Interview Burial Ruthless

Burial Ruthless has forged its path from Venezuela to Spain, blending brutal, technical, and black metal influences. With a bold lyrical approach and relentless energy, the band is set for a powerful future.

1. Burial Ruthless has undergone a complex journey from Venezuela to Spain, with several lineup changes along the way. How has this transition shaped the band's identity and sound?

It has benefited our sound because every musician's contribution affects the band globally and helps shape its identity at every stage. Since 2015, we have evolved, and that is partly thanks to this entire transition process. However, we don’t plan on changing musicians or moving to different countries intentionally—life itself takes care of making things happen. But overall, all these changes have left very positive things for the band, despite the difficulties that come with such major transitions.

2. Your music blends elements of brutal death, technical death, black, groove, and progressive metal. How do you balance these influences to create your unique sound?

We let ideas come from wherever they need to and mix them until they take a form that we like and that makes sense for the sound we are aiming for. Once the ideas are blended, we do a global review of each song and ask ourselves three questions: Does it sound like Burial Ruthless? Do we enjoy this song? Can we distinguish it from our other songs and from other bands? If it meets these criteria, then we have a new track.

3. Your latest single, National Autopsy, has sparked controversy, particularly in Venezuela. Can you tell us more about the concept behind the song and its artwork?

The exhumation of Simón Bolívar’s remains in 2010 by the Venezuelan government was a shocking and significant event for every Venezuelan—it marked us all, and we remember it clearly. There was a lot of controversy surrounding it, with many criticizing it while others praised it. When the idea for this song emerged in 2012 (before Burial Ruthless even existed), I (Víctor Figueroa) personally wanted to deliver a clear critique of it. Over the years, we were finally able to shape this idea into a song that addresses the sociopolitical and cultural context of that moment while also connecting it to the present, where we still face abuse of power and selfishness.

The song's lyrics are written as a response from Simón Bolívar himself to those who exhumed him. His stance in this response is clear—he curses them and compares himself to them, showing them that they are not who they think they are and that they are doing nothing for the nation. The artwork is sublime because it features an actual image of the exhumation captured during the televised event. However, we added the traditional military uniform to the skeleton so that anyone familiar with this story (in Venezuela, Latin America, the USA, and parts of Europe) would immediately recognize the reference.

4. Blackheart, released in October 2024, introduced a renewed approach in composition and aggressiveness. How does this track represent the band's current musical direction?

Blackheart is the beginning of our musical evolution. We released this single to let our audience know that we are bringing something fresher, faster, and, of course, with more influences. It represents evolution above all, and it’s a song where we explore elements we hadn’t before—from intense groove and black metal to clean vocals and acoustic passages without growling.

5. What themes and stories can fans expect from your upcoming debut album in 2025? Will it follow the same dark and intense narratives as your previous work?

The band's concept allows us to explore diverse narratives. Burial Ruthless, as a name, refers to both the grave and evil, which lets us tackle themes such as death, life, global chaos, politics, and the human mind, among others. That’s where we mainly focus. When we write a song, we want to tell a story and make people connect with it.

For 2025, we are preparing seven new songs covering different themes, ranging from everyday human relationships to the abuse of power over different social groups. We already have the album cover designed, the name decided, and pre-production ready. In February of this year, we’ll start recording everything before moving on to the production phase.

6. Burial Ruthless has collaborated with musicians from different countries over the years. How has this international dynamic influenced your songwriting and performance style?

As we mentioned at the beginning, this has been a win-win situation for us. It has given us versatility and adaptability, teaching us how to communicate in different ways and create music despite cultural barriers. Every musician who has been part of the band, whether past or present, has brought musical richness, and, most importantly, we have gained a friend and travel companion. Even if they are no longer in the project, they have left their mark on it. We will always honor and thank those who have been part of the band. That said, we do hope to have a stable lineup in the coming years, hahaha!

7. Your music features intricate technical passages and extreme brutality. Can you take us through your songwriting and recording process? How do you achieve such precision and intensity?

As the saying goes, "practice makes perfect," but the truth is that for four guys who have normal lives and don’t dedicate 100% of their time to music, it can be quite difficult. We rehearse together every week and, on other days, we individually go over the setlist to stay sharp—it’s like going to the gym, hahaha.

When it comes to recording, we give it our all and tackle the process with great enthusiasm. We just want it to be perfect. If we meet our own standard, we are satisfied and ready to release the music.

8. Extreme metal is known for pushing boundaries. Do you feel a responsibility to challenge societal or historical topics through your music, as seen in National Autopsy?

Not really, but we keep an open door for these topics, especially when they directly affect us, as was the case with National Autopsy, which touches on an event from the country where we were born. Now we are in Spain, experiencing its social and historical issues, and tomorrow we could write about that. In fact, we are going to address one of these issues in a song from the debut album, hahaha.

But is it a responsibility? No. This is art, and it’s simply our way of making music. Every band draws inspiration from themes they either enjoy or feel disturbed by.

9. You're currently performing across Spain and have plans for international shows. What can fans expect from a live Burial Ruthless performance?

Indeed, we play a lot in Spain, and in 2021, we also performed in France and Portugal. We want more, of course, and we are organizing 2025 with more shows both inside and outside Spain.

Anyone who sees us live can expect a solid dose of technical death metal, intense brutal death passages, intricate and aggressive riffs, and a lot of adrenaline. That’s the only thing we can guarantee, hahaha!

10. Looking ahead, what are your goals for Burial Ruthless in the coming years? Are there any collaborations or special projects in the works?

Our main goal is to release our debut album in 2025 and pave the way for more productions over the next five years. That is our current focus—building a solid foundation to move forward, creating a niche audience, and developing a distinctive sound.

Of course, we dream of tours, collaborating with more established bands, and sharing the stage with top-tier musicians, but we believe that comes after hard work and doing things right. We are very aware of where we stand right now, and at this moment, our priority is clear: making ourselves known through our music and authenticity, playing many shows, and staying consistent in producing fresh material.

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