Holding the physical vinyl of *Quest for the Mighty Riff* feels like pulling a dusty, unlabelled tape from the back shelf of a 1988 corner store. The cover art screams of airbrushed muscle and neon sorcery, a visual cue that Canadian death-punk outfit VHS is no longer just lurking in the slasher shadows. They have moved into the high-fantasy dirt.
Released earlier this May on Wise Blood Records, their seventh full-length outing is a bloated, beautiful tribute to the era of loincloths and questionable special effects. It is heavy. It is fast. And it is unapologetically obsessed with the fringe.
Mike Hochins, the band’s lead vocalist and guitarist, frames the project as a natural progression for a group that has built a career on niche worship. "Quest for the Mighty Riff is our seventh full-length album and it came out earlier this May on Wise Blood Records," Mike says. "It's a fun and energetic album that pays homage to muscled warriors and creepy wizards."
But this isn't just a surface-level aesthetic choice. VHS has spent years carving out a space where the grit of old-school death metal meets the frantic energy of punk, all wrapped in a celluloid shroud. This time, the focus shifts from the butcher shop to the battlefield.
"We are big fans of sword and sorcery flicks, so it just made sense in the grand scheme of VHS," Mike explains. There is a specific kind of internal logic to their discography. If you’ve spent your life watching *Conan* or *The Beastmaster*, the transition from horror to fantasy feels less like a pivot and more like a lateral move through the same grime-stained genre aisle.
The album functions as a collection of vignettes rather than a singular rock opera, though it maintains a connective tissue through its atmosphere. "There isn't really a theme or story that runs through the whole album aside from the songs all being about sword and sorcery flicks that we enjoy," Mike notes.
And yet, there is a meta-narrative at play if you listen closely to the gaps between the carnage. "The interludes and narration tell a story about the three of us being on a quest to find even mightier riffs," Mike continues. "It's all in good fun and we have played with riffs in album titles before. Our third album riffed on Jaws and was called We're Gonna Need Some Bigger Riffs."
That playful spirit is what saves VHS from the self-serious pit that swallows so many extreme metal acts. They know exactly what they are: a band obsessed with the "blood-soaked" corners of the video store.
"When we started the band, the entire concept we wanted to revolve around was having the songs be about horror movies," Mike says. "So this has been the concept of the band from the very beginning but with the last four albums we have gone even further with the concept idea. We've made entire albums about an even more niche subgenre of horror movies. We did space horror, vampire movies, aquatic horror and now sword and sorcery!"
The sonic jump on this record is noticeable. While earlier tapes had a certain basement-demo charm, *Quest for the Mighty Riff* sounds massive. It has a weight that matches the hammers and axes mentioned in the lyrics.
"I think this album kind of makes our earlier albums sound like demos honestly!" Mike admits. "We really nailed what we wanted to with this album. It's a bit more epic and a bit more heavy metal in sound. The production is definitely our strongest so far and Topon from Apartment 2 Studios really nailed the mastering process as well. It's similar to what we have done in the past but just better in pretty much every way!"
But there is a trade-off. The cleaner production and the "epic" scale mean the band has moved away from the raw, live-off-the-floor chaos of their 2015 origins. It is a more calculated kind of violence now.
Part of that calculation involves a rotating door of genre royalty. VHS has always felt like a communal project, a way to bring friends into the fold of their specific madness. "We've always liked to have our friends be on our records and this one is no different," Mike says.
The guest list for this quest is formidable. "We have James from Hellripper, Marlee from Hyperia, Schuler from Trocar and Aaren from Molder all on songs on the album," Mike lists. "These are all people that we have met through VHS and have become friends with. We also have Matt Harvey of Exhumed doing some of the instrumentals on the album. We are all huge Exhumed fans so it is always a trip to have Matt involved on our albums in any shape or form."
The logistics of putting this together changed significantly during the global shutdown. The band had to scrap their traditional methods for something more fractured and digital.
"The pandemic sort of shifted how VHS works as far as songwriting/recording goes," Mike explains. "We used to be more of a live off the floor type of recording band but we switched to more of a file sharing approach for the last few albums. So for this album I basically recorded the guitars and vocals with drum programming to essentially demo the entire album and then sent off the songs to our drummer Andy to replace the drums with his own ideas."
Quest for the Mighty Riff is a fun and energetic album that pays homage to muscled warriors and creepy wizards.
It is a process that relies heavily on trust. When you aren't in the same room smelling the sweat and the gear, you have to hope the other guy gets the vision. "He has a knack for taking the songs into different directions," Mike says of Andy. "He doesn't always follow the demo drums that I programmed and since I'm not a drummer I always trust his instincts to guide the songs where he thinks they should go. Then comes the bass and adding in any samples or edits that we feel the songs might need. The songwriting itself for the album was really painless. Once I had an idea of where I wanted the album to go, the songs really poured out of me."
Despite the remote nature of the recording, the band claims the spark is still there. There were no major hurdles, just the quiet satisfaction of seeing a plan come together.
"There wasn't anything that stands out as particularly memorable or challenging but what always sticks in my brain is just how fun the entire process is," Mike states. "It's cool to see the album go through the transformative process that happens when each of us puts our stamp on things. I basically make the backbone of the song but Andy adds his own colour and so does Curtis. On top of that hearing the album come together with the narration and the samples really brought everything to life and is super cool to hear the evolution of the album going from an idea to a finished piece of music."
While the band denies being "experimental," the addition of synths and a curated narrative voice suggests they are pushing the boundaries of their own self-imposed rules.
"I wouldn't say we have done anything that would come across as experimental on this album," Mike says. "It really is just a straightforward metal album for the most part. That said we do have some synth work on the album and I guess the narration is a step in a different direction for us. We've used movie samples but never really tried to tell a story throughout an album before. This is something I'm fairly certain we will utilize in the future again but in just a slightly different way."
The cinematic influence is everywhere, specifically in the work of Matt Harvey, whose contributions lean heavily into the grandiose. "The sound and atmosphere of the album I wouldn't say were heavily influenced by anything in particular filmwise," Mike says. "The intro and interlude done by Matt Harvey were definitely influenced by the Conan the Barbarian score. There's also a few more epic sounding parts throughout the album that were meant to have more of a movie score feel. The album really just tried to convey how much fun it is to watch these movies. Watching movies like Conan the Destroyer, Highlander, or Masters of the Universe is a blast and we wanted that to come through in the music!"
And that is the core of VHS. It is a 43-year-old man’s love letter to the things that made his younger self feel invincible. It is about the visceral thrill of a sword hit.
"I wouldn't say that I am as obsessed with sword and sorcery flicks as I am horror flicks but it is probably more obsessive than your average person," Mike admits. "There's just something fun and satisfying about sword battles, cool armour and fantasy settings. It just hits that sweet spot of satisfaction that you have had since you were a kid. I'm 43 but I still get hyped when He-Man transforms in the cartoon or when Conan chops off Thulsa Doom's head on the stairs in Conan the Barbarian. I think every person at some point in their life has used a tennis racket or hockey stick as a fake sword and dreams of saving that damsel in distress or defeating the evil villain. These movies really tap into that fantasy and I think that is definitely part of the appeal. You can live vicariously through Conan without having to actually put your own life at risk!"
One of the standout tracks, "Ilias and His Magic Bow," serves as a perfect example of this deep-cut worship. It pulls from the filmography of a horror legend who wandered into the woods of fantasy.
"Ilias and His Magic Bow is based on a movie called Conquest," Mike reveals. "It was directed by Lucio Fulci who will not be a new name to anyone that is a horror lover. He is more well known for doing blood soaked horror but has definitely dipped his toes in other genres as well. Conquest is honestly just a bat shit crazy movie that centres around a young man named Ilias who receives a magical bow that shoots lasers. There's a half naked witch for a villain and a ton of werewolves and creatures running around. I'm not even sure if I would call it a good movie but it is certainly entertaining!"
The visual presentation of the record followed a similarly winding path. The band originally planned for a fragmented art approach before settling on a unified look.
"The original idea was to have separate artwork for all three versions of the album but we ultimately decided that it might be confusing for people at the end of the day," Mike says. "The main cover and what we used for the CD and LP was done by an artist named Creepy Jason. He is an amazing tattoo artist that I actually discovered through the TV show Ink Master. He stood out on the show and seemed like an awesome dude so I sent him a message on Instagram to see if he did band art. He was really into the idea and now this is the third album cover he has done for us! The cassette version features art by our friend Nev at Gruesome Graphx. We have been using art done by Nev since the very beginning of the band. He did our first logo, a ton of shirt designs and pretty much all of our remaining album covers!"
The narration, which gives the album its "experience" feel, was a deliberate choice to elevate the record above a simple collection of tracks. Mike knew he couldn't do it himself.
"The narration was something that I knew I wanted right from the beginning of writing the album," he says. "I tried a few times to do the narration myself but it just wasn't sounding good. I met Schuler through an interview on his podcast and we have stayed in touch ever since. I thought that since he has a history of being on the radio and doing a podcast that he would be an excellent choice to really nail the narration. I would say he definitely knocked it out of the park! The interludes really bring the whole album together and make it feel like more of an experience. Otherwise it would just be 11 songs that happen to be about sword and sorcery movies."
When pressed on his favourite moment, Mike keeps returning to the Fulci-inspired laser-bow anthem. It has the hooks that define the VHS sound.
"I kind of change my mind all of the time about what song on the album is my favourite but the one that I keep coming back to is Ilias and His Magic Bow," Mike says. "It's super catchy, has a ton of fun riffs, a cool solo and I think the vocals are really hard hitting on that one."
And then there are the covers. VHS has never been afraid to take a pop culture titan and drag it through the mud. Their take on Bryan Adams is perhaps their most audacious move yet.
"I'm not sure if I would call Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves a sword and sorcery movie exactly but it definitely fit in with what we wanted to do with the album," Mike explains. "If you were old enough in 1991 to notice music there is no way you weren't hearing this song almost daily. It was literally everywhere. I thought that it would be pretty interesting to see if we could turn it into a death metal song. I'm super happy with how it turned out and a lot of people have said it is better than it has any right to be! It's about time the world had a death metal love song!"
The bonus tracks were intended to be format-exclusive secrets, but in the digital age, secrets have a short shelf life. "The idea for the cover songs came after the album was mostly written," Mike says. "The idea was that each format of the album would have a secret bonus track. I just thought a metal version of The Neverending Story would be hilarious and I think that is exactly as it turned out. We are huge fans of '80s music and there really isn't any other movie tie in song that is more well known. I guess the bonus songs being secret tracks didn't last long!"
Looking back at their formation in 2015, the band has clearly tightened the screws. They are more competent, more confident and less afraid of the "weird" stuff.
"We've definitely become a better band over the years but still sound like VHS," Mike reflects. "The early albums are a bit more raw and loose and have a much more live feel to them. We've started to really expand our sound and really don't set any rules of limitations to what we do. We've been adding more synths, the last album had a saxophone solo and I really don't see us not throwing in curveballs on future albums as well. The main thing that we've learned over the years is that we can really do whatever we want and people seem to be along for the ride!"
But don't expect to see them on a massive cross-country slog anytime soon. VHS is a studio beast, content to stay in their own corner of the world.
"We are definitely not a touring band at all," Mike says bluntly. "We are open to the idea of playing festivals or one off shows here and there but nothing has really come up as of yet! We are planning on playing some shows in Winnipeg next year and maybe if we can make it work a small Southern Ontario run as well."
Ultimately, the goal is simple. They want to provide a soundtrack for people who still value the "fun" in extreme music. It is about a vibe, not a sermon.
"The biggest take away we want people to have from any of our music is just to have fun," Mike says. "Above all else we want our music to be fun to listen to. We have a blast putting all of the songs together and if people can catch that vibe and crack a smile, bang their head or check out a movie they've never heard of before then I would say we have done our job!"
The blend of death metal and punk is the engine that drives that fun. It is a "rock n roll" spirit disguised as something much more monstrous.
"I'm not sure how unique of a combination it is but we just have never put any limitations on our music," Mike explains. "I am a huge fan of both punk and death metal so it was pretty easy to let both of them come into our music. We definitely take a lot from punk in terms of the song structuring, the catchiness and the overall energy of the genre. I guess we are also a pretty DIY kind of band so that whole punk rock ethos also comes into play as well. I've always said we are a bit of a rock n roll band but with cookie monster vocals!"
As for the future, the riffs are already stacking up. Even as they promote the fantasy epic, the next chapter is already being inked.
"The main plan for now is just to promote the album and see how far we can take this little band," Mike reveals. "That said, we are always working on new music. We have the next album pretty much written and ready to be recorded but we aren't in any rush since we feel like we have something special with Quest for the Mighty Riff and want to promote it for a long time yet!"
The band remains grounded, seemingly surprised by their own growing reach. "The main thing I want to say is that we appreciate all of the support for the album so far!" Mike says. "This interview happening is a testament to the fact that the album is reaching new ears and bringing a lot of new people into the party. We are a band that likes to have fun and don't ever expect any sort of success but we definitely can't say that we don't find it humbling that people are taking notice of the album. Whether you have been there since the first album or are new to the party, we appreciate you all!
