BLINDER is one of the most experienced death metal bands in Cuba. They have been on the road for more than twenty years. Eric (vocalist and founder) provided this dialogue about his most recent discographic production, "Syncretic".
How is the band these days in our beloved Cuba, especially in Santa Clara: The metal music city? I see new faces in the group. "…Big greeting SCRIPTORIUM's brothers; we are super happy to have you back and proud to be in your zine once again. Well, BLINDER has been taking advantage of this forced time off stage to rehearse, compose and renew the repertoire, as well as perfect our future shows. We are a band that performs very often. We barely had enough time to assemble and rehearse new songs. We have many ideas and concerns. It is the ideal moment to translate them into new compositions for a future recording. The line-up is- Eric Domenech (vocal), David Chaviano (guitar), Yoandy Broche (guitar), Asley de Armas (bass), and Saúl Prieto (drums)..."
How did an influential musician like Andy LaRocque end up mastering the album "Hegemonic Cult" and guitarist Steve Smyth (TESTAMENT/ NEVERMORE) getting involved with a Cuban metal band? We are talking about an unknown band that has not left Cuba "…Both collaborations were possible because our great friend and producer in Canada, Ionel Muñoz, is Steve Smyth's friend and also knows the other King Diamond guitarist, Mike Wead, so reaching Andy Larocque was relatively easy. Of course, both Steve and Andy wanted to make sure our music had the required quality, but once convinced, everything flowed smoothly…"
The latest album "Syncretic" has a different orientation to incorporate Cuban cultural elements, both textual and musical. Any positive or negative repercussions? "…It is no secret that the world metal scene is saturated, there are a lot of bands. It is tough to enter the international circuit due to the great competition, and even more because we come from an unknown country in metal. We needed to work on a different product that would identify us in a certain way without moving away from the Death metal that we have always practiced. We have grown in many aspects, and that allows us to do something new compared to our first works, but we still have a lot to explore in our culture that is very rich in sonorities. The result has been very positive and is what those who have listened to us expected from a Cuban band…"
"Syncretic" also has fancy collaborations for a band that doesn't tour internationally. " READ MORE...
