Interviews: Invent Horizon

On this new occasion, we have had the opportunity to interview the Metalcore/Industrial Metal band Invent Horizon from the USA. Check out the interview and follow the band on their INSTAGRAM PROFILE.

1. Where did you get the idea for the band name, you plan it or come out just like that?

Two years ago, Ivent Horizon was supposed to be a one-man, fun musical project completely run by the guitarist myself, Jose Jimenez. I already had Ivent Horizon’s first song, "Leviathan Lives,” written and recorded, but we didn't have a name. Derek Ansell, Ivent Horizon's future bass player, had talked me into trying to start a band for which he had a few band names he thought sounded cool. One of the band names he had written down was “Event Horizon,” which I instantly liked because of its connection with its scientific meaning and also because of my own interpretation of the meaning of Event Horizon. So I did a quick search on Spotify to see if there were any bands already named that, and unfortunately, there were many bands named Event Horizon. So I took a page out of one of my favorite artists at the time, Andromida, and replaced E with an I. Birthing Ivent Horizon. It's a unique name with no other band sharing our name, although it confuses people as they tend to call or write us down as “INVENT Horizon." 

(Andromida’s name is clearly just a 1 letter change from the actual word Andromeda, being our neighboring galaxy)

2. Why did you want to play this genre?

Collectively, as a band, we just really enjoy music as a whole. Metal often only has a few instruments in each song, such as guitar, bass, drums, vocals, and maybe some mild form of synth. So inspired by our own distinct musical backgrounds but also our love and interests outside of music, such as video games, movies, TV shows, and anime, we came together and just wanted to make music that sounds like it could belong in a movie, a video game, or a soundtrack to your favorite show. All that being said, we didn't choose the genre; the genre chose us. Or at least we had many different people tell us what we sounded like genre-wise. It's hard to definitely categorize us in any genre, but we are more than honored and excited to be part of the industrial metal banner.

3. Did you know each other before the band was formed?

I (Jose) would say I was or was the binding glue holding the band together the first few times we got together as a group. Ryan Donofiro, the drummer for Ivent Horizon, is one of my best friends, as we grew up and have known each other since kindergarten, which is incredible if I do say so myself! We had always jammed together, but we never took being in a band or writing music seriously together until Ivent Horizon was formed. He was the last to join the band. Derek Ansell was someone I only got to know by being the friend of a friend. We were only mildly acquainted prior to 2021, but after some of my demo songs, he was really the push I needed to get Ivent Horizon truly started. He was there from day 1 so to speak of the band and helped a tone creatively and financially to get us off the ground. Joey Sepulveda was someone I only knew by name prior to starting Ivent Horizon. Funny enough, he and I were both previously in the rock band Ignescent, although not at the same time. When he took his leave from the band, I became his replacement. Later, after I had left Ignescent, he contacted me with interest in being in a band with me, and so I tested him by sending a track that would later be known as our song “The Fall,” and the rest was history.

4. Each band member's favorite band?

My favorite artist is probably David Maxim Micic. A Serbian guitar virtuoso. Joey has always been super fond of Tesseract. He put me on Tesseract as well, and I'm glad he did. Ryan really enjoys bands along the lines of Tool, Smashing Pumpkins, and Nirvana, though it's hard for him to choose just one. Derek’s favorite band is Intervals for their instrumental virtuosity. Derek, Joey, and I all saw Intervals and Tesseract this past October.

5. Who or what inspires you to write songs?

Initially, David Maxim Micic alone inspired me to start writing music as he introduced me to low-tuned guitars and rhythmic riffs. The fact that he wrote, recorded, and released everything himself was mind-blowing to me back in the day. Now anything and everything inspires me to write music. From the hit show Demon Slayer to the critically acclaimed games Eldin Ring and Armored Core 6, we pull inspiration from things mainly outside of music, ironically enough. Sometimes the idea of writing a song that sounds a certain way is inspiration enough to write said song!

6. Where was your last gig?

The last gig we played at was a local show at the WC Social Club in West Chicago, Illinois. We had arranged the whole show with other local bands. It was a great time, as our favorite venue so far is the WC Social Club. We played our first show ever there as well.

7. Where would you like to act?

Acting isn't something any of us are actively pursuing but it's something that we would all enjoy if given the opportunity!

8. Whom would you like to feature with?

From a musical standpoint, we would LOVE to have a song featuring artists from Sleep Token, Tesseract, Or Spiritbox.

9. Whom not?

We don't necessarily have anyone on this “do not work with list” any personal biases are purely from a non-musical standpoint. So anyone and everyone is fair game as music is a collaborative effort!

10. Have any of you ever suffered from stage fright? Any tips for beginners on how to beat that?

We've all suffered from stage fright at some point in our musical journey. Most people go through it at the beginning of their journey, but other people go through it when they hit certain milestones. As for myself, my stage fright moment was the first show we ever played with Ignescent. It was a train wreck, from a personal standpoint. There was also a huge musical hiccup from our drummer in Ignescent at the time, in the middle of our set at my first ever show, that we all had to improvise. We managed to pull it off somewhat convincingly, though. As for the personal train wreck to which I was referring, that's a story for another time! In my experience, the best way to overcome stage fright is to practice, practice, practice. Make it so that whenever you're playing, you're just “going through the motions, so even if your mind goes blank, your body and your musical intuition don't fail to put on a show!

11. What bands have inspired you the most?

Sleep Token, Spiritbox, Andromida, and Tesseract If you've heard of any of these artists, you'll know exactly why. They each bring something different to the table that we pull from, consciously or unconsciously.

12. What's the weirdest thing a fan has ever asked you for?

As of now, nothing, but I suppose the odd request was to play a backyard birthday show that was around 6 hours away on about a week's notice. It's safe to say we didn't play the gig, unfortunately.

13. What do you think of your fans?

I think they are all really genuine people. Everyone seems to gravitate toward their favorite Ivent Horizon song. And those same people find they are similar to the other people who also have that as their favorite song! All that to say, each song has its own separate following, making it hard for us to tell what kind of songs people want from us next! Our variety of themes and tones in songs really pull people from every path in life.

14. What do you think of our site?

I think the site is awesome for giving the spotlight to smaller artists and helping the community grow! It means everything to us smaller bands, and I feel I can speak for everyone as a small artist when I say that.

15. Something to add?

We have an EP coming out in the spring of next year and hopefully a small tour around the Wisconsin, Illinois, and Indiana, area. So keep your eyes peeled! Follow us on social media @iventhorizon on most if not all platforms!