How a German-Italian-Colombian alliance turned the void into music’s most urgent heartbeat.
Formed across three continents in mid-2025, Hellkern Warriors have rapidly become one of the dark underground’s most compelling new forces.
Uniting members from Berlin, Pietrasanta, and Ibagué, this international Darkwave/Gothic Rock project crafts what they call “The Pulse of the Void,” immersive soundscapes where haunting analog synths, shadow-drenched guitars, and emotionally charged vocals collide with cinematic intensity.
Following their acclaimed debut singles and compilation features on OX-FANZINE and DSBP Records, the band recently unleashed ‘Rain, Steam and Speed,’ a high-energy descent into neon-lit streets, steel, and unstoppable momentum.
With growing radio support across Europe, the UK, the USA, and Australia, Hellkern Warriors are proving that darkness knows no borders.
In this exclusive interview, the band opens up about their unique cross-continental chemistry, the philosophy behind their name, the visual world of their new single, and why Ridley Scott would be their dream collaborator. Step into the void, the pulse is quickening.
HAPPY: What’d you get up to today?
HELLKERN WARRIORS: Today was a mix of the usual chaos and creation — checking emails, updating our website, posting about our latest radio plays, and keeping up with social media.
We also sent out a new track to a female singer we’d love to collaborate with for a pre-chorus, so that’s an exciting step. At the same time, we were working on new material, refining mixes, and exchanging ideas across three countries.
Being an international project means a lot of communication, but that’s also where the energy comes from. There’s always something evolving, even on a “normal” day.
HAPPY: Tell us a little about where you’re from, and what you love about it!
HK: We’re based between Berlin, Pietrasanta, and Ibagué — three very different places that subtly shape our sound. Berlin brings a raw, industrial edge, Pietrasanta carries an artistic, almost tactile creativity, and Ibagué adds intensity and rhythm.
That combination keeps the music alive and constantly evolving. Over time, distance turned into connection — and we’ve also become close friends.
HAPPY: Your name is inspired by the Helkern computer virus. What drew you to this?
HK: We were drawn to the symbolism rather than the literal meaning. The Helkern virus stands for the immersive and intense — invisible forces and systems in constant reconfiguration.
That reflects how we see the world and our music. Tension, transformation, and something that keeps moving beneath the surface, never fully tangible, never fully controllable or predictable.
HAPPY: You describe your music as “The Pulse of the Void.” What does that phrase mean to you, personally?
HK: For us, “The Pulse of the Void” is about finding movement and emotion within the void — that space between silence and sound, isolation and connection.
It feels like the vast, endless space of the universe: silent, yet never truly quiet, where planets and stars are constantly forming and collapsing. Even in darkness or uncertainty, there is still rhythm, still energy — something alive at the edge of infinity.
HAPPY: The new single feels like a nocturnal chase. What’s the story or image that started this song?
HK: It started with the image of movement through a city at night — rain, reflections, post-modern railways and cars, post-industrial buildings, and neon-lit streets.
The idea originally came from the title of a text in an English magazine about J.M.W. Turner’s painting Rain, Steam and Speed – The Great Western Railway, which was first exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1844.
We reinterpreted it and translated it into a more contemporary context. That sense of tension and motion became the core of the track.
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HAPPY: If this song were the soundtrack to a scene in a movie, what would we be watching on screen?
HK: A lone figure moving through a rain-soaked city, neon lights reflecting on wet asphalt, trains and distant traffic fading into the night.
There’s speed, but also isolation — a latent sense of tension beneath the surface, something between escape and pursuit. The camera never fully explains what’s happening, but you feel the pressure building with every second.
HAPPY: You’ve already received radio support across Europe, the UK, the US, and Australia. Where have you been most surprised to find an audience?
HK: Australia was definitely a surprise in the best way. There’s something really exciting about knowing the music connects with people so far away, in a completely different environment.
We were also featured on Infectious Unease Radio (AUS) and Banks Radio Australia — both making it into the Top 10 of the week — as well as on Terra Replica in the Czech Republic, also reaching the Top 10.
But honestly, every country has been a surprise — it shows that our modern gothic / alternative rock atmosphere can travel beyond borders.
HAPPY: If you could collaborate with any one filmmaker to create a visual album, who would you choose and why?
HK: Probably Ridley Scott in his early work — especially Blade Runner and Alien — alongside Nicolas Winding Refn and more contemporary filmmakers like Denis Villeneuve.
What connects them for us is not just their visual style, but the way they build entire emotional worlds through light, silence, and space. It’s cinema that feels atmospheric, tense, and immersive — where beauty and unease exist at the same time. That approach feels very close to how we think about music.
HAPPY: Looking ahead to late 2026, what’s the next evolution of “The Pulse of the Void”?
HK: We already have around eight more tracks close to completion, along with six additional videos that are still being shaped and aligned with the music.
From there, the idea is to bring everything together into a 12-track album, ideally released through a label. Beyond that, our sampler series The Pulse In the Void continues to evolve, with Vol. 2 already planned for autumn 2026.
HAPPY: Lastly, what makes you happy? :-)
HK: Creating something that feels real — and sharing it with people who connect to it.
The creative process with close friends, creating videos, making cover artwork, and watching how Hellkern Warriors grows over time all play into that feeling.
Releasing new music, the contact with radio stations, and the mostly positive feedback we’ve received so far add to it as well. That’s what makes us happy.
