INTERVIEW: V-Kazar – Wormed

Technical death metal’s adoration for science fiction is well documented. Ever since the genre’s beginnings, bands have combined the overly complicated nature of the style with themes that rely heavily on space and the great beyond. It makes for quite the partnership. Since 1998, Spanish technical wizards WORMED have been blowing minds with their exhilarating and expansive sonics and their heavy reliance on sci-fi themed imagery. 2013’s Exodromos and 2016’s Kinghsu had cemented the band as frontrunners to dominate the scene for years to come, but the tragic passing of drummer G-Calero last year threatened to destabilise the band’s skyward trajectory. However, despite such a tragic loss, WORMED are back. July sees the release of their brand new EP Metaportal and ahead of its release this Friday, we spoke with drummer V-Kazar to get the insight into their new release, how the band have coped and recovered since they lost their fallen brother, and why technical death metal has such a love affair with science fiction.

So, you are about to release your brand new EP Metaportal. What can we expect from this new release?

V-Kazar: The arrival of the Metaportal is imminent! People that have listened to our latest releases will find a natural continuation of that material, but a bit more intense in every aspect: a bit more technical, more atmospheric, more grooves… It’s a pretty dense chunk of WORMED!

It will have been three years since your last release, Krighsu, how has the sound of WORMED developed in that time?

V-Kazar: Like I mentioned in the previous answer, I feel like WORMED‘s sound is progressing naturally. Of course, as time goes on and the band goes through line-up changes, it’s normal that our current sound isn’t the same as when the band started, but the main essence is still there. The main songwriter in the band is Migueloud (guitars), but everyone chips in when it comes to ideas and arrangements. As the newest member, I’ve added a couple of “unexpected” elements in the last track that fit surprisingly well with WORMED‘s sound… or at least I think they do, you be the judge! [laughs]

This will be your first release since the tragic loss of G-Calero. Out of respect, we won’t pry into details there, but how have you found creating new material since his tragic passing?

V-Kazar: A lot of the material was written with Calero (RIP) in the band, but losing a bandmate and a friend so suddenly can definitely hinder your creative output whether you like it or not. First, you have doubts about even moving forward as a band, and even if you do want to continue, you have to do so with somebody else. That person might be someone you know or a complete stranger, but regardless, you’re going to have to start from scratch with a different playing style, skill level, personality. Thankfully, I clicked with WORMED since the first rehearsal, and things have been smooth sailing ever since. I have to give props to my new WORMED family for being able to persevere and recover so gracefully from the event. I also want to thank them for letting me be a part of this journey. The Metaportal EP is dedicated to the memory of G-Calero.

Can you describe the writing and recording process for Metaportal?

V-Kazar: I was sent demos of the new material a few months after I joined to get up to speed. Since we all live in different parts of the country, we each learned the songs as they were, thought of arrangements and then put everything together during full band rehearsals. Given our circumstances, we can’t get together as much as we’d like to, but we’re able to keep things moving at a distance. We entered Sadman Studios in Madrid with Carlos Santos to track the EP in mid February 2019, and the recording went surprisingly quick! We all knew the material in and out and working with Carlos is an absolute breeze, so I don’t think it could have gone any better.

Can you explain the lyrical concepts behind Metaportal?

V-Kazar: That’s more Phlegeton‘s area, but the lyrical concept of Metaportal continues to follow WORMED‘s main protagonist, Krighsu. This time, he has to go through a massive metaportal without knowing where it’s going to take him…

You have long been known to incorporate sci-fi and space influenced imagery and lyrics. What is the thought process behind this?

V-Kazar: The bigger picture is that WORMED has always tried to stray from the brutal death metal stereotypes, both in sound and concept. It’s part of what makes WORMED stand out, although there are a lot more bands nowadays that incorporate sci-fi elements in their music. I don’t know exactly how Phlegeton comes up with ideas for the concept or the lyrics, but being a fan of sci-fi media, he has plenty of inspiration to draw from!

The incorporation of science fiction themes to technical death metal is quite a common trend. What do you think it is about sci-fi that works so well with technical death metal?

V-Kazar: I guess it has to do with some of technical death metal’s characteristic sounds and the virtuosity behind them being somewhat “unhuman” or “otherworldly”, which can be tied to science fiction themes such as aliens and cyborgs. Both things seem to fit naturally. I’ve been called a robot a lot of times because of my fast playing style, so why not make the lyrics about robots as well? [laughs] Also, I guess there’s a natural overlap between nerdy technical death metal fans (no offence intended – I mean it in the best way possible) and nerdy science fiction fans (ditto), so the mix is inevitable.

Once the record is out, you will be performing at Brutal Assault festival in the Czech Republic. What can we expect from your set and is there any new material you are most looking forward to performing?

V-Kazar: We’re going to perform a little bit of everything since Planisphærium, including Quasineutrality! We would like to perform all of the songs on Metaportal, maybe not during the same gig, but all four songs have the potential to be great live tracks. We’ve already been performing Bionic Relic since March, and we might include another track in the set for Brutal Assault. Only a few weeks left to know for sure!

Since you formed in 1998, technical death metal has evolved and grown considerably in the years since. How do you see the style today some two decades later? Do you think it is in good health?

V-Kazar: There are definitely a lot of younger bands that carry the technical metal torch and push the extremes further and further as time goes by, so yes, I’d say that the genre is still in good health. One thing that I can say is that, generally speaking, a lot of the old school tech death bands have a sort of “darkness” that is lacking in the newer stuff in favour of more melodic passages and cleaner production. But hey, I’m a stinking millennial with a short attention span, so I think that’s cool too! [laughs] Personally, some tech death bands that stand out nowadays are ARCHSPIRE, ARTIFICIAL BRAIN, THE FACELESS, BEYOND CREATION, OBSCURA. I wouldn’t consider them tech death, but CAR BOMB are on a whole different level. They sound like a huge robot suffering a meltdown!

To close, we’ll offer you a chance to leave a parting message for our readers. Do you have anything to say to the readers of Distorted Sound?

V-Kazar: Thanks to all of the beautiful and sick people reading this and the people at Distorted Sound for supporting underground music! We hope to bring Metaportal to a venue near you one day, out July 19th via Season of Mist! Love and blastbeats to all of you.

Metaportal is set for release on July 19th via Season of Mist.

For more information on WORMED like their official page on Facebook.