Band Interview: Hostia

Established in 2017, Hostia are a death/grind band who have been very prolific in their brief time smashing heads and breaking bones. Releasing an EP and 3 albums, the latest being ‘Nailed’ which came out in November 2022 via Deformeathing Production.

Games, Brrraaains & A Head-Banging Life spoke to guitarist St. Anacletus.

1. Hello Hostia! Thanks for taking the time to do this. How are you and how has 2023 been treating you so far?

Thank you for having us! All good, always busy – some good shows in front of us so – excited!

2. It’s been a few months now since the release of Nailed. How have you found the response?

Overwhelmingly awesome! Really! Actually it’s hard to believe how excited many people are about that record – but it is an awesome feeling!

3. Have you found that this record has made more of a splash than the previous releases? If so, why do you think that is the case?

We don’t really think about things like that, but when you point it out – well – having 3 well received albums is much better than having 2 well received albums (laugh). We feel that Hostia is slowly but growing so – we hope to keep it that way!

4. Take me back to the early days of its inception. Did you have a vision for what you wanted this record to be, and if so, what was it?

Another chapter of our kind of grind. We never plan things like that – it needs to start naturally and then when we have some music, then lyrical and vocal ideas start to appear and all the puzzles fulfil each other. When the process is on some part inspires the others. For sure we wanted it to be brutal and intense and more raw in terms of mixing but that was the only idea at the beginning.

5. Where there any particular challenging points along the way to its release? If so, what did you have to do to overcome them?

Vinyl production went insane during the pandemic and we need to give really fast the final mixes and layouts and all to the label to book the production if we wanted it to be released in 2022 cause there was a threat that we will have to wait over the year to release it. But our label succeeded in finding a faster term. Unfortunately the EP “Resurrected Meat” that was recorded on the same session that “Nailed” was supposed to be on 7” limited vinyl but it was just impossible to make. But never say never! For me a personal challenge was to mix EP and LP at the same time – cause I wanted them to have different mixes and sound different so doing that at the same time was a bit of a mindfuck. However – went great! Even if Haldor has a couple more grey hair after that (laugh).

6. What aspects of the writing and recording experience did you find the most enjoyable, and why?

All of them! I love the whole process from first musical ideas, then developing them, mankind demos, working on them as a band on rehearsals, then adding vocals and lyrics – which often totally change the perception of some songs. And then recording them is giving the final shape, details and sound – so it’s like the birth of the album (laugh). I really enjoy all of those aspects and have fun and have a great time. And then you see the cover art and the whole inlay and it’s all completed. Another award is to play all the new songs live!

7. Do you find yourself obsessing over stats in relation to a release? Such as number of steams, reviews, comments, etc? Or are you able to find a healthy balance where you care… but don’t?

No – not really. Of course if a lot of people listen to it or send opinions it’s nice, but I try not to think about that too much. We are lucky enough cause people are buying our CDs and vinyls and merch so we see they like it and want to have it – and that’s totally awesome and often overwhelming. Thank you!

8. You’ve kept busy since your birth in 2017, particularly as a large portion of the past six years has been dominated by the pandemic. What has been driving you forward?

We recorded the “Carnivore Carnival” album just before the pandemic, so when it all blew up – we decided to release it anyway – and that was a totally good decision because it sold great even if there were no shows. I guess many people needed new aggressive music at that time. And after3 the release – as we had no shows – I started to work on the new music almost straight after leaving the studio. That’s why we have EP and LP – cause we had too much stuff for one album. So having more time for me was very productive.

9. Looking to the future now… what does 2023 look like for Hostia right now?

We have some great festivals booked like Mystic Festival, Summer Dying Loud Festival, Injure Grind Festival, we will also headline polish eliminations for Bloodstock Festival – so looks great and hopefully more shows to come!

10. What would be an achievable goal you’d like to reach this year?

Have a lot of shows in the second part of the year! And start working on some new tunes maybe.

Quickfire Random Round

1. Where does the name Hostia come from?

From St. Sixtus (laugh).

2. Beer, wine or Spirits?

Beers and wine.

3. What has been one of the most terrifying experiences you’ve ever had?

Nothing comes to my mind so I guess I was lucky – let’s keep it that way!

4. Theme parks – a fun place to be or not?

Not really.

5. What’s a dream holiday location you’d love to visit one day and why?

A lot of them, but I definitely prefer warm places. I was lucky to see many from my bucket list already so I guess I would pick to drive a car across the United States is one to go.

6. Star Wars or Star Trek?

Star Wars.

7. First memory of playing a video game?

Saboteur!

8. What three things are always on your bedside table/nightstand?

Phone, water and glasses.

9. Sum up a Hostia live show in just three words?

Bang your head!

10. Sabbath with Ozzy or Sabbath with Dio?

With Ozzy!

Links

Website | Bandcamp | Facebook | Instagram | Deformeathing Productions