Spanish thrash metallers Angelus Apatrida are touring Australia for the first time ever and as a fairly underground kind of band who stick to the very core of what makes thrash metal so good, this is a pretty special event for any fan. Currently in China as part of their world tour, we managed to get a quick Q&A with singer/guitarist Guillermo Izquierdo ahead of the Australian shows to find out what the band will be bringing to the Aussie fans.
The Rockpit: The band are touring Asia right now, how has it been going so far?
Guillermo: Great, and intense! So far we have done some 10 dates in China and the long story short about it is that this is something completely different from everything we’ve done so far. Can’t wait to see what we’ll find in the week we still will spend here. We know what to expect from Japan because we were there two years ago, and we got the feeling that Taiwan will be a blast!
The Rockpit: Great to see you coming to Australia, all thrash fans here are super excited. What can the Aussie fans expect?
Guillermo: Intensity! We have been touring the world for one year and a half now and we feel we are in the best moment ever, so they should expect nothing but a neck-breaking, venues-shaking and ear-quacking hell of a show!
The Rockpit: What do you know about Australia and will you be doing any sightseeing if you have time?
Guillermo: We always looked at Australia as a nature Paradise, high level society which respects a lot nature and environment and we totally agree with this, we can’t wait to be over there and see all nature and breathe the Aussie air. About music, we do know it’s a place with a solid scene, where people knows about Rock Music and live it intensively, which seems to be the perfect set up. We have been told we might spend the only day off we have in a place called Dream World. Should be fun, we can’t wait!
The Rockpit: Hidden Evolution is your latest album, how have the fans responded to it so far?
Guillermo: It started really great in Spain, where it charted #2 in the official charts. Other than that, the response has been outstanding everywhere. It got great reviews all over the place and it took us to play in loads of countries we never visited before.
The Rockpit: What are the setlists looking like? Are you the kind of band that focuses on newer material or do you like to mix it up?
Guillermo: It depends on the show. We enjoy playing the most recent stuff, but we also play from all our four previous albums; as it’s gonna be the first time performing in Australia we wanna have all guns blazing!
The Rockpit: Angelus Apatrida originally started as a more traditional heavy metal band before going into thrash metal. What was the reasons for such a change?
Guillermo: It came out naturally; actually we started when we were just kids, playing something more into power metal, but it was because the influences of our former singer and drummer. We all grew up with the same influences and when the singer left the band and I took over the microphone (was formerly just guitar player) everything changed naturally and the music became harder, heavier and more thrash alike. Also the way I write the lyrics forced the attitude of the band to go to more radical and extreme experiments and, (we didn’t know it) we become a thrash metal band. By the way, Thrash and other extreme genres were main influences since we were kids!
The Rockpit: There seems to be some great bands coming out of Spain right now, what is the metal scene like in Spain now compared to what it used to be years ago?
Guillermo: The main difference at the moment is that it seems like Spanish bands are finally getting recognition abroad and getting use to tour internationally and getting signed by international label, which is great of course. Spain always got a huge metal scene since the 80s, but mostly all bands were singing in Spanish language, becoming huge bands in the country but not known at all in the rest of the world. Nowadays we got a great bunch of cool bands, touring abroad and kicking asses, we also got some of the most important European metal festivals and lots of tours coming to the country; it is said that the Spanish crowds are one of the best in the whole world, and that’s a huge foundation!
The Rockpit: Thrash metal has had a bit of a resurgence in the last 10 years or so, many take what the original thrash bands did and inject their own modern twists to it. Why do you think thrash has come back in such a big way now?
Guillermo: It’s one of the pillars of metal. The key elements in the genre are pretty universal (the anger, the speed, the punk attitude, the technical approach). Conceptually speaking it’s pretty simple. Probably it’s resurgence had a lot to do with getting back to basics, but sometimes it’s done wrong, dangerously becoming fashionably trendy and not what it was supposed to be. I think original bands are doing well, most of them are releasing amazing new albums, and the new bands who really appreciate what Thrash Metal means are also composing impressive new stuff, far away of copying and repeating cliches but giving a new twist to the screw, so to say. Maybe it’s not a coincidence that the countries which are exporting more thrash metal bands are countries under political and social problems, such as Spain, Greece, Italy, the ones in South America, etc.
The Rockpit: It’s easy to hear who your influences are of course but who do you consider to be the biggest influence on your music?
Guillermo: Iron Maiden was the main influence ever, then other bands like Metallica, Megadeth, Pantera or Sepultura were also the bands we were listen to a lot when we were kids. After the years we learn a lot about other bands, music genres, etc., since now, when we still feel we are learning a lot from old and new bands.
The Rockpit: If you could be the witness to the recording of any classic album in history, what would it be?
Guillermo: “Vulgar Display Of Power” – Pantera, “Rust In Peace” – Megadeth or “Seventh Son of A Seventh Son” – Iron Maiden.
The Rockpit: For you, what is the meaning of life?
Guillermo: Being in a 15 hours Chinese nightrain like I am while I reply to this, I would say that life is what happens in between a good coffee and the next one, which sometimes, you don’t know when is gonna come. Seriously, for us the meaning of life is enjoying, doing something remarkable (as for example what we are doing with our band) and… did I say having fun? Life’s too short for being always angry.
The Rockpit: Any final message for the Australian fans before you arrive in the country?
Guillermo: Is there any good coffee?? Promise that there are no nightrains! Hahaha, thanks for your time and we can’t wait to be there with all of you, we are more than thrilled to tour Australia!! Yay!!
ANGELUS APATRIDA AUSTRALIAN TOUR 2016:
Thursday, May 26: The Back Room BRISBANE
Friday, May 27: Bald Face Stag SYDNEY
Saturday, May 28: Bendigo Hotel MELBOURNE
Tickets and tour details can be found at Oztix.
