In this interview, Spit On Your Grave discuss their intense new album Arkanum, exploring themes of manipulation, spiritual awakening, and self-discovery. We dive into their creative process, influences, and vision for this powerful release.
1. Congratulations
on the release of Arkanum! Can you tell us about the inspiration behind the
album's name and overall theme?
The
inspiration behind the album name is based on the tarot cards for the major
arcana with the interpretation of the tarot reading. The overall theme goes
over each major arcana tarot card and finding yourself again through this
spiritual journey. From being trapped inside your mind from the decisions of
how you should feel or act within yourself and with this spiritual journey it’s
an awakening getting detached from these strings of manipulation.
2. Your
new single, “The Infection,” is fierce and intense. What was the creative
process like for this track, and how does it represent the essence of the
album?
This song
talks about the passive-aggressive manipulation that someone can have over
another person, manipulating them to act under their interests, like a puppet,
making them believe that they are really their own decisions, Reflected as the
song says, "infecting" the brain of someone.
The
infection takes the first place on the album because this is precisely how the
story that the entire album tells begins, when we were writing this song we
never thought it could mean so much for this new album.
3. Having
been active since 2012, how do you feel Spit On Your Grave has evolved
musically with Arkanum compared to your previous releases like Existential
Murderer and The Night of the Women's Rites?
We like our
music to speak a little about who we are, in 2012 with “Existential Murderer”
the band was in a stage of raw rebellion and seeking to leave a mark of
brutality to make its way, in 2018 with "The Night's Of The Women's
Rites" the focus was to center in a more melodic sound than the previous
album, and talking about a new stage of empowerment and pride, it was like
taking back what belongs to us as women in music. In 2024 with
"Arkanum" we wanted to make a leap to more meaningful music, which
would identify our growth as musicians and speak about what we carry inside. In
a way seeking a more internal connection between the members of the band as
well as with our audience. Our goal is to evolve as musicians and as a band, we
will always seek to reflect that in our sound. Like “ who is this you listen
to?”.
4. The
official video for “The Infection” is as brutal as the track itself. What was
your vision for the video, and how did you aim to visually capture the energy
of the song?
Well, to
get that video it was a long road, production meetings, costumes, many ideas,
and when the day finally came, we had 2 full days of recording, in the forest
and on an abandoned plane, the day we recorded in The plane finished the last
take at 6 am! We were exhausted but we gave it our all, we are very grateful to
our production team and everyone who helped us because we definitely love the
results.
Talking more about the concept and meaning, the lyrics talk about the process
where the infection begins and the infected person can realize that they are
undergoing changes, they begin to see blurry, feel dizzy, nausea, pain and
discover that the more they resist and fight to preserve their consciousness
these effects become worse, referred to in the lyrics as bleeding from the
eyes, seeing everything in red, hearing voices (which are really the orders and
ideas of the enchantress) and altering the senses such as touch, meaning that
what before It was pleasant now it causes pain (like touching the river water,
smelling the flowers etc).
In the end, this person who is going through the infection process decides to
give in and let the sorceress take control over his mind and become “evil”,
that is, give in to this manipulation, believing that it is something that you
yourself want .
At the same time the band represents the "healthy conscience" of this
person/victim and suffers the effects too, ending all "evil"
or in the service of this Enchantress, like the Pied Piper of Hamelin.
5. Your
music is known for its raw power and aggression. Which bands or personal
experiences have had the biggest influence on your sound and themes?
All the
members of the band are involved in the composition of the songs, our
influences are quite varied but our personal interests are somewhat similar, we
can say that almost all of us find us inspired by bands such as Behemoth,
Hypocrisy, Crypta, Worm, Meshuggah, Leprous and Opeth, While also we all having
a mystic side and an egyptian melodic side that brings out that journey of
emotions that can be expressed through the melody and aggressiveness in the
riffs.
6. With
so much intense, technical instrumentation in your music, how does the band
approach songwriting and arranging to ensure everything aligns smoothly?
As I
mentioned before, we all write together, sometimes someone has a more complete
idea and we work on it on our individual instrument or sometimes we start a new
idea together, we can say that we have a good chemistry when it comes about
songwriting.
7. You’ve
had the opportunity to share the stage with legends like Cannibal Corpse,
Sepultura, and Rotting Christ. How have these experiences influenced or
impacted Spit On Your Grave’s live performances?
When we have received these invitations to support bands that are legends,
first we feel very grateful and excited for the invitation and then we think
about giving our best show, most of the time we have the opportunity to meet
the band and talk about their experiences. This has helped us understand the
professional side of music from another perspective and inspires us to continue
on this path.
8. Can
you talk about the contributions of each band member on Arkanum? How do your
individual styles and backgrounds shape the band’s overall sound?
We all like
different types of music and we all have different influences when writing
music, this we could say shapes the overall sound of the band, the synergy
between all our influences and the chemistry we have as a band, as a team
reflected in our music. By the time we recorded Arkanum Liz wasn't in the band,
but we look forward to having her ideas and contribution on our next album, but
this is what we can share about our experiences;
Caro
Saturni - (Guitars) When I started writing the guitars for Arkanum, I wasn’t
focused on trying to sound like any particular genre of music. For me, I write
from what I feel and let the riffs describe those emotions. When you listen to
what you wrote and it takes you back to that low moment, you know you let it
all out. This was also a discovering process between what my bandmates were
looking to do and how it would blend with my ideas. Somehow, it ended up being
similar and matched perfectly. I try to flow with the music without thinking
about making a specific sound, just where the song takes me.
Elizabeth
Castillo (Bass) My contribution ranges from inspiring riffs based on heavy
metal, death metal and old school black metal. I lean towards the clarity and
cleanliness of the sound that can be raw and heavy at the same time. Being open
to working with different sounds, genres and musical forms, that helps Arkanum
to merge genres and for each song to have its own shape.
Nico Garza
- (Drums) I contributed with most of the drum parts, although I did take
some suggestions from other members of the band and our producer. I also
contributed with some of the guitar riffs. In the drum department I tried to
have variety to not bore the listener and myself, so you are not going to hear
songs with just blast beats from beginning to end. I like a wide range of
genres, from the most extreme to light stuff so I try to combine rhythms and
riffs as long as they’re suitable for the songs.
Marlene
Muñoz (Vocals) I was in charge of the album concept, lyrics and vocals. It was
easy to flow in the moment with my emotions, there is a lot of me in the
meaning of the album, mixed with the influences of the band and the concept of
tarot which was what helped me land the idea from mind to paper, it was like
one of those times when you can't find the words to say something, well, music
and the concept helped me channel it into lyrics and melodies. Thanks to that I
was able to leave everything I was going through, close the chapter and let it
go away from me.
9. The
album has a renewed energy and darker edge. Can you tell us more about what was
different in the studio this time, and how you achieved this fresh approach?
Going into
the studio for recording Arkanum was a great experience for all of us, for the
first time we recorded in a professional studio with our producer Charles A.
Leal is the responsible of bringing out some other talents we didn't’ knew we
had hahaha, working with someone who is a professional and who knows what he is
doing and who can push your limits taking you out if your comfort zone, it was
one of the best things we did as a band, some parts of the songs were created
right there in the studio, many new ideas that in the end gave it the touch we
were looking for, it was a lot of experimenting and also to create.
10. Death
Metal is often a powerful way to express social or existential themes. Are
there particular messages or ideas that you’re hoping to communicate with
Arkanum?
I think the
main message is to define who you are, who you want to be and not take a lot of
time questioning whether what you do is right or wrong. Prioritizing inner
peace and feeling identified with yourself is what makes you your authentic
self.
In the end, what you think you do well for yourself is wrong for others and
vice versa, so work on yourself and pay little attention to others.
11. What
do you hope fans take away from Arkanum and “The Infection” video? Are there
any surprises or standout moments on the album that you’re especially proud of?
That
sometimes, we cannot resist change, good or bad, things have to change, our
situations will get worse, or better, just let it go.
Lastly,
what’s next for Spit On Your Grave? Are there upcoming tours, releases, or
projects we can look forward to in the near future?
We have
planned to release another music video of one of the songs in Arkanum by the
end of 2024. We have in March 2025 a tour around Texas and We also plan
to release Arkanum on vinyl and we’re working on scheduling more tours for 2025
which we’re excited to eventually announce.
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