INFINITUM OBSCURE interview 2008

Let me introduce you readers to INFINITUM OBSCURE, a Mexican dark death metal band I reviewed in my previous issue. I have been convinced and was glad to hear that kind of music which contains so many elements from thrash and heavy metal combined to their majestic death metal, here is a band I was eager to feature in this Zine. It was quite a hard task as I would have featured them in the previous issue but Roberto was on tour with INCANTATION, but anyway I managed to catch the man and here is a conversation about a promising death metal act that is INFINITUM OBSCURE.

-Greetings Roberto, how are you doing right now? To start I must say that your first album “Internal Dark Force” is just a brilliant dark death metal release. It seems that the process of recording caused some troubles? Can you explain what happened exactly? Was it hard to find a label to release it?
Hello Jim, first of all let me thank you for your interest in our Death Metal Darkness, your observations are very much appreciated. Well it was a problematic process indeed but it was mainly due to 3rd party incompetence. We recorded at a local studio in our city and at the end, the mix we did, did not work so it had to be remixed but the studio engineer had deleted some of our guitar and vocal tracks after he finished the first mix, so then we needed to re-record some of the album, in the end the mix also took very long and so did the release of the record, it was released a year after it was initially recorded. We already had the label that released it, it was just a matter of the wrong time, we had delayed in the whole process so by the time the masters got to the label, they had already given priority to other releases first. But Utterly Somber Creations (the label we were in at the time) always helped us push the band in many ways, we did 2 releases with them and we appreciate their work very, very much.

-The production even if not optimal is good enough to fully enjoy “Internal Dark Force”. I mean sometimes drums are buried in the mix, but it does not really affect the undeniable songwriting quality as well as the particular dark and ethereal vibe I feel all along the album. What’s your feeling today about it? I don’t think that a perfect & crystal clear production would have fit the album anyway?
Today I look back 3 years ago when that album was recorded and I see many things that have matured within the band, in many aspects. The band is now in its 8th year of existence and preparing a 3rd album so we have learned a lot from those previous experiences. Personally I love the music in Internal Dark Force but the musicianship was really not at its best, however the album serves it’s purpose of expressing darkness in an audible format, and it was great for me personally to achieve certain inner aspects of my life within it. Maybe a little better production might have been better but not a very, very CLEAN one. It’s not pop music you know.

-An EP “Obscuridad eterna” is supposed to be released this year on Mexican label Iron, Blood, Death Corp. There was some delay, because this release was planned last year if I’m not wrong.
Yes, we are actually waiting for this record to be released still!! Again, we faced a wrong timing with the label. Iron Blood and Death is honorable, but as always, life situations sometimes get in the way of Metal, in this case we delivered the master disc over a year and half ago but the guy that runs the label had some personal difficulties and it has all been set back. We have a deal with him so we can’t really break the deal, it’s about honor also so we have to be patient and wait until « Obscuridad Eterna » sees the light (or night? hehe).

-This 7”EP featured a DISSECTION cover “Son of the mourning”. Obviously DISSECTION was influential for INFINITUM OBSCURE music the way you created some dark melodies. You even share the stage with the band. I guess you met Jon Nödtveit? Did he like INFINITUM OBSCURE’s music? Do you like his last effort “Reinkaos”?
We did share the stage with the infernal Dissection in April 2005, we opened for them in our home town, Tijuana Mexico. During this time, me and Jon Nödtveidt became friends and we shared several points in some things. To me it was very special because I have been a great fan of Dissection since early 90’s. Jon expressed a huge appreciation for the work that Infinitum Obscure does and he supported us in many ways, in 2006 Dissection was supposed to play 2 important shows in the United States and Jon had picked Infinitum Obscure to be their direct support on both shows in New York and Los Angeles, so of course this was a great honor for the band you know, however, Jon took a different path, but we hail him for his uncompromised support to our band, believe me, it is something very special that I think very few people can express in their lives when a musician you have admired for many, many years is then a fan of your music and supports you tremendously. Many can talk shit about Jon, but to Me personally, he was a great guy. And well, yes I do personally like Reinkaos, I waited 11 years for that album to exist!

-Beside the EP you will also released a demo tape “Seeding Darkness” on Nuclear War Now Productions, a quite surprising format, how comes the idea of releasing a demo tape? Some people, especially younger ones, don’t care about format like vinyl or tape because they are not able to listen to them of only listen fucking mp3. Did you choose this format for a certain category of people, I mean those who follow INFINITUM OBSCURE will probably get this tape?
Yes Jim, we have recorded a new demo tape entitled « Seeding Darkness » and there’s a few reasons as for WHY we decided on a demo TAPE. First off, the title and the format are part of its direct intention, it’s an advance of 3 fully new songs from our upcoming album, so the demo tape is like a small seed, a seed of darkness that is being planted and it’s fruit will be a very deep expression of darkness in the form of a Death Metal album that will hopefully motivate a few minds to oppose all that is established in many aspects of life, the idea of our music is to motivate individualism and to break the chains of common human society. Second, it is intended to be a collector’s item, so of course people that are truly interested will hopefully be looking for it, and Third, yes , only a hand full of people will appreciate a demo tape, there is where a difference is marked among today’s over crowded « metal » population, which in my opinion lacks fundament and direction. It has been said many times by a few others, that things nowadays are very different and kids can just click one button and download a whole album, but when I grew up, we had to wait for weeks for a tape or cd to arrive from overseas. With the internet downloading Metal has lost something very special and a lot of kids nowadays will never be able to feel that.

-Some people may argue INFINITUM OBSCURE is following the path of THE CHASM and bands like ANCIENTS GODS and SERPENS AEON. What would you say to someone telling you are a clone of THE CHASM? Personally I think that you share obvious influences but INFINITUM OBSCURE has a straighter approach, what do you think of this? I think THE CHASM is more “epic” with long tracks but IO has a more thrash metal edge and shorter songs.
It is not the first time I hear this Jim, and well, honestly everyone can think whatever they want and I am not gonna worry about it. We share a lot of things with The Chasm because me personally and Corchado have been very close friends for over 13 years. I have even played on tour with The Chasm, and well there is an inevitable influence but I think that Infinitum Obscure has a different purpose and approach. I think we have a kind of Mexican style of writing Death Metal so being compared to The Chasm for me can in some ways be an honor. We do our own thing and as time goes by, we are more free of influence, you will see in the next record my friend, but to be quite honest, this is NOT something that bothers me in any way. I kinda find it to be a bit funny.

-I like the way you handle the guitar as well as how you create riffs and song structures. How do you learn to play your instruments? Which were the songs you trained with? In the album booklet is mentioned that the opening riff and the lead in “The final aeon” was composed back in 1993. Did you have the name INFINITUM OBSCURE in mind at that time?
I must say that I feel flattered about your comments on the guitar work in our music. Personally, I began playing the guitar at age 10 or 11, and it took me time to be able to construct my own bits and pieces of music, for me it was a long process. Yes the opening part on The Final Aeon was taken from a song of my first Death Metal band in Mexico City called Mortem Christ, this was around 1993, I was very young, around 14 years old but I was already a huge fan of Metal Music and my idea of having a band was always to be in the dark style. I never had the name Infinitum Obscure in mind until the band formed in 2000 but I always related a lot more to dark and obscure music, it always caught my attention ALOT MORE than other types of Metal so I grew up evolving around this internal darkness, looking for answers to my desire to explore this path, and little by little I have achieved many goals within myself. I’m referring to personal internal goals mainly, and I still continue to do so…

-Nowadays I see a lot of death metal bands emerging and creating powerful, technical, fast music but some of them forgot an essential element according to me. They often don’t add guitar solos to their music. How can you explain this disappearance? Can we consider this as “old-fashioned”? To me solos have always be part of metal in any styles, death/thrash/black/grind/heavy or doom.
Well I think this has been told many times and it’s just overkill to say it over and over again. Times are not the same anymore and Metal is not what it used to be and only a very few keep it the way it was, I’m definitely not a fan of fast, technical and very brutal Death Metal, in fact sometimes it doesn’t even seem like Metal at all !! I do have friends into that sort of music and I respect them very much but it’s just not something for me AT ALL. I guess I always keep in mind what Wannes Gubbels (from the mighty Pentacle) stated: « Don’t forget the ancient feeling, it still rules!! » Haha, I know who I am and all the members in Infinitum Obscure are individuals who know who they are exactly and what they stand for and we just don’t really bother about what others do or say, we just do our own thing you know. We incorporate solos when needed, not all the songs have solos, I think a guitar solo can add a lot of expression and ambience to a song but only if needed, and shouldn’t be abused either, that’s what I believe anyway, but to each his own I guess right ?
-In Metal Nightmare zine #19, you talk about the song “A Quest for Vengeance” speaking about the fall and decadence of the actual so-called Metal scene. Don’t you find any worthy bands that emerged in the last years keeping a respectful spirit about the old days? For example bands like NECROVATION, NERLICH or CONVERGENCE FROM WITHIN who are quite young but promising bands with 90’s influences.
Yes, the song called « A Quest for Vengeance » portrays exactly that, in believing that the old feeling I grew up with is LOST!! Not completely of course, and YES I do believe there are a very few bands that offer something worthwhile but unfortunately not as many now a days. I do enjoy some newer bands like Necros Christos (which are older metallers anyway hehe), Nocturnal Graves, Deathspell Omega, Eidomantum, Infernal Conjuration, Repugnant (rip), etc. But there are not as MANY as when I was growing up listening to the first recordings of Samael, Dissection, Autopsy, Unleashed, Sorcery, Nihilist/Entombed, Unanimated, Treblinka/Tiamat, Morgoth, Asphyx etc. Nowadays only a small handful of bands really stand out. Like I said in the previous question, only a very few strong minded individuals choose to keep it unique.

-I am really into Mexican death metal. Most bands I heard have a truly dark aura I don’t find in today American death metal scene for example. Bands like SARGATANAS, THE CHASM, RAVAGER, NECROCCULTUS, INFINITUM OBSCURE, etc… all have a particular way to create obscure metal dedicated to the cult of death. How can you explain this death vibe? I also feel this with other South American hordes like MORTEM, SANCTIFIER or OSSUARY. Can we say they remain loyal to the pure metal tradition?
Yes, and this is a part of what I was telling you before as far as Infinitum Obscure’s sound goes. It’s not necessarily that we choose to have a The Chasm influence, but it’s the Mexican style of writing dark and aggressive Death Metal with an obscure aura, an eerie feeling. Bands like Mortem and Anal Vomit have some kind of a similar sound because that’s the sound that identifies the place where they are from. Like Swedish death metal has its own sound. Mexico has always had a stronger European influence more than north American, you can hear this clearly in most Mexican bands out there. What I think that happens is that our expression is also a result of what happens around us, you know, like shitty economy, oppression, etc. In my own opinion, Metal should always be DARK, cuz that’s what makes it different than other music styles, also because Metal is not just music, it creates a deeper connection within the being, it’s a unique feeling that no other music can create in connection to the individual that experiments it. Let’s put it in a few words, just listen to Black Sabbath – Black Sabbath, listen to the opening riff on that album, and if THAT is not darkness, then I don’t know what is!!!

-Let’s talk a bit more about the Mexican scene. You have played in other bands before creating INFINITUM OBSCURE in 2000. How was the scene at the 90’s period? What were the greatest bands, still existing or not?
Yes, I have been playing in bands since 1993. It has been mostly very underground projects during my teen years in Mexico City that never really saw the open light, but it’s a background none the less and there are recordings existent. I began personally in my first band in 1993 called Mortem Christ, then I was in a band called As Light Fades, then in 1997 me and a close friend of mine created a band called The Suffering. In December 1997 I moved to the northwest part of Mexico to Tijuana, that is where I have been residing ever since, but it wasn’t until 2000 when I formed Infinitum Obscure. Ah man!! you make me remember great memories from the 90’s when I was a teenager in Mexico City, there were really STRONG bands in Mexico back then like the mighty Cenotaph, the infernal Shub Niggurath, the mystical The Chasm (which is the only one remaining), Disgorge (they still remain also), Ripping Flesh (from Irapuato, later re-named to Agony Lords), Mortuary (from Monterrey), Toxodeth (from Monterrey also), and many others. These bands really had international quality and I admired that very much! It made me want to have a band as great as those!! Those were good memories, now it’s our turn to keep that feeling alive you know.

-You’ve been to Europe many times handling the bass and touring with INCANTATION and THE CHASM. I think you had great times. Which countries have impressed you the most regarding their metal loyalty? Did you discover some worthy bands? Is there a chance for INFINITUM OBSCURE to tour Europe one day?
I’ve been to Europe only twice with Incantation. The Chasm has only toured in the USA. I was very impressed by Spain, Germany, France, Czech Republic, among others. I did get to see a very few good bands, not many because when I toured with Incantation there, it was a big festival tour (Harvest Festival 2005) and there were no local openers in any shows. But when we went to Spain in July 2006, we played with some local bands in some cities.
Well, to be quite honest, Infinitum Obscure does get a lot of mail mainly from Europe, we were offered some European shows at one point but it’s hard to have all this money to pay for flights and everything in a tour you know. One of our main goals is to hit Europe after the release of our upcoming album, we are really eager to play in front of European audiences because we believe that the music we express will be much more appreciated overseas. We can only wait and see what happens right?!?

-POSSESSED has reformed last summer as they were invited to play at Wacken Open Air. In fact, Jeff Becerra was the only original members and was joined by SADISTIC INTENT members. Many people argue Jeff does this for the money, but I think it’s a great opportunity for youngsters to witness this death/thrash metal legend. What does POSSESSED represent for you?
I got to open up for Possessed last year, in Los Angeles, while playing bass for The Chasm and it was a KILLER show man. Yes, it may not be all the original Possessed lineup but the guys from Sadistic Intent do an amazing job playing those tunes man! Possessed has always been a milestone for dark and Satanic Death Metal and to be able to see some of this music live fronted by their original singer is still quite the experience to be honest. Where else are you gonna see Possessed live man? No where!!! See my point? And YES, I agree with you totally, it’s a great opportunity for younger kids to experience an OLD Death Metal feeling live, going totally back to the roots of Death Metal and obscure music.

-You have (or had) contacts with my country, right? What do you know from my country and which bands do you eventually enjoy? You were supposed to do an intie for the third issue of Mutilating Process Zine, unfortunately Nathaniel decided to cease his activities with the zine. He will probably read those lines one day, so if you want to tell him something. Do you know his new band RESISTANCE (it will be featured in this issue)?
Ah man first and foremost , I played once only in Paris, and I must tell you that there are AMAZINGLY beautiful girls in Paris !! I was amazed by THAT and by the passion for Metal form the French audience that I was able to experience. French bands that I enjoy? Massacra, Deathspell Omega, Agressor, Blut Aus Nord, and stuff.
Hmm I do remember he had the zine, but it’s been a while, why did he stop? I wonder. There was a time where I was not answering interviews for the band, due to personal reasons but now everything is fine and things are back on track again so it’s time to keep spreading some darkness ! So he plays in the band Resistance? I think I’ve seen a website for them, I’m not very sure, I will look them up for sure !!! That’s great that they will be featured in this same number as we are too.

-Please tell me what comes to your mind when I evoke the following:
Black Metal: Venom, old Samael, Watain, Deathspell Omega

“Funerals obscure”: Sadistic Intent

PENTACLE: The 5th Moon!!! Amazing album!

Chuck Schuldiner: a pioneer

-Roberto, I would like to thank you for answering this interview. What’s coming next for INFINITUM OBSCURE? If there is something I forgot, add it right know. Darkest greetings!
We are currently looking for a new drummer so we can record our new album!! The album is already finished in composition, we just need the right drummer for it! Look for our new collector’s demo tape « Seeding Darkness » on Nuclear War Now Productions!! The new album will be released by Nuclear War Now as well, and well, we hope to be able to play in Europe sometime in the future and have a beer with you Jim. Thank you very much for your interest in Infinitum Obscure’s Death Metal Darkness, we appreciate your support very much.
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