This interview was conducted during the cold November of 2004 for the DK based 'zine Nocturnal Horde, so far only published in Danish, so for you death metal heads into dark mystical travels into the obscure thoughts and incantations of The Chasm, here you go! As you'll find out while reading the interview, it was conducted while the band was promoting the release of the album 'The Spell Of Retribution'! To catch up on recent news from the band, they just released their new offering 'Farseeing The Paranormal Abyss' on Corchado's own label Lux Inframundis. A release that I haven't checked out yet, so I can't tell you whether is good or bad, though having the band's past in mind, I can't imagine it beeing the latter!1. Please start off by introducing yourself and tell us why you play metal?
My name is Daniel Corchado of the Cult of Death of THE CHASM and I play Heavy Metal because is the only music that matters to me, the only source of strength and inspiration to go on in this putrid life…
2. What do you find fascinating about metal and especially the atmospheric death metal with occult and ancient inspiration, as you make with The Chasm?
I am of the belief that Heavy Metal ,when played with conviction, honor, feeling and power,can be the most interesting and powerful form of artistic expression, when we create our songs we are not only doing music, we are also painting pictures of death and obscurity within our souls.
3. Where do you find inspiration when you write music?
Mostly from the golden era of Metal (80’s – early 90’s), my own ancestry and roots as a Mexican and of course my inner self.
4. Do you have a certain mood you have to be in, when you make your fantastic tunes?
Thanks for the compliment, yes,the majority of times I have to be in a certain mood to create our hymns of death, it may be a sad/depressive one, or an angry/hateful one, but it has to be a special state of mind.
5. What about the lyrics, how do you get inspired to write them?
It is just visions and ideals that are very personal and of big importance to me, I really don’t get any inspiration from books or movies, it all comes from deep inside, sometimes the lyrics may not make any sense to the people, but that's understandable!
6. Will you tell a bit about the lyrical content on “The Spell Of Retribution”?
The main core deals with the spiritual search of one individual for its owns roots and recover the past/lost glories, manifesting and constructing a very powerful spell to punish those individuals or circumstances that caused the decline and corruption of a once magnificent empire (and here I'm in some way metaphorically speaking about the ancient Aztec empire as well as the golden years of true Heavy/Death/Thrash/Black Metal!). I always had this vision about reaching a new place or dimension when my existence has ceased , and to find what I’m looking for, a lot of preparation must be made, learning and constructing, these ideas and visions are what The Chasm’s lyrical concept is all about…
7. You have always had a grandiose epic feel over your music, how did that come about?
As I mentioned,we are trying to create this special form of Heavy Metal of death, music that even if it’s extreme and intense, will transport ourselves (and the listener) to a different dimension, it may be one of war, or one of desolation, but we are creating Metal that goes beyond the generic and the mundane, something more transcending and with meaning.
8. What did inspire you to create The Chasm?
The urge to represent/channel my feelings into the most magnificent music in the world, Metal… That is the main reason why this band exists…
9. Have your inspirational sources changed over the years?
Not at all, the only thing that changes is that the emotions and visions are coming in different variations now, the experience of the past years and the lessons learned through this journey made this odyssey somehow different than in the beginning.
10. Will you tell us what bands and releases that has meant the most to you and the musical approach of The Chasm?
I could mention 5 that really marked my life: Slayer - Hell Awaits, Black Sabbath - Sabbath Bloody Sabbath, Iron Maiden - killers, Celtic Frost - To Mega Therion and Kreator - Pleasure To Kill
11. When you first started The Chasm, what did you want to accomplish, and have you accomplished that?
I think so, because the main purpose to do this band was just to play the music that I like so much, to be able to be part of this magnificent movement, to create my own visions and ideas without any limits or boundaries, to create an authentic entity and force in Death Metal, and so far we have been lucky enough to realize this goal.
12. You are now ready with your new album “The Spell Of Retribution”, how do you feel about it?
We are very proud and satisfied with the final result, I really think it is our most destructive work to date, the way it should be, every new release has to be better (in our ears) than the last one, if one day we realize we cannot progress no more, then that day will be the day The Chasm will be put to rest…
13. How do you think your fans will react towards the album?
So far the reactions have been very strong and positive, this album is 100% in The Chasm style, but obviously taken to a higher level, so I’m sure any REAL follower of our path of destruction won’t be disappointed, because we are not, we are 100% into our new album!
14. Have heard any reactions towards the new album yet, both from the press and your fans?
Yes, so many reviews, and the grand majority are very positive and some even amazing. Of course there are a few out there who really don’t got into the album, which is ok,I ’m very glad that there is people who despise this album, and even talks shit about us. It is great to keep a balance, but in the end if the reviews are good or bad, it really doesn’t matter to us, as long as we are satisfied with our music, we will be fine.
15. It seems like The Chasm has built a huge fanbase over the years, is that correct and how do you feel about it?
Well,yes, I agree to some degree ,I mean,for a band like us, that still is very underground, I think you can call it “huge” to the amount of believers and followers that really support our crusade, it really gives us strength to continue in this battle, it shows that there are still dedicated souls who think and feel like us, who believe in the dark side of Metal… anti-trend …
16. You have always released your albums on minor labels through the years, but have still managed to get the album and name out to a lot of people, how have you managed that?
Well, I think it just is a sign of how much I care for this band,and how much I used to believe in spreading our pestilence! Back in the day the underground “network” was so much more pure, and I knew that there were individuals who maybe was interested in our style, I worked hard, sending promos, flyers etc., since our first days in Mexico, trying to spread our word and I guess that it paid off. I still try to do the same, but now with the website and internet, things are somehow simpler to do, but also the “personal” touch has been lost in one way…
17. How much did your gig in Incantation mean for The Chasm, it must have opened a lot of people’s eyes?
Probably it kinda helped our name a bit, but it was something that I tried to avoid, I mean, we always wanted to be heard and respected for what we are, as The Chasm, we don’t want to get compared to anybody. For me it just was a phase in my life, I had a good time and went to a lot of places, met a lot of people, it was great experience…
18. You have now signed to Wicked World/Earache, which must mean a breakthrough for The Chasm, what do you expect from the label?
To be honest,our expectations with Wicked World have been fulfilled almost 100% or so, I mean, we wanted to have a good recording budget, great distribution and promotion, and we accomplished that. It's been really satisfying to see our music spread to areas where we never have been before. Wicked World is doing a tremendous job promoting the album, the only thing that we may need to complete this work is to be able to finally tour worlwide. I mean, full American and European tours would be great, but it do not only depend on us, we need support from both the label and people, so we'll see, time shall tell...
19. What do you expect from “The Spell Of Retribution”?
What I expected already came true, a satisfying and unique piece of Darkened Heavy Metal of Death, that’s the way we see/hear it, that’s how we created it, that’s what we expected of it, it is done… Whatever happens on the “market” or with people’s reactions, is out of our control…
20. The latest album I own with The Chasm is the superb “Deathcult For Eternity: The Triumph”, a lot of things have happened since then. The band has developed a lot, though your still is sticking to your main idea. How would you describe the development of The Chasm since then?
It has just been a long road of keeping our own vision and conviction together and very strong, obviously there has been some changes and variations in the way we play, but the core and ideals of the band are still the same, but stronger and more focused. As we grow older I think we gain and learn from experiences and mistakes, it is a natural process, we want to keep doing this, we still feel it, and also we are more structured in several ways, not only musically but also mentally, as you said, we are developing, both as musicians and individuals. When we created “Deathcult For Eternity…” we were still in Mexico, we were younger and had a different perspective, but the style and essence I think was the same…
21. What can we expect from The Chasm in the future?
If there are no disturbing changes, and the ideas and inspiration keep flowing, then you can expect a more devastating The Chasm attack in the future.
22. How do you see the future for The Chasm?
Hard to tell, life brings so many unexpected things everyday, that it's hard to see the future clearly. I hope next year we'll be touring Europe as well as the USA, is all I can say for now…
23. Will you share your 3 favorite albums through the time with us metal heads?
Slayer - Hell Awaits
Black Sababth - Sabbath Bloody Sabbath
Iron Maiden - Killers
24. Thanks a ton for answering my questions, the last remark are yours!
Thanks for your time and support, keep the dark flame burning high and proud, hopefully we’ll meet soon!
Utter death
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