The artist of the week: EthreuM (Spain)
EthreuM is not just another extreme metal band, but a dark and cathartic journey that began in 2004 and has continued to evolve with time. From their early compositions fueled by visceral rage to the apocalyptic density of Final De Los Tiempos, their music embodies despair, critique, and transcendence. Every riff carries the tension between the earthly and the spiritual, as if their songs were gateways to a realm where the end is not destruction but revelation.
EthreuM was born in 2004, when a group of Ecuadorian and Colombian musicians converged in Madrid, Spain, determined to carve their own path into the extreme metal underground. The first incarnation of the band included Hernán Peñaherrera B. (SpektruM) on lead guitars, Luis Villamar (Luiscifer) handling rhythm and lead guitars as well as lyrical concepts, Juan C. Robles (Dark Angelus) from Legion (Ecuador) on drums, Raúl Vázquez (WolfHowl) on vocals, and Rubén Restrepo (Majestic Fire) of Infernal (Colombia) on keyboards. With this lineup, EthreuM recorded their first demo Christus Funeratus in 2006, a raw and uncompromising introduction to the band’s vision.
Change came quickly. After the departure of Juan C. and Rubén, the band recruited Andrés Mesa (Thenebre) on drums and Angel (Anhell) on bass in 2008. This formation gave birth to their first full-length album, Ancianos Ritos, tracked in 2009 at V.R.S. Studios in Madrid by Samuel Ruiz, and released in 2010 through a coalition of labels: Melice Records, SET Productions (Egypt), and Satanica Records. The record placed EthreuM into the underground consciousness, but in 2012, circumstances forced the band into silence, pausing their trajectory.
In 2018, the spark reignited. Luiscifer and Thenebre decided to rebuild EthreuM, bringing in Ronny (Grind) on rhythm guitar and Mauricio (DeamoniacuM) on bass. The following years saw further shifts: in 2020 Salvador (Deathvador) joined as vocalist and Dante on bass, completing the lineup that would deliver the 2021 EP Final de los Tiempos. This release was tracked at Malitia Recording Studio, mixed and mastered by Luiscifer himself, and distributed by Ritual Metal Rock in Spain in a limited run of 300 CDs, with an additional 50 cassette copies issued by Rivers of Blood Extreme Metal in the USA. It was the band’s first new statement in nearly a decade, signaling that EthreuM was alive once again.
The most defining chapter unfolded in 2023. Recording began in June at Malitia Recording Studio in Madrid, once more under the guidance of Luis A. Villamar Triviño (Luiscifer). Tragedy struck when drummer Thenebre lost his father, and the sessions were halted for months. Only in late December could the band resume, completing the album by February 2024. Mixing and mastering were entrusted to Magnus “Devo” Andersson at Endarker Studio in Sweden, a figure known for his work with Marduk, Ofermod, Funeral Mist, and Dødsfall. Production credits went jointly to Luiscifer and EthreuM, while the striking cover art was created by musician and artist Mark Berserk.
By 2024, EthreuM’s identity was firmly established as a collective of Ecuadorians and Colombians based in Madrid, with a current lineup of Thenebre on drums, Ronny Grind on rhythm guitar and backing vocals, Luiscifer on lead guitar, backing vocals and lyrical direction, and Fusilator as vocalist and lyricist. Their new album In Fundamentis Mortis was released on CD on August 8, 2024, followed by vinyl and cassette editions on September 6, 2024, through Spanish label Base Record Production, run by Gaspar Del Valle.
Listening across their discography reveals a striking evolution. Ancianos Ritos captured the raw urgency of a band defining itself, drenched in ritualistic black metal atmosphere, with WolfHowl’s venomous vocals and Majestic Fire’s keyboards adding a spectral texture over the chaos. The production was harsh and unpolished, yet that imperfection gave it a sense of authenticity. Fast-forward to Final de los Tiempos, and EthreuM showed themselves sharper, heavier, and more deliberate. The riffs carried more definition, the drums cut with greater clarity, and the mix offered space without sacrificing ferocity. It was a bridge between the primitive energy of their early years and the maturity they would achieve in 2024.
With In Fundamentis Mortis, EthreuM stands on a new peak. Devo Andersson’s touch gave them a monumental sound, heavy yet articulate, capable of conveying both aggression and atmosphere. The guitars carve vast walls of distortion that still leave room for melody to emerge. Thenebre’s drumming is relentless, precise, and dynamic, pushing each track forward with conviction. Fusilator’s vocals are incantations, commanding and ritualistic, anchoring the themes of decay, possession, and the collapse of faith. Luiscifer’s vision as guitarist, lyricist, and producer holds the whole together, ensuring the album speaks with one voice.
The band’s history of pauses and reformations is audible in the way their music breathes. Ancianos Ritos was youthful fury. Final de los Tiempos was a resurrection. In Fundamentis Mortis is endurance crystallized into sound. The record does not simply exist as a collection of songs, but as a testament to survival, persistence, and conviction.
Among the songs, “Unclean Spirits” stands out as a career-defining piece. It condenses EthreuM’s essence: riffs that are simultaneously savage and haunting, drums that punish yet never stagnate, and vocals that channel not just rage but a sense of spiritual conflict. Its structure builds and collapses, dragging the listener into a vortex of possession and release. It is not only the most powerful track of the new album, but a crystallization of what EthreuM has always sought to be: ritual and chaos embodied in music.
Two decades after their formation, EthreuM have proven that black metal forged in persistence carries weight beyond trends or scenes. They have endured personal loss, lineup changes, and long silences, yet their music returns sharper each time, haunted but alive. In Fundamentis Mortis is not simply their most ambitious work to date, it is the sound of a band that has turned struggle into fire.
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