Lament - Interview with Mexico City's finest
by Julio Rey
Mexico City's Lament have been grinding out their unique and intriguing brand of technical death metal for several years now, several of them under their former name of Beheaded. They could be Mexico's answer to Steve Rowe, Ultimatum or even Rez Band: running a band, distro service and fanzine all at once with the express purpose of furthering the Kingdom of God in their home country. They deserve a lot of props for their efforts (which they usually promptly defer to their Lord).
I've been in touch with them for several years now, enjoying a unique (mostly) long-distance friendship made all the more special by us being fellow Hispanics. I've never been able to catch their show live, but one of my fondest memories was serving (along with my bandmate Alex A) as their translator at Mosh Fest '96 in Michigan. It's always wonderful seeing these folks; they inspired me to record a tribute song to them, in Spanish, with my own band Frank's Enemy, called "Lamento."
Their memorable 1997 release, Tears of a Leper (Rowe Productions), ranged from moments of exquisite beauty to sheer brutality. A new project is close to being released on Little Rose Productions, and it represents something of a new direction for the group, as vocalist/lyricist Marco Perez is no longer in the band. New vocalist (as well as old drummer and chief musical composer) Abel Gomez and I traded emails (originally in Spanish-I translate again!) on this and other issues. The resulting portrait is that of a young man deeply and passionately committed to the path of Righteousness.
hm: What's been happening with Lament since the release of Tears Of A Leper?
Abel: Too many things, I'd say. Like being dropped by Rowe Productions, the departure of Marco Perez our vocalist, a new record company in Little Rose Productions and the new three-piece lineup that makes the band sound different. After recording the first album we returned to Mexico to work on our personal and band lives. After finding out we were no longer on Rowe Productions we kept on working for the Lord and He provided the studio and the money for us to record again. The cost for us to record in the U.S. is extremely high.
After being on the brink of dissolving Lament due to several problems GOD showed us that he wanted us back in the studio and he brought us to the U.S. to do it. Only he could have done it. We spent four months there. It wasn't easy for all of us, but GOD spoke to our hearts telling us that we should withstand it all, because he had a plan: the salvation of souls through the next CD. So we left it all: families, jobs, and our everyday lives for the express purpose of serving only Him.
Before leaving for the U.S., we spent long hours rehearsing the new songs in our new formation, as well as me specifically learning to do vocals and drums at the same time. It wasn't easy but it was fun. All this gives us a new perspective within our music. We felt we needed a change. We really concentrated more on writing new material, as opposed to retreading old themes, we got together and now let's see what GOD does with this new album.
hm: So tell us more about the new CD: the sound, the arrangements, the lyrics. Any significant influences?
Abel: The new album is very different from the first. I think it's more crafted both musically and lyrically. We were looking for a fresher original sound. What sets this album apart is that the guitar is NOT the main instrument, which is what always happens with metal bands. We made the bass the 100-percent main sound. Our main goal was to make the bass the main instrument. I love its dark sound, and I love playing it, too. We never saw the guitar as something that should stand out with the bass only filling things out or just playing along. For us, it doesn't seem fair. On the new CD you'll just hear bass all over the place. It wasn't easy for us, as it is a very difficult instrument. We spent over five hours a day writing music. The lyrics reflect intense emotions, pain, tears and everything that depresses us all at times. Reality was always present, real-life cases which people can identify with. The reality that GOD is the only hope for your problems was injected into each lyric.
The arrangements were the hardest part. We spent hours upon hours perfecting them, with new improvements presenting themselves constantly. I can't tell you how much sweat is in that album. Hours of work and rehearsing.
The main musical influence was ourselves. The lyrics are a reflection of the reality of living in a country like Mexico where poverty, corruption, pain and more are ever present. We never want to imitate anything or anyone. I think the Christian scene is tired of imitating, we Christians are the ones who should be imitated in all areas.
hm: Very interesting that the bass will have more prominence in the sound. An important thing for me is: will it be distorted? And will you down-tune?
Abel: The bass will have effects such as delay, chorus and a few others, but not distortion. If we would have distorted the bass we wouldn't have been able to convey that melodic touch we were looking for. Something more musical and with a lot of feeling.
The tuning will indeed be a bit lower, and the guitar sound will be more brutal but together with the bass it will be fresh and melodic as well as heavy. The sound will still be heavy and aggressive. We'll never lose that essence of metal that flows in our veins. Never.
hm: Tell us some more about the situation in Mexico, which you already mentioned. What should we pray about regarding your country?
Abel: Mexico is a country where corruption, lies, envy, etc. are alive and well. I know that every country has its problems, but here things are getting worse every day.
The Catholic Church controls a lot of minds and kills in the name of their religion. In the Mexican jungle in Chiapas, Catholics kill Christians, running them out of their lands, raping women, persecuting them to the point of genocide. In Mexico there is no law. Only the law of money. With five dollars a cop will let you go without ticketing you. With money you can buy your way out of anything, including crime. If you kill someone, with a few thousand pesos you can go free. Politics are driven by bribery and electoral fraud.
Every day taxes increase more and more. But the government doesn't increase the public services claiming there's no money and telling us to save. But when Pope John Paul II came to Mexico thousands were spent. That's sad.
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