Interview - ATARAXY
A previous post about Ataraxy can be found here.
This interview is with Edu, their bassist.
1. Your new album drops on 16th February, what can we expect from it (as compared to your last album, or in general)?
It's dark death metal, with many doomier passages and some dead cold melodies. Trying to achieve an evocative atmosphere without getting lost in a senseless wall of noise with no riffs, like many bands nowadays. Heavy, dismal and mourning. Compared to our last album, there’s been an effort to go further in terms of atmosphere, personality and emotion. To delve into something deeper both musically and lyrically. I think we managed to find our own sound with both full-lengths, and this new one keeps that natural evolution going. No drastic change but the next step on the band’s path.
2. Dark Descent is a great label, and seems like a perfect home for your music; so you're presumably very pleased that they’re releasing Where All Hope Fades?
We are definitely proud to be working with Dark Descent Records and Me Saco Un Ojo, there's no doubt they are releasing some of the most interesting releases in the genre nowadays, they are already doing a great work with us and they offered great conditions and are always very respectful with the band.
3. Memento Mori is also an excellent label, however; and they did a very good job with your releases for them; so you must also be sad to have left them?
It wasn't an easy decision, Memento Mori is a great label and we have nothing but respect for the work Raúl has done with the band. We are grateful for what he did with Curse of the Requiem Mass and Revelations of the Ethereal. The Ataraxy MCD was his first release, so both projects have grown together. He was also the first person to release our work, and we really appreciate that. We wish him the best of luck with Memento Mori.
4. Revelations of the Ethereal set the bar really high for the new album, did you feel a lot of pressure going into this one?
We definitely felt there was an interest and that many people were waiting for a new album, and we thank everyone who has supported the band and followed our steps. I wouldn't say we worked under any pressure though, we just let everything flow naturally.
5. It’s a clichéd question, but who are your main influences (if indeed you feel you have influences)?
As a band, our early influences would be many of the late 80s and early 90s death metal bands from the States, Finland, the Netherlands, UK, Scandinavia... too many to mention. Nowadays we feel like the influences are still there but we are trying to achieve our own sound with no other bands in mind.
6. Will you be touring in support of the new album?
Touring is not easy for us due to our very tight day job schedules, but we will try to do some shows here and there. So far we have confirmed two shows in Spain, and we hope we can add some more dates in the near future.
7. Is there any chance you’ll be playing in the UK any time soon?
We would love that. As I said, touring is not easy for us but a one-off date in the UK would be great, in London or any other city. London is home to one of our labels (Me Saco Un Ojo) so it would be really cool to play there one day.
