Artist Spotlight

In this month’s artist spotlight we bring to you Portland, OR-based electro-industrial-metal trio HEXXES

Josef Desade: We would like to welcome industrial/metal trio Hexxes to Black Noise! How are you doing today?

Agatha Hexx: We’re doing well, thank you for asking!

Josef Desade: For those who haven’t heard your music yet, how would you describe it to our readers?

Dsalyss Hexx: Industrial/Goth, I don’t know. Genres are kind of annoying - there’s a lot of fragmentation, and I just prefer to think of music as in how it makes me feel.

Scarlett Hexx: Gary Numan meets Switchblade Symphony by a bonfire in a post apocalypse club

Agatha Hexx: In the early days I thought we were electro-industrial-metal – when you’re getting started, it helps to have some direction in mind. Over time those labels ceased to have any meaning, because we were doing things musically that didn’t quite fit into those boxes. I think at this point it’ll be up to other people to say what they think we are.

Josef Desade: How did you all come together? Were you all classically trained or were you self-taught?

Dsalyss Hexx: I initially came on as producer to help the band get their EP together. After their initial guitarist left, they approached me to come on as guitarist. For guitar I am self taught, for mixing/producing I did apprentice at a studio a long time ago, but I am mostly self-taught as well

Scarlett Hexx: I was approached by a mutual friend who asked if I had any interest in joining another project while my band was on hiatus. I listened to a few seconds of multiple demos and was hooked. I'm self taught.

Agatha Hexx: I started the band with another guitarist, whom I adopted as Alastair Hexx. Scarlett was introduced to me though a mutual friend, as she said, and we hit it off right away – I knew instantly that she was going to be our voice. Dsalyss Hexx was our original sound engineer, but also an accomplished musician, not to mention a good friend. When life and work commitments took Alastair out of the picture, he was the obvious choice to take on guitars. Graciously, he agreed. Also, I’m self taught.

Josef Desade: You have a very distinct sound that blends powerful melodies with a hint of 90s industrial chaos that is complimented by vocals that are very reminiscent of Tina Root and Siouxsie Sioux, what inspired you to take the route of a nod to the past while keeping a modern twist to it when a lot of other bands are going for a very different sound in the industrial scene?

Dsalyss Hexx: I’ll defer to Agatha and Scarlett on this, but from a producer perspective, I always have a one foot planted in the past and a strong push towards the future. I like to keep modern techniques and twists in songs that I’m mixing or producing to avoid the nostalgia trap.

Scarlett Hexx: This was natural for me. The way I sing has always drawn comparisons to those two, so this isn't anyone trying to sound any kind of way, this is what came out.

Agatha Hexx: Our music is steeped in the DNA from past eras of our scene, and while it’s true that many other bands are headed in a different direction, I believe what we do is even more unique as a result.

Josef Desade: You released your first two singles ‘Fragile Things’ and ‘Possession’ this year that definitely make an immediate impact upon the listener, what has your creative process behind these two singles been? Have you had a set direction as a goal or have they come together organically?

Dsalyss Hexx: I served as producer on those, so my answer from producer role is: Quest for a sound that made me feel something. Keep pushing the sound and the performance until we got the raw tracks, then assemble them into whatever results in the band and myself having the strongest positive reaction.

Scarlett Hexx: Everything is organic. There's no sort of "what box can this fit into" the songs take on a life of their own.

Agatha Hexx: We all live quite far from one another, so we work independently in our own studios, sharing files and ideas via the Internet. Once a song has been fairly well developed, we do the final recording at Dsalyss’ studio at Skull Ranch, which is also where the final mixing and mastering takes place. The strength of this arrangement is that it gives us a lot of time to reflect on what we’re writing, sharing only the strongest ideas with the others.

Josef Desade: Lyrically your music seems deeply personal, pulling on an inner strength in dark times, do you all write together? How has your personal journey in life helped mold the lyricism in your songs?

Dsalyss Hexx: Not currently, but now that I am joining as guitarist I would very much like to do more writing together as it makes for a tighter live performance. I’ll defer the lyrical questions to Scarlett.

Scarlett Hexx: I write my lyrics exclusively, though I will ask opinions when two things might work equally. And yeah, I have a lot of personal experience with the dark, so I've had to navigate my way out because there is always light somewhere.

Josef Desade: Do you have a full-length album in the works?

Dsalyss Hexx: TBD but I’d like that.

Scarlett Hexx: We are working on many tracks with an eventual album. I think we're leaning towards an EP first.

Agatha Hexx: Eventually. I think our immediate goals are more singles, remixes, and EPs, to introduce more people to our music. When the time is right, we would love to put out a full-length album.

Josef Desade: You hail from the Portland, Oregon area, how much of a challenge has it been to stand out in an area of the country that is such a creative hub when it comes to music? What challenges have you faced as you start out?

Agatha Hexx: I can't think of anything especially challenging here. We do what we do. We haven't started playing shows yet, but we hope to bring something unique to the stage.

Dsalyss Hexx: We have a great dark music community here in Portland! Our only challenges have been having the time and opportunity to get together to work on music. I’m in another band (The Secret Light) and produce other artists on top of having a day job that pays the bills. Time and ADHD are the obstacles that are in the way mostly. As far as starting out, I can’t answer to that at the moment.

Agatha Hexx: The music community in Portland is wonderful, very supportive, especially for dark music. Our biggest challenge is coordinating our ridiculously convoluted schedules, and the physical distance between us.

Josef Desade: Portland is also a very politically active area of the country, how much would you say that the political and social landscape of Portland has influenced your music?

Scarlett Hexx: There are a couple more political songs being finished right now. I think it's just something that creatives can't ignore. More to come when those singles come out later this year.

Dsalyss Hexx: I’m a weird leftist, I moved to Portland on purpose for the music scene. I wouldn’t say Portland influences my music so much as Portland scene works well with our views and outlook on life.

Agatha Hexx: That’s a great question. We’re not for everyone. Hexxes embraces all lives, all loves, all genders, colors, religions (or lack of.) If you feel differently – and you know who you are - stay the fuck away from our shows.

Josef Desade: Do you have any advice for any readers who may be musicians just starting out?

Dsalyss Hexx: Don’t be discouraged, practice a lot, be prepared for mishaps, keep at it.

Scarlett Hexx: Yeah. Be yourself. Do what comes naturally and don't try to fit into a mold.

Agatha Hexx: Do the thing that makes you feel. Ignore what anyone else says - it’s never too early, or too late to get started. And never give up. Raw talent is a myth, and music is a language – if you put enough time and energy into learning it, you will become fluent.

Josef Desade: As we wind up this interview, do you have any projects in the works that you would like to tell our readers about?

Dsalyss Hexx: With Hexxes I am working on some new tracks where I’m the guitarist. Outside of this band my other The Secret Light is wrapping up a multi-year long second album it’s very intense and a big progression from our debut EP Mirror Mirror.

Agatha Hexx: In another world, perhaps. We’ll see!

Scarlett Hexx: More HEXXES to come!

HEXXES: Have a great day!


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