Hi! Black metal’s usually tied to cold, Nordic landscapes, but you guys came up in Havana. How did your Cuban roots shape the sound of Ancestor of Kaos, both musically and emotionally?
Hi and thanks for the interview! We grew up in a very different environment were a lot of basic needs are unavailable, in that context making art is a constant sacrifice. Musically Cuba is a mix of Africa and Spain so both the guitar and the drums are elements we are very aware of since we were little kids. There is a tradition also of playing loud percussion on Afro Cuban religious ceremonies that are very ritualistic and it’s common on this celebrations to see people being possessed which happens when an ancestor spirit called Eggun manifests through a human, making them speak in tongues, roll on the floor, hurt themselves and finally faint, very impressive to watch. Then there’s also communism which we all grew up hating and all of that under a hot tropical weather creates a very explosive mix of character that I believe it can be felt in our music.
If you put “In Absence of Light” next to “Animal Ritual”, the difference is pretty stark. What’s changed for you guys—not just in sound, but in your mindset and approach to the music?
“In Absence of Light” was our first demo, back then I was 22 years old and those were the first songs I ever wrote and had the chance to record in a local musician’s bedroom, on a computer with programmed drums. Now I’m 42 and I’m not the only one writing anymore which also adds more colors to the final sound. This new album is also the story of our journey coming from Cuba to the U.S and all of the new experiences we are still having every passing day are reflected on the songs, that’s a big part of why is so dynamic and direct because it’s done with the excitement of discovering new horizons and opportunities.
You took a break, changed the name, and came back stronger. How did that time away from the scene affect the chaos you’re channeling now on “Animal Ritual”?
We took a break from 2015 to 2020 but during this time I kept myself busy because I was also doing the transition from bass to guitar and I tried to practice as much as I could. I think it had a negative impact in our journey because at that time we’d created a name around sound Florida by playing almost every month and opening for some of the best extreme bands coming to town and we stopped when everyone around already knew who we were and what kind of shows we do.
Black metal has always danced with dark, anti-religious themes. Where does Ancestor of Kaos sit on that spectrum—are you provoking for the sake of it, or is there something deeper and more philosophical behind it?
I write most of the lyrics and in the beginning I was more interested in the usual topics plus some historical figures like Vlad the Impaler or the Marquis of Sade but with time I felt more like talking about our own experiences with liberty and death, sex and drugs are also topics that I go back because we are a rock and roll band, not a religious or political one. Our lives have not been directly affected by religion but more by the tyranny of men disguised as well intended. Even today can we say Christianity is a bigger threat than Islam?
The world is constantly changing and we adapt our lyrics to the real life we are living.
Is there a bigger concept running through “Animal Ritual”? What does the “ritual” really mean, and how does that manifest across the album?
“Animal Ritual” was the last song we wrote for the album, the first 7 songs are almost in the same order they were created and the last 3 songs were written in Cuba in 2012. Every songs has a different story but topics like death, freedom and personal liberation are the main themes.
Where do your lyrics come from—are you pulling from real-life events, introspective thoughts, or something more esoteric like occult texts or mythology? Can you share an example from the new record?
There’s a lot of personal experiences into our lyrics. Our journey coming from a communist lost island where your life is already ruined since you were born because you are born a slave and all the personal transformation that you need to have in order to adapt and learn to live. We have a fragment of a poem by a Cuban libertarian named Jose Martí on “Exorcism of Liberation” that expresses the process of that transformation.
From Cuba to the U.S., there’s been a lot of upheaval. Does your personal experience with exile and transformation show up in your lyrics, whether you planned for it or not?
Everything we do is based on real events, you’ll find metaphors that might be religious for example but no fairy tales, no romanticism. Playing Black Metal in freedom has been our biggest reward.
How does the energy of the new lineup compare to the originaldays in Havana? Has the chemistry shifted—more intense, ordifferent in some way?
Back then we struggled a lot with having the proper equipment and production to sound on record like we did live. The passion is even bigger now because we know what we can achieve. We also have now the best line up in our history, we are still four crazy Cubans wanting to get out there and spread our music.
You’ve shared stages with some legends like DEICIDE and GOATWHORE. What have you taken from those experiences, and how have they shaped your own evolution as a band?
Is a dream come true every time we get to open to bands that we grew up listening to. Back when we were 15, 16 years old we never though we were going to be opening for those bands that we spent hours drawing their logos on tapes and school books, it’s an incredible feeling.
How do you write—do you all come together and build something as a group, or does each member bring their ownchaos and let it fuse into something bigger?
Music is done by Alcides the drummer and myself (Joel – Guitar). Lyrics are written by Jorge and me. Usually I come with a riff and Alcides pick it up from there and it’s very important for us to make it as dynamic and direct as we possible can with short songs no longer than 4 minutes, we try hard to not repeat ourselves when building up the structure of a song.
Has there ever been a moment where a creative disagreement turned into something stronger? Any stories from “AnimalRitual” where friction pushed the music to new places?
We fight a lot! That’s a big part of who we are because everyone in this band has that kind of personality where we want to have things done our way. In the beginning of the band I wrote must of the music but now I’m glad our drummer is doing a lot of the writing too because he adds a different perspective when imagining riffs, melodies and rhythms.
The name “Kaos” carries heavy mythological and symbolic weight. What kind of chaos is Ancestor of Kaos tapping into—and is there any kind of order within it, or does that defeat the purpose?
In the beginning we were “Ancestor” from 2005 to 2015 but we changed to Ancestor of Kaos due to multiple bands using the same name. I used the name Joel Kaos since before the band was created and I wanted to add something to the name instead of changing it completely. At the time of the name change I was the only original member but our vocalist at that time, our drummer and myself we also played before in a band called The Chaos Nether Silence and that made sense also because a lot of people back in Cuba remember us from that band. The way I see it now Ancestor was the demo for Ancestor of Kaos.
Is there a “ritual” involved in your creative process—something specific you do in the studio or during rehearsals to bring the music to life?
We smoke a lot of weed. It’s been legal in the state of Nevada for the last 10 years, you literally have a store in almost every corner and every band practice starts with a big cigar filled with the sweet leaf. The song “Animal Ritual” specifically is more about sex as an animal instinct that never goes away, not even in your worst state.
Do you find that your music reflects your own personal journey, or is it becoming more of a vessel for something bigger—ancestral, collective, or even spiritual?
We play what we feel and we are what we play. It’s spiritual but it’s real, it’s what will left of us when we are gone from this world.
A lot of bands soften up over time. What keeps Ancestor of Kaos raw and true to its roots without watering things down?
I listen to a lot of 80s heavy metal and also punk and I like raw art. Most bands nowadays create great art and then became too polished on the mixing. We are very lucky of having a great communication with Alex Sedin who understands our concept perfectly and is the main reason why we sound powerful and raw at the same time. He is the one who mixed and mastered our last two albums and it’s thanks to him that we were able to achieve this sound.
Looking ahead, do you see Ancestor of Kaos as a band reacting to the world around you, or are you more focused on creating your own alternate reality through the music? Thank you for your time!
We want to create art that is forever, something that becomes a symbol for others to achieve their own dreams. Thank you very much for your interview and all your help promoting this album. There’s a song from our first album from 2008 called “Refuse to Renounce” and that’s who we are, we are not stopping. Cheers! – Joel Zalazar
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