Velocidad Absurda presents atmosphere with elements of terror

Velocidad Absurda is a band of Brutal Death from Zaragoza, a small city in the north of Spain. The band was created in 1998 and remained active in its first stage (always with the same lineup) until mid-2004, then, the band disbanded. The band begins their second stage in mid 2008. With the departure of original drummer of the band, the group was restructured and one guitarist becomes the new drummer. In mid 2010 they recorded their first album “Reborn for the extermination”, edited by Hecatombe Records, which hits the streets in March 2011. This year, the world is going to see the new brutality of Velocidad Absurda...

Brought the band and tell us a little of your origins.
We started in mid-1998, eager to make a brutal death band reflecting the influences that we had through the bands that we bought in the Repulse Records catalogue. The truth is that our only source to know something about brutal bands at that time was Repulse Records. We had been in previous bands of thrash-death, some of us had recorded some demo (Orlac "Lament from the grave"), but our experience was low.

Seven years after the birth of the band, the band disbanded, and then, in 2010 the band started again with the activity What was the reason for the separation and as the idea of return to the band?
We had a break as a result of getting out of our place of essay. We had changed several times of place of essay and we were a bit discouraged by the difficulty to essay and make tests and we were leaving it standing up to leave the band definitely. Worst of all, and as often happens, is that in those moments was when we were defining our style and the best songs were composing, in fact had about five or six new songs which we already played at recent concerts, songs that we never recorded and finally lost in oblivion.

In addition of having more experience and some new member, what has changed in the band since its formation?
In general, the approach. We are more regular in the essays and more seriously when we do everything in general. We have the style more defined than before and we have more clear throughout. With the entry of George -bassist-, Ivan can focus all of his energy on the voices and the band has changed on live, where we now have a presence more dynamic than before.

How do you describe your style for someone who has not ever heard the band?
For those who have not heard to the band it would be easy to describe our style, we can tell that our style is near to bands like Brodequin or Devourment. For those who has not heard nothing about brutal death it would be a little complicated. Our songs do not have the classical structure, in fact in some songs we don't repeat different rhythms. Guttural vocals, fast music in general, alternating the fastest parts with other more slow and heavy… Where what is being sought is to generate a violent, oppressive, atmosphere with elements of terror...

Your first MCD was published by yourself and your other works were published by Hecatombe Records (the new album included) it means that you have a good relationship with Hecatombe Records, but, are there any label that asked to you to publish your works?
For the second MDC we had the opportunity to sign with other label, but their conditions did not seem anything which offers Hecatombe. With Pedro (from Hecatombe) we already have a confidence to ask certain things and he knows which are the things that we want. With the previous album (Reborn for the extermination) we ask for two editions with different elements (scripts, CD format...) and he accepted to edit 1,500 copies, not all the seals do this kind of things... We prefer to have Hecatombe loyalty to attend another label under the same conditions. We are sure that if another important label offers a better conditions, Pedro will be the first person who says that we must to sing with them.

In 2003 you took part in a split with Kevlar Skin and in this year you edit a split with Himura (both Spanish). You had the possibility of recording a split with some band outside of Spain or something that is not you have raised? is there any band in particular with who you'd like to share a split?
At this moment no, but we don’t care if the band who share a split with us is Spanish or not. Though by now we focus on our new album and we keep away the idea of returning to edit any split. Perhaps the next thing that we'll do is a 7 with a couple of songs and a cover version, but only in a split of various artist.

We have read that you like bands like Devourment, Brodequin, Napalm Death, Cerebral Bore, Disgorge, Deeds of Flesh, Suffocation. Which of those bands has meant a greater influence for the band? If you could choose two bands to share the stage with, who would it?
Maybe Devourment and Brodequin are the bands who are the main influence for us. I suppose that if we can choose any band to share stage, the chosen bands they would be Napalm Death and Devourment.

You're from Zaragoza, in that city had a lot of places to listen to extreme music some time ago that don't exist today. What's your opinion about the scene in your city and in the other cities of Spain?
Today the music that listen the metalheads of our city are mainly Heavy, classic Metal, Power Metal, and the new generations listen Thrash… The most extreme metal styles don’t have a lot of fans. You can see the styles that the people listen in a city by the number of bands, magazines and radios focused in these styles, and we can’t compare our city with other Spanish cities like Almería (hometown of Hecatombe records)that have the annual Brutalmeria Fest with a lot of fans and bands and that city is a point of meeting of international tours of bands like Incantation, Dying Fetus, Rotten Sound…

We can say that there's only some bands that earns enough money to live by their music (albums, shirts, etc.) and if I'm not in a mistake Velocidad Absurda is not one of that bands -like the 99 per cent of Spanish bands-. How you can work and do the activities of the band at the same time?
The band is a hobby. The group is part of our leisure. That if this is not a frivolous entertainment, nor a fad. It’s clear that the music and Death Metal are part of our life. We don’t think that the band can have a total professional level in a future. There is not places in Spain to make fifteen concerts per year if you play Brutal Death Metal. Spain is not Germany or other countries like Czech Republic, places where there's a lot of fans of the most extreme styles of metal. Rehearsing two days per week on a regular basis and some weeks three times and trying to improve the level of the band and doing better recordings, covers or distribution, but from there to earn money...

Internet was a revolution for the world in general and for the extreme music in particular. Told the news media that Internet opened the door to piracy and that this is killing music, do you think that is something that only affects artists recognized at the global level or that conversely those who suffer most are lesser known bands that you have fewer sales?
The Internet is a tool. It is the present. That cannot be denied. Not be can one regret if before it was better or worse. Those who lived the old times with demo cassettes, magazines on paper, exchanged tapes, ordinary mail, vinyls... everything has a value, but now the present is another.

We think that the ideally situation is that in which we can combine the possibility to download lot of material, to meet many groups, styles, etc. and then buy their merchandise at a reasonable price.

Sometimes it’s very difficult to convey that to the people who the music is not a lot of gigabytes on your computer; on his iPod. For the people who the music is a mouse click from the first of his days, is difficult, except that really interests you the music and then, you value to the music in physical format, as an object of collection. For us, music is something more than a compressed file.

Internet gives to you the possibility of become in a well known band around the world by downloading your music in a remote countries. It speeds up, does it all very fast, immediate. Some years ago if you sent your demo to a lot of people, you could also get to be heard in many other countries. So the records of various artist played a good role in that way. Those who edit a demo were sold it to their colleagues and they were waiting the knock at his door by the labels, for those earlier was everything more difficult, but now also. Highlight in a genre where there are many, many groups is very difficult unless your offer has something different to other bands. In the end if your band is bad or a clone, the people downloaded your album, but not listen more than one or two songs, or they launch it directly to the trash.

Contrary to what many people may believe, to the mainstream bands the downloads hurts little. You can see bands like Metallica for example, if you don't pay for their albums, you're going to pay more money for the tickets of their concerts, merchandise, etc, really they don't lose a lot of money. The piracy is the worst thing for the underground labels, where if you directly will not buy, the label do not recover the money and then they cannot edit the works of the non-professional bands like us.

If labels non-professional not to edit the work of unknown bands, these bands do not become known bands. Many good bands are in this situation and disappear due to the inability to do their job and play with the band at the same time.

You’re going to edit your new album entitled "Inexorably Doomed To Cataclysm". What's the difference between this work and "Reborn For The Extermination"?
I think that people who make reviews of musical works can see the main changes.

The new album is more convoluted, more technical especially on bass and guitar. Follows the same trend as the previous, alternating fast ultra parts, with other more heavy riffs, sounds like the battery, especially the box, more natural… It has details of production. Especially the final track (“Doomed to extinction”), where the final Slam part has been created as a loop where it is generated with distorted guitars and effects, a setting that has been very well.

We have seen the promotional video of the photo shoot in Mexico and a previous image of the cover that have seemed us brutal. Why did you choose to Javier S. Sañudo (frodo47.com) for the realization of the artwork both this album and the previous?
By two reasons. The first is to change the typical scheme of cover ultra brutal retouched with Photoshop, or by any illustrator as usual in this style (we like it of course), and the other reason (and the more important) because Frodo47 is a very good artist and he is a Metalhead.

He knows perfectly what do you say when you're talking about different concepts of Death Metal. We are lucky for that he has wanted to work on the two covers. They also have some continuity the two covers in the style and that is something that we also wanted to get. It must be added that sessions of photos give us the opportunity to have at least five or six different images, and thus present a libretto in conditions, where the image is as important as the music. Frodo47 could be making the cover of the last album of Deicide to give an example. I’m sure that he’s going to do covers for bands of much higher level and impact. Anyone interested can contact with him.

It’s fair to also say that in addition to the work of Frodo47, and the actors and actresses, the work of characterization and makeup of Felipe Moreno, who has worked on the two covers is crucial. Frodo47 and Philip make a brutal tandem!

In addition to buy the album by the label directly, is there other distribution channels (directly from you, by bigcartel, digital download etc)?
When the album comes out, so you can buy in Hecatombe Records primarily and in a few months it will be already distributed, as the previous one, in the major labels and catalogues of the international brutal scene like Sevared Records, Comatose Music, Xtreem Music, Amputated Vein Recs., No Label, Rotten Roll Rex, United Guttural…)

What are your immediate and future plans for the band?
Already we are composing new songs.
Our next step will be to edit an EP, or start to record another album within a year or year and a half.

Before we end the interview, do you want to add something else?
Thanks for your support to the band.
Stay brutal!