Spanish black metal band Fogos released their debut album "Corpses And Ashes" via Blood Fire Death Productions last year (read review here) and caught my attention with this gem. Fogos drummer Croma Lan Ro was so kind to answer my questions to get a little bit closer into the material. Enjoy reading and check the album!

Michael

Hails to you! I hope everything is fine in Spain? You just released your first full-length "Corpses And Ashes" via Blood Fire Death Productions. Can you introduce Fogos a little bit more to our readers?

Hi all. We are Fogos, a black metal based in Barcelona. Although the band was formed in 2021, several members of the band have been playing together in successful bands like Obsidian Kingdom or Blazemth. The creation of Fogos comes from the idea of creating a new raw and violent kind of sound, inspired by the black metal bands from the 90's and renewing the concept with our own ideas.

How did it happen that Blood Fire Death signed you?

I think that both just heard about the other and it was a matter of time we got in contact. We heard about them from other bands we knew, BFD are well known and acknowledged because of their excellent work, and we didn't hesitate a second on starting working with them.

Stylistically you are very close to the Scandinavian black metal bands from the 90s. Would you say that this is a clear influence for you or do you have totally different sources of inspiration?

Definitely, the 90's Scandinavian black metal bands are the main influence of Fogos music, as well as our lyrics and band concept (corpse-paint, etc). We even wrote a song, 'Khione', as a homage to that nordic black metal wave. Nevertheless, we also listen to many other bands daily, not only black but death, and it influences our writing and playing style. Fogos is a black-metal band, a band that wants to evolve its sound and find its own true soul while having a clear idea of the direction to go.

When looking at the titles of the tracks, one can clearly notice that you deal with Greek mythology. Why did you – as a Spanish band – choose to do so? What is the lyrical concept behind this?

The album concept just started growing with the songs. Kerberos is the main composer of the band, and when he started writing the first songs for the album he was inspired by some death-related spirits in the Greek tradition. After that, continuing with the concept became natural, although Corpses And Ashes is not just a mythology-themed album. It is a story about our own vision of death, the process of dying and the aftermath; using Greek myths as inspiration for each of the stages of that trip; mixing poetry and crudeness as we feel it. Regarding our nationality or language, we basically think of ourselves as a European band, with many influences (Greek, Latin, Scandinavian); so we do not put any specific distinction on that point.

Do you think that the Spanish metal scene has grown stronger within the last few years? I have this impression since I reviewed your album, then new Ouija came out and Frozen Dawn is coming up next.

We think the scene was always there, although we had many struggles to grow due to the lack of venues and recording studios, but it has changed in the last few years. One of the key factors that helped Spanish bands to excel are studios like Moontower Studios. Some of our best musicians like Javi Felez are also now excelling as studio engineers and producers, and this is boosting the whole scene, as we are finally able to record extreme metal at the same level as in any other country.

What are your near future plans for the band? A new album, a tour maybe?

Just those are our plans for the future, you haven't spied on us, hahaha. Our music is thought and created for live, so we want to continue showing all the potential that Corpses And Ashes has on stage and in parallel we continue composing new songs to release another album, Fogos must go ahead.

I know that the album was just released as a limited edition of 100 pieces. Will there be an e-release?

Well, in fact we already sold-out the first 100 and reissued 200 more copies in vinyl and CD. We didn't plan for a reissue but, given the excellent reception of the album, many people were asking for the LP, t-shirts, etc … so we thought it was worth it.

Your vocalist has the pseudonym "Saten Haz Im Nu". What is the meaning behind this strange name?

It's his artist name, he has been using it from the beginning in other bands. Basically it's an anagram of his real name.

Do you have some last words for our readers?

First of all we want to thank you for the interview and the readers for not missing the opportunity to listen to the album!

 Muchas Gracias por la entrevista!