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Hometown: Brooklyn, NY
Label: Urban Yeti Records
Management: Lekberg Enterprises
Website: www.ikillya.com
Sounds Like: Lamb of God, DevilDriver, Pantera, The-Haunted, Gojira
Genre: Metal
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 Mee: 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.
“one of the must own records of 2017”
Metal Mark - Ghost Cult Magazine
“The New York-based thrash/groove metal quartet more than live up to their rep for relentless aggression on WAR FOR AN IDEA, but never at the expense of finesse. IKILLYA approach the weird bits that ultimately make their third album more than a mere collection of killer songs with just as much restraint and consideration...”
Rod Smith - Decibel Magazine
"their most ferocious release...this is more than just an album. It’s a confrontational demand for sanity in a world that has lost its mind."
Jamie Lee - SkullsNBones.com
“New York’s sonic equivalent to Lamb of God”
Bram - Metalinsider.net
““One of the most furious, yet focused releases of 2017””
Metal Mark - Ghost Cult Magazine
“Melodic thrash riffing, balls to the wall dissonance, commanding harsh vocals and quick/intricate precise drumming are what this album’s all about.”
Mike Marlinski - Welcome To The Metal
“War For An Idea is also the best Ikillya have ever sounded, keeping their aggression and edge while also benefitting from better production”
Vince Bellino - Decibel Magazine
“IKILLYA might possibly be the best metal band to have emerged from the gutters of New York City since Anthrax”
Mark Ashby - Planetmosh.com
“New York’s own kings of thrashy, groove-laden, no bullshit heavy fuckin’ metal”
Metalsucks.net
“New York's finest purveyors of true metal”
Rick Florino - Artistdirect.com
"This renewed energy, coupled with their usual heavy attack and subtle hooks, has the future looking bright for a band that is doing things the old-fashioned way."
Thomas Gerbasi - Medium
"Vae Vicits is Latin for "woe to the conquered (ones)", and based on the pure energy this album radiates, IKILLYA won't be among the fallen."
Jeanne Fury - Decibel Magazine
“9 purely pummeling songs”
Chris Gonda - Puregrainaudio.com
"As startling and destructive as a beer bottle to the back of the skull." 8/10
Dom Lawson - Metal Hammer
"A groove-laced thrashing....It’s hard to keep still when the tempo picks up"
Dan Marsicano - About.com
"[a] hugely visceral gut-punching assault. Recon [is] a highly compelling mix of hulking muscle and fiercely intelligent ire" 4/5
Paul Travers - Kerrang! (album review)
"This NYC crew lays down groove-laden, hardcore-influenced metal with authority." 3.5/5
Greg Pratt - Revolver
"The band's superb debut album Recon is a pummeling, punishing affair, loaded with gut-punching grooves that recall heavyweight sluggers from Lamb of God through Pantera to legendary NY Groove machine Prong."
Paul Travers - Kerrang! (best new band feature)
"IKILLYA are a Rockstar Mayhem mainstage ready band" 6/10
Shawn Bosler - Decibel Magazine
“If you need a soundtrack for working out or lifting buildings over your head then I recommend Ikillya's "Vae Victis."”
Jeff Rogers - Roughedge.com
“IKILLYA are NYC’s modern answer to Lamb Of God; brutal, groovy and thrashy but from the streets instead of the woods.”
Metalsucks.net
"Their hard-hitting, visceral debut album is just as impressive - and even more so after repeated listens, which show an album full of depth and power, at the same time melodic and merciless, progressive and yet retaining enough old-school dynamics and sensibilities to keep the supremely technical playing firmly rooted in the traditional heavy metal underbelly."
Mark Ashby - UberRock.co.uk
“They encapsulate what metal should be - aggressive, yet thoughtful, talented without showing off; friendly off stage, furious on stage”
Jonny - Belfast Metaheads Reunited
"Just when I thought nobody was doing anything new, this gem of brutality found it’s way to my desk. Recon is easily the best hardcore I’ve heard this year. 4.5/5"
Keith Anderson - thenewreview.net
“IKILLYA is one of the few bands composing metal in an original way, while still being able to create 'songs.' They've got serious groove, serious brutality and melody that is intelligent from front to back. 4.5/5”
Sam Roon - SkullsNBones.com
"A lethal dose of adrenalized Death Metal"
Horns Up Rocks
"It's not often that I feel like an up and coming band has such a great shot at making big, but IKILLYA has given me that feeling time and time again."
Tim Ledin - Thrashmag.com
"[IKILLYA] back that performance with a level of metallic tightness that I’m just not used to seeing anymore....their energy and dynamism would have made them stand out no matter who was on the bill."
The Obelisk
"From beginning to end, the album [Recon] was solid as a rock. 9/10"
Metal Centre
“IKILLYA’s sound is some sort of American thrash/groove/metal hybrid, a very aggressive approach that isn’t afraid to incorporate melody in non-standard ways; make no mistakes, nothing here is generic”
Vince Neilstein - metalsucks.net
