It was their self-titled demo in 1984 which lit the fire for Hirax.

Just months later, Brian Slagel from Metal Blade Records reached out to them.

Leader Katon De Pena spoke with BraveWords at the recent 70000 Tons Of Metal about their early beginnings and supporting their new album, Faster Than Death.

Our entire conversation will run in full soon, but De Pena's onstage antics were the talk of the cruise.

Witnessing Hirax live is one of those beautiful moments in metal where a band grabs you by the throat and won't let go.

But where did that combustible energy first begin? When asked about the bands that blew their mind and influenced their path, De Pena recalled the tape trading era.

He said, "The tape trading was, to me, the start for sure.

Because we did a demo and then it got out to the right people...".

Hirax's early success was marked by a biker who rode his motorcycle from California to their front lawn, buying demos and seeking them out.

De Pena reflected on Hirax's rapid rise to fame: "The demo totally did everything.

And once the record came out, then we were in charts...

It was fast, especially when you think of the times back in the '80s for that shit to spread like wildfire." Hirax's early supporters included Megadeth, who wanted them to open for their shows.

De Pena praised Dave Mustaine, saying he was one of the biggest Hirax supporters when they first started out.