While there are quite a few bands combining various types of metal with traditional Andean music these days, Kranium was one of the first bands in Peru – if not the very first – to experiment with this mix of styles. Coming from an extreme metal background, Kranium evolved into a powerful mix of doom metal, Andean folk music and touches of classic rock. Founding guitarist Eloy Arturo and longtime member Mito Espíritu (guitar, charango, wind instruments) tell us about the journey.

“I think that at this point in Kranium’s history, we have created our own stamp within the world of folk metal”, Espíritu nods. “Our inspiration comes from the education and heritage we inherited from our elders – our grandparents, parents and siblings – and from the interest in and acceptance of the cultural origins of each of the band members. We have many references to different kinds of music, such as blues, rock, heavy metal, folk and many other styles, but another source of inspiration is the various Latin American bands of the seventies and eighties.

The list is endless, but I will name them so you can discover more of the works that formed our roots: El Polen, Pax, Tarkus, Del Pueblo Del Barrio… Hard rock and Andean fusion bands, which are the main sources of inspiration for our music. Also, our country of Peru and its varied culture of its indigenous people and mestizos are a large source of inspiration.”

Unique Style of Folk Metal

“Through the years, Kranium has always had a special sound”, Espíritu continues. “But in my opinion, we found our own unique style of folk metal around the recording of our EP ‘Dos Sonrisas, Una Lágrima’ in 1996. It contains only two songs of ten minutes each – ‘El Obraje’ and the title track – but it is where we started including Andean instruments, such as the quena, the zampoña or siku, the charango and other elements of Peruvian and Latin American music, on top of the social and historical-cultural themes of our lyrics. We later consolidated that on our album ‘Testimonios’ from 1999.

Adding those influences with in a metal context honestly is not that difficult for us. As I’ve said before, we have that training, education, feeling and knowledge regarding our Andean, Peruvian and Latin American music, and its instruments. Eloy is the composer of the songs, but all the other members participating is very important for what the songs eventually become. I can tell you that we love what we do. Our music is a madness shared by everyone in the band.”

Several members of Kranium are multi-instrumentalists, which makes the process of performing the arrangements live somewhat less difficult. “That’s all relative”, Espíritu states. “We are an underground band of six members that can perform in different spaces and on different stages. Some are small and others are bigger. Some places have better equipment or sound than the others, though things have improved in terms of logistics compared to when we started playing.

Nowadays, we inform ourselves in advance about the equipment and the technical possibilities in advance, so we can perform our music in the best possible way. Sometimes things have gone well and other times, not so much. But we try to take care of all of those technical details.”

Colonial Legacy

It’s not just Kranium’s music that refers to Andean traditions; the musical direction is reflected in the lyrics of the band. “Although most of us were born in Lima, our parents and ancestors came from various regions, such as the coast, the Andes and the Amazon”, Espíritu explains. “We have been raised with the traditions and existing folklore of each of these regions. Therefore, our lyrical inspiration comes naturally: narrating stories and mythology from various places and times, together with the history that we were taught through different sources, and that we have been able to learn through the course of our lives.

For example, on the album ‘Testimonios’, the inspiration came from the Andean region and all the developments that existed there before and until the start of the Tahuantinsuyo empire. For the album ‘Uma Tullu’ (2020), the lyrics are about the resistance to the colonialist invasion, as well as the legends and history of the Viceroyal era. Not making a statement about how traumatic this was for our ancestors, but rather as a personal point of view and what is left today of that disastrous colonial legacy.”

Those lyrics are written both in Spanish and the indigenous Quechua. “We use those two languages that identify us as ancestral and mestizo”, says Espíritu. “And they are the languages most spoken in our country. Whether a part will be in Spanish or Quechua can come from any of the members, but the decision is everyone’s, according to what the melody of the song can generate for us and what we can feel at that moment.”

Grown Up

Back when Kranium started experimenting with traditional elements in the mid-nineties, there weren’t many metal bands doing that. “At least in South America in those years we were among the first”, Espíritu confirms. “I can tell you that the immediate reaction when we premiered our first song in that style, ‘El Obraje’, at a concert in 1994 was not entirely good. It seems to me that, like all innovative or avant-garde art, what we were trying to do was not entirely understood at the time.

So there was that on the one hand, to which we could add the strange complex of the inhabitants of our region despising the culture of our ancestral legacy, whether in music, language or customs – in other words: despising our folklore. All of this due to that disastrous, traumatic invasion and colonialism that affected the original population of our territory.

At that time, even when our EP ‘Dos Sonrisas, Una Lágrima’ came out 1996, and then our album ‘Testimonios’ in 1999, our music not understood by the majority of the people in our local scene. However, it was understood among the people who cultivated the cultural avant-garde and rescued our ancestral heritage. Unfortunately, those were not the people in the metal scene. That was the case in the mid-nineties and it was like that for a long time.

Fortunately, many people from that time have grown up, and younger people have many tools at their disposal to listen to music and educate themselves with the musical ideas of our ancestors. Although we will never appeal to the masses, we have loyal followers, and not just within metal. It seems like our ideas have transcended from the local scene to the world.”

Laboratory

Various Kranium members are in multiple bands and projects. Both Arturo and Espíritu play in the retro-styled doom band Titania, for instance. “Our musical tastes are very diverse”, Arturo states. “In the time we can dedicate to cultivating our art, we embark on different paths and sonic adventures. But in my case, when composing the music for each of my bands, I stick to the heaviness of each composition.

Although bands like Kranium or Titania travel in heavy doom metal territory, with a lot of seventies Sabbath influences, each group has its diversity and instrumentation within its own style. This also demands feedback, where I am influenced by the music previously made with each of the bands.”

“Eloy is the one who composes the songs”, Espíritu explains the process in Kranium. “He shows us a progression to which he adds a general idea of the various atmospheres and instruments that can be created apart from the guitar, the bass and the rhythms. After rehearsals, both as a band and each member individually, we take our songs to the recording studio.

That is the moment we enter the ‘laboratory’ in which each member adds his own knowledge and experience. For example, during the production process of ‘Uma Tullu’, all the work was carried out by our vocalist and keyboard player Khriss (Meléndez). He managed to create all of the album in his home studio, from the beginning of the recordings to the mixing and mastering stages of the production. We all agreed that he created one of the best works in our national metal scene.

Some songs from ‘Uma Tullu’, like ‘El Vago del Cementerio’, date back to the time of ‘Testimonios’; the late nineties. We even played it during concerts at the time. Not many changes have been made to the original songs. The compositions that were left in the pipeline are ready to be worked on today. Since Kranium has a unique style, they will not sound out of date. On the contrary.”

Advancing and Learning

The fact that Kranium’s music contains a lot of heavy, doomy riffs is not that surprising when you consider Arturo’s musical preferences. “I have always felt attracted to the music of the old Black Sabbath, which is the greatest inspiration for me”, the guitarist and main songwriter says. “I consider Tony Iommi a genius, because I am a fan of heavy, dark, melancholic, progressive and atmospheric music. I like to play the blues of Jimi Hendrix and BB King, the rock ‘n’ roll of Chuck Berry, and other guitarists that I consider guitar heroes in folk rock, hard rock, and all metal styles of the eighties and part of the nineties.

Also, like the rest of the band, I appreciate our national music from its three distinct regions: the coast, the Andes and the Amazon. I also like Latin American music in its various fusions. Mentioning each of the bands would be very extensive, but as a general overview, those would be my sources of inspiration for creating music in my different bands. Over the years, not much has changed concerning my sources of inspiration, but my musical background definitely has expanded.

When I started making music, everything was very precarious. Honestly, it was very difficult to make music in the beginning. The little support we received, together with the deficiencies in logistics due to the situation that our country went through, prevented young people from advancing musically.

Nowadays, everything is more accessible and affordable. Although there is still no support from the media, there are many ways to do our jobs individually and in groups. As a musician, I work on my compositions in a much calmer and more orderly way these days. I will continue advancing and learning as long as my body can take it.”

Artisanal

“In the mid-eighties and early nineties, our country experienced an acute social, political and economic crisis”, Arturo continues. “There were shortages of almost everything. Our currency was devaluating rapidly, and the country was ravaged by internal conflicts, so we had to suffer many shortcomings.

Within that social climate, with the logistics there were to be able to make and record music, there were a few bands that managed to record in a studio with a decent sound. Though honestly, the works of that time were very artisanal. And when it comes to places to play: there were very few. And the ones that were there basically banned dark music like metal. Even today, places to play are still scarce.

Metal in Peru is a genre that is not supported by the media or the music industry in general. It remains underground; it is not a massive genre that generates money to live off. The biggest difference between then and now is in the logistics, the equipment and the instrumentation that exists today to make music, capture it and edit it in any format. I think that if you compose music of any genre and don’t record it, that is wrong. If you are a composer, you must leave a legacy. For your own enjoyment and the appreciation of future generations.

I think our metal scene is not bad. But what we need is the support of the public, and there are not many concert halls either. In my opinion, these are the main points that need to be changed. I can’t really tell you much about the Peruvian music industry, because we are not really part of it. There is no support for metal from the media or the government. I consider metal a part of our culture, and not only of our country, and the government should somehow encourage it, but it doesn’t. I hope this will change one day.”

Interest

What is interesting is that Kranium is one of the few Peruvian metal bands with a number of international releases, despite – or maybe because of – their traditional South American leanings. ‘Testimonios’ was released internationally by the Swedish label Plasmatica Records, while two labels helped distribute ‘Uma Tullu’ internationally.

“The reaction has been better than we expected, thanks to contacts and friends we made along the way”, Espíritu says. “Our album ‘Uma Tullu’ was released twice here in Peru by the Gestores Culturales label, and outside the country by American Line Productions in Mexico and Earth and Sky Productions in Italy.

We are even considering reissue offers in neighboring countries or anywhere else where people may be interested. At the moment, we are working on what will be a double vinyl edition with bonus tracks. We are more than satisfied with the interest people have shown in ‘Uma Tullu’.”

Special thanks to Adrián Del Aguila for his help setting up this interview!