While many consider US and Europe the pinnacle areas of thrash activity, do not discount the legacy groups like Sacrifice, Voivod, Exciter, and Razor placed to put Canada on the map. Hailing from Calgary, Hazzerd as a younger group hope to make their mark through a steady discography that balances a lot of the musicianship chops of old with some of the aggression and punchy production values in the current scene. Their latest album The 3rd Dimension contains a mix of fast, hard-hitting headbangers as well as an epic instrumental that showcases all of the band’s intricate, fluid abilities. We reached out to drummer/vocalist Dylan Westendorp to give us the scoop about his vast musical memories in childhood, the self-produced aspects that make this album their strongest to date, the 3-D themes of the record, thoughts on favorite live shows, his approach to stamina as a drummer/vocalist especially in a live situation, greatest album / concert memories, and future plans.
Dead Rhetoric: What can you tell me about your earliest memories surrounding music growing up during childhood? At what point did you start listening to heavier forms of music – and eventually the desire to pick up an instrument to perform in your own bands?
Dylan Westendorp: I think honestly, I can bring my music history back to when I was three or four. There’s video evidence of me and my family having dance parties with Van Halen, Kiss, the Scorpions, Def Leppard, all that type of stuff. My music roots started early, but around seven, eight or nine, I started to listen to hip hop and other genres of music. The rock and roll influence kind of went to the back seat for a minute again, for about three or four years. Back in 2008, I can remember my brother showing me Indestructible by Disturbed, I think that’s the album that launched me back into heavier music. The drums on that album are incredible – Mike Wengren is a great influence on me. People say what they want about Disturbed, but some of their earlier stuff – wow, man.
And actually, the way he plays the drums, that got me into the drums. From there, it’s all history. I started listening to Metallica. I was a huge Metallica fan for three years; I hated anything that wasn’t Metallica. That’s kind of what “ThRaSh TiLl DeTh” is all about. That definitely influenced some of the earlier Hazzerd stuff. Then it was Megadeth that made me want to take this seriously – just the way that Dave (Mustaine) runs that band. Say what you want about him – he does get things done over the last few decades. That’s how that story would go for me personally.
Dead Rhetoric: And when it comes to you picking up the drums, did you have your family’s support, and did you have formal lessons or just develop things by ear and putting in the work?
Westendorp: My dad was a drummer in the 1970’s. He got the Ludwig kit, the kit that I actually play today is the same kit he played back in the day. The drums were always around. There are baby photos of me holding drum sticks behind the same kit he played with. Definitely very supportive. My dad is a great rock drummer – he hasn’t played for twenty years but when he picks up drum sticks, it’s just natural playing. There were no lessons involved, it was me putting some earphones in, playing along to the songs – Disturbed, “Inside the Fire” was probably one of the first songs I learned how to play on my own. I learned the rudiments, but I am really a self-taught drummer. I don’t think of myself as an amazing drummer, but for me I would like to think I have my own personal style. That comes from not taking lessons and just learning on my own. Definitely lessons could have helped me be way better than I am today. I feel like I take a sense of pride in learning how to play the drums the way I do by myself.
Dead Rhetoric: The 3rd Dimension is the third album for Hazzerd. How did the songwriting and recording sessions go for this set of material – and where do you see the biggest advances or changes on this record compared to your previous albums?
Westendorp: After the pandemic and we released Delirium, it was really hard for us to get together because of all the restrictions, stay at home. When we finally did start writing stuff, it was myself and ex-guitarist Brendan Malycky, sharing voice memos with each other through Facebook Messenger. It didn’t really start taking shape until about July of 2020, when the restrictions started loosening in the summer. We wrote four songs in about less than a month. From there it started flowing really well – then we started hitting snags. More closures, more lockdowns. That really did slow down the process of the writing a lot. It did kill a lot of momentum and a lot of energy.
By the time we were done writing, we decided that we were going to try recording this record completely on our own, rather than what we did with the previous albums. We only did the drums in a real studio; I recorded my drums in October of 2022 for this record. It’s been a long, long time. That allowed us more room for breathing rather than rushing everything, because we weren’t paying for studio time. We really took our time, and I’m sure a lot of people will agree with that. We are really proud of (this album) because of that factor. Toryin recorded a lot of the guitars, Brendan did record his parts, but Toryin helped him record it. It’s self-produced and I think it’s some of our best material and sounds really awesome for our first attempt.
Dead Rhetoric: When it comes to an epic track like “A Fell Omen”, what sort of challenges come up compared to the shorter material?
Westendorp: “A Fell Omen”, that took about five or six months to write. Because of how long it was, we had so many ideas to flesh out. After we finished writing that, I think it was the third song that we wrote for the record, we made the decision that the rest of the songs should be three minutes, four minutes tops. “Under Ashes” is six minutes, but that’s another song that took a couple of months. We really tried to trim the fat off this record. It’s our shortest LP, but does have the longest song we’ve ever made. Every time we finished a song, we would trim the fat – we would have to put up that brick wall of do not add any more sections to this song. That shows on songs like “Parasitic” – it’s quick and to the point. That’s what I like about this record the most. “A Fell Omen” is this big, long song – and we got all that influence out, rather than putting it in all nine tracks.
Dead Rhetoric: Once again you worked with cover artist Andrei Bouzikov for the album cover. What do you enjoy most about his work, process, and how the ideas develop between the band and Andrei to reach the final product we see?
Westendorp: Andrei is super easy to work with – he’s a great man and a great dude. He’s very communicative to the band when he does the artwork. He gives us ideas that he thinks will work for the presentation that we give him. We wanted him to interpret what he saw through what he heard from the first song “Interdimension” and that’s the government experiments, him reaching into the jar of The 3rd Dimension, the arm coming out of the tv, that was all his idea. He gave us back the sketch, and there were almost no changes. He almost nailed it perfectly the first time. The color, we just told him to go crazy, do your best. We want it to be the most vibrant thing you’ve ever done. We want it to be the most vibrant (cover) we’ve ever had, because back in 2017 when we first started working with him, we wanted that super vibrant cover so when you are strolling through the record store, on Amazon nowadays, it pops out right on the screen or on the eyes when you are at a record store. I think he did it, I love the color scheme of this record, and it’s not as dark as the last one.
Dead Rhetoric: Where do you like to draw inspiration from when it comes to your lyrical content for the band? This latest album isn’t a concept record, but there seems to be an overarching theme to many of the songs, correct?
Westendorp: Yeah, absolutely. We don’t try to go for full concept (records) – we aren’t smart enough to yet. Maybe eventually in the future, we are trying to play around with that idea now. The 3rd Dimension – Brendan wrote a song called “Deathbringer” that was our first single about an anime called Attack on Titan. I personally I have never seen it, but I know it’s a big show. That was created in the third dimension, so I started writing a song called “Scars”, we arrived at the idea after I finished the lyrics. People who game will understand that song is about a game called The Last of Us Part Two. We had that idea then and there that all the songs should be about a movie, video game, book, that type of idea. 3D video games, movies, that type of stuff. We didn’t want it to be as dark as the themes on Delirium, the dark side of humanity and stuff like that.
Dead Rhetoric: Can you discuss the challenges that you face performing dual roles as the singer / drummer of the band – especially when it comes to the live performance situation?
Westendorp: Yeah, man. You just have to stay in shape. It’s hard to keep things going for an hour to an hour and a half, especially when you are doing a headline show. But I enjoy every minute of it. Holy hell, you sweat a lot. I feel that the dual performance does add to the live show, for sure. I have to be at the top of my game, in shape. The last show, I wasn’t quite in shape enough – by the seventh song, we needed to take a breather because I was dying back there. It’s not just about being a good drummer or a good singer – you have to be physically in shape at both, or you are not going to put on a good show. I’ve been there, and I don’t like to do it. People pay to see us, and I don’t want to put on a crap performance because I’m not the best I can be. Remembering all the lyrics is another one that is hard for me. When I do forget the lyrics, I sing along to the melody of the song and say, ‘I forgot the lyrics…’, so it’ll get a nice rise out of the crowd. It doesn’t have to be all serious, you can have fun out there.
Dead Rhetoric: Do you look to other Canadian drummers like Gil Moore of Triumph or Dan Beehler of Exciter as inspiration as well?
Westendorp: Those two were exactly who I was going to say before you mentioned them. Those two – Gil Moore especially. Back in 2012 I heard “Rock and Roll Machine” – and my dad says, yes, he sings and drums. I said, what? No way. I dove deep into Triumph. Their catalog is out of this world. A lot of their stuff sounds different, so many dynamics they bring. Dan from Exciter – I have been listening to that band since I was sixteen years old. I met him in 2016 at the Calgary Metalfest. He’s an incredible human being, so nice and so down to earth. That also helped me influence the way I play and present myself; it’s the way he presents himself. He’s a Canadian legend in my opinion.
Dead Rhetoric: How well are you accepted locally in the Calgary, Canadian scene with your brand of thrash metal compared to other styles of metal? How would you describe the scene as far as clubs, venues, promoters, other bands, and the people who support the music?
Westendorp: Calgary is a real great spot I feel for thrash metal. There are a lot of thrash heads here, but there’s also a lot of death metal. People love their death metal in this city, a band like Stench of Death. The overall thing is there are only a couple of venues in Calgary to play, so that really restricts when you can play. We are trying to set up a show right now, and there is limited availability. The two bars we can play and have a decent turnout with two hundred or more people, that allows for Dickens downtown on Ninth Ave. We tried to contact them to play in February and they are booked, solid. When the shows do happen, Calgary people turn out, regardless of what genre it is. Heavy metal, thrash, death, speed. Riot City is a local Calgary band, and when they play, they pack the place. When we played our last show in June, we packed the place. It’s a hot spot for all genres of metal. There is an incredible balance of bands here.
Dead Rhetoric: What are three of the most important records that help fuel your passion for heavy metal – and what’s the best or favorite concert memory you have, purely attending the show as a member of the audience – and what made that show so memorable or special to you?
Westendorp: Top three records – Rust in Peace from Megadeth. Number two would be …And Justice For All by Metallica. Number three would be Indestructible by Disturbed. Live – oh my god. I would have to say Kiss in 2009. Not heavy metal by any chance, but they put on one of the best live performances that I have ever seen. Flying across the stage – they were in their sixties, putting on a hell of a show. I was fourteen, and I knew in some capacity I wanted to do this. I can’t really think of anything that tops Kiss – maybe Alice Cooper in 2015, when he opened for Mötley Crüe, should have been the other way around. I think he puts on a hell of a show for a musician his age.
Dead Rhetoric: How would you describe Hazzerd when it comes to your live performances compared to what people hear on the records? What have been some of the favorite shows the band has done to date?
Westendorp: Our live performances are unique in a way. There are times when we’ve finished our set, gotten off the stage, and there is somebody who goes, ‘dude – I didn’t even know who was singing for half the show until I looked behind the drums’. That’s a telling sign for drummers; we are always stuck behind our kit. We really try to move the drums to the center or the front of the stage to have a different type of stage setup. One of the best shows we had to play is when we had to actually do this opening for Grim Reaper. The energy was absolutely wild, out of this world. The band was behind me, besides me, sometimes on the speakers up front. It was a hell of a vibe. Every time we do the ‘traditional’ set up, it’s not as high energy. We did that show in 2016.
Dead Rhetoric: What sort of goals does the band set for itself over the next few years? How are you able to balance out the music/band activities while also maintaining careers, jobs, and family /relationship responsibilities?
Westendorp: We are struggling with that (balance) as we speak. The goals, we just want to release this record and hope it gets some traction. We really want to do what we wanted to do with Delirium, which is try to go down to the US and play some shows, maybe over to Europe. Extensive two-month tours – it’s not logical for a band of our size at this point in time. We have to balance home life, careers, we are not making a ton of money off of our music. We have to have full-time jobs to pay the rent, put groceries on the table, stuff like that. Putting aside an excessive amount of money for a two-month long tour, it becomes really hard to do. Especially when the rent is rising, everything is rising.
We want to play in front of people who love our music. That seems to be mostly down in the states and over in a couple of countries within Europe. We want to get in front of those people and finally play in front of them.
Dead Rhetoric: Where do you see the major differences between the newer breed of thrash bands and the old school guard you grew up on?
Westendorp: The main differences are definitely within the aggression. Maybe the vocals, and the production are more in your face than it ever has been. When you are listening to a band like Power Trip, they are right in your face. And then you go to Souls of Black by Testament, that album, you have to turn the volume up to get that same sense of in your face, if that makes sense. The aggression is higher than the old school. That’s where Hazzerd takes a lot of influence from the old school – the melody idea going on, the long sections of songs, but the aggression of the new wave and some of the topics it brings with it like drinking, that type of stuff.
Dead Rhetoric: What do you consider some of the biggest worries or concerns you have about the world that we are living through today? If you had the ability, time, unlimited resources and finances to take one or two issues, what do you believe needs to be worked on that will have the biggest impact long-term?
Westendorp: I don’t know man. I don’t try to dive deep into anything that divides people. You are a human, I am a human, we get along, we like metal. Something I would change – probably the way people treat this planet. It’s not the best. The forest fires here in Canada have been devastating. That’s due to extreme heat, or some douchebag taking a cigarette and lighting up the entire forest. If I had unlimited resources or power, I would work on changing the way people treat this planet because it’s the only one we have. We have to live here.
Dead Rhetoric: How do you see the next year or so shaping up for Hazzerd as far as activities, live performances, and other promotional things? Are there any other side projects/endeavors from the members that we can also be on the lookout for?
Westendorp: With the next year, I want to get to play to the people. Maybe by this time next year we’ll have more material for the listeners. With Nick, our new guitar player, we just started writing songs with him. In terms of side projects, Tory is in Traveler, and Dave is in a local rock and roll band called Schädlich with Tory’s sister Faith. And I think they are recording their new album now, so you should keep an eye out for that, I’m sure it’s going to be banging.