Ελληνικά
From the festering corpse of Ataraxy rises Hating Life, a brutal side project that doesn’t just nod to Grave’s primitive savagery—it claws it back from the dirt with HM-2 chainsaws, guttural shrieks, and riffs tuned to hell’s abyss. Revenge From Beyond is a putrid mini-album of downtuned death metal barbarism.No frills, no mercy—just pure 1991 Swedeath venom for those craving the old gods like Autopsy, Entombed, and Asphyx. We cornered the duo to rip open the grave on how this beast was born, what fuels its menace, and why it’ll bury you alive.
How did Hating Life form as a side project from Ataraxy, and what drove you to channel such primitive Grave worship in Revenge From Beyond?
Santi: Hating Life coexists with Ataraxy, although they have different visions. The project was born with the intention of unleashing our passion for Death Metal in its most morbid, violent, and putrid form. It emerged very spontaneously while gathering several riffs and ideas with that more primitive perspective; that’s when the idea of creating a new band arose. The name is an undeniable nod to Grave and a statement of intent, but we are not an exclusive tribute to Grave or anything like that, we will write our own destiny.
Santi, you handled all instruments, recording, and mixing in your home setup—what gear or techniques gave the HM-2 chainsaw tone its oppressive edge?
Santi: The tone of the guitars has nothing special, just the HM-2 distortion and a tube head. I recorded most of the instruments in my home studio and at the rehearsal space to maintain that more direct tone. I recorded everything with a Gibson Les Paul and a Jackson King V and used a tuning in A that is deeper than what we do in Ataraxy.
Javier, your vocals shift from shrieks to gutturals seamlessly; how did you craft lyrics around themes of violence and mortality to match the music’s barbarism?
Javi: When I listened to the music for the first time, I had a clear idea of the kind of lyrics I wanted to write. I decided to take inspiration from some stories by Guy de Maupassant and José Cadalso because I felt they represented what the music was telling. The lyrics are not very elaborate or complex, but visceral and macabre, just like the music
“Into The Grave” opens like a riff assault—did early Grave or other Swedeath bands directly inspire its structure?
Santi: More than the structure, I was inspired by what the albums of that scene transmit and their way of creating atmospheres. I always liked those instrumental passages that are in albums like World Without God by Convulse or in Blessed Are the Sick by Morbid Angel.
The title track builds slow menace to explosion; was that dynamic contrast intentional to evoke revenge from the grave?
Santi: Yes, the intention was to capture the first violent impulse without processing it too much and contrast it with parts more connected to feelings of horror and terror. We wanted to transmit that feeling of purging, of expelling all that energy and panic. If that impacts the listener and connects them with that feeling of horror and rot, the satisfaction is double.
Beyond Grave, what old-school death metal albums shaped this mini-album’s putrid, downtuned assault?
Santi: It would be impossible to make a list of all the albums that have influenced me in one way or another. I will cite a few as basics but they are many more, even with more current bands. Autopsy’s Severed Survival, Entombed’s Left Hand Path, Grave’s Into the Grave, Asphyx’s The Rack, Unleashed’s Where No Life Dwells, Carnage’s Dark Recollections, Splattered Cadaver’s Merciless Butchery, Demigod’s Slumber of Sullen Eyes, Death’s Scream Bloody Gore….
How does Hating Life differ sonically from Ataraxy, despite shared members?
Santi: Although they share a foundation built on the roots of Death Metal, their objectives are opposite. Hating Life seeks to be more visceral than cerebral, digging into more established roots. Ataraxy, for its part, seeks to delve deeper into the abyss; it is a fall into the void. It wouldn’t make sense for Ataraxy to do what Hating Life proposes at this point.
The lo-fi production balances mud and clarity perfectly for 1991 vibes—did you aim for nostalgia or something more obsessive?
Santi: It wasn’t really nostalgia what I was looking for. The result that you can hear on Revenge From Beyond has a lot to do with my way of understanding this music, so it emerged like that naturally. I was very clear how I wanted to sound without needing to have an era or a record as a reference. Although I am happy with the result, surely in the future I can get even closer to how I would like Hating Life to sound.
Luxi Lahtinen’s stark cover art fits the primal decay; how involved were you in briefing him, given his work with Convulse and Incantation?
Santi: At the beginning I had the idea of taking care of the cover myself, but when Roy proposed the possibility of working with Luxi, I didn’t think twice. I had a sketch already prepared for the cover, but our main briefing was Hating Life’s music.
Any plans to take Hating Life live, perhaps expanding the duo for a full barbaric assault on stage?
Santi: For now, Hating Life is a studio band. I would love to do an occasional concert, but it is practically impossible due to lack of time and other obligations. I enjoy the freedom of managing it myself without forcing the pace. Who knows what the future will bring us…
What’s next after Revenge From Beyond—full-length, more EPs, or deeper Ataraxy integration?
Santi: Right now my priority will focus on Ataraxy continuing its descent, always seeking to delve deeper into the abyss, but this will be without rushing. Hating Life will continue when the moment arises. My plan is to continue when inspiration strikes, without forcing the moment.
For Greek metalheads craving old-school savagery, what one track from the album should they blast first and why?
Santi: Any of them really, but right now if they go into our Bandcamp: https://hatinglife.bandcamp.com/album/revenge-from-beyond the first song that will play will be “The Eternal Embrace,” which contains almost all the ingredients that the style of Hating Life contains.
