Interview with J (guitars) by Kwiecio.

Hi, first question is: what has been the greatest adventure of your life?

That’s a tough first question! I’ll assume it is band related and not personal, which makes the answer a little tricky since Barús has only existed officially since March this year. The whole process of getting the band together, defining goals and recording our first EP has been an awesome adventure… we should have some more compelling stories to tell as the band continues to move forward.

How have the general reactions to the debut EP been so far? Do you think you got the production you were looking for?

Response so far has been great. We have had very positive reviews for the EP so far. It is only available in digital format at the moment; we're working on a CD release somewhere near the end of 2015. Concerning the production - we recorded and mixed the whole thing ourselves. Despite having to do everything on our own time and with a very limited budget, I think that the final sound has a certain charisma to it and does justice to the songs and the aesthetic that we were aiming for. So yes, I feel that we reached the production we wanted, even though we will be able to perfect our sound for the band's future releases.

Your music is sometimes hard tangled and twisted. What about the process of creating songs? Do you write in the practice room or at home?

The creative process we go through is fairly natural. In general one of us starts by recording some demo elements at home, whether it's a couple of riffs or a complete song. Much of the writing process is basically starting from a simple idea, pulling that thread and seeing where it leads, while trying to remain unbiased by external elements and just letting things happen. When it gets to the point where you are no longer hearing a series of riffs but feeling an emotion, a certain atmosphere… that usually means that the song is going somewhere.

Once these demo versions are built we play them together and usually tweak things here and there. The lyrics and vocals on the other hand are almost exclusively written and thought out by Keithan, our vocalist. He takes some time to let the music soak in, and then proposes the lyrical content and vocal placement.

You define your music  as  death metal, but I don't know it's  appropriate for you because you mix many different genres together, I hear some black metal, post-metal, even djent in there and also other styles - does this reflect your personal taste?

I think that death metal remains the anchor of our music, but we definitely draw from many genres. The theme and feelings expressed in our music can be conveyed through many forms of metal or even different musical styles altogether. We're definitely more interested in exploring certain moods rather than qualifying to one genre in particular, and that reflects our personal tastes in music and life in general.

Our music aims to be powerful, grim, aggressive, murky, sometimes nauseating, which we feel is mostly represented by death metal. So even if, for instance, you find some rhythmic work more akin to djent (or experimental metal as it was called before it all went downhill – I’m not a fan of modern "djent") it always integrates into this raw aesthetic, with similarities and influences from the old school death scene.

What is the meaning of the cover of your EP? Who is the author and does that harmonize with the lyrics?

The cover has a strong meaning in regards to what we express in our music. To be more precise, Keithan generally forms mental images associated to the songs during the writing phase. The artwork is a result of this process: it represents something symbolic, difficult to apprehend, magnificent and terrifying at the same time. It was made by Alexander Brown, who we asked to represent this iconic structure with his own artistic sensibility; we wanted the pillar to seem as if it could fall at any time.

What kind of subjects do you write about?

The lyrics are mostly introspective and relate to existential questions. Keithan’s writing deals in an abstract manner about emotional struggles, the sensation of death, self-doubt, and the way these things define us as individuals. But most of all, the lyrics are composed with a narrative structure that ties the songs together. Secular and esoteric auras are mixed together to bring forth something mysterious.

We could go into more detail, but we prefer not to tell too much. Mystery is the friend of knowledge, contrary to what we are usually led to believe.

Being a part of the French scene how do you see it? Are there any upcoming bands that people should look out for?

In the last few years there have been quite a few interesting bands coming out of France, especially in extreme metal, sometimes with an unusual and avant-garde approach. I think the last few records of bands such as Deathspell Omega influenced quite a few people and also put a bit of a spotlight on this kind of thing coming out of France.

I think the French scene is probably the same as everywhere. Quite a lot of average or bland stuff but when you dig a little you’ll find many hidden treasures, sometimes completely unknown to the general public. As for bands, a lot of good stuff is coming out of the French underground label "Les Acteurs de l'Ombre", The Great Old Ones for instance.

How do you look back on the shows you did so far?

We've actually only done one show under the name Barús, as we officially "unveiled" the band when we released the EP in March. The show was great though, and we are getting ready to play a bunch more this coming fall.

Besides Barús, are you currently in other bands? Or you played before your current band?

Most of us play in several bands. Two of us play in Maïeutiste, a black metal band, whose first album will be released via Les Acteurs de L'Ombre this September. Marco, our guitarist also plays in a brutal death band, The Walking Dead Orchestra, and Keithan also plays in the black metal band Caïnan Dawn. Other than these most of us also have some projects outside of metal, ranging from grunge to ambient electronic music.

You live in Grenoble close to the Alps. It is rather a medium-sized town, right? Are there any other bands there? What is the condition of the local scene?

Yes it's a pretty mid-size town, it's quite dynamic but still feels comfortable, it's a human scale where you can get to know people and places, and do your own thing.

There are a bunch of metal bands, maybe not so many which play death metal, but a few notable ones. The black metal scene is going pretty strong lately as well, especially if you consider Chambéry (45mins away, in Savoie) as well. The scene in Grenoble is good, however it can be a little self centered at times, so we're also trying to get exposure outside of it.

France is a very tolerant country, where there is a lot of immigrants. In our country there is a lot of discussion about the various consequences of the influx of Muslims into Europe. Could you tell us what is your opinion on that?

I think that tolerant is maybe a bit of a strong word given some recent developments but I suppose we’re not doing too badly. To be honest as a band we feel no interest in bearing a political message or vision, our music aims for a more introspective or even philosophical scope. What is often seen as "issues" stem from social disparities, cultural differences... people have a very large tendency to make over-simplifications, sometimes scary ones and it invariably ends in hate channeling more hate and so on. I’ll leave it at that.

Do French people pay attention on what is happening in Eastern Europe Are and the condition of the distant countries of the European Union and what is their opinion about that and functioning stereotypes?

To be perfectly honest I think that in times of economic crisis like this people become very much self-centered. You see things from afar in the media, for instance the situation in Ukraine, but very few people (myself included I have to admit) go the extra mile to build their own understanding and find out more than what we are fed on a daily basis, which is more often than not quite biased.

How does 2015 look for Barus?

The end of the year is looking great for us. All being well we should have a physical release for the EP, we have some great gigs coming up, including one with Temple Of Baal and Malmort. Our first full length is in the works, the writing and demo recordings are almost finished so we should be getting into the actual album recording sometime around November or December.

Anything you'd like to add to conclude this interview?

Thanks for proposing this interview and giving us some exposure! For anyone interested in our work, head over to: https://barus.bandcamp.com, our EP is available for download/purchase (name your price), keep an eye out for a physical release sometime late this year!

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!