Yidhra is a Doom Metal band blending styles and riffs from Stoner, Doom, Sludge and the Occult. Their stunning début album – Hexed. A 66 minute Doom Metal Odyssey which will leave you in
an unnatural hypnotic state.
Hexed which is starting to receive praise all over the Sludge/Doom/Stoner Metal community for it's epic vision. The album has some serious talent behind it and I am not just talking about the band. Legendary producer - Bill Metoyer (SLAYER, CORROSION OF CONFORMITY, TROUBLE, ARMORED SAINT, DARK ANGEL, SACRED REICH, CRYPTIC SLAUGHTER, D.R.I.) had this say about YIDHRa:
“Not since TROUBLE have I worked with a band in this genre so talented. YIDHRA! I have no clue what the name means, but to me it means DOOM!”
Well HEXED actually does mean DOOM. I said this in my review of this brilliant album:
“a stunning collection of epic Doom Metal tracks you will want to listen to over and over again. Hexed is going to launch these guys as one of the leading lights of Doom Metal in the years to come.
Hexed is the must have Doom Metal album of 2013.”
I felt it was time for me to enter the demonic world of Yidhra one more time. So the guys have kindly granted me an interview.
Q1 – Hi guys, How are things with you today? Thanks for doing this.
Things great! We just got back from a quick tour up north and we are looking forward to playing some more local shows. Our pleasure, thanks for the interest in doing the interview.
Q2 – For people not in the know can you give a brief history on how the band came about?
Dave and Grant started the band in 2008 but it was wrought with hardships from the get go. Drummers coming and going and finally a tragic accident almost claimed Grant's life and that of the band as a whole. Grant was paralyzed and the rest of the band pulled together to play a benefit show to help with his medical bills. It was supposed to be a one off show with Ted stepping in on vocals. The end result was that Yidhra would continue with their new singer and here we are today.
Q3 – Where did the name Yidhra come from? I did try researching this on the internet and I gather it's something to do with H.P. Lovecraft. Can you provide more info and why the name Yidhra?
Grant came up with the name. He and Dave were looking for something unique. Because they're both H.P. Lovecraft fans, and fans of witches in general, it was a perfect fit.
Q4 – How would you describe your sound? As you guys have a lot of different styles going on.
To be honest with you, we don't really think about that much. We just play what we like and that just happens to be Loud, Heavy and Dark. We like all kinds of music but those are the themes that seem to prevail in our writing.
Q5 – Congrats on Hexed. What an album it is. You're winning a lot ofpraise amongst the Stoner Metal community. Have you been pleased with responses your music has received so far?
Thanks! We are very happy. You know, we try to put out material we like first and foremost. The fact that other people are digging it makes everything that much better.
Q6 – Bill Metoyer produced the album. How did you managed to get Bill on board? He has produced some legendary bands and albums. So congrats on that one.
Thanks! Ted had worked with Bill on a couple of other projects and when we brought Yidhra to him he was instantly down. Bill is a Bad-Ass and we are stoked that he made the time for us.
Q7 – What was working with Bill like? Was it a great experience and did he give you any good advice?
Like we said, Bill is The Man! He is a complete pro and just told us to do our thing. He captured our sounds and our vibe perfectly. As far as good advice, he told us not to mess with his one-eyed dog Cow or the little guy would bite us. So we didn't mess with Cow and all wasright with the world.
Q8 – Was Hexed an easy or hard album to write and record?
Neither really. We do take time to "craft" the songs, as simple as they may be. But writing and recording HEXED as a whole was a pleasure. Now that it's done, we get to write more songs.
Q9 – Now it's been released upon to the world. Would you change anything about it or are you all happy with the way it is?
I think no matter how much time and effort you put into any sort of artistic venture there will always be something you would like to change or tweak. Like Paul Gardner said, "A painting is never finished. It simply stops in interesting places." We are really happy with how it turned out and now we can use it as a stepping stone towards the next record.
Q10 – Who designed the excellent album cover? As it only gives you a brief glimpse on what to expect on the album.
We sort of designed it by committee. We all pooled together different ideas and imagery we felt would convey the over-all feeling of the album and the vintage mourning sculpture won the race. The painting was done by Dave and the layout and design was all done by Ted.
Q11 – What is the song writing process in the band? Is it a collective partnership or down to just one individual?
The songs on HEXED were written musically by Dave, short of a riff here and there from Ted, and lyrically by Ted. The arrangements are a full band joint effort for the most part.
Q12 – Which bands and artists influenced you as musicians?
Holy crap! That is hard to answer completely. But let's say this, we all have our own tastes and though we agree on a lot we don't agree on everything. If you hear something reminiscent of something else in our music, it is possibly an influence. We all love Horror movies, soundtracks, comics, literature, Halloween and all sorts of other creepy stuff. If its "good" and fits in those categories we are probably influenced by it.
Q13 – You released your demo record in 2009 and released your début album in 2013. Was there a specific reason for the long wait in between?
Yes, there are 2 primary reasons. One, we had a revolving door of drummers until Chris came on board. And two, we needed to save the $ to do it right with the right producer.
Q14 – Now Hexed is being released on limited edition vinyl of 333 copies during Winter 2013. Who will be releasing this and why 333 copies? Congrats on that though as I will definitely be buying a copy.
Thanks and Thanks for your support. We are doing the release with Stone-Stallion Rex out of Germany. They came up with the 333 number which suits us fine. There are magical and biblical significances to the number so it seems rather fitting. We are really looking forward to it.
Q15 - What are your favourite bands you are currently listening to? Any bands that myself or our readers should check out?
We don't really like to single bands out because we don't want to inadvertently slight anyone. We do play with a great bunch of unsigned bands out of LA and played with some equally great bands on tour recently. We would like to encourage people to support their local scenes and support unsigned bands as much as possible.
Q16 – In 5 words or less describe the live Yidhra experience.
Loud, Heavy, Creepy, Intense & Catchy!
Q17 - What are your views of bands using websites like Kickstarter and Indiegogo to fund their new album releases? Some people and bands are for it. Some are not. Would you consider doing some thing like that yourselves?
We are all for any outlet that an independent band can utilize. It doesn't seem like a good fit for as at the moment but you never know. I do get a bit annoyed when well known, popular acts use it because it seems like they should be able to fund their projects themselves. But to each their own.
Q18 – How big of a help has BandCamp and the Stoner/Sludge/Doom Metal Blogging Community in getting your music across to the masses?
Both outlets have been key in getting the word out for sure.
Q19 - What are the most and least rewarding aspects of participating with the band? Obviously, the reality of how expensive it is being in a band could be considered as a negative aspect.
Any relationship has its ups and downs. Fortunately there isn't a lot of drama in Yidhra. The mere cost of living is hard enough but we do this because we love it not for any financial aspirations. The rewards are almost a necessity for us. We all need a creative and emotional outlet and Yidhra provides both.
Q20 - If you could provide words to wisdom for people wanting to start a band – What would it be?
Do it because you love it and for no other reason.
Q21 - Finally do you have anything to say to your fans?
Thanks! We appreciate any and all support. We look forward to
correspondences so keep `em comin!
Well guys thanks for your time. Hope the album is a success and the vinyl sells out quickly. All the best for the future. Can't wait to hear what you guys come up with next!!!
Thanks
Thanks to Yidhra for providing their time for a great interview. If you haven't done so then check out this amazing band now. You won't be sorry.
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