Ecuadorian Doom/Death Metal band Isthar weaves a tapestry of sound deeply rooted in their heritage and the mystical landscapes of their homeland. From their early days experimenting with extreme metal, Isthar has evolved into a powerful force, channeling the energy of their land and the spiritual connection to the moon into their music. Their upcoming album, La Bendita Inconsciencia, explores the duality of existence, finding solace in darkness while confronting the harsh realities of life. This interview delves into Isthar's journey, their creative process, and the profound themes that shape their unique sound.
Serial Metalbums: Isthar has a distinctive identity rooted in Doom/Death Metal with a strong connection to their Ecuadorian heritage. How do your background and heritage influence the themes and atmosphere of your music?
C. Jiménez: Our identity as a band is deeply connected to our land. The music we play not only reflects our deepest emotions but also the nature and spirituality that are part of our heritage. In Ecuador, the land has a mystical force, and that energy is part of our music. The connection with the Moon, for example, is an important part of our philosophy, as it is a symbol that guides us and gives us strength. Furthermore, the contrast between chaos and serenity in our music reflects the complexities of living in a country with such diversity, both geographically and emotionally. The landscapes, the mountains, and the nature of Ecuador constantly inspire us, and that connection with the land and spirituality is felt in the atmosphere of our compositions.
Serial Metalbums: Could you tell us about Isthar's journey since its inception? What have been the defining moments that have shaped the band into what it is today? Your name, Isthar, evokes images and symbolism. What inspired you to choose this name, and how does it align with your musical vision?
C. Jiménez: The band in its early days explored various identities, playing with names like "Tuthmosis," "Brutal Devastation," and "Necrocannibal." This initial period was marked by experimentation, where the only purpose was to create music under the influences of the time (Macabre, Kataklysm, Mortician, Hypocrisy, etc.). However, over the years, Isthar experienced a maturation both in its musical proposal and in its ideology.
The soul of Isthar took shape in November 1996 with the mission of expressing the feelings, experiences, and influences that shaped the life of each member at that crucial moment. It was then that the band moved decisively towards Doom Death Metal.
Doom Death emerged naturally in the creative process, reflecting the experiences. The band assumes the impermanence of styles and maintains its essence in the anger, feeling, and energy of extreme metal. Music is an honest and sincere expression, without seeking external approval, which reinforces our unique identity.
This approach has resonated in the metal community, especially among those who value authenticity. Their compositions have transcended borders, reaching scenes in Latin America, Mexico, the United States, and Europe, with a positive response that demonstrates their emotional connection.
Isthar finds inspiration in nature, literature, and own experiences. Our music channels a unique energy and pays homage to the Moon "ISTHAR," "the mother who guides us in these pale lands." This spiritual connection adds depth to our sound, turning it into a journey in constant transformation, where authenticity and evolution mark our own path.
Serial Metalbums: The title of your upcoming album, La Bendita Inconsciencia (The Blessed Unconsciousness), is profound and intriguing. What inspired this title, and how does it relate to the overall concept of the album?
C. Jiménez: The title La Bendita Inconsciencia(The Blessed Unconsciousness) arises from the need to escape the weight of reality, to find refuge in the darkness when the light becomes unbearable. Despair, chaos, and daily pain can become overwhelming, and in that internal struggle, unconsciousness becomes a relief, an almost sacred state of peace and disconnection.
The album explores this duality between the oppression of existence and the comfort that darkness offers. Through its sound, it channels the intensity of chaos and the tranquility that it can paradoxically bring. La Bendita Inconsciencia is not just an evasion but a conscious choice to find calm in the midst of torment.
Serial Metalbums: As you work on this new album, how would you describe its sound and themes compared to your debut La Higuera? Are there any surprises or significant evolutions in your approach?
C. Jiménez: The sound of La Bendita Inconsciencia represents a natural evolution from La Higuera, maintaining the dark and deep essence but exploring new textures and emotional nuances. While the first album had a focus on death and what it entails, this new album delves into the duality between chaos and calm, between the crushing heaviness and moments of introspective melancholy.
The themes revolve around the internal struggle, resignation, and the search for relief in the midst of torment. Despair is transformed into a denser and more enveloping soundscape, where each riff, each atmosphere, and each verse reinforce the feeling of immersion in that "blessed unconsciousness."
As for surprises, there is an evolution in the composition and execution. We have incorporated elements that enhance the emotional depth of the album, achieving a greater connection between the music and the lyrics. More than a change, it is an expansion of our sound, taking it to an even more intense and expressive territory, we look for elements, instruments that helps to approach our feelings to music.
Serial Metalbums: Could you share any anecdotes or insights about the creative process of La Bendita Inconsciencia? For example, was there a particular song or moment in the studio that defined the album?
C. Jiménez: At the beginning, when entering the studio, we had a clear idea of what we wanted to achieve, but we realized that as the recording progressed, each song was a different world that could be exploited creatively and that as we went along we managed to add details that differentiate each song but that at the same time everything was consolidated and formed a musical, graphic and poetic concept of what ISTHAR is today.
Serial Metalbums: Your debut album, La Higuera, was released in 2017 and remains an important milestone for Isthar. Looking back, how do you feel about this album and its place in your career as a band?
C. Jiménez: Each work that Isthar has achieved has always been with a meticulously elaborated concept and La Higuera was no exception. As I was saying in a previous question, the concept of La Higuera talks about death. A family member, a love, a friendship, a life, that came to an end for various reasons that sometimes escape the hands of a simple human. Remembering someone who is no longer in our world will always be something that causes a shiver, pleasant or terrifying, through the skin, mind, and soul, and that is what, at least in our case, La Higuera causes.
Showcasing the power of our music, born from deep emotions, is another benefit. It also strengthens our presence within the local underground scene. This has been crucial for promoting our music and gaining opportunities to play concerts over the years. During the last three years, we've had the important opportunity to demonstrate our stage presence by opening for significant bands such as VARATHRON AND HYPOCRISY.
Serial Metalbums: How did the themes of La Higuera reflect the time and place in which it was created? Do you think those themes are still relevant today? And if you had the opportunity to revisit La Higuera, would you make any changes to the music or its presentation, or do you see it as a timeless representation of that era?
C. Jiménez: As I was saying, remembering always causes some feeling, good or bad, and when making a retrospective of each song, the feelings caused by each note and each riff are an explosion of many things in the mind. La Higuera keeps relevant it brings this deep sense of pain every time you play a song. As for changing something?...the only change I would make would be that I would not have had to make those songs in the name of the people who are no longer there; but as this is an ephemeral feeling compared to the universe... Everything is in the place it deserves.
Serial Metalbums: Ecuador is not usually seen as a major center for metal, yet it has a vibrant underground scene. How does Isthar navigate this environment, and what challenges or opportunities have you encountered?
C. Jiménez: When we started making music in the mid-90s, we obviously started moving in the underground of our city in those golden times. The way you shared music was concerts, zines, etc., and all this was very limited but at the same time very interesting, and in some way, we were also part of that with rehearsals, demos, and presentations we had at that time. As time went on, "Globalization and Technology" also changed the way things were shared; in all these years the presentations and works carried out were important and were what has most marked our trajectory from the beginnings to today. Playing with friendly bands like LASEN, NB-604, TOTAL DEATH, MOGRIM, DEATH’S COLD WIND were indispensable to open doors and play with international bands like WITCHTRAP, LITURGY, TORTURE SQUAD, VARATHRON, HYPOCRISY, OCTOBER TIDE and more bands; All this is a response to the value that the scene has given to our music and work, this opens the doors to other opportunities, other scenes from other countries and regions such as Peru, Colombia, Central America, Mexico, USA, and countries in Europe such as Greece, Italy, Russia and Portugal and today with your kind interview to Algeria.
Serial Metalbums: Both Doom and Death Metal have distinct legacies within the global metal community. How does Isthar make a space for itself within these genres while contributing something uniquely Ecuadorian?
C. Jiménez: The great thing about metal is that you can experiment with different musical genres, not only from the world of Metal but with other types of music, instruments, and this in turn with cultures, beliefs or experiences and that happens when experimenting within metal; In the case of Death Metal and its raw vertiginous speed that crushes everything in its path, mixing it with the slowness and heaviness of the atmospheres projected by Doom Metal, in my way of seeing it, makes the music more dynamic and unpredictable when it comes to the first listen.
Serial Metalbums: Finally, what do you hope listeners will take away from your music, especially as you prepare to release La Bendita Inconsciencia?
C. Jiménez: I hope that listeners confront themselves through our music, that each note and each word make them question their own existence, their fears, and their place in this world. La Bendita Inconsciencia reflects internal chaos, of the struggle between apathy and the need to feel something real, even if it hurts. We do not seek to give answers but to generate questions, shake consciences and transmit the rawness of reality without filters or easy comfort.
Listeners who hear this album will find a journey to the depths of despair, but also the strength that comes from accepting it. We want them to feel the intensity of pain and sacrifice, but also the liberation that comes from breaking with the imposed, with the false promises of happiness. "La Bendita Inconsciencia" (The Blessed Unconsciousness) is an invitation to challenge the established and embrace the darkness as part of the human experience.
