CHÜZO's journey through lineup changes and diverse global influences has shaped their signature "Aggro-Metal" sound, blending Grindcore, death metal, and punk. Their latest EP, M.T.M.D., explores raw themes with unrelenting intensity.
1. Can
you tell us about the journey that led to CHÜZO’s current lineup and how the
diverse backgrounds of your members shape your music?
How this
lineup came to be was after the year 2023, our last lineup, Mark II, had just
finished a run of shows. The singer and bass player decided to leave the band
almost at the same time at the end of last year. Carlos G (Drummer) decided to
continue with our rehearsals to write new songs. Carlos had already joined the
band early 2023, just a few months after he arrived from Venezuela. During this
period in between the end of 2023 and the beginning of 2024; I came into
contact with Mischa M, who is from Brazil, online on a musician’s page, around
march 2024, and she was able to recruit Alex S, who is from Russia, as our bass
player; and after when we were able to finally get together and rehearse, we
knew that this lineup had something special. The diversity of the band members
just happened that way; it was definitely not intentional. And as for their
respective influences, it has been really beneficial for the band in the
creative sense as Alex brings a lot of technical death metal sensibilities to
the compositional side of the band as well as Carlos brings a very dynamic
style of drums that adds variety to the songs. And finally, Mischa’s voice is
the voice of CHÜZO, period, even before she even knew it.
2.
“Brand New Cell” explores themes of retribution and sacrifice. How do you
balance conveying such intense emotions with crafting music that resonates with
a broad audience?
The
creation of the music comes first. The foundation of the song. The lyrics come
after once we all have absorbed the song without lyrics to see how it makes us
feel; what themes or thesis we can develop. In the case of “Brand New Cell”;
the song has a very ‘Swedish Death Metal’ feel to the riffs, it was kind of an
ode to that genre. Once Mischa M and myself, Cristian, got together to
brainstorm some lyrics, the idea of: “what is the point of vengeance?”; what do
you actually win in the end? Some phrases and sentences started to get into our
heads and the final product came pretty quickly as an idea of a conversation
with oneself, back and forth, stating what is the intention of the person that
was victimized, in contrast with the inner voice of rage and anger that is
burning and consuming what is left of your inner self that is good and decent,
that would never descend into these dark holes and corners of your own psyche
to achieve revenge in the past; and that will undoubtedly have more
consequences than closures for you soul. Having the lyrics fit the music
without being overbearing while maintaining their deep meaning is the balancing
act that we try to perform when writing that specific song. Always making sure
that no riff is wasted and no lyric goes unheard. It all must coalesce as a
whole in the end.
3. You
describe your style as ‘Aggro-Metal.’ How did this sub-genre develop, and what
sets it apart from other metal sub-genres?
Back when I
was a teenager in the 90s, I was living in Santiago, Chile. During the years 95
and 96, right on the cusp of the first wave of what we would consider now as NÜ
Metal; the first 2 albums for both Korn and Deftones along with other bands
like Machine Head, Stuck Mojo and Fear Factory were really making a mark in the
tape trading scene that I was a part of, this was pre-internet for me as the
internet was not an affordable commodity in Santiago, Chile in those days.
Within these tape trading scenes, I was made aware of the moniker
“Aggro-Metal”; that was used to describe these bands before the term NÜ Metal
took over. That moniker stuck with me throughout the years as it definitely did
not became popular; so fast-forwards to the 21st century, 2021, when
trying to give a name to the type of music that CHÜZO was composing, I recalled
that moniker and I started using it as a way to differentiate ourselves from
the rest of the bands and scenes, also
as a tribute to the bands and genres that have harvested the most aggressive
and heaviest riffs that have influenced me throughout the years. In simpler terms, it is the blending of the
intensity of Grindcore, the melodicism of Swedish Death Metal, the audio
violence of Thrash Metal, the “angstiness” of NÜ Metal and the “No fucks
Given!” attitude of Hardcore Punk. We
cut out all the “aggressive” parts of all these genres and make them our own;
no limits on heavy music genres or directions. No boxes to fit in, no scenes to
follow. Whatever type of riff or groove that we feel it’s “giving us aggro”; we
include. Hence, Aggro-Metal.
4.
Working with Kevin Jardine must have been a significant experience. How did his
production influence the sound of M.T.M.D
(Maximum Threshold, Minimum Decay)?
I have personally been working with Kevin since 2020. He has been a source of support and encouragement ever since I met him. He has been the producer for CHÜZO for all the incarnations of this band from Mark I to Mark III. On this time with M.T.M.D., I pretty much challenged him to basically destroy the legacy he had with CHÜZO before this EP; to make the best possible production effort with these new songs as the whole band and myself really believed that these songs deserved the best possible treatment to showcase the new vibe of the band. After many arguments, we finally could agree on a guitar sound that was satisfying for us both, blending the Boss HM-2 into a power amp along with his magnificent block letter Peavey 5150. I always have a great time recording in his studio at Uplift Recordings. He was also very instrumental in making parts stand out more in the mix as well as giving excellent suggestions when certain lyrics didn’t fit the flow of certain songs. His influence in the EP has been important as well as subtle; giving us a signature sound that we can proudly emulate and perform live with. Kevin is a great producer.
5. The
EP touches on themes of vengeance and overcoming trauma. What role does
catharsis play in your songwriting process?
When
writing these songs, it was not with the actual intention of addressing trauma
and revenge as such deep topics for our lyrics. It came out that way when
finding inspiration to express the emotion that the riff or song you’re trying
to compose lyrics for takes you inside your own psyche and find all these raw
emotions within yourself, and once the words that came from the inspiration
from the raw emotions you found yourself you had inside started to fit in the
beats and groove, we took a step back and realized what we had written; and it
even took us by surprise how much we dug inside ourselves to find all these
metaphors that where evoking feelings of past traumas, inner sadness and rage,
blind anger and vengeful feelings. The catharsis came when it was clear to us
what these new songs meant and where we were going with the themes for every
song. As artists, we have to be honest with our own inner emotions and how we
can express them; and in the end, the result speaks for itself. We wrote a very
deep emotional metal album that is raw in its delivery and dark. The catharsis
comes once the whole picture comes together and is expressed as grand as it can
be. And how much you’ve actually let out for the world to hear. It is a
beautiful feeling to let go of your past traumas through art and music and to
forgive yourself for those traumas that are, more than likely, not your own
fault, while in the act.
6. “The
Brutalator,” “Brand New Cell,” and “Bruised and Broken” each seem to have
distinct moods and narratives. How did you approach creating a cohesive yet
varied EP?
The
cohesiveness of the sound of the EP came from our tuning as we tune too low and
we also keep a very consistent sound that is very heavy and brutal, yet dynamic
enough to try other types of riffs that come from different styles of musical
genres. The inspirations from different genres like Death Metal, Grindcore,
Djent or modern NÜ Metal; these are all riff-based music that can more or less
be blended and mixed into something unheard of or into something that sounds
very familiar. The varied different songs on M.T.M.D. came about that way
because mainly, we don’t follow labels or scenes. If the song starts out
sounding like a Grindcore song and ends in a slam death metal riff; that was
intentional and unintentional at the same time, as we compose riffs with the
mindset of “what feels right” with the also very important idea of never
repeating ourselves ever. As a band, we must have a variety of different
sounding songs to remember them easier and to challenge ourselves to get
inspiration from all heavy riffing genres no matter the label or moniker. Thus,
the cohesiveness from the sound, and the variety from the delivery of different
styles that we are able to do comes out more naturally and doesn’t ever feel
forced.
7.
Montreal has a vibrant music scene. How has being based there impacted your
sound and opportunities as a band?
Being from
Montreal has been a blessing as well as a curse. Montreal is the Heavy Metal
Capital of Canada by far; and it is very inspiring to be in this city as they
are so many great bands and places to see bands live that the legend of
“Montreal is the new Seattle” that I used to hear back in the 2000s when I was
living in Calgary, Alberta at that time has been more than confirmed and
validated ever since I moved back in 2018. The blessing comes from going to
shows, meeting other musicians and hoping to make connections for future shows
or tours. It is for the most part a very welcoming and vibrant music scene that
evokes the feelings of “being alive at the right time for the right bands” so
to speak. The curse comes from the elites and the elitists that have been
around a long time in the scene and that serve as gatekeepers for certain
concert venues and promotions that will either make or break the career of any
band. The fact is that there are very specific music scenes that are very
closed and unwelcoming to a band like ours that do not fit in with a very
specific type of music sub-genre or a very specific type of demographic. The
competition in the Montreal music scene between bands and specific scenes is
nothing but brutal, not meant for the weak. And unfortunately for everyone, the
elitists are not poor, they have money to literally buy their way up into the
Montreal music scene with very their very mediocre music and play the best
venues and open for big named bands; taking away the opportunities from actual
talented bands and musicians that could greatly contribute to the Montreal
music scene. Instead, the local elitists regurgitate and badly copy other
scenes from other cities that are from much more trendier music genres in the
underground world of Metal and pseudo hardcore. So, what really sucks for us is
that because of some very petty ex-band members from the Mark I era that
desperately wanted to be part of that scene rather than to make great original
music with CHÜZO; they colluded against CHÜZO and have successfully sabotaged
the possibilities for CHÜZO in Montreal for playing better venues or opening
for bigger named bands. CHÜZO has had an uphill battle trying to get our
well-deserved respect in this scene by the power of nothing else but our own
music. And slowly but steadily it has been working as such. While the
scenesters claim their place within the boujee cliques in this city, we have
had nothing but great support from other bands and other promoters from
Montreal and from other cities like Toronto, Ottawa and Sherbrooke. This entire
experience has impacted our sound by making us angrier to succeed and hungrier
to write even heavier songs. So, to them I say: keep fueling our fires please;
I promise, you will get burned.
8. Your
music blends elements of Grindcore, death metal, thrash, and hardcore punk. How
do you ensure these influences come together seamlessly in your compositions?
We ensure
that the blending of musical influences is with the intention of creating a
bigger or unexpected impact upon the listener.
To go from “Grindcore to Swedish Death Metal” in one swoop seems jarring
but it is actually much more akin in tempos and styles than you think. The
smoothness of how we mix the genres has to do with the feel of the riff within
the song and where it could be taken to. It is always with the idea of having
an unexpected yet smooth turn within the song using transitions that make sense
rather than collide with the styles of riffs and grooves.
9. What
has been the most rewarding feedback you’ve received from fans or critics
about M.T.M.D so far?
Just
recently; a fan and acquaintance of mine sent me a message telling me that he
was listening to “The Brutalator” on Spotify and he told me that he
legitimately loves the song and it's one of the best songs he’s ever heard.
That was very humbling and awesome! As well as getting some recognition from
certain musicians’ acquaintances that have given the band a lot of praise for
the album.
10.
With M.T.M.D now out in the
world, what’s next for CHÜZO? Are there plans for a full-length album, more
music videos, or a tour?
As I am
writing to you; we have already begun the new composition and writing process
with Alex S, our bass player, in which we have already written 1 new song and 4
more on the work. We do have plans for a follow up EP for 2025 which will
include 6 songs; if all things work out of course. And we are booking shows for
2025 hoping to add and play as many as logistically possible. We are still an
independent band looking for representation from a major label that believes in
our vision and wants to work with us. With our limited resources, we can only
do so much. But we are willing to put in the work to get the word out and to
make people mosh in as many shows that we can play. See you all in the Pit!
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