Hellkern Warriors
Hellkern Warriors explore the dark sonic realms of Gothic Rock, Darkwave, and electronic music, discussing “Zone 329,” international collaborations, cinematic atmospheres, and their evolving musical universe.
1. “Zone 329” takes listeners into a hypnotic, nocturnal world where dark guitar textures, electronic pulses, and atmospheric synths merge. What inspired the concept of Zone 329, and how did you translate its mysterious atmosphere into music?
“Zone 329” grew out of the idea of an underground club that exists somewhere between reality and another dimension. It is a place that comes alive between 3 AM and 9 AM — a world where time seems to lose its meaning and the outside world gradually fades away.
What particularly fascinated me was the wordplay behind the title: 329 stands for “3 AM to 9 AM.” These two times became the starting point for a code of our own and, ultimately, the concept of Zone 329.
The recurring chant, “Three! Two! Nine!”, functions like an access code, drawing the listener deeper and deeper into this mysterious world.
For me, this time frame represents more than just a few hours on the clock. It describes a world in between, where the night has not quite ended and the morning has not fully begun. The boundaries between reality and imagination begin to blur. In this sense, “Zone 329” is also a metaphor for temporarily escaping everyday life — losing yourself in the rhythm, the lights, and the sound, and stepping into another world for a few hours.
I wanted listeners to experience more than just a club track. I wanted them to feel as if they were entering another dimension.
2. The track evokes the hours between 3 AM and 9 AM, when reality seems to dissolve beneath the lights of an underground club. What does this particular setting represent to you, and how did you approach creating such a cinematic listening experience?
These hours represent a strange transition between night and morning. At 3 AM, the world outside the club seems distant and almost unreal. Most people would normally be heading home at that time. By 9 AM, daylight returns, and the experience slowly draws to a close.
I was fascinated by the idea of immersing the listener in this temporary world for longer than usual — a place where the ordinary rules seem to no longer apply. A special place, a special experience.
We approached the track almost like a film scene. The accompanying music video on YouTube captures this idea quite well. The driving rhythm creates the movement of the club, while the synths and guitar textures shape its atmosphere. The spoken-style vocals in the verses give the song a mysterious, almost ritualistic quality and contribute to its hypnotic pulse.
The arrangement also needed its own dramatic development. In the quieter bridge, the powerful drums recede while electronic sounds gradually build the tension. This moment gives the listener room to breathe before the driving rhythm returns, pulling them back into the intensity of the night and the club.
3. Your latest single features BloodyBite from Germany’s Radio Hazzard of Darkness, whose distinctive female vocals add another dimension to the song. How did this collaboration come about, and what did her voice bring to the track that you hadn’t imagined before?
Hellkern Warriors had already been played several times by BloodyBite on Radio Hazzard of Darkness, so we were familiar with each other. At some point, she also sent me one of her own songs. When I heard her voice, I had the idea that adding female vocals could make “Zone 329” more interesting and give the track another dimension.
I thought her voice would create an exciting contrast with the dark electronic sounds, the guitars, and my own spoken-style vocals. So I asked her whether she would be interested in contributing to “Zone 329.”
Her vocal contribution adds something special to the atmosphere of the song. It expands its sonic world without changing its dark and hypnotic character. For me, much of the track’s appeal lies in the interplay between different vocal textures and the driving instrumental arrangement. This makes the world of “Zone 329” feel even more vivid and multifaceted.
4. With Mauricio Castro contributing synthesizers, drums, and production, Hellkern Warriors continue to develop their distinctive blend of Gothic Rock, Darkwave, and electronic music. How has his contribution influenced your sound, and what new possibilities has this collaboration opened up?
When our former keyboard player, Dylan, decided to focus exclusively on his own projects, we had to look for a replacement. We tried various international platforms, but unfortunately, most of our efforts were unsuccessful.
Mauricio initially offered to take over the synthesizers. However, he was already handling many responsibilities within the band, and I didn’t want to put even more on his shoulders. Eventually, he sat down at the synthesizers and immediately came up with a really cool sound. At that moment, I realized that he had an excellent feel for the music of Hellkern Warriors.
Mauricio is not only our drummer and synthesizer player but also our producer. He understands how to combine the organic energy of the drums with the cooler, more mechanical sounds of the synthesizers. His versatility helps us develop our musical identity and explore new sonic possibilities.
Another major advantage is that communication is now much more direct, and the collaboration works extremely well. Since we already work across international borders, sharing a common artistic vision is particularly important. With Mauricio, we have found someone who understands our music and has a genuine feel for where Hellkern Warriors can go next.
5. Your music has reached international audiences through radio airplay, music publications, and compilation appearances. How has this growing international recognition influenced your creative direction, and do you feel it has changed the way you approach your music as an independent project spanning Germany and Colombia?
The international response has been very encouraging. Our music has received radio airplay in more than 14 countries, and various music publications from different parts of the world have covered our work. We have also reached No. 1 in Germany and worldwide in the Alternative Rock category on Number1Music on multiple occasions. Another special achievement was winning first place in the audience voting at the HoFA Contest 2026.
For an independent project, this response shows that music can cross geographical borders — even when the musicians involved are thousands of kilometres apart. Our collaboration between Berlin and Colombia is a good example of this.
What I find most exciting is the opportunity to reach people who connect with our music, regardless of where they live. This international response encourages us to keep expanding the musical universe of Hellkern Warriors while remaining open to new ideas, collaborations, and influences.
6. Following “Zone 329,” what lies ahead for Hellkern Warriors? Are you planning new singles, a full-length release, or further collaborations, and how do you see your musical universe evolving in the coming months?
We are continuously working on new material and expanding the musical universe of Hellkern Warriors. Since Mauricio took over the synthesizers, our creative work has been moving forward much faster, and our next song is already almost finished. This gives us a lot of momentum for the coming months. If everything goes well, we may be able to finish all the songs for our planned CD by the end of this year or around the turn of the year.
Every song has its own identity, atmosphere, and story. That is why we don’t want to limit the project to a single musical formula. Darkwave, Gothic Rock, Alternative Rock, and electronic influences will remain important elements of our sound, but there is still plenty of room to explore new directions.
We have also already produced videos based on rough versions of some of our songs.
For us, music and visual storytelling belong together. A song can become a place, a scene, or even an entire world in the listener’s imagination. That is why we want to do more than simply release music — we want to create experiences that people can immerse themselves in.
Our international collaboration will continue to play a central role. With Mauricio contributing synthesizers, drums, and production, Fabian’s bass playing, and our shared creative work, we have plenty of opportunities to keep developing our sound.
Ultimately, we want Hellkern Warriors to evolve musically without losing the dark, cinematic identity that defines the project. There are still many stories to tell, sounds to discover, and places to take our listeners. “Zone 329” is a doorway into this universe — not its endpoint.