HANKER - Leap Of Faith
by Allan Grusie

Right out of the gate, Web Of Faith, the first release from Hanker on their new label, Skyscraper, hits you like a ton of bricks and doesn't let up. What these talented guys from Quebec offer up is classic old school metal, given the treatment for 2004. We had the opportunity to talk to frontman Pascal Cliche about the new release, Web Of Faith.

First, a brief historical perspective on Hanker is in order. The band has been together since 1985 in one form or another. «Actually Patrick (Gravel - guitarist) and I have been friends since kindergarten. From the beginning we had always dreamed about making music, first influenced by The Beatles, and then Iron Maiden and AC/DC when heavy metal came about. I remember that we liked everything about heavy metal, the aggressiveness, the lyrics and that the music had balls.»

Not newcomers by any stretch, the band has had previous releases including a self-released demo back in 1991, In Our World, The Dead Ringer and Snakes And Ladders. When asked about availability of the past releases, some of which are very hard to find currently, the open response from Pascal was «For now they (Skyscraper) are putting their efforts into Web Of Faith, but as things go forward, they may reissue the prior three albums.»

Pascal offers up his assessment of Web Of Faith and the straight-on metallic assault. «We like the sound of it, the production, the guitars; everything sounds very metal this time. Many bands have claimed to invent something new, but let's face it, there is very little to invent in heavy metal. We haven't invented anything new, but have tried to do the best songs we can.»

One major difference in 2004 is that the album was produced by Jean-François Dagenais from the Canadian death metal band Kataklysm. Pascal observes, «That was the first time we recorded with a real 'metal' guy. For the first three CDs we were working with people who were talented in what they do, but were only somewhat familiar with the sound we were going for. It is always easy to say that the new CD is the best we have made, but in this case it is also produced better.»

Did the fact the J-F comes from a heavier background, material-wise, come into play? Pascal chuckles and states, «Actually during the mixing of the drum tracks for one of the songs, he commented to us that he felt the drum mix was a little too loud. So we burned the song onto CD, took it to one of our cars and went for a drive. He was right. The drums were too loud, but when he mixed it he was mixing in Kataklysm mode. It was very funny to hear him say that the drums were too loud. We didn't figure it out right away, but he did. That is the mark of a pro.»

In addition, the band had the songs worked out ahead of time. As a result, they were able to lay down the tracks over an intense two week period. «We were on fire. We started writing songs over a year ago. Even though we had no contract at the time, we had almost half of the album ready. So recording them was easy for us.»

Changing gears, we talked about the significance of the title, Web Of Faith. «It comes in relation to the expression 'web of lies'. In the songs I'm talking about how peoples' faith and beliefs cross. The basis of every religion is about good actions, yet history shows that we fight and have wars over these beliefs. Although the album is not a concept album, most of the songs have elements of this idea. As a theme you could say that while we are on this Earth, do good actions, and don't be an asshole.»

He offers up the tale of how they came to be on Skyscaper; «We were opening for Nightwish in Montreal and someone from the record company was there to take a look at the show. The crowd was right into our set, singing along to all the songs and enjoying themselves. I think it was weird for Nightwish, because they heard the response and knew that they would really have to put on a strong show.»

This is the way to get noticed. Shortly thereafter while performing on a bill with Anvil they got a break. «Backstage, we met with Skyscraper Records. We told them of our bad luck, (record company bankruptcy as the big one), but that we have a lot of music left in us. Skycraper were equally as honest to us, saying that they will make no promises but will do everything we can to take the band further than they are.» Which is about as much as one could expect in this day and age of the instant «false idol».

Recently, Hanker played in Europe at the Headbangers Festival in Germany. «We had so much fun. We played the Headbangers Open Air on the Friday and were the last band of the evening. There were 1,500 people there and they went crazy, singing along and getting into our music. We had been selling a lot of CDs in Germany for a long time, and we were wondering if this was for real. So at the end of the night we were signing autographs and couldn't believe how many people had our stuff; it really was crazy. We would like to go back next year and actually make a tour out of it and stay a little longer. Going there this year was more than we expected.»

We talked about the topic of influences, throwing forward the obvious one that most reviews point towards: Jag Panzer. Pascal responds, «That is a funny story, because I hear that often. But honestly, I think I know of only two songs from Jag Panzer. This goes back some time, but even when we released The Dead Ringer, reviews from Germany said that we had kept our Jag Panzer influence. We had a good laugh over this, so I had to listen to some of their songs to see why the comparison. Although there are some similarities I really don't hear it. But, I still don't have any of their CDs.»

But in terms of actual influences... «We are all into different stuff. Our drummer, Luc Guay is into progressive metal, like Dream Theater, while our bassist Denis Cossette, is into more aggressive stuff. And growing up together, Patrick and I like the same kind of stuff, from The Beatles on the light side to Maiden on the heavier side. One thing is certain, when you write and play music, it has to be real. People are not stupid; they know if what you are playing is not in your heart, if you are faking it.»

The artwork on the CD cover is a definite improvement for Hanker, giving the disc excellent visual presentation. The cover features a male with a weave of cables protruding from his arm sockets and a beam of light skyward from (or to) his head. «We wanted a computer-generated cover for the CD, no dragons or the like. So we worked with a designer to come up with the perfect image.» When asked about the significance of the cables, Pascal says that «the internet is the new God, the new Jesus if you will. You can find all the answers you need with a few clicks, but you are not sure if the answers are true or myth. A lot like religion.»

Source: BW&BK magazine (Brave Words & Bloody Knuckles) #85 page 63, January/February 2005