It is always a pleasure discovering new bands. One of those I have recently discovered and instantly reviewed their debut EP “Eternal”is Spanish Nihilrage. (read it here: https://www.abaddon-magazine.com/reviews/review-nihilrage-eternal/). Supporting young bands is one of our goals, so I am glad the guys accepted our invitation to present their band in this brief interview. If you like, as they say, Frankenstein metal, you are in the right place.
Hi! I hope everyone is well and healthy. How is the situation in Tudela these days?
We appreciate it so much! The year is ending quite good despite the situation.
Recently I have received your promo pack. Since you are a very young and new band on the metal scene, let’s introduce you with fans worldwide. Tell me something about the band name first.
Our lyrics are mainly based on a social criticism related to nihilism, which in addition to the wrathful style we play, is what we needed to create the perfect name: Nihilrage.
Of course, introduce us with the band members.
The singer and main influence for the band is Asier. The lead guitar and composer is Max Schwarz. Alejandro Moreno is the rhythm guitar and (more important) the producer of the band. Alejandro Ciria is both the bassist and naughty boy of the band. And last but not least, Alex Flaviu is the drummer.
Nihilrage was formed in 2018. In two years of existence you did not waste your time. You delivered your debut EP “Eternal” November 27th, 2020. How is the feedback by now?
Well it’s really so long for just 4 songs, but we needed some time to find our style. We also wanted to assure some quality before releasing anything. The feedback has been quite satisfying by now.
I have to admit I expected a more brutal, more aggressive album, but your choice is a mid tempo. Of course, death metal is diverse, so if can you explain to our readers on which death metal sub-genre your music is focused on.
We all come from different styles. In particular, Max (the composer) came from a different kind of metal, and for him, this EP was an introduction to this music genre. For us, this first EP was more like a experiment, but the next will have a more settled style.
In the promo pack you mentioned some of your influences: Cannibal Corpse, Bloodbath, Opeth, Gojira, Amon Amarth… Which of the band influenced you the most and in which aspects?
For Max, Bloodbath was the first death metal direct influence, and it is directly reflected in the album, concerning the guitars at least. Indeed, there are others touches from Amon Amarth, Gojira, and others. We can call it Frankenstein metal!
Although young, you already have music background, so tell me something more about the bands you played before you formed Nihilrage.
Alex Moreno and Max came from Norothin (Viking/pagan metal) and Alejandro Ciria was the bassist in Etiner, a hard rock band, influenced by the California punk rock scene from the 2000’s. Do you understand now why we call it Frankenstein metal?
Sure! Great definition! What would you say about “Eternal” to get people interested to listen to it?
What we want from the listeners is to be sincere, so the band can grow in the proper direction. Although we are quite satisfied of the result, we think that the most important thing is to hear the people opinion. .
When I was talking to guys from Blood Fire Death about this interview, they asked me to replace cover art in a review I wrote and were kind enough to explain to me what went wrong. I did not want to write in a review that I already finished where the problem was because I wanted to hear the answer form you. So, I will let you to tell me why you changed the art cover.
We agreed to entrust the art cover to a “friend” of the singer, who finally proved not to be a trustworthy person. The artwork was plagiarism from an Instagram artwork page.
Sadly, I like the original art cover more than a new one. But still, there are some similarities. For all those who are reading this now and have no indication what are we talking about, please describe both covers.
The original artwork was more informal, but much more aggressive and direct than the new one, which is more formal and a less detailed cover. Fortunately for us, we all agree that the new one suits much better with the thoughtfulness of the lyrics.
What is the main motif of the album and those cover arts?
Nihilism, from the point of view of morality and society, are the most recurrent motifs in the songs.
In your promo material you wrote the pandemic has brought some good things. Besides EP, which good things the pandemic brought to you personally and which for the band?
Personally, we all have had time to improve with our instruments. In an exaggerated way, Spain’s idiosyncrasy is to socialize while drinking wine or beer in the streets, and the lockdown forced us to focus strongly on music. For the band, it was the perfect time to compose and produce. As we said in the promo, the full EP was produced and performed by Alejandro Moreno while we were confined.
My knowledge of Spain’s metal scene is based on I would say traditional metal bands. First of all Dark Moore, than Vhäldemar and Snakeyes. If we are talking about death metal, I can only remember Avulsed. So, from the first hand, tell me something more about the metal scene in Spain. Which metal genre is the most popular in Spain?
The metal scene has globalized to almost every part of the world, and Spain is no exception. There are so many metal bands, but I think that power/epic metal bands such as Saratoga, Warcry, Avalanch or Tierra Santa are the predominant style in this country.
I was in Spain twice and I was surprised how many metal clubs are in Barcelona, even in some areas you don’t expect to hear metal, like in summer resorts. Can you explain metal phenomenon in Spain?
Spain’s economy is largely focused on hostelry and tourism, so by pure probability there must be much metal pubs and clubs. There are also some cities with a better metal scene than others, and Barcelona is one of the most.
Your region has a very interesting history. It is also multinational society, and since we all know how people in Spain are religious, and you are playing death metal, does that influenced on you or maybe caused some problems?
People here are very respectful, but to be honest, it is very difficult to play on stage in public events from the area. Not because of the religious topic, but because of the extreme and noisy style of music for many people here.
Bullfighting and running of the bulls are very popular but also controversial issues in Spain. What do you think about it? Do you see it as a part of cultural element, heritage, animal abuse or something else?
We all have very different opinions here in the band, but we understand that it is so hard and delicate to deal with something that has been part of the Spanish culture for so many years.
We could talk forever if you ask me, but I will finish here and wait for the album to come, than we will have more topics to cover. What do you expect from 2021? Where do you see the future of Nihilrage?
What excite us the most is to start playing on stage, as we haven’t done it yet. That’s why we are currently working so hard in the album, in every single detail. We want to release something to be proud of, and if we must take more time than expected, we will. I can only assure that we are in a good direction, growing professionally and personally every day, and it will be reflected in the album, so stay tuned for what is coming!
Thank you so much for your time! I wish you all the best. Use your time wise in the future to come. Looking forward to hear what you will prepare for us!
On behalf of all the members of the band, thank you very much for letting us know in a country like Serbia. It would be an honor for us to play there!
