Canadian heavy metal band Hellrazer return with power and determination through their new album, “Serve the Machine”. Formed in Calgary back in 2004, the band have spent more than two decades building their sound, staying true to classic metal values while slowly evolving into a heavier and more aggressive force. In this interview with Gerald Zamponi (vocals, guitars), we talk about the long road behind Serve the Machine, the challenges they faced, the changes in the metal scene and their passion for keeping heavy metal alive. Hellrazer prove that dedication, hard work and love for the genre still matter.
by Dimitris Zacharopoulos
First of all, give us a short biography of Hellrazer.
Hellrazer were formed in 2004 in Calgary, originally starting out as a cover band named One Eyed Snake, and then quickly morphed under its current name into an original metal band. Founding band members included current drummer Shigeki Tutusi and me (guitarist/vocalist). There have been a few lineup changes over the years and the current lineup including Jim Rogers (guitars) and Simon Hirota (bass) has been together since about 2016. The band has released five full length albums including our recent release “Serve the Machine”. Hellrazer are overall influenced by classic metal bands like Judas Priest, Metallica and Slayer, with a unique blend creating our overall style.
How do you feel now that your new album, “Serve the Machine”, is released?
We are very happy with the album. It was a lot of work to get it done and we are pleased with the outcome. We feel that it is our best sounding and stylistically tightest release, but we’ll need to let others judge that!
Seven years passed between the “Bonecrusher” album and the “Serve the Machine” album. What happened during that time?
Indeed, it took almost eight years to put this together. After releasing our previous album “Bonecrusher” in 2018, we initially took a break from song writing and focused on live shows. Then the pandemic hit which slowed everything down, but we slowly started writing new material. It took us until sometime in 2024 to write eleven new songs that we felt were sufficiently mature to put on an album. Our lead guitar player Jim moved to another city in Alberta, which also slowed things down a bit, but we are making it work. The recording and finishing the album took about a year, so eight years go by quite quickly. Because we have proper day jobs, releasing an album very two years is not needed, so we have the luxury to take it a bit slower and do the best job that we can.
How would you describe the evolution of Hellrazer from 2004 until today?
I would say that earlier Hellrazer material had a bit more of a Gamma Ray influence, in particular our album “Prisoner of the Mind”, and then things slowly progressed over time to become a bit heavier and darker. There are probably many reasons for that but we had different band members at different times, and they brought different perspectives and influences to song writing. Our latest album is much thrashier than our early work, with more aggressive vocals.
What does the title “Serve the Machine” mean to you? Is there a central theme running through the new album?
“Serve the Machine” as an album title was inspired by the cover artwork produced by our long-time artist Anestis Goudas from Greece. We had eleven songs, among which we had a few that we particularly felt suitable as title track, and we simply matched the song choice to the artwork. The track itself is about an invasion of earth and domination by an alien machine race. The album itself has one other space related song called “Pulverizer” which is about en extinction level meteor hitting Earth, but otherwise there is no central theme lyrically.
Did you approach the songwriting differently this time around?
On other albums there was more organic song writing activity in the rehearsal space, but still, typically a framework for a song idea would be already crafted and presented to the band. Because of pandemic restrictions, we could not practice as a band as much as before, and so the song writing was initially done virtually, with ideas exchanged electronically and then refined when we were able to get together in person. This is also why it took somewhat longer than on previous occasions to put the songs together. In terms of writing lyrics, it was similar to our other albums and it is mostly done after the song structure is complete.
Which track on the album best represents the spirit of Hellrazer in 2026?
I think the opener “Fight to the Death” captures the spirit of the album and the spirit of our band, as does the title track Seve the Machine which we are very happy with. My personal favorite may be “Penance” because of the song structure and guitar solos.
Your sound is intense and relentless — how do you capture that energy in the studio?
I think it starts with having an energetic song and then amplifying the energy with the right speed, powerful drumming and aggressive vocals. We spent a lot of time preparing prior to entering the studio so that the band was tight. It helps to play songs live before, but we did not have the opportunity to play our new material live before recording. I would say that the post recording production also helps bring a certain level of energy across.
The production feels dirty and loud on purpose. Was that a conscious artistic decision from the beginning?
Related to the previous question, we wanted an in-your-face aggressive and energetic sound and we think that was accomplished. We normally use DI tracks for the guitars and then Dan Rogers (the brother of our guitarist Jim) re-amped them all when he mixed the album. He also did a lot of processing on the drums to give them a big sound. We wanted to capture as much energy as possible within our budget.
Do you think heavy metal today sounds too polished in general?
I think it depends on the type of metal and the band that plays it. I am really impressed with the last Judas Priest album sounding so powerful, and polished, but then there are other albums that are a little muddier. Personally, I prefer some level of polishing as long as it does not compromise the power.
How important are riffs in your songwriting process?
Extremely important. Most (but not all) of our songs are created by first coming up with a guitar riff and we try to compose the overall song structure so that key themes and riffs come back at multiple points in the song, not just as rhythm guitars, but also in the form of guitar solo melodies.
Who are the heavy metal “gods” you feel you’re bowing down to on this album?
This album has a bit of a blend on Priest and Slayer when it comes to overall sound and style. We did write a song called “Defenders of Metal” which is intended as a tribute to many of the metal gods that we worship – Priest, Maiden, Accept, Manowar, Slayer, Anvil, Raven, Saxon – the list goes on. The lyrics are essentially comprised of names of songs or albums by these and other of our favorite bands – so if you listen carefully and know your metal, you can have fun identifying who they relate to.
Do you see yourselves as a “true metal” band?
Peripherally perhaps, but as you know, the sub-genres of metal are quite fluid. Maybe true metal, with a bit of thrash and classic metal blended in?
How do you keep the music fresh while staying rooted in classic heavy metal traditions?
One always gets new ideas just by listening to lots of music, and then different band members bring different ideas that, with a powerful production, hopefully keeps it somewhat fresh.
Were there any challenges during the recording sessions?
The way had planned to go about recording was to record both rhythm guitars and drums at the same time. To prepare for that, we had practiced extensively as a three piece and we worked out all the click track speeds and transitions ahead of going to the studio. On the day of our booking our drummer became too ill to play, so Jim and I decided to keep the appointment and played all the rhythm track just to a click track – this was quite challenging but it worked out and we could fix any guitar errors right away. Our drummer then played his track to those recorded rhythm tracks which in the end worked out. There was also a battery issue with some of the active pickups of Jim’s guitar that compromised the quality of the DI tracks and we had to redo some of them later.
How do you prepare physically and mentally to deliver such high-octane performances?
All of our band members try to stay very fit – Simon is a mountain bike racer, Jim spends a lot of time in the gym, Shigeki drums in multiple bands and I am doing tons of cardio. That takes care of the physical part. Mentally we just focus on what needs to be done, and we typically don’t drink alcohol until after our set is complete.
What has changed the most in the metal scene since you formed in 2004?
I think things always evolve. There have been a lot of reunions of bands that had disbanded at some point, and the big bands still put out high quality music. Of course, our heroes are not getting any younger and I am not sure who will fill the void when they are done. In our province of Alberta, there seem to be fewer venues to play live original metal and a number of bands have broken up since the pandemic. Perhaps it will bounce back.
Do you think heavy metal is in a healthy place right now?
I think metal remains hugely popular. Festivals like Wacken sell out a year ahead of time so I believe that people are still seriously into metal. There was a time in the early nineties where this was not the case and grunge ruled the Earth, but metal has bounced back and is much more mainstream than it once was.
Are there any modern bands that inspire you?
I will answer that on behalf of our guitar player Jim who is a huge fan of Lamb of God. But the question is how one defines “modern”. I have a soft spot for Gloryhammer, because their songs are catchy.
What do you think about the use of A.I. in music?
My daughter had AI create a power metal song based on some lyrics that she wrote when she was a child. It came out sounding remarkably well. It sounded king of like Dragonforce – scary really when one thinks about it. I personally prefer to listen to music made by humans, or at least played by humans, otherwise we will all just “Serve the Machine”… or does the Machine serve us?
How important is live performance to Hellrazer’s identity?
Live performances is where it is at – we love the energy and the euphoria that comes from playing live. Unfortunately, due to our day careers, we cannot go on extensive tours. Still, we try to play live as much as feasible without saturating our area.
What can fans expect from your live shows this time around?
We put on a well-rehearsed energetic show and out 100 percent effort into it.
If you could tour with any classic metal band, who would it be?
That would have to be Judas Priest for me simply because they are one of my favorite bands. If one wanted to reach a bigger market and audience, then it would be Iron Maiden on a South America tour.
Looking back at your discography, where does “Serve the Machine” stand for you personally?
We worked very hard on this album and it is very satisfying that it is out now and sounding as good as it does. Our first album was a bit of a learning experience, but our ensuing four albums are all special to me for different reasons. “Prisoner of the Mind” for its anthemic choruses and melodic solos, “Operation Overlord” for it being our only record to be released on a record label which unfortunately dissolved, and “Bonecrusher” because it was the perfect stylistic transition to our current album which I think is stylistically tight and powerful all around.
What is the ultimate goal for Hellrazer moving forward?
I think we will focus on playing some shows and take a short break from song writing and then hopefully we will have another album in us at some point – we will try to do it sooner than eight years from now. We just hope that metal fans enjoy our current album and perhaps discover our previous ones.
