[Note: I received this strange interview way-back-when (pre-2000). I recently re-discovered it and decided it might be fun to answer it now... for some reason they thought we were a band, so I answered it as such. I guess the interview was a bit prophetic though, little did I know it at the time, we would release a music project (Primitive Supremacy) some years later! (I guess I should say to avoid confusion, I didn't really send this interview!)]

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[Above: HellMaiden-Guitars/HellBeast-Drums]

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Hellraiser: Who chose the name? Why?

Hell-o Hellraiser! The drummer chose the name actually. He felt it was a great name to represent his love for the modern world and a way to express his heartfelt thanks to society in general. In a quasi-galactic-pseudo-metaphysical-faux kinda way, of course.

What is lacking from the underground scene in America?

Well I think car companies should start signing black metal bands and promoting concerts for one. I also think that bands like Slayer would be great for laptop television commercials. Black/death metal bands should definitely sign up for the next Rock Band video game so that children and budding teens can learn-how-to-pretend to play their songs. Further, bands should contribute their music to video games so that the genre can be made fun of. Pentagrams should be turned into heart-a-grams and become a popular fad. Our once blessed mainstream reviled music should be embraced by idiots and lemmings everywhere! Oh wait, all of this has already happened! Everything is great!

How do most people respond to your music?

Well, you are pretty much the only person that has found out that Mourning the Ancient is a band, so not very well. I imagine though after this interview is published we will be involved in all of the splendor of the above mentioned underground goodies.

What's the craziest place you played?

We don't play live because our drummer is not allowed in venues due to stupid, racist codes.

Any favorite hangout?

Being as metal is in our blood, we used to like to hang out at a bowling alley/bar when various metal acts would occasionally play. Over the years bands like Overkill, Obituary, Deicide, Nuclear Assault, Morgoth, Kreator, Sacred Reich, Immolation and even Ronnie James Dio! But alas, they tore it down and built a Walmart there! No shit.

If Lovecraft were alive what bands do you think would be his favorites?

Well, that is quite a trick question! At first thought, one would scour one's memory for bands that deal with Cthulhu and the Ancient Ones. Bands like Morbid Angel certainly come to mind. However! What makes us think that he would like our brand of music at all? Being as he died in 1937, about 44 years before 1981 and our beloved Venom's Welcome to Hell. He probably liked symphony music and might even have a heart attack, if say, waiting at a red light in traffic, we pulled up next to him and he heard David Vincent screaming:

"Ghouls attack the church!
Crush the holy priest!
Turning the cross toward hell!
Writhe in Satan's flames!

And all the while my drummer and I, huge cheesy grins on our faces, banging our heads, chanting along verbatim.

What band do you think started the death metal phenomenon?

Well, I suppose that would be a matter of opinion. Of which I really have none.

What scares you the most?

See answer number two!

OK, so there was no number nine! But I had to give a shout out to all my peeps in the TRUE underground. And I'd just like to say that we are totally true, elite, wintery, dark and blackest fucking evil. We don't use wimpy female vocals. In fact we are so anti-human, so anti-trend that we don't use any vocals at all. Oh sorry, I meant vo-Kills. (Please change it before your zine goes to print) Did I mention we are totally evil and totally fucking anti-everything! Make sure you check us out on myspace.com, facebook and twitter. And don't forget to buy our new CD (limited edition, of course) on Amazon and everywhere else totally true underground stuff is sold.