El Abismo | Interview
El Abismo was born in 2016 as a personal project of Carlos Hidalgo, former guitarist of En Las Espesas Nieblas, a renowned Peruvian doom metal band from the 90s. This project was joined by Daniel Roncagliolo on vocals (ex Kranium and Hand Of Doom) and César Echegaray on drums (Inmemorial, Aneurisma, Sanat Kumara and La Hoja).
The debut album features six songs recorded, mixed and mastered in Eddie Plenge’s Dragon Verde studio. The recording process lasted from June 2016 to December 2018 and all the songs were composed and produced by Hidalgo. The palette of sounds that the album covers is intended to be varied. From mid-times reminiscent of NWOBHM bands, through the death-rooted doom of the early nineties, the vertigo of black metal, to passages that owe something to post-rock. Thrashirts Records, the renowned Peruvian label that organizes the Lima Metal Fest, was in charge of editing the material in its first edition.
Would you like to talk a bit about your background?
Daniel Roncagliolo: First of all, we would like to thank you for the interview. Carlos Hidalgo is former guitarist of En Las Espesas Nieblas, a renowned Peruvian doom metal band from the 90s. I’m on vocals (ex Kranium and Hand Of Doom) and César Echegaray is behind the drums (Inmemorial, Aneurisma, Sanat Kumara and La Hoja).
Would you like to share some more words about your previous bands?
It is true that we come from very old bands in the Peruvian scene. Kramium, a seminal Peruvian metal band where I sang, was founded in 1986. Inmemorial, where César Echegaray played drums, dates from 1991 and En Las Espesas Nieblas, where Carlos Hidalgo played guitar, dates from 1996. The three of us met during those years in the Peruvian metal scene and since then we have been good friends.
What’s the story behind the formation of El Abismo?
The idea of forming El Abismo came to Carlos Hidalgo in 2015. Initially it was a solo project. The themes were composed by Hidalgo and once structured he invited me and César to join the project. We started recording at El Dragón Estudio in June 2016 and the recording, due to money and time problems, lasted until December 2018. Mixing and mastering were carried out in 2019 and in December of that year the album was released. edited by Thrashirts Records, an important Peruvian label, organizer of the well-known Lima Metal Fest.
You released your first album on CD format, ‘‘El Árbol Negro’’. What was the creative process for it?
The album was released on Thrashirts Record’s digital platforms in December 2019 and in physical format in February 2020, weeks before the pandemic. The music and lyrics were composed by Carlos Hidalgo but the contribution of both me and César Echagaray was vital to give the project personality. You could classify it as doom metal, but there are nuances that certainly exceed the genre. There are things from NWOBHM, death metal and even post rock. At El Abismo we try to create without thinking too much about the established pattern. We prefer to expand the horizon a bit and see how far we can go.
When it comes to music making, how do you approach it? Just jamming or did you all bring in your own ideas?
The songs were structured and composed before they could be rehearsed in the studio, but it is true that there are structures within the songs that allow jams and let the mind fly a little and we musicians can improvise. This is the case of the middle section of ‘Catacumbas’ or the final part of ‘Necropolis’. They are parts designed to jam and improvise a bit. El Abismo not only owes things to classic heavy metal but also to rock from the 60s and 70s, to blues and if you want to classical music as well.
The pandemic really made it impossible to play gigs. Have you found the isolation creatively challenging or freeing?
It’s been two very hard years in every way. In Peru, the pandemic hit very hard and revealed the flaws that a society like ours has had for centuries. But despite this, we have had time to continue playing and composing. Music has not abandoned us and has given us strength to move forward.
Are you working on some new material?
Yes. it is likely that we will return to the studio in the not-so-distant future.
Any hopeful plans for getting back to playing live this year?
It is curious, but El Abismo has never played live, because the project appeared weeks before the pandemic. We hope this year to finally play and demonstrate all aspects of the album live.
Let’s end this interview with some of your favourite albums. Have you found something new lately you would like to recommend to our readers?
Pentagram (‘Relentless’), Katatonia (‘Brave Murder Day’), Witchfinder General (Death Penalty’), Camel (‘Camel’), Death ‘Spiritual Healing’), and new bands Soen, Ghost, Lucifer.
Thank you. Last word is yours.
Thank you for the interview and wish you well with your projects. Stay heavy!
Klemen Breznikar
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