Hetroertzen. Interview with Askvader

Interview by Andrew Stanton

Hello and welcome to Inside the Darkness...

- Can you tell our readers a bit about your history, please?

Hetroertzen was formed back in 1997 in southern Chile by Deacon D. as his solo band. I joined him two years later as guitarist. We recorded our debut album in 2002, and two more albums a few years later in Chile. Then in 2009 we relocated to Sweden and found a stable line up and we continue stronger than ever.

- What bands did you like growing up?

I started to like the hardest sort of music when I was a kid. Before I even listened to Black Metal I was a big fan of Death Metal, Alternative Rock and Punk. Bands like Sepultura, Cannibal Corpse, Green Day, Misfits, Marylin Manson, Metallica where my favorite during my early years, then I discovered Black Metal through Marduk and Emperor and it became my favorite music style, it kind of reshaped my world views since it fitted the kind of personality I had back then.

- What does Hetroertzen mean?

Hetroertzen represents everything we are passionate for, everything we love and everything we believe in. It is a name/ concept Deacon D. created, so there is no meaning if you try to find it on a dictionary. I think it is very powerful to create something from nothing, like an entity that you feed through the years, something very personal that means a lot to you and that you know nobody else will use it.

- What are your lyrics about?

The lyric themes enclose Occult matters such, Luciferianism, Alchemy, Gnosticism and the like. They are made both philosophically and poetically. So that they symbolize our spiritual path in its highest as well as our personal experience of the Light.

- Why do you choose to sing in English?

There are some benefits to have your lyrics and message written in English, first of all, it is the largest language in the world, and it sounds quite ok in connection with the music. But of course, I love when bands use other sorts of lesser-known languages / dialects to write their poetry, that gives an extra mystical aura to their art.

- What is on the cover of Phosphorus Vol 1?

The cover was created by yours truly and it is my own interpretation of the inner alchemy of the album. There is symbolism that represent our band and there are colors like purple that represents the magical realm. The triangle is also a very important symbol for us (triumvirate) and all eyes I had there can be seen as awareness. As an illustrator I hope for the viewer to observe my artwork and reflect on it.

- What other Chilean bands should I readers check out?

Chile got an excellent extreme Metal scene in my opinion. I personally enjoy bands like Godless, Defaced, LvxCaelis, Dark Horde, to name a few!

- Do you have a message for our readers?

Our new album Phosphorus Vol I will be out in September 16th, and we are very much looking forward to unleash it to the world. For more info check www.hetroertzen.se and www.listenable.eu

Thank you for your time.