Three times right for Irredemption
Irredemption is a Spanish death metal band and active for 25 years. Not only for that but also for their latest album we had a little chat. As you will see in the second question, the friendship between Irredemption and BRUTALISM.com is also long, almost 20 years! Enjoy.
Hola amigos. How are you doing? Before we take off please introduce yourself to the fans.
Good morning Twan !!! How is everything?? I hope all is well out there !!!
We are Irredemption, a Death Metal band, formed in Albacete (Spain) in 1996. It’s Juan (guitarist) who is answering these questions.
I searched the archives and this will be the third interview. First one was done in 2002 and the second in 2006. So what happened since 2006?
A lot has happened since 2006. We did several small festivals around here that Summer before doing the Spanish dates with Incantation (6 dates specifically) which has been the best thing that has happened to us.
Right after that, at the end of 2006 and at the beginning of 2007 we started to compose for a second album, but then there were some personal problems in some members of the band (health, work) and the composition process, concerts etc. stopped a bit.
Already in 2008 we participated with a new song in the compilation "Spain Kills" that Xtreem Music publishes and right after this, Manu (guitar) enters the band. We continue the process of preparing new material, but at that time, due to labor issues, several members of the group had to go abroad and there is a very long break. Too long I would say and little by little they work less and less, they rehearse less, until there is a huge break in the group, which is not resumed until 2016 when new material begins to be composed. We received an offer from Base Record Production for a second album and then there is a practically complete line-up change. Already with a stable line-up and in which we all work in the same direction, we finally released, 14 years later, our second album, "Eternal Mutilation Of Saturn".
In 2006 I asked to tell something about the other members. So who is in the band these days and what happened to the old members?
Only I, Juan, remained from 2006, but a short time later Manu joined the other guitar and he continues today. The rest of the band is Juan Carlos Pérez drums, Gaspar del Valle bass and Pedro Soler on vocals.
There are some members from that time that I have practically never had contact with them again and some others simply wanted to do another type of musical style.
The hiatus is several years and the whole Covid pandemic didn't help either. How did Covid affected the band? And maybe also in your personal life?
No, not at all, in fact in 2020 we had to stop doing several concerts, even so we could be lucky to perform before March 2020 about 5 dates.
On a personal level, good for the fact that we had not caught the Covid at the moment, but on a psychological level bad for the labor issue and the uncertainty of not knowing what was going to happen, here in Spain we had a confinement of almost two months, in which you could hardly leave home, you couldn't go to work, there was no income but the bills kept coming for payments to suppliers etc. and you had to throw away savings, etc. Some days were horrible. At the same time, in that period we were able to finish "Eternal Mutilation Of Saturn", which we were able to finish recording as the members of the group were able to see each other in person.
Let's hope this nightmare ends as soon as possible.
Now the world is trying to pick up 'normal' life, what are the plans for Irredemption? Because you have the new album to promote.
Well this year (in October specifically) is the 25th anniversary of the band. The idea is to retake part of the dates that could not be done in 2020, to continue presenting "Eternal Mutilation Of Saturn", and by early 2022 to start recording our third album. First we want to do something that Base Record Production will report shortly on the occasion of the 25th anniversary and the idea is that it can be released in October or November
Last month you played a 'live' show on TV Almansa. How did you get involved in this? And how did it felt to play for no audience?
Hehehehe, this concert is something that is related to what I said in the previous question. It was because in the absence of being able to play here in Spain in closed spaces and with the public (although it seems that things are already being done, in fact for October we have a date in Valencia) the owner of the places where we rehearse, proposed to do several concerts to later be broadcast by streaming and with people from Almansa. Since Juan Carlos and Manu are from Almansa (we have the rehearsal room there) they told us about it and we quickly accepted. The truth is that, although with hardly any audience, only the people involved in the event, it was a real pleasure to return to a stage, with better conditions even than in some concerts we have done in the past. Sound and lighting technicians… We saw the result (we have videos on YouTube about it) and we were very very happy with the final result. On stage we try to give our 100% and we go out to have the best possible time and with the same attitude, whether we have 10 people or 300 in front of us
Also the new album "Eternal Mutilation Of Saturn" is out for a while. Did it turn out the way you wanted? And what was the idea behind it? Is it a concept album?
Yes, in a few days it will be one year. It can always be better, it has not been bad, but there are some details that finally did not turn out as we wanted. In the end it was a bit of torture between all the Covid and other things to be able to finish the job. The idea for the cover was between Manu and Juan Carlos, and no, it is not a concept album. Every song has a completely different theme.
So what is the big difference between the previous album "Hordes Of Anger" in songwriting? Another approach of the music/lyrics? The way it was recorded?
The difference? For example, the way of recording, that time everything was done in the same studio and this time it has been done in different places. The lyrics for example are much better worked this time. We have made the music as then, collaborating with the entire formation and this time perhaps there is a bit more European influences than in Hordes.
With the new album also comes new merch. Hilarious is the underwear but I miss some models that showed it...
Well, it's something Gaspar is trying to do. If they send us photos who buy us underwear, briefs and thongs hahaha, we could show something shortly jijijijij
And I don't remember well but what came with "Hordes Of Anger"? Wasn't it a condom? Damn... can't remember.
Hahahaha, you remember well, we made a limited run of condoms that were really well accepted. It might be a good idea to pick it up again for the next album. I think we sent you one, right? (Yes you did and I still have it, just had to check. Don't know if it still protects after all these years. -Twan)
Finally, the new album is released on vinyl. Who's wish was it and who is the vinyl collector in the band? I know that Gaspar runs the label/distro Base Record.
The album has been released in all three formats, CD LP and K7.
Vinyl collectors I think we are the 5, it is very difficult that at least one of us does not buy something once a month, sometimes even several things. Buying in physical format is a ruin hahaha, but we are old school, we have grown up with tape trading, and buying records, many times "blindly" without knowing how it was going to be and only being guided by the cover or reviews.
Now there is access to everything and before you buy, you know what you are going to hear.
Yes, Gaspar runs the label, he made us the offer to release the album before he joined the band as a bassist, a year or so earlier.
Speaking of Gaspar, he has a physical shop so are there lot metalhead in your area? What is organised for the metal community in your area?
Yes, he has opened a physical store a few months ago, which also functions as an office for the label.
He has everything there, from Queen, Maiden, King Diamond, Gorgasm, Pestilence, Malevolent Creation, Death, apart from that he can get things from other styles, from bands that are not extreme metal.
The store is located in Caudete, which is in a very good strategic point, because it is halfway, let's say, from Albacete, Alicante, Murcia and even Valencia.
There are metalheads around here, maybe not so many in the extreme metal theme but there are. Another thing is that they buy physical format or attend concerts of underground bands or anything that is not great Summer festivals or already ultra-established bands. Sometimes nothing happens to spend € 120 on a ticket and then those people complain that it is expensive to see 5 bands for € 20.
How do you spend your days Juan? Following the global metal scene? Discovered something interesting?
Well, between home, work and preparing the new album with the rest of my colleagues.
Of course I follow the scene as much as I can, in fact, right now as I write this I am listening to the new work of Pestilence, which I think is quite good, as well as that of Cannibal Corpse and Asphyx.
Outside of extreme metal, I'm quite curious to see what the new Iron Maiden album will be like, coming out in just a month.
Something interesting yes, last year, two Swedish bands, I know they have previous things, but until last year I could not have anything of them, Lik and Disrupted. Also, Gaspar told us about a band called Sepiroth, great band!!
From our scene I can recommend two great bands such as Barbarian Prophecies and Murderworker.
In October the band is celebrating its 25 years of existing. Can you say something about the plans? What can we expect and how do we get informed?
Yes, that is in October 25 years already ...
I have talked about it before, in October if everything goes well we will do a concert in Valencia that we still have to do in 2020 together with Nasty Surgeons and VIL.
The TV Almansa live show will be released in a very limited edition of blue vinyl with that concert along with songs from the band's past recordings and a DVD of the live show with some extras and it should be by the end of October.
We have already open the pre order. Initially the idea was to edit a lathe cult 7ep with 4 songs from a live from here in Albacete of a Base Record Fest and from which all the copies that we put on sale were sold out, but finally, after seeing the result of TV Almansa, we have decided on DVD and vinyl and I will add old songs for the 25th anniversary.
For the third job in 2022 we are preparing something beastly and we believe that it will attract a lot of attention ijijijij, we will inform through us and Base Record. We have finished songs by the way.
Besides plans for the future of Irredemption what are your plans to stop global climate change? Are you concerned how people treat the environment these days?
That is a rather complicated issue that I do not know what solution it may have in the long and short term. Here it practically goes from Summer to Winter and vice versa, it hardly rains what it should, many forest fires caused, temperatures too high (in Canada I think they have been having a bad time) everyone abusing air conditioners, a lot of pollution and then all this from the Covid. I hope that one day we may know the truth of it all. I honestly do not know what solution can all this have.
Coming to end this little interview, is there something you wanna say? Even some shameless self promotion?
Well thank you once again for your attention with us Twan during all these years.
Thanks to all the folks who continue to support extreme metal and regarding self-promotion, we have a few copies left on CD of "Eternal Mutilation Of Saturn" and very few on LP and K7 as well as some merch.
To get them and to know our next news, you can follow us here:
https://www.facebook.com/Irredemptionofficial
Twitter: @Irredemption1
Instagram: @irredemption1996
Bandcamp: https://irredemption.bandcamp.com/
YouTube: Irredemption Official
Take care and cheers!
Take care you too Twan!!! A big hug !!!