HITTEN - State of Shock - Revisted LP+CD HRR 1001LP, ltd 600, 200 x black, 200 x purple/ black galaxy effect vinyl, 200 x violet vinyl, 425gsm heavy cardboard, lyric sheet, bonus CD Aitor Navarro - Vocals Dani - Guitars Johnny - Guitar Satan - Bass Rhyno - Drums 01 Wrong Side of Heaven 02 Don't Be Late 03 Can't Bring Me Down 04 Victim of the Night 05 Rites of the Priest 06 State of Shock 07 Liar 08 Endless Race 09 Chained to Insanity 10 Eternal Force February 21st

Hitten formed in 2011 in the city of Murcia in the South-East of Spain (near Alicante). The same year the band unleashed their first demo entitled »Darkness Queen« onto the world. Two EPs followed, before the band’s debut full-length album »First Strike With The Devil« was released in 2014. Soon after, Hitten signed to High Roller Records and issued four more albums, which were very well-received by the international press (especially in Germany): »State Of Shock« (2016), »Twist Of Fate« (2018), »Triumph And Tragedy« (2011) and »While Passion Lasts« (2023). In addition to that, in early 2023 Hitten completed the unusual task of re-recording their first studio album »First Strike With The Devil« in its entirety. What at first felt like an odd move proved to be a big success, as guitarist extraordinaire Dani explains: “The fans seemed to really enjoy it, and the new version sold reasonably well. The boys and I are thrilled that people enjoyed it! Honestly, we did it primarily for ourselves. As musicians, we felt a deep need to revisit these first two records with a mix that brought them closer to the sound we had envisioned back then. Was it enjoyable for the fans? I’d say absolutely yes!” What Dani has just said is the explanation for the band to have given their second album »State Of Shock« the same treatment as the debut: “As I mentioned earlier, we always felt there was a need for a new mix ever since these albums were originally released. Back then, we were younger, and our lack of experience – combined with budget constraints – pushed us to rush things in the studio. That being said, we were, and still are, happy with how those records turned out. They captured that raw, young, and hungry spirit. But now, with the backing of a great label and a proper budget, it made sense to finally take that thorn out of our side and re-release them with a mix that matches the sound we originally had in mind.” On »State Of Shock Revisited« the drums were re-recorded by the band’s current drummer, Willy Medina, at Mole Mother Studios. After that, Javi Felez took care of the new mix and mastering at Moontower Studios. How difficult was the technical process of re-recording the drums, replacing the old recordings, and then re-mixing the entire album for the band? Not so difficult, it seems: “Willy is a pro drummer, so the process went smoothly. But, like any other job, it takes effort to learn ten songs in a short period of time. He nailed it, though, and did an amazing job!“ “Some people might wonder if we always feel this way after every album,” smirks the guitarist, “or if we’re planning to re-mix all of our records. The answer is: yes and no. Musicians are rarely 100% satisfied after finishing an album – there's always room for improvement. But usually, you accept the album as done and move forward. In the case of these two records, we accepted them as ‘done’ but not as ‘complete’. As for »Twist Of Fate«, »Triumph And Tragedy« and »While Passion Lasts«, those albums were finished with a sense of closure. We wouldn’t consider re-mixing them. Sure, after playing those songs live for years, we could think of ways to add more details, but we’ve learned to see them differently. With those three records, there was a satisfying sense of completion when they were released.” In general, how important is the sound of a Hitten album to the band? “Sound is the most important thing for us,” confesses the guitarist. “No doubt about it. We’re total sound nerds, and with every album, we push ourselves to go a step further, aiming to emulate the production of those classic records we’re obsessed with. Maybe other bands prioritize cool Instagram photos and flashy music videos, showing little interest in their album’s production, which often results in a generic, over-processed modern sound. That’s not us. And honestly, we think fans should sharpen their ears and notice the difference!” The cover artwork of »State Of Shock« was re-vamped as well, as Dani explains: “Yes, I redesigned it myself. Originally, we had that artwork planned for a t-shirt, but then we thought, ‘why not use it as the new cover art?’ It’s a cool adaptation of the original design by Mario Lopez and brings a fresh vibe to the whole album. So yeah, we decided to go with it!” All in all, it was a lot of effort to re-visit an album, which was pretty well regarded in its original incarnation. “Yes,” says Dani. “Our fans and the media received »State Of Shock« very well at the time. For us, it was an important record that elevated the band to a higher level. After its release, we toured Europe, played several festivals, and even went to Tokyo, where the album was particularly well-received. That success made us really happy. That said, a musician’s feelings about an album's production are often completely different from how the rest of the world perceives it. As I mentioned, we’ve always felt the need to improve the production on those two albums because we never truly felt they were finished when we wrapped up the recordings.” MATTHIAS MADER