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Blackened death metal band HKSPK share their story on how they got their namesake, formation, debut album expected to be released this fall, with plenty of plans set for playing shows, touring, and much else in the works! The band talks of all of this below.
1. Where did you get the idea for the band name, you planned it or did it come out just like that?
The name was definitely not planned. Back in 2023 we were in Berlin to buy some new music equipment. On the way to the shop, we passed an underground s** shop with a window completely covered in stickers.
One of them showed Hello Kitty in a latex outfit with the words “I know your fetish, you sick bastard”. We thought the combination was so absurd, stupid and funny that we started building a band name around that image. That is how HELLOKITTISCUMPORNKILLER was born.
Later we shortened it to HKSPK for social media and because, to be fair, it is a lot easier to remember and type. In hindsight the ridiculous name was probably a lucky accident. People remember it.
2. Why did you want to play this genre?
Black and Death Metal are simply the genres we listen to ourselves. What we like about them is that you can combine very direct aggression with melody and atmosphere without making everything unnecessarily complicated.
We never wanted to write technical music just for the sake of showing what we can play. We like riffs and arrangements that are relatively simple but stick in your head.
3. Did you know each other before the band was formed?
Arne and I already knew each other because our fathers have been friends for many years. We had met at concerts and other occasions before. In summer 2023 we met again at a Metal event called Peppery Stage. That was also the first time I met Leon.
At the time Arne and Leon already had a band, but things were moving pretty slowly because they had no singer. I was experimenting a lot with Black and Death Metal vocals, so I asked them if they wanted to have a jam session.
At the first rehearsal we mostly played some simple Black Metal covers. At the second rehearsal we already wrote our first proper song, which later became “Holy Scum”. So, things moved pretty quickly from there.
4. Where is the band based out of and what is your music scene like there? Are there any local bands you could recommend?
We are from Brandenburg in eastern Germany, around Frankfurt (Oder), very close to the Polish border. The scene here is not huge, which makes the people who actually organize shows, festivals and small underground events even more important.
There are a lot of people doing things themselves instead of waiting for some big structure to appear. If I had to recommend a few bands from the region, I would say Killing Mania, Granit Antler, Scavenger and Nuclear Genocide.
5. Who or what inspires you to write songs?
It can be almost anything. Other bands obviously influence us. Eisregen had quite a big influence on the way we started writing lyrics from more of a storytelling perspective and also on using German more often.
But a lot of ideas come from things that actually happened to us, stories from people around us or historical events that we then exaggerate until they work as a song.
Sometimes it is much simpler than that. Someone comes to rehearsal with a riff, we like it, and suddenly there is a new song.
6. What are your songs about? (What specific themes do they cover?)
That changes a lot from song to song. On “Heimkehr” we deal with things like war, loss, revenge, memory, friendship, mental exhaustion and collapse.
The album is not one continuous story. Some songs are based on things we experienced ourselves, some come from stories around us and others use historical themes. We usually take reality and exaggerate it until it fits the music.
Our older songs could also be much more absurd. We like playing with the seriousness and clichés of Black Metal without turning HKSPK into a comedy band.
7. Do you write your own songs? (Discuss the songwriting process in detail.)
Yes. We write everything ourselves. There is no strict formula for songwriting. Usually somebody has a first riff or a basic idea and then we start building around it together.
The character of a song often appears very early. More riffs, melodies and parts get added step by step depending on what feels right.
A melody works for us when it fits the character of the song and, ideally, when we still have it stuck in our heads after rehearsal. All three of us are involved in composing and arranging the songs. We also produce the music ourselves.
We don't try to make things complicated just because we can. If a simple riff works, then it works.
8. What have you released so far and what can someone expect from your works?
Our first full-length album was “Holy Scum” in 2024, followed by the “The Human Butcher” EP in 2025. Since then, we released “Torture” and “Rot in Despair” from the new album.
“Heimkehr” comes out on September 11, 2026.
I think the easiest way to describe our development is that the music has become darker and more personal.
“Heimkehr” has eight songs and runs for just over 25 minutes. It starts very aggressively with short and direct songs, but the further you get into the album, the darker, longer and more atmospheric everything becomes.
So, hearing only “Torture” or “Rot in Despair” does not really tell you what the whole album sounds like.
9. Do you have any new music in the works?
We always have ideas. After finishing “Heimkehr” we actually said that we did not want to release another album anytime soon. But we are also terrible at making promises like that. If the ideas are there, there is no reason to sit around and wait just because we told ourselves we should.
10. How about playing shows and touring, have anything planned out?
There is no full album tour confirmed at the moment. What we want is simply to play as many good shows as possible with the new material and get onto more festival stages.
We have already played shows in Germany and the Czech Republic and shared stages with bands like Asagraum, Enisum and Waldgeflüster.
There are more shows coming, and we are also working on 2027.
11. What plans do you have for the rest of this year?
First of all, releasing “Heimkehr” on September 11, 2027. There is a lot happening around the album with press, interviews, radio and shows. After that the focus goes back to playing live and building towards 2027.
We are still completely independent, so there is always something happening behind the scenes as well. Merch, videos, rehearsals, organizing things and writing new ideas never really stop.
12. Where can we find you online, listen to your band and where can we buy your stuff?
The easiest place to start is our website:
You can find us on Spotify, YouTube, Bandcamp, Instagram and Facebook from there.
“Heimkehr” will be available on all the usual streaming platforms on September 11, 2027!
We are also doing a limited CD edition of 50 copies through Bandcamp, and our merch is available directly through the band.
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