Hecate

Rachael Kozak (born May 26, 1976), better known by her stage name Hecate, is an American-Austrian experimental industrial and breakcore musician based in Berlin, Germany. Her stage name originates from Hecate, the Greek goddess of sorcery. 

Kozak was born as Rachael Lynn Gabriela Kozak-Salmi on May 26, 1976, in Detroit, Michigan.

She uses sexuality as a major topic in her music (such as in the tracks "Hecate Jacks Off The Jackal" and "The Magick Of Female Ejaculation") and has a heavy focus on death and the occult. With over thirty releases, she has become a notable producer in the harsher genres of electronic music. Kozak is also known for her collaborations with prolific electronic artist Venetian Snares (Aaron Funk), creating the album Nymphomatriarch entirely from recordings of she and Funk having sex, during a two-week tour in 2003.

She is also involved with video production, graphic arts, and writing. Since 1996, Kozak has managed her own record label Zhark International, has traveled the world extensively to perform and became involved in the extreme metal scene, particularly industrial black metal. She eventually formed Treachery, a black metal group.

In 2011, Hecate released a 12" of her remixes on Ad Noiseam, and a CD and 12" release which features her vocal work on Bong-Ra's side-project, White Darkness. Kozak was cast by Daniel Vrangsinn, the producer of many Norwegian black metal bands, to star in his solo full-length video project, Taboo.

Kozak has indicated appreciation for the 1980s metal once featured on Headbanger's Ball, black metal, Bong-Ra, Xanopticon, Franco Battiato, Pain Teens, King Crimson, and Urfaust, amongst many others. She has collaborated with Venetian Snares, Lustmord, Abelcain, Christoph Fringeli, and Michael Ford of Black Funeral. She also worked with the Austrian blackened death metal band Belphegor on four LPs, Pestapokalypse VI, Bondage Goat Zombie, Walpurgis Rites - Hexenwahn, and Blood Magick Necromance contributing lyrics as well as spoken and screamed vocals.

Collaboration with Belphegor

After meeting Belphegor in 2005, Kozak was invited to contribute to their LP Pestapokalypse VI, which led to more collaborations. In 2010, Kozak became the band's official press secretary for their last LP.

Absolution with Instinct Primal

In March 2017 Kozak returned to her Hecate persona to release Absolution, a limited edition orange cassette tape featuring two original ambient tracks ("Mourning Sickness" and Majesty Lykania") remixed by Instinct Primal. This special release was limited to 50 hand numbered copies. It was released on Nova Alternative label on 11 March 2017.

Final Planet 666 with Der Blutharsch

Following on from the positive reception of ABSOLUTION, Rachael's next collaboration materialized as a limited edition flexi disc entitled Final Planet 666. Recorded in Vienna almost three years before the final release, the track is a joint recording between Hecate and Der Blutharsch and the Infinite Hand of the Leading Path.