interview with Heimar
How was the band formed? Myself and the drummer (D. Sikora) were in a band together before, but it fell apart. Years past and I wrote some riffs and sent them to him to see if he was interested in starting a new project. He agreed and we started sending ideas back and forth. Very boring story actually.
Can you tell about your band? Heimar is an extreme metal band which pulls influences from various metal bands. We create what we like for us first and foremost and if others agree, its and added plus. It's my personal form of expression in it's purest sense (well this and our other band, Krigsgrav).
Where are all band members from?/Who does what in the band? Texas. I (J.) play all six strings guitars and do all vocals. D. Sikora handles all bass duties and masterfully slays the drums.
What was the ambitions of the band when you started? To create an outlet for our expression with out compromise, this will never change.
Could you explain your music to someone that haven't heard you? Epic extreme metal with elements of black/death/thrash. We're not original, but that's not important.
Who writes your songs?/ who writes the music who writes lyrics? I do (J.) usually but D. has as much input as he cares to give, it's very democratic working with him. Same story for lyrics.
Who has the best since of humor in the band? Me, I'm fucking hilarious.
What's good/bad with the band?/What genre do you feel you are? There is no bad, Heimar is an outlet so it is all cathartic for me personally. I have no idea what genre we are, we just mash up the metal we like and Heimar is the result.
Why did you pick that particular style?/What are your songs about? We didn't pick any particular style, we play what we feel. If we want to make a country album, we will, Heimar is ours and that's that. Our songs are about what goes on in my head and how I feel about life and various life situations.
Do you write your own material or mainly covers? Yes, but we will have a cover of Dissection's "Mistress of the Bleeding Sorrow" done for our next release. Not because we think we can top the masters, but to pay respects to Jon and one of the greatest bands ever.
Have you made any albums?/If yes what are they? We have our first demo/ep "Eld", then our first album "Atavism" (2013). We are working on new material currently, it may be an ep, but if writing goes well, it could turn into a full length.
Do you have any clips on YouTube? Yes. Provided by the passion of others posting our material, many thanks to those supporters!
How old are you?/What got you started in music? Getting old now. The primal feel of rock guitars and loud amplifiers got me into music when I was a young boy. Specifically stuff like Metallica, Slayer, Maiden, the usual, until further darkness was discovered.
At what age did you start playing? 15
How old were you guys when you first stood on stage? 17
What year was the band started? 2011
What are the plans for the rest of the year? Write records new stuff for Heimar, release then move forward doing the same for Krigsgrav.
What are your goals with your music? To feel satisfied with what I've created
Is it easier to get your inspiration from older bands or from bands more modern? I'm older, so I am always inspired by older bands, I find little excitement in new bands.
What are your sources of inspiration? Life and those always moving vibrations around us.
What's the first step when making a new song? Getting the feeling to pick up the guitar and write something.
How do you feel about the downloading of music instead of buying albums? Heimar give all of our material away for free, so we fully support it. We create for the sake of personal satisfaction, not money.
What would be your dreams for the band? Just to continue to create our material how we want
Besides your own music, what genres and bands do you listen to? Metal/Rock/Punk/Folk/Industrial. Right now I'm rotating Nightbringer, Blut Aus Nord, Necromanticks, Black Flag, Dissection. It changes regularly though.
What do you hold most dear? My family
Have you been part of any other projects? Many, but right now only this and Krigsgrav.
Have you been in any other bands? Answered above
What would you do if there was no music? Make music
How important are your fans? I hate the word fans. We're not Metallica, I appreciate those that support us, that's it.
How often do you rehearse? Never, we don't play live
Name 2 of your own songs you like at the moment? Winter Fires, Immortal and Graven
What drives a band that isn't all that famous and renowned to try to make a living on their music and to keep playing? Compulsion, I guess. I do it because I have to. It's my form of expression. Some people paint, some draw, I create music.
Do you have any webpages? Yes, a Facebook.
Any pearls of wisdom for all other bands out there? Fuck everybody else.
How do you view the musicindurty of today? Its dying, good riddance!
What advice would you like to give other bands? Create what you enjoy.
What are the biggest obstacles for a band? None
How would you describe your sound in one sentence Listen for yourself
What is your favorite crappy instrument? Ibanez RG170, it's what I write everything on.
Do you have anything to add?Listen to Heimar and then listen to Krigsgrav.