Although their debut album ‘Nunca Digas Nunca’ was not released until 2011, Armagedon is a veteran of the Peruvian heavy metal scene. The band has been around since the late eighties and has steadily worked on music for most of those years. Their latest album ‘Sobrevivir’ was released earlier this month, the brothers Lobo (vocals) and Martín Guizado (guitars) share their thoughts about the past, present and future of Armagedon.

“There are nine tracks on ‘Sobrevivir’ that can each be characterized as heavy metal”, Martín describes the style on the album. “The sound is largely in line with what we did before, but with a more powerful sound than on our earlier productions. However, it still sounds like Armagedon.

Some of the songs for this new album were recorded for our acoustic live album ‘Elemental’, which we recorded at Centro Cultural de España in Lima and turned out to be the first acoustic metal album that was ever recorded in Peru. The recordings of ‘Sobrevivir’ were delayed due to various personal issues, but thanks to the efforts of everyone involved with the work, we could finally finish it.”

Intention of the Composition

The fact that ‘Sobrevivir’ is an album full of relatively new material is relevant, as 2019’s ‘Tiempos del Fin’ contained re-recordings of Armagedon’s earlier material, while ‘Nunca Digas Nunca’ contained a number of songs that were demoed in the nineties. “In essence, those songs have remained as they were originally written”, Martín explains. “The arrangements have just been altered somewhat under my supervision as the musical producer of the album. Also, we have been able to include the creative input of the musicians who contributed to the recording of the album, without losing the original ideas of the songs.”

‘Tiempos del Fin’ was a different story. “Recording the songs from our earliest days was a recurring theme in the conversations between Renato Bar, who was our drummer at the time, and myself”, Lobo explains. “One day, Renato called me and it turned out the recording process had already started. We met up and one of the things we agreed on was to call the album ‘Tiempos del Fin’, and that’s how that particular track could finally see the light.”

Anyone who knows Armagedon from the melodic heavy metal sound on ‘Nunca Digas Nunca’ might be surprised how doomy the material on ‘Tiempos del Fin’ is. “After we changed styles, some people were a bit surprised, like with every change”, Lobo nods. “But it did not take long before people accepted our new songs. They got familiar with the songs and even requested them when we played live.”

Another thing that changed quite a bit is Lobo’s voice. “The way I use my voice in each song is really very spontaneous”, the singer states. “I try to sense what every song needs in order to express the intention of the composition, and that’s how it develops. It’s not always easy, but after all, everything that is worth anything in life is difficult, and I think the results are satisfactory to ourselves and, fortunately, also our audience.”

Process of Complicity

Not unlike many bands who have been around for as long as Armagedon has, they have changed members fairly frequently through the years. Most of the current line-up has been part of the band for quite a while though. “We enjoy the freedom of creativity that we have in the band”, Martín states. “Everyone’s contributions are respected, and we are like a family. The respect and admiration we have for each other always enables us to reach the same objectives.”

The member changes also haven’t changed the overall composition process all that much. “Usually, it starts when Martín comes up with an idea for the song”, says Lobo. “Including the vocal melodies. Then I write the lyrics based on what the music inspires me to write. This process of complicity works very well for us. Sometimes, I unknowingly write lyrics that perfectly fit the theme that Martín had been wanting to tackle. It happens very instinctively. We don’t really plan the process.

When this idea is finished, we present it to the rest of the band and they bring it to a higher level. We are lucky that we are working with musicians of the highest possible level in Willy Hermoza, Jouvet Lavado and Aquiles Solar. They always know exactly what every song needs.

Our lyrics used to be a little more mystical in nature than they are today, even though they were anchored in our reality. These days, most of the themes we tackle in our songs are based on our personal experiences. They reflect our environment and contain a certain introspection that is always necessary to be able to survive in a world like the one we live in.”

Stronger

The early nineties were a time of enormous social and economic upheaval in Peru. “It has definitely cost us a lot to move forward in the midst of all the violence and the terrible economic situation we were living in”, Lobo admits. “But I do think this difficult situation has made us stronger at the same time. It made us realize that every obstacle can be overcome by working hard and with conviction.”

Both brothers are clear on the fact that things have improved for musicians since then. “The desire is the same”, Martín states. “The difference is that the level of production for the shows and the capabilities of the musicians in Peru have improved significantly. And that is amazing.”

“The differences between Lima and the rest of Peru are even getting smaller”, Lobo adds. “These days, there are great bands from various parts of the country that do well. Several of them have made a good start on their way to internationalization.”

The band even contributed to the improvements in the Peruvian metal scene by starting the long-running festival Ataque Metal in Lima. “Ataque Metal arose from the desire to offer the bands that were active at the time a space where they can present their sound to local metalheads with a certain minimal quality standard”, Lobo explains. “The prestige of Ataque Metal is based on the fact that it has become the most important festival for the genre in our country.

Our policy is to satisfy the three actors of a festival: the audience, the bands and the producer. We have been able to do this every time. That may also be the reason why the festival has been going through a 36-year journey. It would still be nice to have a radio or television medium that would promote our local bands.”