Interviews: Hands Upon Salvation

On this new occasion, we have had the opportunity to interview the Hardcore/Metal band, Hands Upòn Salvation, from Indonesia. Check out the interview and follow the band on their FACEBOOK PAGE.

1. Where did you get the idea for the band name, you planned it or came out just like that?

Yudhist: Maybe the other guys knows better than me hahaha.

Agus: We were called “Destruct” back then, after that we learned that there are another band who also got the same name. Then around 2001 I decided to changed it, I wanted the new name to have a deeper feeling, some kind of spiritual approach to it, so the name “Hands Upon Salvation” came out and I just thought that no one will use the same name again.

2. Why did you want to play this genre?

Agus: During the mid 90’s to early 05, the hardcore scene was exploded with tons of good spirited and passionated hardcore bands incorporated heavy and darker metallic influences to their music. I grew up listening to them, inspired by them, and I just want to play that kind of music. Basically, we’re all fans of both hardcore and metal music and we just want to play the same music and energy that got us inspired.

Yudhist: I really enjoy to play this kind of music.

3. Did you know each other before the band was formed?

Yudhist: I knew Yuan before I join the band.

Agus: Yup, me and our bassplayer Daru are friends from highschool, we were on the same class for 3 years. We both started our first band in 1996, broke up, and then started another band together, graduated highschool, split-up, lost contact for couple years, then he came back during his college years, and today we are band-mates for more than 20 years. For another members, we found each other from time to time, we are all friends from the same scene, Yogyakarta. 4. Each band member favourite band?

Yudhist: Plini, Periphery. 

Yuan: Heaven Shall Burn, August Burns Red, The Haunted, Feared, At The Gates, Maroon.

Agus: I grew up listening to Day Of Suffering, Undying, Liar, Congress, Deformity, Arkangel, Morning Again, Statecraft, Unbroken, Point Of No Return, Absence, and many more. Both our guitar players seems to worship more metal influences ranging from 90s deathmetal to recent technical-prog stuff, our drummer grew up listening more from jazz to hardcore to pop-punk and everything in between. Seems like all the members got various favourite bands and inspirations.

5. Who or what inspires you to write songs?

Yuan: It’s random, I don’t know, they just came out of my head.

Yudhist: All things in my mind and eyes.

Agus: All other members are far more responsible for the musical creativity of the band, seems to me that they’re all just natural born musicians. As for me, I wrote the lyrics.

6. Where was your last gig?

Yuan: One Family One Brotherhood #9, Yogyakarta, Indonesia.

Yudhist: 24 August 2020, I played with other band.

Agus: Beside with HUS, almost all of us also played with other bands. The last gigs with HUS was an annual hardcore festival in our hometown, last year if I’m not mistaken. After the whole Cov19 pandemic sweeping the world, practically the whole gigs activities are shutdown in our hometown.

7. Where would you like to act?

Yuan: Wacken Open Air.

Yudhist: Wherever I’m able to play.

Agus: Bloodaxe Fest in Japan, Ieperfest in Belgium, TIHC in US, and much more I can dream of.

8. Whom would you like to feature with?

Yudhist: Plini.

Yuan: Ola Englund, JB Brubaker, Adam Jarvis, Uya from LastElise.

Agus: I haven’t got anyone on my mind yet.

9. Whom not?

Yudhist: Kekeyi.

Yuan: Justin Bieber.

Agus: Same as before, I haven’t got anyone on my mind yet.

10. Any of you has ever suffered from stage fright? Any tip for beginners on how to beat that? 

Yuan: You need to socialize much more, meeting new people as much as possible, create new links any way you can. Try to get more and more gigs and you’ll get used to it.

Yudhist: No, I just love to enjoy the whole moment to entertain everyone. 

Agus: Not that I know of, I’m the one who used to come out quiet mostly. Tips? just be natural, you’ll find yourself and you’ll find your own strength and weaknesses.

11. What bands have inspired you the most?

Yudhist: Periphery.

Yuan: Heaven Shall Burn, August Burns Red, Toto, Misery Index.

Agus: Day Of Suffering, Undying, Liar, Congress, Deformity, Arkangel, Morning Again, Statecraft, Unbroken, Point Of No Return, Absence, and many more.

12. What's the weirdest thing a fan has ever asked you for?

Yudhist: Never yet.

Yuan: Never yet.

Agus: Once upon a time, someone said to me “How come you never played any huge fest in Indonesia?”, I just answered him directly “Maybe they just don’t have the gut, probably they’re afraid that we might hit their stage too hard”.

13. What do you think of your fans?

Yuan: Do we even have a fan? Lol, we’re more like a myth rather than a band. 

Yudhist: They’re my family.

Agus: Personally to me, I considered them more than just “fans”. Cause basically I like to get to know them further.

14. What do you think of our site? 

Yudhist: Nice.

Agus: Love breathingthecore.com, just so much informations I could dig of, just love to find unknown bands, new sounds, and everything. Just stay stronger, keep up the good job, and never got tired of supporting the music, the scene, and everything in between.

15. Something add?

Yudhist: I just hope that the band will release a new album soon.

Yuan: Just buy and download our albums. All of them.

Agus: Hi to the rest of the world, hope to find much more friends out there, thanks so much for having us here.