Can you tell us about the origin of the band name, a history of the band and a little bit about the various members?
Heretoir is a post (black) metal band from Germany, that combines the raw energy of black metal and the melancholic emotions of post rock with the rhythmic power of modern melodic death metal. David, our singer, alternates between screaming and clean vocals and our lyrics are about personal experiences, melancholy, urban life, nature and what it’s like to be human living in a dying world.
The bandname is a coinage, its basis is the word heretic. For us the bandname means something like “finding your own way” or “chosing your own path in life”.
The band was founded by David in 2006. A few years later I joined, since David and I knew each other for quite some time and we realized, that we are very much interested in the same music. A bit later the line up was completed and we played our first live shows. To this day we played shows with Katatonia, Killswitch Engage, Enslaved, Alcest, Agalloch, Der Weg einer Freiheit and many other bands and we released more than four records. Our new full-length called “Nightsphere” will be released on October 6th.
Are you all from the same area? How did you get together as a band?
Three of us live in the area around Munich in southern Germany. Our drummer lives in Hamburg and one of us comes from Belgium. We met in local metal clubs and at shows, that we played with different bands of ours.
Who are your favourite artists/bands and how have they influenced your own sound?
For me it would be Ulver, Katatonia, Alcest, Agalloch, Wolves in the throne room, Darkthrone, Fall of Efrafa and In Flames. I listen to a wide spectrum of different genres, but of course black metal, melodic death metal and crust punk have been major influences for me. I love the atmosphere of old school black metal bands, but I also like the emotional intensity of more modern black metal acts. I am a huge fan of the frailty of post rock and the power of death metal. I grew up listening to In Flames and Dark Tranquillity a lot and I love those bands to this day. They formed my love for melody, atmosphere and darkness and I guess you can hear that on the upcoming Heretoir record.
Did you always have the ambition to be a musician and in a band or did you originally have other plans?
When I discovered metal in high school I immediately wanted to learn to play guitar. A few weeks later I bought a bass and a guitar and shortly after that I started to write songs. So I didn’t think about being a musician a lot, for me it was just the natural thing to do and I consider myself very lucky to have found other great human beings with whom I can share this passion.
What songs or albums are on your current playlist?
“A thirst for summer rain” by Lustre, “We are the apocalypse” by Dark Funeral and (as always) “The great cold distance” by Katatonia and “Damage done” by Dark Tranquillity.
Do you sing in the shower?
Never.
Do you have any plans for the band for this year and into next year?
We have a lot of plans! We will play together with Alcest in October. Shortly afterwards our new album “Nightsphere” will be released. We will promote the record and tour Europe from October 20th to 28th. We will play some other shows in November and play our first South America Tour in march of 2024. In the meantime we are already working hard on new material for upcoming records. So we are quite busy at the moment.
Do you currently have any new songs/albums ready to be released?
Our new record called “Nightsphere” will be released on October 6th. You can already preorder it and watch the music video for our first single called “Twilight of the machines”.
If you could play at any place in the world where would you choose?
Wacken and Hellfest
Do you have a favourite album? If so, what is it?
Ashes against the grain by Agalloch. It is an atmospheric masterpiece and I really love the fusion of black metal, post rock and doom. The melancholic darkness, that can be found on this record, is just perfect.
If you were putting together the greatest show on earth, who would be playing?
Katatonia, Alcest, Wolves in the throne room, In Flames, Agalloch, Harakiri for the Sky, Der Weg einer Freiheit and of course it would feature the reunion of Fall of Efrafa.
Can you remember the first album you bought with your own money? What was it and do you still have it?
I am not 100% sure, but it must have been either Soulfly or Metallica.
As your fans will be reading this, is there any message you would like to send out to them?
I want to thank every single Heretoir fan from the bottom of my heart for supporting this band. It makes me really happy to know, that there are people out there who enjoy the music we write and it really means the world to me to meet so many lovely people at our shows. Thank you.
Finally, let us know all your social media sites so your fans, old and new, can find and follow/like you!
https://heretoir.bandcamp.com/album/nightsphere
https://evilgreed.net/de/collections/heretoir
https://www.instagram.com/heretoir_official/
https://www.facebook.com/heretoir
We, at The Metal Asylum, would like to thank you for your time. Is there is anything further that you would like to add?
Thank you very much for the interesting questions and the opportunity to talk about Heretoir.
This interview is the property of The Metal Aylum