An ancient force

For four demos now, Oerheks is the moniker which Flemish Black Metal musician Hans Cools uses for his atmospheric recordings about nature, people, and stories of his habitat, the Hageland region. The latest, called »Heksen & Geesten van Brabant«, was released in June 2024 via Amor Fati Productions. 

skug: When did you start Oerheks? 

Hans Cools: Oerheks started in the spring of 2020, May to be exact. Besides isolation, the spring of 2020 offered incredible weather, giving me the opportunity to go on walks and hikes in my area every day. It gave me the inspiration that would eventually end up in the first couple of demos. 

Why did you start Oerheks? 

The themes of Oerheks are centred around my local area, called Kaggevinne, a very small town with a rich history, mostly because of an ancient forest that used to be present here. The forest was called Prinsenbos (Prince Forest, named after the Prince of Orange, who used to own these lands). Today, only one survivor remains of this forest: the Old Oak of Kaggevinne. A magical solitary oak, with branches curling far and wide into the sky, it truly is a sight to behold in this sloping landscape. These are just some of the many aspects of my area that inspired me to create music under the Oerheks moniker.

What does the name Oerheks refer to? 

For me, Oerheks is a connecting and overarching concept around the stories and history of my region. An ancient force, a wisdom that is contained in the forests and fields of Kaggevinne.

Is Oerheks a solo thing? 

Oerheks is indeed a solo project. I write and record everything at home, in solitude. The mixing and mastering is handled by Déhà in Blackout Studios, Brussels. We work together closely, and he ensures that my vision is translated correctly into the sound I aspire.

How did you get into extreme music like black metal? 

I’ve been listening to underground (black) metal for over 20 years, which is more than half my life. I’m still not sure if I found the music or if the music found me. All I know is that it was more than music since day one. I cannot imagine a life without it.

You call the four Oerheks releases demos. Why? 

The reason is quite simple: playing time. In the scene, or music world or however you want to call it, there are some very picky notions about which releases are »more important« than others. For example, if the recording is under 30 minutes it generally gets called an EP and is undervalued in comparison to a full-length release. Initially, I only wanted to record demos with Oerheks, because for a demo, it doesn’t matter. A demo can be 5 minutes long, or 2 hours, or anything in between. The releases I’ve done with Oerheks are all equal, and despite the fact that three of the four run under 30 minutes, they do feel like full-length albums to me. Every release has its own concept, its own story to tell. That being said, there will come a point in the discography of Oerheks where an album will appear. When that will be, time will tell.

Do you do Oerheks live or is it only a recording thing?

I’ve done one live performance so far, at Unholy Congregation 2023, where we got the most amazing reception from the crowd. I’m supported by four amazing live musicians for this. Bringing this solo project to a live session was quite special and took a lot of preparations. In the meantime, we have two gigs scheduled for 2025. One in Oberhausen, Germany, one in Eindhoven, the Netherlands.

Link: https://oerheks.bandcamp.com/