KETZER RECORDS

Label Name : KETZER RECORDS
Country:Germany
Started in : 1999

Orientation : Black Metal/Ambient
Label Manager: Alex Hehnle

Interview of Alex Hehnle the Label Manager of Ketzer Records an underground Black Metal/Ambient label from Germany :"Theres only 1 thing which is needed.i need to like the music.nothing more or less. I don´t look at trends or anything else."

Hello Alex, please introduce yourself in brief?
At first many thanx for this intie!!!
I´m 28 years old (soon 29) metal freak.

Do you run other activities than your label?
I have a normal job and in my free time I do my distro/label, but sometimes my hobby needs more time then my normal job.
Hopefully I can do some gigs in future too. But at the moment I busy enough with my label/mailorder.

What are your present and past underground activities?
At the moment I do a label/mailorder. It's called KETZER RECORDS
In the past I do tape trading and such things.

Could you make a bio of Ketzer Records?
I start all in ´94 as a distro. In this time I have only very small items in my list.
I start it because I want support bands I like. With time it became bigger and bigger.
In ´99 I was thinking to start a label .and so later I get the change to made a tape -version of IMPENDING DOOM - SIGNUM OF HATE
And so the label starts
You can find a list of all my release at my website.

Ketzer in English means heretic (please correct me if I'm wrong), Why did you choose that name? Are you antichristian or Satanist?
Yes you're right the name means heretic in English.
When I choose this name I want a hard sounding German name for my distro, because all labels in Germany use English names back in this time. So I want to be different.
So I used this name. Be sure still people watch at me when I go to post office and
Get some mail with KETZER on it.
I don't want label myself as antichrist or Satanist. I have some interested in paganism.
But too personal to write down.

Your label is more oriented into black and dark metal music, is there any particular reason to that and maybe some changes in the future?
I release only stuff which I personally like. It was in the last years mostly black or pagan metal bands. I also like death metal (as you can see at my release BLOOD -MASSACRE "7 /it was a very big honour for me to do this great band!!!)
With Vinterriket I release an ambient project.
I have plans for my next 3 release but after this I can't tell what I will release after this.
So all is possible.

What are the main features that a band has to have to get signed by Ketzer records?
Theres only 1 thing which is needed. I need to like the music.nothing more or less. I don't look at trends or anything else.

What can you offer for the bands that you work with? Do you pay for studio recording sessions? If yes can you tell us how much?
At the moment I press cd´s in 2000 copies and try to promote them as good as possible like : 10.000 printed flyers , some adds …..
It is always different to pay studio costs. so I can't tell I pay that much for each release.

How do you promote your stuffs? Do you think it is worth to promote them in smaller fanzines?
I'm a big fan of small zines. it´s nothing better to read at the toilet hehe
So many of my promo stuff goes also to smaller zines and in many countries.
The only problem at the moment is that there are too many zines around.
I get every day 1 or 2 requests on promo stuff. So it's very hard to choose the best of them. I always try to sent promo stuff but my promos are not unlimited

We noticed that most of the bands that you release albums for come from European countries such as Germany, Holland, Russia, Ukraine, Sweden…. And also bands that come from the America's like USA and Brazil. Do you plan in the coming future of including artists from other regions (e.g Africa and Asia)?
If I like a band I don't watch in which country they live. I think there some really
Great bands in Asia (like impiety or surrender of divinity).about Africa I don't know that many bands from there. But I think all is possible. so I'm open for all.

Cirith Gorgor is a band signed under Ketzer Records. They are featured in the first volume of the lelahel metal compilation. What do you think about this release? And what about Litham and Kaoteon (the 2 Arab bands that are featured in it)?
I think it's a really good underground release. Its professional printed and looks very good. Hopefully it will spread very well. And I hope CG will get some new fans in new countries.
I was really surprised about the quality of litham and kaotean.both songs are Very good. so I hope I have the change to listen more of both bands!!!

You are from Germany, What do you think about the current metal scene in your country? Can you recommend us some bands?
I thinck it´s really strong scene here in germany.many active people around.
Of course there some very good bands around. I think I write some bands with cd release like: lunar aurora, pugatory, desaster, nagelfar….

What are the next plans for the label?
My next plans are: lux ferre (por) antichristian war propaganda cd (comes very soon)
After this I will release the 3rd cd of German pest.
For next year I have planned the cd of ares wrath from Brazil.
More I haven't planned yet. Maybe some vinyl version of my current release but nothing sure at the moment.

Many thanks for this interview, your last words?
Also many thank for give me the space to promote my label!!!
So if any band is interesting in a trade write me!!!!!

Stay metal!!!

Interview by Lelahel

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