Hellkern Warriors
Hellkern Warriors take listeners on a cinematic journey through neon-lit streets, industrial landscapes, and restless motion. In this interview, the band explores the inspirations, themes, and creative vision behind “Rain, Steam and Speed.”
1. “Rain, Steam and Speed” paints a vivid picture of neon-lit streets, restless motion, and urban mystery. What inspired the song’s concept, and what story are you telling through its lyrics and atmosphere?
With Rain, Steam and Speed, our intention was never to tell a conventional story. Instead, we wanted to capture a specific mood and an emotional state. The song takes place in a fictional city somewhere between reality and imagination—a place filled with rain, steam, neon lights, and endless streets.
At its core, the song is about the feeling of constantly moving forward without ever truly arriving. The city becomes a symbol of our modern world: fascinating, full of energy and possibilities, yet at the same time anonymous, overwhelming, and difficult to escape. The lyrics reflect this tension between movement, longing, and the search for orientation.
Another personal influence comes from Tom, who lives in Berlin—a vibrant metropolis whose atmosphere became a major source of inspiration for the song. While writing, he found himself wondering how a city like Berlin might evolve in the future and how technological developments could shape both everyday life and the way people perceive the world around them.
The decisive spark, however, came from J. M. W. Turner’s painting Rain, Steam and Speed – The Great Western Railway. What fascinated us most is how a work created in 1844 still feels remarkably contemporary, anticipating themes such as speed, technological progress, and uncertainty in an astonishing way.
2. The track combines driving riffs, pounding rhythms, and darkwave textures into a highly energetic experience. How did you approach balancing the song’s intensity with the cinematic qualities that define Hellkern Warriors?
From the very beginning, we wanted Rain, Steam and Speed to feel like the soundtrack to a film that doesn’t actually exist. Every musical element has its own role: the bass and drums provide a constant sense of forward motion, the guitars create tension and energy, while the analog synthesizers drift through the mix like steam or distant signals, adding atmosphere and spatial depth.
The thunder at the beginning also plays an important role. It opens the world of the song like the first scene of a film, immediately placing the listener into an unstable, electrically charged environment before the music even begins.
Our goal was to combine organic energy with a more mechanical and industrial sonic aesthetic. At the same time, we wanted movement, decay, and stillness to coexist within the music. The song should feel like an endless journey through a fictional city at night—fast, loud, and full of energy, yet with no real way out. That constant tension between movement and stillness, fascination and threat, defines the entire song for us.
3. The title immediately evokes movement and momentum. What does “speed” symbolize for you in this song—escape, freedom, desire, or something else entirely?
For us, speed deliberately carries several different meanings. It can symbolize freedom, curiosity, and progress, but also restlessness, pressure, and the constant demand to move faster and faster.
It also represents the rapid acceleration of technology and society. Technological and social developments continue to move at an ever-increasing pace, often creating the feeling that this momentum is becoming almost impossible to control, regardless of the area of life.
In Rain, Steam and Speed, speed becomes both a driving force and a trap. The faster we move, the harder it sometimes becomes to recognize where the journey is actually leading. That ambiguity was one of the central ideas we wanted to explore.
4. As an international project with members spread across Germany, Italy, and Colombia, how did the creative process for “Rain, Steam and Speed” unfold? Did the distance influence the final result in any way?
Absolutely. Hellkern Warriors was conceived from the very beginning as an international project rather than a traditional band centered around a rehearsal room. Instead, each member contributes whenever time and creativity allow them to be fully present in the creative process.
Everyone brings their own musical influences, listening habits, and personal experiences into the project. We see this diversity as one of our greatest strengths. Rather than limiting our collaboration, the geographical distance has allowed different perspectives to shape our music.
The creative process usually begins with Tom presenting a new song idea to the band. Mauricio then develops the drum tracks, followed by Tom recording guitars and vocals. Fabian adds the bass, before Kabal completes the sonic landscape with his analog synthesizers. Finally, everything is mixed at Artgot Studio, where additional sound design and atmospheric effects are added to complete the production.
5. The imagery of rain, steam, rusty steel, and neon lights creates a striking visual world. Were there any particular films, books, artworks, or real-life experiences that helped shape the song’s aesthetic?
The most obvious inspiration was, of course, J. M. W. Turner’s painting Rain, Steam and Speed – The Great Western Railway. What fascinated us most was that a painting created in 1844 still feels surprisingly modern, anticipating themes such as speed, technological progress, and uncertainty.
Beyond that, we are generally inspired by cities at night, industrial architecture, and dystopian cinematic worlds. We’re fascinated by places where beauty and decay exist side by side. That’s why Rain, Steam and Speed doesn’t describe a real location—it creates its own cinematic world.
6. “Rain, Steam and Speed” is another step forward for Hellkern Warriors. What can fans expect next from the project, and does this track offer any clues about the direction of future releases?
Yes, we believe this song clearly points toward the direction we’re taking as a band. At the moment, we’re working intensively on our debut album, where we plan to further develop the atmosphere and themes introduced in Rain, Steam and Speed.
Analog synthesizers, driving guitars, cinematic soundscapes, and emotional as well as abstract storytelling will continue to play a central role in our music. With every song, we want to take listeners on a journey into new worlds, moods, and emotional landscapes.
Each song opens the door to a different world, telling its own story while leaving space for personal interpretation.
At the same time, we don’t want to repeat ourselves. Every new release should offer a unique atmosphere and a different perspective. Our goal isn’t simply to release individual songs, but to gradually build a musical universe that listeners can return to and immerse themselves in again and again.