don’t think that they have a strong ideology. As for the russian bands – I like Pseudogod, Storming Darkness, Ulvdalir and one old band, that doesn’t exist at this time – Burial Shades.
It is sad, but European scene is much stronger than Russian. But in recent years Russian BM scene becomes stronger. The probleme that we have – it s an understanding of black metal ideology. I think that the majority of Russian BM musicians are only the musicians. They play BM because they want to live like a rock stars, play live shows and have “grim” photosessions. It’s sad.
Neo-Nazi and anti-immigrant groups in Russia have featured in the press alot during the last year. Do you believe they are right to employ violence alongside national pride?
Yes, we have a lot of immigrants. And it means that we have a lot of Neo-Nazi groups. But it s not interesting for me. Hail violence against humans! Fuck the politics! I don t support any political ideology. And i think that it have no attitude to the Black Metal.
Do you have any habbits or rituals you like to invoke before, during or after creating?
I practice some anticosmic rituals. Not before, not after, but constantly. And my music is the one of the results of these rituals. Black Metal can’t be only the music. It s also an energy. Very dark and destructive energy.
It must be quite a challenge to write and record as a one man band, do you ever find the task gets in the way of your ideas or creativity?
Yes. It s a hard task to create the record as one man band. But i think this is the only way to realise all ideas without distorting them. I saw these problemes when i played in BM bands before Khashm. Everyone had his own ideas and the result was like a product of tolerance between the members of the band. It’s a false art i think. If you want to do something very good and true – do it yourself. Or try to find the true brothers. I didn’t find them…
Will there be other band members in the future or is Khashm’s music too deeply personal and rooted in your own soul and beliefs?
It s deeply personal music. It can’t be made by the group of people. The texts and all the concept are the result of my own practice. But in the future you ll hear the live drummer on the recordings. I want my music to sound more raw.
In a world that has seemingly gone mad with greed, where possessing as many new and stylish things as possible has become normal, what do you think about the direction mankind is taking?
In my opinion, the mankind drowns in the cosmic illusion. They can’t live without material things. Their ego is very blowed. They forget their Dark Gods day by day. The dark wisdom is ruined by the blind slaves of god. They focus on the wrong things. They are the sad slaves of the cosmic order.
The supreme purpose of this world is to be normal, social, good and successful man. Their morbid god have his roots deep inside of every normal man. Even the man that doesn’t believe in god, but lives material social life, has the god within himself. It doesn’t matter how he calls this cosmic power – it is in humans. Only the strongest can deny this cosmic power and walk the dark path. The path to the throne of Satan.
But the mankind can’t see anything except their own ego. They live their empty lifes and think that it s a correct way to live. So i hope they’ll die.
If all your belongings were taken from you and you could keep just one, what would it be?
Nothing material. But it would be my freedom and will.
If you could kill someone and go undetected forever, who would the victim be and how would you kill them?
It would be any person. I hate all humans. So if i could – i would start the nuclear war. Because it is the end of all human world.
What is the most disgusting thing you can think of?
God. Cosmos. Creations of light.
Black Metal is dead. In the UK at least. Seeing as though it is the place that gave birth to the genre it is as fuckin’ useless a broke-dick dog. There is no scene to speak of, just the odd one or two equally useless bands trying in vain to mimic some of the more [...]
Opening with a song title of the length Bal Sagoth would be proud of (thankfully that’s as the only comparison to draw), the imaginatively titled ‘A Glimpse of the Image of Lucifer Gleaming Beyond the Subterraneous Black Sun’ marches forth. Mid paced, it stamps away with the precision of a well oiled Black Metal machine [...]
I checked this out after reading this and reall surprised. Khashm is good quality black. I liked the harsh answering of the interview, good anger and hatred. Hellfurnace good zine too.