German metallers WRITHEN HILT recently dropped their debut EP “Ancient Sword Cult” and it was a huge hit for us here at TheNWOTHM. We sat down with the band to get the inside scoop on WRITHEN HILT.
TheNwothm: Hello from us here at TheNWOTHM! First off, if you could introduce your band, where you’re from and who’s a part of it.
Jendrik: Writhen Hilt, that’s David on Vocals, Steffen on Bass, Lauritz on Drums and myself, Jendrik, on Guitar. We are from Braunschweig, Germany and just released our first EP titled “Ancient Sword Cult” in February. We have worked on this release for the last couple of years until we were fully happy with the result and I think I can speak for all of us when I say that the reactions so far make every hour put into it absolutely worth it. We are thrilled that the EP is finally out and people seem to enjoy it a lot.
TheNwothm: You’re all former members of Booze Control. Was the evolution from that style of heavy metal toward Writhen Hilt’s own a sudden shift or a more gradual process?
David: We ended Booze Control in late 2019 because we felt that we had done what we wanted to do with the band and because as a songwriter, I felt constrained to a certain extent by the legacy the band had. So the first step after disbanding was to take a break, get some distance, clear the head. That was right when the pandemic hit, which certainly slowed things down for us. We didn’t meet in person for quite some time back then. Eventually, we started talking about forming something new, writing new songs, and also about how to push the boundaries that we previously had set for ourselves. It wasn’t until 2023 that we actually started calling this a band and looking for a name. We discussed various possible lineup changes, but ultimately decided to stay in this formation where we have the great luxury of knowing how everyone thinks and works.
TheNwothm: How did you land on the name Writhen Hilt? What were some of the options?
David: Oh boy, that was a long journey. We’ve been literally brainstorming for months, making list after list with candidates, nothing ever seemed like the perfect fit. We considered Savage Pact for a while, from the second “Mountain” verse, but that didn’t seem to hit the right note, and is dangerously close to Savage Oath who we knew would release around the same time. Argent Crypt from the “Death Undone” lyrics was another idea, though a touch too doomy Crypt-Sermon-esque. In the end, we set a deadline and took a vote, and Writhen Hilt made the cut.
TheNwothm: Besides music, are there any films or characters who might have influenced Writhen Hilt in some way?
Jendrik: All four of us take their part in songwriting and we all have our own influences of course from the different types of books, games, movies… etc. we prefer. You will obviously find a lot of epic storytelling in our preferences, talking Tolkien, Erikson, Moorcock and the likes. But generally we are all working under the premise, that inspiration can come from basically anything. Be it an awesome phrase in some song, a verse in a poem or some ancient painting. Since the stories on “Ancient Sword Cult” are all our own I don’t think there are characters or movies which influenced these specifically, and I think I actually prefer this since it gives us much more freedom in the writing as we do not have any obligation to some base material.
TheNwothm: What are your favourite albums?
Jendrik: Sometimes I wish that would not change every couple of weeks… But currently I am stuck on the new “The Wizards”-release and also keep the older ones on repeat in between.
David: Let’s try a Top 5, in no particular order: Lunar Shadow – Far From Light, Solstice – New Dark Age, Warlord – Deliver Us, Fates Warning – Awaken The Guardian, Rainbow’s debut, and the thing that comes out when you put the first four Manowar albums into a particle collider and hit the button. That’s Top 6-and-a-half then, can’t do any less than that.
TheNwothm: Germany has one of the largest metal scenes in the world. How does it feel to be a part of such a big community?
Jendrik: I can’t really compare this to other countries since I lived in Germany my whole life. But being able to visit metal shows every week if you’re so inclined, never having to travel more than an hour or two maximum to nearly any band that’s on tour and meeting all kind of other bands from the other side of the country on the regular, since someone is always playing around the corner, thats quite awesome and I would not want to miss it.
TheNwothm: What are your favourite types of swords?
David: Oakeshott XVIIIb types have to be my favourite. If you wanna gift me something, the Albion Regent would be great, thank you! The band name was inspired by the Writhen Hilted Sword, a historic piece in the Royal Armouries, so this one is certainly one to mention as well. And then you’ll find more swords from the German Blades Museum Solingen in our logos.
TheNwothm: Besides music, what do you typically do during your free time?
David: I’ve recently founded a game development studio and am working on a PC game called Bladesong – take the role of blacksmith and design swords down the detail. Our drummer Lauritz is involved in that as well as a writer. The song “Sorcerer’s Gate” was inspired by the setting we’re crafting here.
TheNwothm: Is there anywhere in the world that is a bucket list tour destination for you?
Jendrik: At this point, there is probably no country we would not like to visit if the opportunity presents itself. When talking to other bands, of course everyone has their favourite place to play but there is never any mention of a country or city where people aren’t going crazy during their live shows.
TheNwothm: What are your favourite foods?
Jendrik: I won’t say the band, at least when we all meet, runs entirely on junk food but I also won’t say it doesn’t.
David: I’ll go for a good Shahi Korma here.
TheNwothm: I was the one who reviewed “Ancient Sword Cult”, and was a huge fan of it (9/10 rating!). What’s next for Writhen Hilt?
Jendrik: We have a couple of awesome shows coming up later this year and beginning of next year and we are currently working hard on extending our set beyond those songs already released on “Ancient Sword Cult”. When and on which type of medium these new songs will see the light of day besides our live set, we can’t reveal just yet. But there is also new merch coming up which we can hopefully announce quite soon.
David: Speaking of live set, we just got confirmation that we’ll support one of our favourite bands in Hamburg in August, and then we’re pretty damn excited to play Black Forest, Keep It True Rising and Up The Hammers!
TheNwothm: Where can fans buy your merch and support your music?
David: We are going to sell what we have at live shows for the most part, hope to see you there! For all things shipping, we are relying on our label Jawbreaker Records and their distribution network.
Jendrik: All our stuff is best found on writhenhilt.bandcamp.com, but there are also many other shops out there through which you can get our music. Also, check out the other stuff from Jawbreaker because it is awesome.
TheNwothm: Is there anything else you’d like to add?
David: The reactions to our EP were overwhelming, and we certainly did not see that coming. So thank you very, very much for supporting Writhen Hilt and see you at a show!
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/writhenhilt
Bandcamp: https://writhenhilt.bandcamp.com/
