Masacre
This is the first band
from Colombia I came across and as Alex Okendo, the band's main man informs
us, his country has a really strong underground scene. So, learn about
this and about Masacre in this very interesting interview.
1. HI THERE! CONGRATULATIONS ON “TOTAL DEATH”!
ARE YOU CONTENT WITH THE FINAL RESULT OR IS THERE ANYTHING YOU’D LIKE TO
CHANGE?
Hi and first of all thanks for your support
and yes we are very very glad with the results of our latest album, it
has really been more than what we expected, thanks to Erik Utan who made
this a real killer and with brutality. Personally I don't think I will
change anything, this was a big step for us and what's coming next to our
music career remians to be seen.
2. MASACRE HAVE A 17 YEAR HISTORY, SO CAN YOU
POINT OUT THE MOST IMPORTANT ACHIEVEMENTS OF THE BAND UP TO DATE? PLEASE
PRESENT THE CURRENT LINE UP...
Well lately there have occurred big things
like our first 2 month South American tour, which was something we had
planned for so long and finally achieved with success and masacre's goals
have started to come true. Besides, Japan has edited some of our old work,
like the demos and the album "SACRO" from the year of 1996 also our album
"Muerte Verdadera Muerte" has been edited on vynil under a Norwegian label.
Not too long ago our last 2 albums got license under a great Argentinian
label, and our new album will be under the EXTREEMUSIC label. As you can
see for yourself we have moved up a lot and I think we are more alive than
ever.
Line-up:
Alex Okendo. Vocals
Jorge LondoZo.Guitars
Alvaro Alvarez. Bass
Wilson Henao. Drums
3. LET’S SUPPOSE THAT YOU WERE GIVEN THE CHANCE
TO REVIEW AND PRESENT “TOTAL DEATH” TO THE METALHEADS. WHAT WOULD YOU TELL
THEM, TRYING TO BE AS OBJECTIVE AS POSSIBLE?
We are a real loyal South American death metal
band both to our music and to our followers.
4. WHICH ARE ACCORDING TO YOU, THE ELEMENTS THAT
YOU HAVE KEPT THE SAME SINCE THE BAND’S BEGINNING? ARE THERE ANY SOUNDS
THAT YOU HAVE ADDED LATELY?
From the beginning the deathmetal genre was
very clear in us and this has never changed at al. On the contrary we became
more radical and brutal in something we love.
5. TELL US A FEW THINGS ABOUT THE LYRICAL CONTENT
OF THE CD. WHO IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE LYRICS? WHICH ARE THE MAIN THEMES
YOU LIKE TO TALK ABOUT?
Well our theme has been real and brutal, we
talk about a reality of death in which Colombia the most violent country
in this fucking world!! We criticize the state of government and its fucking
fake and despising laws. I love the song "Death Metal Forever" and "Soldiers
Of The Unknown" also "Slaves Of Death". I think that the album contains
great lyrics that have a real brutal and a dissatisfied content of a society
full of violence and war like things are in Colombia.
6. WHAT MADE YOU DECIDE TO WRITE LYRICS IN ENGLISH
AND NOT IN YOUR MOTHER TONGUE, LIKE YOU DID IN ALL YOUR PREVIOUS ALBUMS?
We would like to have more opportunities and
be much more competitive without having language or country differences,
we are a brutal death metal band.
7. NOW PLEASE LET’S TALK ABOUT THE COVER ARTWORK.
IT’S VERY BEAUTIFUL AND I THINK ELOQUENT. WHO IS RESPONSIBLE FOR IT? PLEASE
TELL US A FEW THINGS ABOUT IT.
Yes, me, Alex Okendo, was the one who did
the art on the cover, I have a clear concept of what I want for the album
covers of Masacre, now that I also do the lyrics. In there I wanted to
place or show death like something big but which is almost on top of each
of one of us only death is real. And what better than death for a country
like ours.
8. “TOTAL DEATH” CONTAINS 8 SONGS PLUS A BONUS
TRACK AND A BONUS VIDEO. TELL US A FEW THINGS ABOUT THEM. WHICH ALBUM ARE
THEY TAKEN FROM? PLEASE DESCRIBE THE VIDEO CLIP.
Well our bonus track is "Conflict Of Peace",
this track was recorded in our first album "Reqviem" and we think that
it was past forgotten and noone remembered it. Being a great song, we gave
it a new air to it and sound and I think that we achieved to "rescue" all
its potential. About the video, this is a song from our "Muerte Verdadera
Muerte" album. In it we show all the proclamation to guerrillas, paramilitaries,
government, etc.... It's center of war and desperate fearing towns in the
middle of it.
9. DO YOU HAVE ANY PLANS FOR LIVE SHOWS? WHAT
SHOULD THOSE ATTENDING YOUR GIGS EXPECT TO SEE?
Well this week we will be playing in Bogota,
Colombia in a great show next to some important bands from here. In brief
we began a tour in almost the whole Colombia and for the upcoming year
I think it will be the United States and Europe. The people in our show
can only expect a heavy discharge of true and legendary death metal.
10. BY THE WAY, HOW DO YOU FEEL HAVING THE CHANCE
TO TOUR EUROPE FOR THE FIRST TIME IN YOUR CAREER?
I think it will be something brutal! We want
people to know there what Masacre means in South America right now, and
also in the world, we have always been alive and totally underground, loyal
to our scene of DEATH METAL!!!!
11. HOW ARE THINGS IN COLOMBIA AND HOW IS IT TO
BE A METAL BAND OVER THERE? DO YOU HAVE AN ALIVE UNDERGROUND METAL SCENE?
IF YES, PLEASE POINT OUT SOME BANDS YOU THINK DESERVE OUR ATTENTION.
Colombia is a country where metal is not supported
as much as it should. However, some difficulties have been surpassed and
now there's more ability to obtain support. In a certain way we have now
much respect from people. Well there's a great scene with great bands,
labels, and organizations that bring more bands, to mention some of the
best bands, I'd say they are: NEUROSIS, NAMELESS, MANDRAUM, NIHIL OBSTATH,
SOULBURNER, SOULEDGE, LITURGIA, DEAD SOUL, TWILING GLIMMER, ETC.. As you
can see there are a lot of bands with good proposals.
12. IF YOUR MUSIC WAS AN EMOTION, WHAT WOULD IT
BE? IF IT WAS A PAINTING, WHAT WOULD IT SHOW?
I think "Hem" would be strength, and if It
was a painting I would relate it with the scream.
13. IF YOU HAD THE CHANCE TO INVITE FAMOUS MUSICIANS
IN YOUR LIVE SHOWS, WHO WOULD YOU CHOOSE AND WHY?
Any of the Morbid Angel gods, because it is
one of my favorite bands, besides I have all the respect from the world
for their great work and their contribution to death metal.
14. WHAT’S THE IDEAL TITLE THAT WOULD SUM UP MASACRE’S
PATH UP TO NOW?
15. THANK YOU! IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE YOU’D LIKE
TO SAY AND I FORGOT TO ASK YOU?
HAHAHAHA. Nothing at all! Everything's alright,
thank you for all the questions and for the support toward our band Masacre.
We hope that people will write to us and that could tell us their opinion
on our new album"Total Death"!
Christine Parastatidou
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