Interview to J.J. Hrubovcak of Hate Eternal

Interview by Luis Landeo
Hey J.J. nice to meet you, is a real pleasure for me interview you, like everybody knows you are the actual bassist of Hate Eternal, but I want start this interview asking you about your death metal project, so how born this idea of have a solo project? and release a christmas death metal EP? 
I always loved the darker hymns from when I was a kid growing up in a catholic household. They were written in minor keys and felt foreboding and tentatively hopeful, but expecting the worst. Many of the catholic stories have darker themes of oppression, murder, etc. I thought they would sound great if given death metal adaptations. So this has been itching at me for quite some time. I've also played guitar for years and this was an opportunity to get back on the horse. I really wanted it to be a serious metal record and not a joke. I wasn't going to do a cover of Jingle Bells with growling.

I know you are working with your brother: Mike Hrubovcak (Monstrosity, Vile) how was work with him in this Ep? and have you thinked release more works with him in the future? and by the way have he wrote lyrics for this album?
It's always great doing something with my bro! We have many recordings together under our belts. My website http://www.liquidenergy.net has a chronological list of them. We will do something else in the future for sure. We both have a lot of material that needs to see the light of day and new ideas that need to be cultivated. I wrote lyrics for the Christmas album. I wanted to write darker lyrics relevant to the time but based in the forms of the old lyrics. There is a comparison of old and new lyrics for the songs on the website: http://www.deathmetalchristmas.com.

You toured with your brother playing for Vile, but have you in mind tour with him again for your solo project? and why dont you baptized this project like: Hrubovcak, remembering both are in the same band?
We're not going to be able to tour for this EP because I am busy with Hate Eternal and he is busy with his commitments. Maybe we can play a few one-off dates around the holidays. That's not a bad idea for a name for the next project!

Well If I dont ask you this my readers will kill me (laughs), what happened with Hate Eternal? because actually the only members are you and Erik Rutan
We are keeping our options open for drummers. We are writing the next record and plan to record early this year. The new material is coming out great and is more of an extension of Phoenix.

You worked in Hate Eternal last album: "Phoenix Amongst the Ashes", how was work in this production of your actual band: Hate Eternal? and have Erik and you work in another new album?
We took a lot of time in pre-production and I set up a Pro Tools rig in one of the rooms at Mana Studios while the others were working in the A room. I wrote the bass lines as well as some guitar riffs for the record. A musician's performance is under a microscope in the studio so you learn something new every time you record and it makes you a better player. We are working on the new album right now. We're sending Pro Tools sessions back and forth and using Skype as well as getting together in person.

How was the last tours with Hate Eternal? what was the best show you had playing in this last years with Erik Rutan, can you tell any experience? 
The tours last year were a blast. I have a lot of photos on my facebook page. The Housecore Horrorfest was unbelievable. The crowd was great and Jarvis did an excellent job. Fantastic horror movies were showing at the venues and I haven't seen some of them so that also added to the enjoyment. The highlight of that festival was seeing Goblin perform the entire score to Suspiria while the movie was playing in the background!

Tell me J.J. what is your favorite equipment do you like use for a good perfomance and a good recording? and what is the key to make a good musical composition for you? 
Without a doubt, Spector makes the best basses. They are well crafted with the right materials and contain a unique tone circuit. I also like DR strings. The combo of strings and bass just sings. It literally sounds like a piano. On Phoenix, we used the Ampeg SVT4 Pro and I use that live, but there are other ideas brewing for the new record. I also add a little bit of distortion with an ODB-3. I tried a tubescreamer, rat pedal and others over the years, but the odb hit the mark. I use an RC-3 to trigger all of the samples at live shows.

To end this interview do you have a last message to your fans and Arsenal Del Metalero readers? Thanks for all your support! Hit me up online. Check out more at http://www.deathmetalchristmas.com and http://www.liquidenergy.net 

To know more about Hate Eternal and Death Metal Christmas:
www.facebook.com/Hate.Eternal
www.facebook.com/deathmetalchristmas