Iron Meggido: Well, I would not say New England is exactly a hotbed for this type of music, but it is the north, we are European, so the wavelength is not so dissimilar from that of what occured in Norway for example, so some quality appears every once in awhile among the mediocre seas of boring crap.
Thuringwethil: I think New England has the most history from which to draw inspiration, and a good amount of it is dark. We had some old fuckin’ graves here.
Malphas: I grew up in Southern California, but since I’ve moved here I have noticed after so many years since church goers were deliberately threatened by sermons such as “Sinners In The Hands Of An Angry God” during the great awakening, the Puritanical stranglehold still exists. There will always be a need to express oneself against the tides of oppressive conformity.
Hekseri has been around for about eight years now. Are things different in the scene now than from when you first started out?
Iron Meggido: Oh yes. Our mentalities are different, and we have an ocean between us now, but since we are fucking warriors this cannot stop us. The scene itself can fuck off, actually.
Thuringwethil: Social media and Youtube have definitely streamlined things a bit, but we’ve also seen some live venues come and go because of the recession. I think there’s more solidarity in the metal scene now than before, maybe because it’s getting more recognition and fans seem to be encouraged by that.
Malphas: Like every music scene, there’s always going to be people who want to bring others down, and hide behind an elitist attitude, idiotic ideals or some other pathetic self deception. On a side note I wasn’t in the band 8 years ago haha.
A lot of bands today sound like they're trying to imitate the second wave of black metal, but Hekseri seems to draw inspiration from a lot of earlier bands like Sarcofago, Venom, and Bathory. At the same time, you've got two vocalists and have created a sound that's uniquely your own. Was it hard for you to develop that sound, or did everything sort of click into place immediately?
Iron Meggido: The sound developed itself, if we tried to make it sound like something, it would be unnatural. Maybe that is the pitfall many fall into, where they start to sound piss boring and then die. Thuringwethil: Well, I grew up with the first wave, when Venom was the seemingly furthest extreme. But yes, we just let the sound develop on its own, rather than trying to sound like any particular band.
Malphas: Black metal, to me is not a sound but a feeling, an expression of whats inside. Getting in touch with a part of you that is not always present.
You've got a full-length album out right now with Time Before Time Records, out of Poland. Do you have any touring or recording plans for 2012?
Iron Meggido: Recording is to happen in 2012. As far as touring goes, we have to see.
Thuringwethil: I think recording the new material is priority, but we’ll play a local show or two if we can land a session drummer during that time.
Malphas: This will be my first recording with Hekseri, since joining the band last summer as their new bassist, I have not been this optimistic and fired up in quite some time.
If you could make a split album with any band, who would it be and why?
Iron Meggido: A split with Bathory would be amazing. But it isn't possible, and splits are not so important. Be authentic, question the world, question yourself, look deeper.
Thuringwethil: My ultimate dream would be to work on a release with Jarboe. She used to be in Swans but her solo discography sets her apart—she’s beyond belief. And she’s not what I would call metal but she’s got this distinctive voice that alternates between a soothing, nurturing, protective mother and a terrifying, cannibalistic, eviscerating nightmare witch. She’s worked with bands like Neurosis and Byla, among so many others, with pretty unique-sounding results. That would be an interesting stylistic challenge for Hekseri.
Malphas: Without a doubt; Diamanda Galas, she is one of the only true artists left in music.
For more information on Hekseri, visit their website:
