Greetings! Today Lachryma Christi brings you an interview with a very talented Post Black Metal band from Manchester, UK.
Agvirre started as a studio project but delevoped into a band that play live too.
They started working together in 2018 but only in 2019 they shared their music with the world for the first time.
Agvirre songs speak a lot about mental problems and disappointment, among other things, but with the intention of bringing a message of hope, which is very important and different, and needed. Not only in general, but now as the pandemics is going around and some people are having a difficult time.
Frenchie gave Lachryma Christi a very interesting interview about this and other matters, so let's keep reading!
What does Agvirre mean as the name for the band? Who came up with the idea?
The name derives from the 1972 Werner Herzog movie Aguirre, The Wrath Of God, which was our original name, but we shortened it. The film stars Klaus Kinski as Aguirre, who leads a band of pilgrims on this chaotic journey to find El Dorado, the fabled city of gold. The film really struck me as it has quite a black metal aesthetic, but also it feels like a metaphor for life. We're all on this strange journey together, blindly searching for something we don't even know is real...
Online it says Agvirre started in 2018, is that correct? How did it start? Want to tell us a bit of the story?
Agvirre began as a result of a sad time in my personal life. I'd been really struggling with depression, but I felt determined not to be overcome by these feelings and focused my energy into writing songs, which would eventually be the basis for the Silence EP. Pouring my energy into something creative really helped me overcome that period of depression.
Yes we officially formed in 2018, but we didn't release any music to the public until 2019, so most of 2018 was spent writing music and assembling musicians. Me and Ricardo originally conceived Agvirre as a studio only project, but somewhere along the line of recording home demos, we felt that these songs were really special and deserved to be performed live and recorded in a proper studio.
What are your main influences?
Films in general, especially horror films... Too much music to name. Me and Ricardo work part time in a record store, and a bunch of us bring influences from all sorts of music genres, so nailing it down would be tough.
Our biggest influence comes from within... Mental health awareness and channelling the struggles of everyday life such as depression, stress, anxiety, grief, broken relationships and turning those feelings and experiences into something creative and cathartic.
What are your lyrics usually about?
The entire lyrical concept of the Silence EP revolves around the feelings and effects of living with anxiety and depression. To be more specific, 'Muzzle & Mask' is about how people who may be feeling awful on the inside are still faced with putting on a happy face and facing their friends, families and colleagues because they might not have the courage to speak out about the woes they are really going through.
'Abandonment' is about a mixture of things; the fallout of a broken relationship, as well as feeling let down by people you cared about. Then trying to deal with the fallout once those people are gone from your life, and the pain and sad memories that can bring to you.
Maybe this will sound like a lot of doom and gloom, but our goal is to preach a message of hope. We want to connect with other people who may be struggling and let them know that no matter how much inner pain and sadness they might be going through, these feelings can be overcome and that it's okay to be going through a bad time.
You play a very powerful post - black metal music. Was that the idea since the beginning? Is that how you define the type of music you play?
Yes I think post-black metal seems to be the most apt way to describe our sound, but we also bring in elements of post-rock, shoegaze and noise rock, we believe. We use strings, synths and spoken word samples in our music, so hopefully we add something a little different to our peers. Incorporating black metal riffs came very naturally, because me and Ricardo are such big fans of black metal. But because we also like progressive music and electronic music, it felt natural for these songs to weave in and out of different styles to hopefully make them more exciting and diverse.
So far, you have released two singles (2019) and one EP (2020). When can we expect an album coming out?
The wheels are certainly in motion. We have quite a few new songs that we have written and recorded rough demos for and there are definitely ideas brewing for how a full length album might sound and what the lyrical themes will be about. But we aren't in a huge rush either, especially with the advent of the Corona-Virus putting our lives on hold.
Once we get the all clear and can go back out and socialise again, our plan is to get back into the swing of playing live, and then in the background we can keep refining new songs and possibly try them out in a live setting. We were all very proud and pleased with how well the Silence EP has been received, so we aren't quite ready to let go of those songs just yet. We hope we can bring them to more stages, especially in Portugal where our guitarist Ricardo is from!
We all are, at the moment, stuck at home due to this pandemics going on. Do you do any sort of rehearsals online or so? How does this phase work for you as band?
Life is really on pause for us all. We still talk to each other almost daily, so life as a band hasn't completely stopped. I've been playing a lot of acoustic guitar and Ricardo has been working on some home demos. Our bassist David just posted our drummer Badger an electric kit so that he can keep practising from home and our violinist Robin has been recording her solo project Run Remedy from her living room.
I think the first band practice together once we get the all clear will be very special, I can't wait for that. After all this chaos, it's very important that we don't take anything for granted and that we all take more risks in life and go on more adventures. It's good to turn the bad days into something positive and creative.
Is there any artist you would like to work or share a stage with?
Oooh that is a very tough question! I bet each of us could give you a whole list of 100 names. I've asked the whole band and here are some of our choices:
Cannibal Corpse, John Carpenter, Carpenter Brut, Converge, Enslaved, Ghost, Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Hidden Mothers, Cat Le Bon, Ministry, Neurosis, Panopticon, Pijn, Jo Quail, Shpongle, Wolves In the Throne Room, Hans Zimmer.
If any of these artists are reading then please drop us an email, yeah!?
Agvirre is a different band, that brought some fresh air to this industry. This fresh air was much needed. What do you have to say to people starting bands right now?
Thank you very much that's a really lovely thing to say! We encourage everyone to get out there and start a band, especially once this pandemic is over. If you play an instrument or have always wanted to, now is the time to learn and make something happen.
Is there anything else you would like to tell us and your followers?
We would absolutely love to come and play Portugal as soon as we can! Thank you for this wonderful interview and we just want everyone to stay safe, healthy and hygienic. Follow the government guidelines. If you are struggling with your own mental health, please reach out to a loved one, or consult a mental health professional or even just drop us an email. You are not alone.
Check more info about Agvirre here:
https://agvirre.bandcamp.com/
https://www.facebook.com/agvirrewrath/
And if you are in any of the bands that they would like to play with, please reach out, send them a message! ;)
Photo credit: Christian Manthey
