1) It is a great pleasure for us to arrange this interview with you! Could you tell us what were the main motivations that led you to create BLOODHUNTER?
Dani: The idea of creating BLOODHUNTER came after I found limitations in other bands that I played around 2008 and 2009. I had songs that these bands were not interested in, such as Dying Sun or Let the Storm Come, so I decided to start my own project.
2) Your first album was precisely “Bloodhunter”, released in 2014 (of which we are lucky to have a physical copy, here in Buenos Aires!). You have in your plans a re-edition in physical format (and also digital) for this 2020. Please tell us the details.
Diva Satánica: We decided to release a re-issue of the album for different reasons: the first because it has been discontinued for years and people kept asking us when they bought our second album "The End Of Faith". We thought that in the midst of this situation that we are experiencing and without being able to enter the studio to record our third work, it was a good time to reissue it but with some added surprise as thanks for the support, so we changed the artwork (which has run into the hands by Gustavo Sazes this time) and we have added 6 bonus tracks of live songs from our presentation concert in Madrid last year. The digital launch is now available, while in physical format it will be released in September. Very soon we will reveal all the information about the pre-sale.
3) This reissue will include as a bonus your live record "Live in Madrid". What can you tell us about this concert and its subsequent edition in live album format?
Dani: It was a special and different concert. On the one hand, it lasted almost 2 hours, as we tried to play most of "The End of Faith" as well as featured songs from "Bloodhunter". In addition, we added different performances, collaborations... It had been a while since we played in Madrid and we decided to record it. At that time it was not clear what we were going to do with the recording, but since “Bloodhunter” had been sold out for a few years, we decided to reissue it including some songs from this concert.
4) Dani Arcos, your leading guitar, has had the opportunity to participate in the “100 Guitars from Hell” together with important colleagues. How has that experience been?
Dani: It's been almost 5 years since that concert. The truth is that it was quite a fun week. Imagine 100 guitarists from all over the world invading Helsinki during the hottest week of the year. It was a curious and different concert, a unique experience. In addition, very good friendships arose. Recently, I was with two of the three guitarists who came from Japan remembering that concert having a drink in Shinjuku.
5) The second album has arrived in 2017, "The End of Faith". What can you tell us about it and what are the main differences in relation to the debut álbum?
Diva Satánica: When you record a first album you always make many mistakes because you still don't know what your sound is and because logically your technical skills are less, but with “The End Of Faith” we were very clear that we wanted it to reflect our evolution in terms of our sound and we seem to get it. We also had different changes in the line-up and we looked for another studio and another producer with whom to record to try to achieve other results and we are very happy with the results. "The End Of Faith" is an album that technically has many nuances to discover.
6) BLOODHUNTER has had the chance to participate in several important festivals, and this has allowed you to share the stage with numerous bands. Tell us about those experiences.
Diva Satánica: With the release of “The End Of Faith” we were planning to start playing in major festivals nationwide and we were able to do so thanks of course to the hard work of many months and also with the help of our management agency Duque Producciones. We have been able to be at Resurrection Fest, Legends of Rock, Otero Brutal Fest, Rock The Coast... It has been incredible to be able to share the stage with so many bands that we admire and to be able to present our project to thousands of people.
7) Why did you think of recording a cover of Helloween? You had a special collaboration on this topic...
Dani: The idea of doing that version of I Want Out came up many years ago, when I was rehearsing with a Power Metal band that I had in La Coruña and a friend who was singing in another band came in and started to guttural in the chorus. The idea was always around and during a Behemoth concert in Madrid where we met with Leo (Jiménez), I told him about the idea and he thought it was fine. At all times he happily collaborated with us even when we asked him to make a video clip on the subject. There has been some controversy about it, but it's what it takes to make such a different version of such a classic song.
8) Diva Satánica has been summoned to be the new voice of NERVOSA, a Brazilian band that has now become mostly European. How did that happen and what are your expectations?
Diva Satánica: When Fernanda Lira and Luana Dametto informed Prika Amaral of their decision to leave the band, Prika had to get down to work to find new musicians to complete the formation. She wrote to ask me if I was interested in doing a test and I didn't think twice.
9) What do you think about Fernanda Lira, your predecessor at NERVOSA? Do you think that the style of the band is going to vary a lot, especially vocally?
Diva Satánica: I have always been a fan of NERVOSA and Fernanda, I think she is one of the top female references in the extreme Metal scene and which I admire a lot. Obviously we have different vocal records, so we have been working to find an intermediate point between the style of the band and my own so that there is not a radical change but there may be something reflected in my own personality. I am looking forward to hearing the new songs!
10) Taking you a little out of the musical context: Spain has been one of the countries most affected by Covid 19, especially at the beginning. What personal reflection deserves everything that has been happening during this year?
Dani: Personally, I think that representative governments do not work, since they give power to the one that promises the most and sells the best, not to the most prepared. With such a premise, I am not surprised that something that we already knew when there were 3,000 infections was turned into a global pandemic. How are you going to control a global pandemic if, for example, in Spain people are coming and going who only have to sign a paper saying that they are not feeling bad and they are only looking at the temperature? It would be that people who travel had to do a test at least 48 hours before. On the other hand, individual responsibility is very important to this virus and, to be honest, there are very unconscious people on the loose that put us all in danger.
11) Are you working on a new studio album? What can you tell us about it?
Dani: The album is already written. We will shortly record it and begin to study the possibilities for publication. Right now everything is quite stopped, so we will see when is the best time to publish it.
12) We know that not many plans can be made yet, but what do you expect for BLOODHUNTER in the near future?
Diva Satánica: As you say, the global situation is complex, and although the pandemic has only affected us when it comes to postponing some dates at festivals and our entry into the studio, we continue working to avoid being stagnant. Very soon we will record our third album, we are finalizing all the conceptual and artwork details and we are even working on the video clip ideas. At the same time, we will be participating in a Live Streaming of which we will announce the specific date in the coming months, where you can enjoy for the first time our new drummer Carlos Vivas.
Thank you very much for your time and your willingness. We leave you the closing of the interview so that you can tell us anything that has been left in the pipeline… Greetings from Argentina !!
Both: Thank you very much for giving us this space. We hope you are very well and that very soon we can all be enjoying live music again. Attentive to the news, a hug BLOODHUNTERS!!
BLOODHUNTER on the web:
Answered: Diva Satanica and Dani Arcos, for BLOODHUNTER.
Interviewed: Javier Parente, for OXIDO.-
