“One of the reasons we tried to get this album out so quickly,” says Graham Ferguson, guitarist for Halifax speed-metal outfit Hellacaust, “was simply because if somebody wants a recording that represents us, we’re not comfortable giving them an old one. Since the last album especially, we recorded a couple songs for a seven-inch”—a split with BC outfit Mudlark—“that we felt really good about. We still sell people the old albums for their collectors’ interest, but they don’t really represent us.”
Hellacaust, which includes vocalist-bassist John MacDougall, guitarist Troy Kirker and drummer Evan Wamboldt, has been touring across the country and back for the past month in support of its third full-length, Disgust. The LP represents a notable progression for the band, which formed in 2000 when the members were still in high school. “We were kind of playing out of our leagues when we were little kids, trying to play like people who played their entire lives,” says Ferguson, who was 15 when the band started and at 23 is its youngest member. “We’re a very fast band, but maybe we were too fast. We’ve gotten more knowledgeable with our skills with the last couple albums. We don’t play things that are too hard for us to play anymore.” Youth has played an important factor in Hellacaust’s endurance—Ferguson laughs when it’s suggested that close to a decade of screaming and speed-of-light thrashing must take a physical toll. “It keeps you young, man,” he says on the line from Dalhousie, NB, a couple days before a show in Moncton with He Lies in Ruin. “It takes a certain amount of ambition to drive for 20 hours and then blast your face off for two hours.”
In addition to increased musical chops, Disgust also features increasingly thematic lyrics. “We started out doing cover songs of ’80s bands so our lyrics reflected that—there was some Satanic silliness, but it was more in the name of metal than in the name of Satan,” says Ferguson, laughing. “We write about more serious things now—on our new album, in almost every song you can pinpoint what we’re writing about. It’s things we’re actually disgusted with—working jobs, people being less than good people, it’s all pretty reality-based now. But it’s definitely exaggerated to make more of an impact with the music. If we’re as pissed off as we sound we might not be playing guitars, we might be beating people up.” He laughs again. “We’re all generally happy people.”Hellacaust winds up its cross-Canada tour with He Lies in Ruin, along with Wohedness Legions of Chaos, at The Pavilion (where the band will be joined instead by Mesrine and, for its last show ever, Thy Goat) and Gus’ Pub, both on Saturday, October 11. Kids, be there at 6pm (5pm if you wan some free barbecue!). Olds, aim for 11. Disgust will be available for purchase at both shows.
This article appears in Oct 9-15, 2008.