Aztlan Interview

 

1.Can you give us an update on what has been going on with the band since the recording and release of the new album?

We stopped activities due to the pandemic, but we have been composing new music, and recording new videos that will be released soon.

2.Earlier this year you had released a new album, musically how does it differ from your previous release?

This album has a heavier sound than the previous one, and brings more mariachi elements such as the trumpet, a new element that we are incorporating.

3.The band's name and some of the lyrics come from Aztec and pre-Hispanic Mythology and History, can you tell us a little bit more about your interest in this topic?

We really like mythology from all over the world, and in metal there are few bands that mix that Aztec mythology, that's why he encouraged us to do this project.

4.You also cover 'Mexican pride' with your lyrics, can you tell us a little bit more about what this means to you?

In Mexico people are very pessimistic, they do not believe in themselves, and they are mired in corruption, the only thing we try to do with our lyrics is to give a little encouragement to people who live in misery, we talk above all about the freedom of expression, against racism, and we speak faith union as the human race that we all are.

5.What are some of the other lyrical topics and subjects the band has explored so far with the music?

We also speak against oppression, authoritarianism, the repression exercised by the government.

6.Can you tell us a little bit more about the artwork that is presented on the new album cover?

There is a codex called Mendoza, in this painting the founding of Tenochtitlán the capital of the Aztec Empire is reflected, with the eagle on a cactus in the middle of a lake, the legend says that this was the signal to found their city, if they found the eagle over the lake there they must have settled, this vision is of Lord Huitzilopochtli who was one of the main deities of the Aztecs.

In the beak of the bird it has a kind of braid, it is a duality of water and fire called Atl-Tlachinolli in the Nahuatl language of the Aztecs means water burning, conceptualizing two elements allusive to war and that was placed in the mouths and feet of the characters as a scroll, symbolizing a call or allegory of the sacred war. It is also interpreted as "The war cry".

The conjunction of the eagle and the duality of water and fire is called "Teocalli of the sacred war". the word Teocalli means "Temple", which is known as pyramids. The Teocalli stone is the only archaeological piece that has the symbol of the founding of Tenochtitlan engraved: the eagle perched on the nopal. There is a character called "Copil" and he has a fight with Lord "Huitzilipochtli", he kills "Copil" and his heart is thrown in the middle of the lake, and from the heart of "Copil" the "tunal" will grow, which is where the nopal will grow where the eagle pose. The eagle is the solar symbol, which means the victory of the sun.

In the painting "Copil" it is the skull that has its mouth open and from there comes the root of the nopal.

On the sides of the cover the Aztec past is represented with weapons such as arrows, and on the right side are bullets and rifles that represent the time of the Mexican revolution that occurred in 1910.

below the left side is a Jaguar Warrior, representing the Aztec militia, and on the right side a skull with a balaclava representing the "Zapatista" movement, which is an armed movement of the indigenous people of southern Mexico against the current government.

7.What are some of the best shows that the band has played so far and also how would you describe your stage performance?

We have not been able to play live yet due to the pandemic, when our first album came out, months later the pandemic arrived, so we decided to release a second album to compensate for the fact that we will not be able to play for a long time.

8.Both of your albums have been released on 'Metal inside Records', can you tell us a little bit more about this label?

It's the record label of an old metal friend. He was the first who was interested in releasing the first material on physical disc and it was great for us, since we only had thought about releasing the discs online. Metal Inside Records is a young record label and they have been very supportive and we thank them for everything they have done for us.

9.On a worldwide level how has the reaction been to your music by fans of folk and extreme metal?

The response of the people has been very good and we appreciate it a lot, all the support gives us energy to continue producing more material.

10.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?

The band goes into a deeper exploration, with folk rhythms from both Mexico and Latin America.

11.What are some of the bands or musical styles that have had an influence on your music and also what are you listening to nowadays?

What influences our music is the exploration of folk music from around the world, we have influences from Santana to Cannibal Corpse for example, we are music lovers. From the music we've been listening to lately are bands like DrakhaBrakha from Ukraine, Heilung from Germany, Tlen Huicani from Mexico; Inti Illimani, Los Jaivas de Chile, and much more music

12.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?

We thank you for the space on your page, and we also send a big greeting to all the people who support us.

Website: www.aztlan-official.com
Bandcamp: https://aztlanofficial.bandcamp.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AztlanOfficialBand/
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCbfcrHyRkFKQGdv3YDpFI_A
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/5JO1ShiUsRZ2emtk2uRecI?si=20eNF9-GTi2nsRgEXak35Q&utm_source=copy-link&nd=1
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aztlan_official/