Band: Ravenous Death
Conducted by: Fernando G. Quiroz (e-mail)
Published on: 12/02/2017
Hello! Good day, my name is Fernando Quiroz, I am the editor
of Insanity Remains Webzine, I would like to ask you some questions for the
fans that visit the website, I want to thank you in advance for your time and
attention, so let's get down to business.
IRW: Can you
tell me how and where Ravenous Death was born and where does the name of the band
come from?
Esteban: Hi Fernando. Ravenous Death was
born during the recording of the third Remains’ Full-Length album in the Mexico
State. Miguel Angeles and I (Esteban Salcedo) were sharing a good time and good
Death Metal stuff, so we started to talk about doing some Death Metal in the
style of bands like Vomitory, Torture Division, etc.
Then the idea became stronger
when we let Enrique knows about it. So that’s how we started doing some riffs
for this project in the middle of 2016. The name was taken after a Vomitory’s
song calls “The Ravenous Dead”. I proposed the name and the others accepted ...
And you know, it sounds brutal and represents what we want to show with this
project ... An honest and rotten metal of death.
IRW: Can you
tell me briefly who are the members and how long have you played together as
well as what are the direct influences on the sound of the band?
Esteban: Yes bro. Ravenous Death is
originally formed by Miguel Angeles from the State of Mexico (Guitars, Bass and
Vocals), Enrique Fray from Colima (Guitars and bass) and me from Guadalajara (Drums
and lyrics). We have been friends just a couple of years ago. Sharing the music,
we make with our other projects and talking about our personal tastes and
influences. Then, after our first live show, we decided to join Alejandro
Méndez (Bass) and Diego Gómez (Guitar) as official members, due to the great
chemistry we had on stage.
And what can I tell you? Our
influences are based on dark, rotten and fast Death Metal, especially the old
school. Mainly bands like Vomitory, Torture Division, Morbid Angel, Dismember,
Grave, Shubb Niggurath, Immolation, Sadistic Intent, Incantation, The Chasm, early
Cenotaph and many more.
IRW: Who writes
the songs and lyrics, what are they about and why did you choose these topics?
Esteban: Well; for the debut EP
the songs were writing between the three original members. Enrique made the
music for the first, second and third tracks. Miguel Angeles did the same with
the fourth and the fifth tracks, and I wrote all the lyrics for the songs. We
talked about the concept of the band and decided to use classic Death Metal
themes, just like blasphemy, evil, occultism, zombies, gore, sickness, blood,
guts, etc. You know, just because we wanted to do some evil, fast and rotten
music, no matter the criticism or having a specific topic.
IRW: I know
that the labels are not to everyone's liking; But in what genre does Ravenous
Death fit?
Esteban: We think that we play Pure Metal
of Death in its entirely meaning, but we like to say that Ravenous Death plays
“Ominous Rotten Death Metal”. You know, just to sound brutal and make people
want to hear this shit.
IRW: Can you
tell me where and when Ominous Deathcult was recorded and who oversaw the
mixing and production? Where could we get a copy?
Esteban: Ominous Deathcult were recorded
in MAT Studio, the studio of our great friend Miguel Angeles, in the State of
Mexico at the end of October 2016. All mixed and produced by Miguel Angeles
with a final touch of Enrique Fray. You can get a copy directly with the
members of the band or with the record label MAT Records, managed by Rene
Espino from Dew of Nothing, Anoxia, etc.
IRW: Ominous
Deathcult is your first work, so starting from a musical point of view, do you
think you have managed to reflect what you had in mind from the beginning?
Esteban: Absolutely. We wanted to do this
shit just like you hear it in your headphones, stereo, computer… Whatever you
use to. Is true, honest and with our own ideas. No poses or Pretentiousness.
IRW: Is there
something that you have not fulfilled during the recording of Ominous
Deathcult, something that left you unsatisfied?
Esteban: No, nothing. We decided that
this first EP will sound raw, evil, fast and rotten. With a low production and
mixing. Making the recording sound as natural as possible and with a cavernous
and tearing voice.
IRW: How has
the national and international distribution been? What has been the position of
the criticism or specialized press and how this has affected the response from
fans to Ominous Deathcult?
Esteban: Well, I think we have had a good response from the people
who have listened to our debut EP. The distribution of the CD has arrived in
countries such as Spain, France, Poland, Colombia, Macedonia, United States,
Japan, Italy, Germany and (obviously) Mexico. And about the people who didn’t
like “Ominous Deathcult”, we don’t care much about them. We only do what we
want to do. That’s all… If people like our stuff, of course we appreciate it,
but if it is not, it does not bother us either.
IRW: Did any
Record label show interest or have you offered a contract for your next
material?
Esteban: Yes!!!! We received an invitation from Memento Mori from
Spain… We believe this label is one of the most important labels in the
underground worldwide. So, yes… We are happy with that offer and Memento Mori
will release our first Full Length Album in the second half of the 2018. So,
stay tuned about it.
IRW: What are
the future plans for Ravenous Death in the short term and long term?
Esteban: We really don’t know. We just want to create some Death
Metal stuff and release it when it’s possible. But definitely you will have a
lot of Ravenous Death in the next years.
IRW: Do you
consider yourself a public figure, an influential figure or do you prefer to
stay away from these situations?
Esteban: I don’t know what to say about it. It’s clear that we want
to get attention from most of the people who likes real Death Metal. But at the
same time, we enjoy to be normal guys haha, but yes, we would like to be more recognized
in the Metal scene worldwide.
IRW: How do
you define the current Underground movement? Could you compare it with the old
Underground movement?
Esteban: We don’t think so. The old days are the old days, there’s a
lot of old school metal bands that will always be there making us bang our
heads. Nowadays is very difficult to get attention from the metalheads, a big
Record Label or something like that. Things have changed a lot ... There are
two sides of the coin. On the one hand there is the ease of reaching many
people with the internet, but on the other hand, there is the fact that there
are thousands of new bands which are looking for a place in the metal scene. So,
it's hard to get the attention of the public. Especially those who are not used
to listening to new proposals and live listening to the classics.
IRW: What do
you do apart from being musicians?
Esteban: Well, Miguel Angeles is a Sound Engineer in his own studio
called MAT Studio and has a degree in Industrial Engineering. Enrique Fray
works in installation of PVC furniture, Alejandro Méndez works as a Computer
Engineer, Diego Gómez is a designer and tattoo artist and I’m an Architect. So,
yes… we are normal people as much of the greatest metal musicians in the world.
IRW: What
inspires you to do what you do and how it affects your daily life?
Esteban: It's just the taste for metal, for capturing all the ideas
we have in our heads in each of the "Riffs", the rhythms and the
lyrics. We are inspired by the fact that we can express the anger, fury and
repudiation that we have for certain things in this world. All through the
Metal of Death.
IRW: How is the
relationship between the members of the band?
Esteban: The truth is that we all get along quite well, even though
we are from different states of the country and usually do not see each other
very often.
IRW: Until
now, what has been the greatest adversity Ravenous Death has faced? How were
you able to overcome this adversity?
Esteban: Definitely, the disease of our friend and vocalist Miguel
Angeles, but we don’t want to talk much about that. The fact of living in
different states has not been a big problem, but it has affected the live
presentations in different cities a little bit, due to the fact that the price
in the per diem increases a little more.
IRW: With
thousands of bands around the world playing the same genres repeatedly; What
makes Ravenous Death different to be accepted among the fans?
Esteban: That’s a hard question. We don’t really care much about
that. We simply want to capture the ideas that comes to our minds and then turn
them into Death Metal, regardless of whether it sounds similar to other bands
or not. And of course, if people like it, it leaves us with great satisfaction.
But the main thing is to satisfy ourselves.
IRW: How is the
new Ravenous Death material going to sound?
Esteban: Fuck man!!! It’s going be darker, heavier, faster and more
evil than “Ominous Deathcult”. We are writing it right now. We have about eight
new songs that probably will come in our first Full Length.
Actually, you can watch a video in YouTube of us playing a
live show in Querétaro, where you can listen to a new Ravenous Death track.
IRW: Do you
think that online presence nowadays is important so that fans can find you more
easily around the world?
Esteban: Yes, is very important, and it helps a lot. But it’s not
everything about that. We all metalheads need to buy merchandise of the bands
to keep Metal alive. You know, we don’t live of metal, we have jobs and need to
pay our bills haha.
IRW: Where can
we find to listen, contact, or see Ravenous Death online?
Esteban: For all the people who wants to find us, we have official
accounts in Facebook, Bandcamp, Youtube and gmail. Here are the links, so
please take a look and follows us for news, music, merchandise and tour dates at:
Youtube
IRW: Can you
please mention five bands from Mexico that deserve our attention?
Esteban: Of course, but I will take the liberty of mentioning more
than five bands. And I don’t want to be arrogant, but I think our alternate
projects are quite good too. So, I will include them in the list.
1.- Remains (Death Metal)
2.- Demonic Manifestation (Old School Death Metal)
3.- Grotesque Deity (Old School Death Metal)
4.- Closure (Doom/Death Metal)
5.- Nihil (Black/Death Metal)
6.- Majestic Downfall (Doom/Death Metal)
7.- Hacavitz (Black Metal)
8.- Dew of Nothing (Black/Death Metal)
9.- Matalobos (Doom/Death Metal)
10.- Anticosmos (Black Metal)
And many more to mention.
IRW: Could you
describe how is a live show of Ravenous Death, what could we expect from it?
Esteban:We think is grinding, evil, powerful and honest. You can
feel our anger and energy in the stage and that’s all what metal is about.
Guys, you really need to see Ravenous Death playing a live show in your
hometown, you will not regret it.
IRW: Where
have you performed, what has been your favorite show, do you have any upcoming
show?
Esteban: We have only performed three live shows. Two of them in Guadalajara
and one in Querétaro. This last was the best!!!! Great sounding, great people,
great organization and a great place to be. We salute Filideath from Querétaro
and thank him for the hospitality.
IRW: Anything
else you want to add or something we forgot to talk about?
Esteban: Just remember to keep listening to Ravenous Death, buy our
merchandise, follows us in our official pages and if you want to take us to
play live in your city, let us know it with a message. Thanks a lot for the
interview Fernando and please keep doing this kind of things. Your help and
support for the bands is much appreciated. Hail to all the fans and good
friends that support us and spread the music of Ravenous Death. Stay tuned for the new upcoming material.
Thank you once again in the name of all the band members, my dear friend
Fernando.
IRW: Once again, thank you very much for your time and attention,
but most of all thank you for your support.
Stay True ... Stay Metal ... Stay Brutal ...
All rights reserved © Insanity Remains Webzine.
All rights reserved © Insanity Remains Webzine.