A visit with the guys in IKILLYA as they prepare to drop their new album, War For an Idea, and hit the road on tour

Jason Lekberg: We have been on a quest for an idea. And I think that currently we’re more focused on how to get there, and are actually executing getting there. We’re closer than we’ve ever been. A rudimentary definition of us would be to say that we’re a “thinking man’s Groove Metal band.”
War For an Idea is what Thomas Paine called his writing. And I feel like individually, we’ve each had our own little wars that we’ve been fighting. The album collectively is our statement, it’s our “pamphlet” to the rest of the world.
Rob Broderick: We’re just watching, basically, what is unfolding today. And we were not happy. And we said we have to do something, and we said “well, we could talk or we could scream.” So we felt like we needed to scream.
Andrew Mee: What you see is what you get with IKILLYA. Jason’s just as pissed off as he is when you see him, Eric’s just as “thinky” as he is on the album, and so on.
Jason: I’m an angry human, I just am. That’s who I am. We are about true force and about true anger and about true domination. I want you to see my face for who I am. I’m going to piece by piece take apart the things that I disagree with. That’s force. That’s strength.
Eric Jackson: For me, this is an attempt to understand history, and an attempt to understand society and to assign authenticity to my responses. This is my attempt to find my meaning in it, because I’m not connecting with the other things that have been provided to me. But fundamentally it’s still about art. If we really wanted to make a change, we’d run for office.
Andrew: I was gone from music for a long time, and then reactivated with IKILLYA. So for me, right now, it’s personal. I’m pretty much performing now for just me and the rest of the guys.
Rob: I’m playing for these three dudes too. And also for myself. And sometimes there’s someone who reaches out to you after a show and says “I’m glad there’s somebody as pissed off and maladjusted as me,” and that helps.
Jason: I think the most important thing in this band is that everyone gets to have their personal journey. We welcome absolutely everyone to our shows that would like to experience what we’re doing… anyone that decides that they want to put themselves directly in front of that freight train.
Andrew: It’s for anybody that wants to observe something that’s handmade by four individuals that are taking it across the road to see you. It’s a handmade product that was loved and cared for by everyone that touched it.
Jason: You definitely need to be someone that is tolerant and excited about experiencing something different.
Rob: Come as you are but don’t be an asshole.
Eric: Don’t be a racist.
Jason: Absolutely right.