Artist:  Diabulus In Musica  

Date: 23 January 2012   

With the release of their forthcoming album ' The Wanderer' due on 2nd March, we catch up with Zuberoa and Adrian to find out a bit more about the band behind the music.

MM - What firstly inspired you to learn how to play?
ZA - I didn’t had the chance to take that decision, as my mother, who is a music teacher, obliged me to go to the conservatory when I was 8 years old hehe.  Anyway I don’t regret it; music means a lot to me and I could not imagine my life without making music!

AV - In my case, when I was around 7, I always attended to my cousins rehearsals. They use to play covers of Metallica, Guns ‘n’ Roses and all this early 90’s stuff.  Maybe they were the worst band ever, but I loved it and I always dreamt to become a rock musician.

MM - What was the main impetus behind joining a band?
ZA - To develop myself as a musician, give free rein to my creativity and share my love for music with others.

MM - How did you all meet?
ZA - We all are from Pamplona, which is a small city, so almost all the metal-heads here know each other.  Gorka, Adrián and me were friends since years. I played with Gorka in a local band and Gorka played with Adrián in another one.  Xabi had played before with Adrián in a cover band and Álex also was involved in the local music scene and had played with Adrián in his own project.

AV - Then, metal joined us.

MM - Was it intentional to name the band after a Slayer album?
ZA - Not at all. Actually Slayer didn’t invent the term hehe.  To be honest I don’t follow Slayer’s career, so I had no idea about that album when I chose the name.
 
‘Diabulus in Musica’ is a Latin mediaeval music term which means ‘the devil in music’.  It was like that as they called the triton or the interval of the augmented fourth in the Middle Ages.  The medieval ear was used to hearing perfect fourths and perfect fifths. The augmented fourth, being half-way between these two most common intervals, was about the worst discord imaginable.  That’s why they thought that the devil was inside the triton.

 As Early Music is my favorite style in classical and actually is what I usually sing, I chose this name.  It was perfect for us not only because of the meaning it has to me, but also because it sounds a bit dark, as our music sometimes.  We like this ‘dark romantic aesthetic’ as well as Early Music, so we thought Diabulus in Musica was the name that fit us the best.

MM - Is the song-writing shared or does one person do it?
ZA - Usually one of us writes a complete song and then forwards it to the other band members.  It’s in that moment when we start to work together, to arrange the songs until we consider they are completely finished.  As for the lyrics it’s me who writes them, although in the new album there are two songs written by Alex as well.

AV - One important thing we do before start writing is to think all together how the songs will be.  This way everything flows better and we can focus on the work.

MM - If you had to describe the band in a sentence, what would it be?
ZA - A symphonic metal band that brims magic and passion, mixing the elegance of classical music with the most heartbreaking and modern metal.

MM - Is there any instrument you would like to play but haven’t as yet had the opportunity as yet, and if so what and why?
ZA - Apart from singing I also play the flute which is one of my favourite instruments.  I would love to play many more instruments, but I would probably choose the harp, the ‘viola da gamba’ or the bagpipe.

AV - Keyboards. I love all those analog synths.

MM - Do you feel that the music scene has changed in the past 10 years? Is it for the better or worse?
ZA - Of course it has changed, we cannot say if it's for the better or not, it depends on the personal tastes.  Anyway, now thanks to the Internet you can listen to whatever you want. Before we were more limited. 

AV - Nowadays is easier to spread your music, but it’s more difficult to grow and also to get some money to make better albums, gigs, etc... I think there are not going to be more ‘icons‘ as Metallica, AC/DC... For this, music industry needs to earn many many many money to invest in only a few bands but as I said, there’s no money and there are many bands.

MM - Has there ever been a time when you have wanted to give up?
ZA - Yes, but only as a first impulse when things don’t go well.  Being a musician requires a lot of effort, but sometimes you find too many troubles in the way!

MM - What are your goals for 2012? 
ZA - Playing as much as we can!

AV - To sell millions of albums J

MM - Do you have any parting words of wisdom for our readers and all your fans out there?
ZA - Stay always true and never give up your aims!  We hope to see you all on the road J

Interview by: Kerry H

 

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