Blackened Horde: How did the band get started?
Zigor: George and I used to play in another band and we always said we should make some music together. When that other band went nowhere, we started writing in my very basic home studio. Thus Adarrak was born.
Blackened Horde: What kind of music do you play?
Zigor: I don’t know? Death metal? Folks have called it a lot of things: “progressive death metal”, “progressive metal”, “melodic death metal”, you name it.
Blackened Horde: How has the fan response been?
Gustavo: So far so good. We have gotten some really cool reviews and we have heard from people from different countries. I am really happy with the reception of the album.
George: Overwhelmed and humbled with the positive feedback so far all over. It’ll drive us to keep going for sure.
Zigor: Yeah, I’d echo the others. Honored and humbled and excited for what’s to come!
Blackened Horde: Where did the band name come from?
Zigor: The word Adarrak is Basque for “horns” which is pretty metal and an easy name for folks across the Globe to pronounce.
Blackened Horde: Introduce the band members and what they do in the band.
Zigor: Gus growls and sings melodically while George is a 6 string wizard.
Gustavo: Zigor plays the bass, writes lyrics and works with George in all strings arrangements. Zigor also does most of the logistics and business part of the band.
George: Z is the brains and the lyrics master, Gus is the vox lord and I contribute guitars.
Blackened Horde: How many albums/CD’s have you released?
Zigor: Ex Oriente Lux is our debut album. We’ve been working on the follow up “Momentum” album since we finished Ex Oriente Lux so stay tuned!
Blackened Horde: Tell me about some of the songs on the latest CD?
Zigor: In terms of music, it’s just musical storytelling, really. There’s all the elements that come together to tell a story or describe a journey if you will. There’s the heavy old school riffs, the melodic stuff and then all the hypoblasts. It just really adds up in an interesting way. Melodic death metal, 100% but with some other elements in there.
Let me give you just a few:
Final Ethos Demise is in my view a brutal death metal song about mental illness, Into the Abyss talks briefly about the Global Financial Crisis of ‘08 when Gus and I were struggling to keep our jobs while George focused on getting money to go see Maiden play live here in Singapore ha ha ha, just kidding.
Fire Will Cleanse, which is the instrumental at the end of the album, is all about the Witch Hunts in Europe where I come from which took place from 1450 to 1750. Some pretty fucked up twats believed half the women who didn’t want to sleep with them were witches and that only fire would cleanse them from their evil connection with the Dark Lord… Pretty sick and sad time on our continent.
Blackened Horde: Who writes the music? Lyrics?
George: I’ll leave this to Zigor, since he was the Mastermind who conjured the lyrics from the riffs we wrote.
Blackened Horde: And where do the lyric ideas come from?
Zigor: Lyrics deal with real stuff in the horrible human realm of things. A lot of the inspiration is based on people’s stories. Either mine or other folks I know or don’t know.
Blackened Horde: What is your view in Satanism and Occultism? (If this applies)
Zigor: I think Aleister Crowley’s life is interesting to read about (even if he was cuckoo) and find occultism interesting from a historical point of view if you will. What folks believe in and what they choose to do with that is something I’ve never had much interest in i.e. do as you please, live and let live.
George: I’ve read much on this during my teenage years (from Anton LaVey’s version to MLO), and it was really interesting to understand where the ideologies come from and it helps you to think beyond the norm, which also helps with lyrics!
Gustavo: I don’t give a fuck about it. It is cool for good metal imagery tho.
Blackened Horde: Do you have any side projects?
Zigor: Gus and I are working on a stoner metal / doom band with no name for now. Album is coming along nicely and we’re probably 75% there now. Stay tuned!
George: I play in another death metal band called Dispiteous, we’re releasing new content at the end of the year, targeting a full album by the first half of 2022. Do check us out on Spotify!
Gustavo: I do play in other bands. Headcrusher, Sol de Sangre and Veterans.
Blackened Horde: Who are some of your musical influences?
George: It’s a huge list but I’ll narrow it down to Marty Friedman from his old and new stuff, Jon Nödtveidt of Dissection, and instrumentalists like Steve Vai, Andy James and I’ll keep on going! From a band perspective, Morbid Angel, Gothenburg style like Dark Tranquillity and At The Gates, Kalmah and Opeth are just a few names that I lean to.
Gustavo: From Chuck Berry to Mayhem. Most things Rock n’ Roll and metal.
Zigor: lots of metal but generally anything in any genre that’s high quality and makes me want to make music.
Blackened Horde: What is the band like when you play live?
Zigor: We haven’t had a chance to do this yet thanks to the pandemic.
Blackened Horde: What do you think about the underground scene?
George: It’s a tightly knit community here in Singapore with a mixture of young and old. The bands here are a very diverse bunch, with established bands like Wormrot and Impiety, and establishing bands like Witchseeker and Assault; all from different subgenres. Do check them out!
Blackened Horde: What are some of your new favorite black metal/death metal bands?
Zigor: Slugdge out of the UK though you can hardly consider that new Skeletal Remains and perhaps Mortiferum. Too many to mention to be frank!
George: I’ve been digging Inferi a lot in recent months, and heard quite a bit of Corpsessed for that atmospheric death metal ambience. Another that caught my attention for their creativity from black metal is Belzebubs; not taking the genre too seriously but also in a very serious manner.
Gustavo: Lots of amazing bands out there. When it comes to Death Metal I kind of like old school metal. I’ve been checking out Helslave, Inhuman Condition, Lik, Necrot, Disrupted, Goregang. Those are the ones that come to mind right now.
Blackened Horde: Since the Covid Pandemic has that hurt the band in making music at all?
Zigor: Not really – I think our jobs and daily lives take more of a toll on writing than COVID ever has. Having said that, George and I went back into my home studio not that long ago and the new material is coming together nicely.
Blackened Horde: What advice would you as a musician give to a fellow musician just starting out?
George: Take your time to find out what works for you and dare to think out-of-the-box, and never stop.
Gustavo: Always strive to improve your craft. Do not think you will be the exception who will “make it”, become rich and famous off your music. If you get a record label contract, read it. Find ways to use your music and your talent to bring happiness to yourself and, hopefully, to others.
Zigor: While there’s not lots of money in this for most bands, do take it as your craft like Gus says and give it all your love. Keep exploring and don’t just label your music and get trapped in that. Wash, rinse, repeat.
Blackened Horde: When do you guys plan on writing any new material?
Zigor: Happening as we speak!
Blackened Horde: What does the future hold for the band??
George: We’ve already come so far, the only way forward is upwards and we’re gonna keep writing new material. Stay tuned!
Gustavo: I am looking forward to album numero 2.
Zigor: That’s some pretty long term views there. In the Age of Covid, I am happy to pull a couple of beers back with George in my home studio while we keep writing the next Adarrak album.
Contact them at:
https://www.facebook.com/adarrakband
https://www.instagram.com/adarrakband/
https://twitter.com/adarrakband
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCewr7KmXIdUXgyk_Pmx6zyA
