HOOKS & BONES - Fast, Short, Catchy ! (France - HardCore/Crossover - Interview with Guillaume).

Hi—Can you introduce yourselves and tell us how it all began for you—how you discovered this musical world, what drew you in, what fascinated you, and what made you want to make music?
Hello, we’re Hooks & Bones, and we’re from Normandy/France. I’m Guillaume, the band’s drummer. Nice to meet you! (Nice to meet you too ! - Ed)
Like a lot of people, we fell in love with metal/hardcore culture when we were teenagers. We started playing in bands around that time in our lives.
We were all born in the ’80s (except for our current bassist, the youngest member of the band): Metal + video games + horror and action movies from that era = the perfect mix for us.
Personally, someone lent me some Sepultura CDs (Chaos AD and Roots & Bloody Roots) when I was 15, and that was the turning point for me. I heard Igor Cavalera’s drum parts and thought to myself, “I want to do stuff like that,” and I started playing drums. A few months later, I started playing in a grindcore band (with Amaury, who would become the guitarist for Hooks & Bones) and a metal and punk cover band (with Arno and JB, who would later be the singer and first bassist for Hooks & Bones)

Tell me about the band... How did you meet—the current lineup—past experiences—and most importantly—WHY the need to form THIS band?
JB (the first bassist) was my neighbor; we’ve known each other and been friends since we were 5 years old.
Arno and I met in catechism class when we were kids (true story!), but it wasn’t until we were teens that we became friends. I went with JB to a party at Arno’s house. That’s the first time I met Amaury. There was a drum set and amps: the conditions were perfect for becoming friends.
Soon, we started going to concerts together (our first hardcore concert in 2002: the Dutch band Backfire was headlining), and quite a few festivals (including the last two editions of Furyfest). This musical genre became an even stronger addiction, a cornerstone of our friendship.
We met Mayb, the current bassist, 10 years later at a party. In 2022, he agreed to fill in for us on a few dates following JB’s departure. He’s still with us today.
The current lineup is as follows: Amaury K. (guitars/backing vocals), Arnaud B. (lead vocals), Guillaume B. (drums/backing vocals), Mayb D. (bass/backing vocals)
Hooks & Bones is sort of a synthesis of our previous musical experiences, with added maturity and a desire to do things in a much more polished way when it comes to production, live sets, merch...

Describe your sound and explain why I should listen to YOUR band at all costs?
We usually describe our band and our sound with the following phrase: Fast! Short! Catchy!
If you like the aggression and speed of hardcore punk and grindcore, the heavy and groovy passages of hardcore and crossover thrash, and the unifying spirit of punk, you should give Hooks & Bones a listen—you’ll probably like it. There’s also a bit of a heavy/thrash vibe on some of the lead guitar parts for fans of that style.

Lyrical and musical inspirations/influences? How important are lyrics to you? Are there specific messages or ideas you try to convey and share through your lyrics?
In terms of musical influences, let’s just say we have a common foundation: we all love legendary bands like Sick Of It All, Agnostic Front, Slayer, Terror, Napalm Death...
But everyone has their own personal references, sometimes far removed from hardcore... hip-hop, black metal, heavy metal, oi, brutal death...
Arno builds his lyrics around social issues that are, unfortunately, part of our daily lives: war as an economic tool for the profit of the “powerful,” police violence (especially against minorities), workplace bullying, the trap of drug trafficking for those trying to escape difficult social conditions, the law of retaliation inherent in human societies…
We also have lyrics that speak to us, to the underground scene, and to the importance of embracing our differences and taking pride in them.

About the band’s discography... Imagine someone who doesn’t know your band at all and wants to check them out. Which release would you recommend they start with, and why?
Our 2022 release, *Time Of Reckoning*, seems like a good option to discover Hooks: 8 tracks, 13 minutes. Hardcore × hardcore punk × thrash metal × grindcore = Hooks & Bones!!!

About your latest album?
Our latest release is called “One Sunk Into The Cobra's Nest”. It was recorded in 2025 at Swan Sound Studio (instrumentals) and at Gare Aux Musiques (vocals).
Mastering was handled by Brad Boatright at Audiosiege (US). The album features 12 tracks.
The artwork was created by Puis Calzada (a very talented Mexican illustrator who has notably done artwork for Metallica).
The LP is out on vinyl and available on our Bandcamp page and through the four labels that helped release it (Emergence Records, Keponteam, Maloka, and Under Attack Records (DE)). We’ll also be releasing the album on CD soon.

What are your plans?
Play shows!!
Play shows!!
Play shows!!

What would be your wildest dream with the band?
Personally, I’d love to tour Japan. It’s a country I’ve already had the chance to visit, and I’d really like to go back—with the band this time.

Your BEST & WORST concert—as a band—and why?
Best concert: Concert in Dijon (the mustard capital!) opening for Sick Of It All in 2023. We’d already shared the bill with them in Poland a month earlier; it was awesome to see them again. We shared the backstage area and a meal with them; they were super cool. We played a great set, and got really good feedback from the crowd and the organizers. And, while we were off to the side of the stage, Pete motioned for us to come right up in front of him so we could sing backup vocals on “My Life” during their set.
Worst concert: A gig in a bar where there was almost no one there except the other band, the manager, and us, even though we’d driven all that way. There was one guy, though, who was completely out of it—he was dancing like Raoul Duke in "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas". Come to think of it, I think he stole the show from us that night.

Upcoming live shows?
Here are some of our upcoming shows, among others:
- RIIP Fest Warm-Up on June 5, 2026
- Opening for The Casualties in Rouen on June 16, 2026
- Furiosa Hardcore Festival in Challans on September 11: a charity festival supporting organizations fighting against gender-based and sexual violence (with Born From Pain, Xoxo, Scarfold, Hardmind...)
More announcements coming soon, stay tuned....

A few words about your local scene—the bands you’re friends with and would like to mention?
Nothing To Lose - It’s heavy, it grooves, and the guys are super cool (except for the singer, haha!)
La Dépanne - our bassist’s other band, "close family" as they say...
Primal Age - big up to D! And thanks for all your advices !
Endraw - the death/thrash/hardcore cousins...
Pilori - the evil cousins...
Dévotion - the chaotic cousins...

The last word is yours...
Support the local scene: come to concerts and festivals near you (and book your tickets!), buy merch from the underground bands you love—it’s a huge motivator and helps us keep recording and organizing more shows...
Follow our social media pages to stay updated on our upcoming shenanigans and tour dates!!
Come see us if we’re playing near you!!