Some metal styles are more common than others in Venezuela. Gothic metal is hard to come by, but Infestus from Acarigua has dedicated itself to the gloomy themes and the darkly romantic atmosphere that are synonymous with the style for the better part of three decades now. Founding guitarist Felipe Foti and guitarist/keyboardist Héctor Perez tell us more about the history and the developments of the band.

“When the band started out in 1997, we were initially playing extreme metal”, Foti explains. “Death metal, inspired by bands like Morbid Angel and Cannibal Corpse. Shortly after that, I started listening to several doom/death and gothic metal bands, like Tiamat, Paradise Lost – especially the ‘Gothic’ album – and Moonspell. I’m a huge Moonspell fan. These bands captivated me. Even to this year, I am truly captivated by this style of music.

From there, I began to be influenced by bands like them. I started to delve into this gothic metal style, and into the writings of Edgar Allan Poe. They inspired me to explore dark themes myself, and more than anything, to explore this type of music in the music that I created myself as well.

The lyrics were written by our former vocalist Eduardo Mejias, who was in the band with me almost twenty years ago, and I wrote the music. Sometimes, Eduardo had musical ideas as well, and we combined our ideas. That’s how Infestus started playing a style that isn’t all that well-known here in Venezuela.”

Often Stunned Audiences

“In fact, we and an old band called Ora Pro Nobis were the only bands that I knew of who played this kind of gothic doom/death style. Carlos Luis Galindez, who is now the vocalist and guitarist of Infestus, was actually the guitarist of Ora Pro Nobis, and I was also part of that band as a bassist during their early years, before I properly started Infestus.

It has been very difficult to even find people who like this style of music here, let alone people who want to play it with us. We recently had a gig in Barquisimeto, a city near us, and I actually had to play bass myself, because our bassist didn’t fit with us. He didn’t like our style. And our actual bassist Mariam (Blanco) had moved to Colombia at the time.

Metal musicians here are more attracted to thrash metal, death metal, and heavy metal. Bands like Testament, Pantera, and the like. Not many people listen to doom/death, even though there is in fact a spectacular doom/death band here in Venezuela called Stratuz. They recently released a great atmospheric doom/death album. It’s awesome.

Our audiences are often stunned, but they do typically end up catching the vibe, and enjoying what we do, even for an audience who doesn’t know this style of music. We’re getting there. We hope that one day, we can make it beyond the borders of Venezuela and play in countries like Colombia or Chile. In those countries, there is a bigger diversity of extreme metal style. In the meantime, we will be flying the flag for gothic metal here in Venezuela, haha!”

Adapting to Circumstances

“Felipe is old school”, Perez smiles. “I started playing around 2005, I think, by playing bass and guitar at the Casa de la Cultura here in Acarigua. Originally, I played classical guitar. Then, I got into heavy metal bands, and I ended up playing a little bit of everything, from pop to heavy metal. Then, many years later, after going through many bands, I met Felipe. He needed a guitarist, and that’s how we started working on ‘Vestidos de la Oscuridad’, which was one of the songs that really resonated with our audience.

When I joined Infestus originally, it was because they needed a lead guitarist. Due to other commitments I had at the time, however, I had to leave Infestus and pursue my musical path in other areas. But then, at some point, Infestus needed a keyboard player, because they had some events planned where it was absolutely necessary to have one in the line-up.

They were rehearsing at my studio at the time, and I had already been familiar with their material, and of course, I had already played with them. There was a need, and I was able to help them out. Then, given the fact that Mariam was in Colombia, the need for a guitarist arose, so I went back to playing the guitar with Carlos Luis. The keyboards had already been recorded; we can play them on a backing track, and I can play guitar on top of that.

That’s not to say that I won’t be playing keyboards for Infestus at some point in the future. It’s simply because of the circumstances that we have to adapt to here. We can adapt, so if we have a possibility to play anywhere, we can do it.”

Brought to a New Era

“When I write the songs, I record a pre-production demo at home, on the computer, with EZdrummer, and then present it to the rest of the guys”, Foti says. “Carlos Luis is in charge of the production, and the other guys add their own touches to the arrangements. That is how the Infestus sound comes together, even though it always starts with my idea.”

“From my perspective, I think the band has evolved a lot since when I first joined the band”, Perez emphasizes. “Especially with Carlos Luis joining on guitar. He came with some new ideas, and a different way of working. That doesn’t mean that the way the band operated before wasn’t good, but rather that this way of working brought Infestus to a new era. The arrival of Carlos Luis as a vocalist and guitarist helped the band improve.”

“We all contribute to the music of Infestus”, Foti nods. “I put the ideas in, and then we complete them together. We take the ideas to the rehearsal room, or I send the demos around through WhatsApp or e-mail. The ideas that I have are just simple demos, with only guitar and drums. And they help me complete it. Sometimes they create something in their own home studios, but we work on it together a lot during rehearsals as well.”

“Depending on what period in Infestus’ history it is, things were either recorded in professional studios, while others were done at our home studios”, Perez adds. “‘Undead’ (2020) was recorded at a professional studio. Sometimes, due to economic circumstances or difficulties in the country, we had to do our recordings in more modest studios. On the EP I played on (‘Dresses of Darkness’, 2017), part of it was recorded at my home studio, and other parts were done in a proper studio.”

A Minor Resurgence

“Back in the day, there were many rock bars here in Acarigua”, Perez explains. “During that boom, Infestus was able to take advantage of what was going on. We would try to play at every rock bar that would have us. We also played in Barquisimeto, another city that represents metal. We have tried to keep that movement going.

Recently, we played at a relatively large event where only Venezuelan metal legends were on the bill, such as Grand Bite, Arkangel, and Necrosis. It was called Rock en el Museo. There is an art museum in Barquisimeto where an area was set up to host this big event.

While we were able to take advantage of that there were so many rock bars, there was a critical time here in the country, and most of these establishments closed down. At the moment, you can see a minor resurgence in the number of rock bars, and that is why Infestus is reactivated and starting to play again in other cities, because that’s where the events are these days. We want to take advantage of every opportunity we get, big or small.

We have been fortunate enough to play with extreme metal bands of an international caliber, such as Crypta or Krisiun. We have also participated in evens with a band like BajoZero. But when we play with local bands, they are usually either extreme metal, heavy metal or thrash metal, as those are simply the types of metal bands you see most often here.”

A Better Sense of What Is Needed

“If you compare an event here where we are from, in Acarigua, to an event in Barquisimeto, in Valencia, in Maracay or Caracas, the equipment available is of much better quality outside our home town. In places where the metal and extreme music scenes are more active, there is better equipment, and a better sense of what is needed in order to have a good live performance from a metal band.

The closer we get to the capital, the better the quality of the equipment. Recently, another band of mine performed in Valencia, which is the hub of the metal scene here in Venezuela, and the equipment is much, much better than in other places. When we travel further from our hometown, for example to Caracas, the equipment is generally top-notch. But it varies a lot.

Due to some difficult experiences we have had in the past, we sometimes make an agreement with the organizers, and bring some of our own equipment: amp heads, a mixing console, anything else that’s needed in order to improve the quality of the performance and the sound. We can collaborate with the organizers or the other bands. Or if we are looking for a very particular sound, we will bring it to the venue.

However, there have also been shows where we simply arrive with our guitars and keyboards, just the bare minimum, and are able to make do with what we’ve got.”

New Songs Coming

“We have been working on a new video recently”, Perez reveals. “It’s being edited as we speak. Carlos Luis finished mixing the new song, and there are other new songs coming. We are currently in the production phase, and even though each of us has their own separate projects, we are all working on it.”

“This will be the first video for an upcoming new EP of the band”, Foti adds. “Because of economic reasons, we sadly have not been able to release any full-length albums yet, even though we have been able to release demos and EP’s through the years. But a new EP, a new song, and a new video are all coming up.”

“At the moment, I am also working on an instrumental guitar project”, Perez says. “Nothing too elaborate or progressive, just a little more relaxed. A style inspired by Joe Satriani, but I don’t want to go as far as to compare myself to ha master like him. It’s called Hector Perez: The Electric Guitar Project. I’m currently in the process of releasing an album. Little by little, just like we do with Infestus. Apart from that, I play with the band Illich, which is the band of Douglas Illich, the singer of Arkangel, a highly influential band here in Venezuela.”

“Keeping a band going in a style that has never been very popular in Venezuela was difficult in the beginning”, Foti admits. “And it still is difficult to get the hang of it. But Infestus will go on as long as possible. As long as I can do it, at least, haha!”

Many thanks to Joad Manuel Jiménez for his help setting up this interview, and to Javier Valdi for making the interview possible by translating.