Interview with Héctor Carmona from Luciferian (Colombia)

A couple of days ago (sorry for the delay, it was a hectic weekend) we had an exclusive session with Hector from Luciferian, one of Colombia’s most formidable black metal forces since 1996. They’re about to unleash a new limited‑edition vinyl and exclusive reveal on the new album coming soon (just announced here at Metal Detector), symbolizing a ritualistic connection between band and listener. In this conversation, we are going to dive deep into their musical legacy, their approach to their fans , their upcoming concerts and how they manage the studio‑to‑stage translation, plus what’s next for Luciferian.

Let’s get into it.

Andrea: Well, welcome on behalf of the entire Metal Detector team.  If you look back over the years, the early years of Luciferian until today, how would you describe the evolution of Luciferian's sound and composition?

Hector: Well, I think the change is complete, from the way you see things, from the way you assimilate, let's say, music, the feeling of the music from what you experience in every moment of your life. That's something that has a huge impact on every process in bands, or in this case, Luciferian. , from the beginning, perhaps, when one was very angry, , until going through moments where suddenly the anger wasn't so strong anymore, but rather one was already exploring other types of emotions and sensations within life itself, until now, when one suddenly wants to release a feeling of anger, of all that existential tragedy. That we have as human beings, which isn't just a person who suffers a tragedy, but rather that we all experience our own tragedy. 

Andrea: Within Latin American extreme metal, more specifically within Colombia, you already consider that you have your own sound that identifies you?, and there are probably bands that want to follow you?. 

Hector:- Look, this is a rather complex question. Why? Because as a follower of extreme metal, you always look for comparisons so you can suddenly define a type of sound, or when you have a conversation with someone, you can suddenly have a reference. So it's quite complex. I think that the search for one's own sound, for many followers, may suddenly have a sound.. As many followers of the band have told me, we have a very characteristic sound. But for many others, we have many influences, a range of sounds from Europe, from North America, from South America itself. So it's very complex. I think that should be more like each listener, eh, who has their own definition of the sound that we can suddenly try to achieve as a band. 

Andrea:  Regarding the symbolic aspect, Héctor, the logos, the covers, how do you develop this entire visual entity and how involved are you in this symbolic construction? Do you ask someone outside to do the work, or are you definitely involved? 

Hector: Look, this is quite interesting because in the beginning, you thought it was just about making music and that's it. You didn't realize that behind a musical production there are a number of visual elements, like a cover, like images that go inside a booklet, like a logo, like, as you say, a number of elements that you suddenly, due to inexperience or lack of knowledge, didn't take into account. And the hard way, you had to learn about all this and understand that you try to do a lot of things to make everything work, but there are areas where you're not good, like visuals, like design. So, one must turn to friends or people one knows are good in the field and always work hand in hand because one tries, as I said from the beginning, to do something purely sonic, but the visual theme goes hand in hand with the sound to create a complete element, to create a complete work as such. So, everything is important. Everything is important.

Andrea: And tell me, what differences do you notice between working in the studio and actually performing on stage? What are the demands required for each area?

Hector:-Look, now we have, let's say, a very nice time in terms of what you can achieve

in a recording studio due to the facilities that exist. Before, to be able to record, it was a titanic task to find a good studio that had good equipment and that knew the subject. For example, we achieved the band's first demo in '99, and we had to goto the studio of Luis Alberto Posada, a very famous popular music singer here in Colombia. So, the sound engineer, well, he was very, very willing todo a good job, but when he started to hear that very pronounced roar of metal, That man didn't know how to proceed, he didn't know everything, - I mean, he didn't know, how do I move it? How do I frame it? So it was up to us as a band to help him and guide him a little bit about what metal refers to and what we wanted to achieve as a band for that sound. So, that's pretty crazy. And so, well, but we return to the topic that right now we have a very nice opportunity, which is that recording facilities are very available and very affordable, for people with experience, even you can have a home recording studio in your house, and it's totally valid. If you know how to manipulate it well, you'll create a good sound, but there's a double-edged sword: what happens? You can put together symphony orchestras in a studio with a number of choirs and do a number of things that are very difficult to achieve live. So, you should be a bit of a goal, yes, to have some of that help, let's say, from the studio, but also try to support live what you're going to record on the CD, because it often happens that people go to listen to bands and say, "Well, where are the girls who do the female backing vocals, and where are they?" Because it's a bit strange, which is valid, it's valid, but I think that when playing live, you should always try to support what you're recording in the studio.

-Andrea:. We know that you're active and you're going to play at different festivals and specific dates. Tell me a little about the shows coming up for Luciferen.

Hector: Well, let me tell you, we, , let's say, were a bit in a standstill, but it was mostly for live events. As a band, we did continue to be very active. It was while we were composing what will be our new album, our fifth studio album, an album titled ”Where Rivers of Sorrow Flow", which is like what I was saying just now, like more of a catharsis, something more emotional where one tries to free more of a facet like the pain that one has repressed as a human being and release it in the face of something very beautiful for oneself and so valuable to oneself, which is music itself. So, when we started working on this album, well, we were going to start from scratch. What are we going to try to express in our sound and in the lyrics? And then I started to think, well, maybe something obscure, something occult, well, or rather, do something more experiential, which is what you are feeling at the moment. And I think that when you try to make music or art a part of what you feel, in this case pain, I think it makes a tremendous complement, and that's what we're trying to do with this new album. Well, we were working hard on this album. We stopped performing live for a long time to fully focus on this album And we're already finishing the whole process, and right now, although it's July 19th, that is, in 15 days, we have our first performance in Bogotá after two years without visiting the capital and without playing live! So, it's like you feel that adrenaline rush you feel, let's say, as a teenager, going out on stage again, and for you it will always be a mystery: well, how will it all be? How will it all turn out? And it matters more, right? And it will be on a very emblematic stage in Bogotá, in La Media Torta, where we 've never played before. So it's a huge challenge, and even more so since we're headlining, it's a challenge on all fronts. We're going to play new songs from our new album, and we're also full of projects for the rest of the year and for next year, given that next year we're celebrating 30 years as a band, so we want to throw a really powerful celebration, visiting a lot of places, hopefully in Colombia, and visiting places as much as possible, and that's what we're working on now.

Luciferian - Luciferian limited edition vynil

Andrea: I wanted to talk a little about the vinyl. The musical relationship with fans extends to another level with the nostalgia of holding a vinyl record in their hands. How was that process? What specific elements did you include with the collector fan in mind? 

Hector: Well, let me tell you, the feeling for the band's followers is as enormous, or equally enormous, as it's going to be for us, given that it's the first vinyl we're going to release as a band. We'd had several proposals in the past, but they hadn't materialized given that producing a vinyl is already a bit more expensive; it's a more, let's say, complex process. So, for us, knowing that a materialized vinyl is coming from a work as special to us as the self-titled album, the album Luciferian. It's something very brutal that we're going to believe. When we have the vinyls here, well in our possession, because I don't know, it's like so much struggle and so much effort already captured and materialized into something that is so special that one, well, who comes from the time of being a collector, well, it's something that has unfortunately been lost a lot, that one comes from a time where the material only arrived physically, the internet didn't exist, everything was either cassettes or cassette recordings or if suddenly there was a way, because it didn't depend on whether you had the money, it was whether there was a way to get it, you could acquire the vinyl or you could acquire the CD. So, one already knowing what this work in progress is about is going to be brutal for the fans. Listen, I'm terrified because the vinyl is going to be released in November, there's a long time left and a lot of people are already placing preorders and that's tremendous for one because then I tell them, "Come on, but do understand that the vinyl will only be released in November and it's going to take a while because they are designed in the United States and it takes a while longer. Do you agree with that?" And yes, no, they want to insure it, and you're like, oh, tremendous. 

Andrea: Luciferian is going to continue using physical formats like cassettes or are they going to continue with CDs, vinyls. What do you plan to do?

Hector: One understands that times are changing, that suddenly the visions of extreme metal listeners are also changing, new generations are arriving with new ideas that many generations or many people can't see the practicality of having a physical format, but instead they directly listen to it on Spotify and if they want to support the band, they make a donation on Bandcamp or another platform and it's totally valid. I think this issue of physical material will last until one sees that there is an audience interested in this material. When times have changed and one says, "No, this really is impossible to get rid of this material anymore." I think we're already rethinking, but for now, we have to embrace all possibilities, be at the forefront, be on all digital platforms, because as I was saying, there are people who don't want physical material because they're not collectors and don't see it as important, but they want to support the band and go to Bandcamp, make a donation, and are supporting, and it's totally valid. Yes, of course.

Andrea: Tell me, right now - we're talking about the fact that next year you'll be celebrating 30 years on the scene.- How do you imagine Luciferian in about 10 years?

-I think that even if you have a little stick or we're already ready to kick the bucket,

Andrea: it's like Ozzy Osbourne.-

Hector: I- I see a lot of that case that you mentioned with Ozzy, that a lot of people don't understand and say, "But he's already very old, he can't even move anymore, he can't even sing anymore", but the thing is that passion goes beyond age and that's what I see for myself, even if I'm already dying and I would like to listen to my favorite songs, my classic songs, and if I can, even if it's in a chair, sitting down, well, on a stage and I can develop at least one interpretation, one will continue doing it because this is what one is passionate about, this is one's life and when one understands that, one understands many things, as is the case that you mention with Ozzy. 

bassist Angélica Perfra - Luciferian

Andrea: I realized that Angélica is new to the band.

Hector. Well, she's not new, right? She's been here for about four years.

Andrea: Okay. Well, partially new, we'll talk about it. Tell me a little bit about how Angélica joined the band, because I think it's incredibly interesting.

Hector: Well, bassist Angélica Perfra is a very well-known bassist from the coffee-growing region, mainly in the Risaralda region of Pereira. She's been a friend of the band for many years, say, 20 years or more. She started, I remember much more than anything with the subject of lyrical singing in metal bands and one, well, the good friendship with her and little by little, well, she was able to, let's say, go and settle in the capital, in Bogotá and suddenly be able to achieve a number of achievements there, , let's say, professional in her subject, , she has a music academy and that seems to me to be a very beautiful job, which is, for example, being able to share the art of music with the generations to come. She was able to settle in Bogotá, then we reached a point where we were left without a bassist and she immediately said, "No, I want to play the bass." I said to her, "But Angélica, do you understand that you are in Bogotá? That we rehearse in the Coffee Region, in Pereira, in Armenia. Are you aware of that?" and she said, "Yes, I am aware of that and I have no problem." And I said, "Ah, well, okay, then no problem, welcome." And come on, we've been with her for like 4 years now. She's very, very satisfied with what she's achieved with the band. One always wants more, perhaps, and I, as a band, would like her to experience one of the most beautiful experiences we've had as a band, which is touring, whether it's touring South America or Europe, which suddenly is like all the work you do in rehearsals musically, it's like graduating, it's graduating from all these events because it's extremely exhausting. A tour of South America that we do, let's say, normally lasts three months and is more or less 60 dates, and that's tremendous. It's exhausting, it's tiring, you're sick, you get moody, but it's something so brutal that it's worth it all. It's worth all the exhaustion, you wake up in places far from your loved ones, , sacrificing many things, but it's worth it all. So, we would really like her to have an experience like that on tour, which is one of the few she's missed with the band, because she's already recorded the new album with us, and I don't think so. I think we're going to do it next year as a celebration of Luciferia's 30th anniversary.

Andrea: Oh, very good. Excellent. I also wanted to talk a little about the experience you guys had recording the documentary “BlackHearts”. I'm going to talk a little about that for people who don't know., it was directed and produced by Christian Falch and Fredrik Horn Akselsen, I think I pronounced it right. It was shown at several festivals, won an award for best international documentary at the SoundOn 2016 Screen Festival. Tell me about the contact, how was the whole process for you?

Hector: This was really crazy because I suddenly received an email from some documentary producers, so to speak, because I didn't think it was, let's say, that feasible or that viable. They were some Norwegian documentary producers. They had conducted a survey in the United States among Latin American metalheads about which bands could represent South America in this Norwegian documentary, which had as its focus, let's say, black metal itself and how Norwegian black metal, in many ways, has influenced many people and bands around the world. So, they were looking for a South American representative, and these Norwegians told us that we had been one of the most selected bands, and well, it was a surprise to us. I replied that we were totally willing, but well, there's a saying here that something so great, they don't give that much, and I honestly thought at first that another saying we have here is that they were pulling our leg, but you have to be professional. And I answered that of course, we were willing, that we were totally aligned with whatever they decided. Months passed, and I later asked a friend in the United States, who were these people? If this was real and he said to me, "Yeah, bro, totally real. They've already made a number of documentaries" not only focused on metal, but like certain topics that have to do, let's say, with exorcisms or life stories of people in different countries around the world, but they wanted in this one in this case to show the stories of three protagonists at a global level, one was an Iranian named Sina, about how he managed to make black metal in a country so alienated and so fanatic in the religious theme where if you have such a free thought that they can assassinate you, they can kill you. Yes, they also wanted to show another representative from Greece, from a neo-Nazi political party. They wanted to show like that vision of him and they wanted Héctor Carmona eh from here in South America with his band Luciferian to show what his life is like and how we do in a country, let's say, so managed by Catholicism, by Christianity. How do you do to get a black metal band ahead? For one it's something normal, but for them not, because They are a very, very atheist country and very free-expression-oriented. So, the Norwegians said that this was something unusual, how could they do it?

So, well, everything started growing. Then, after a few months, they wrote to me and said "Okay, bro, we already have the tickets bought to go to Colombia." And I was like, "Oh, how come?" I was like, "Okay, right away." And then the Norwegians and people in the United States were very organized with their schedules, from such and such a time to such and such a time, like, everything was completely timed, with their notebook. So we were developing this, to the surprise that many non-governmental organizations (NGOs) started joining this cause because they wanted to show free expression , which is that they are kids with dark, Satanic thoughts, but it is free expression. So, they wanted to support that free expression in countries like, let's say, Iran or Colombia, which have many problems, let's say, with religious issues, with fanaticism, and they wanted to show that. Many people started joining. organizations, and this thing grew tremendously. They came, filmed, and left very happy. Then they told us, "Guys, we already have the budget for you to travel to Norway for a festival." And we couldn't believe it. "Oh, what's this joy?" "What's this so huge?” Hey, then they bought us tickets. At that time it was the Schengen visa, which was a huge challenge to get, and we went and showed up at the Norwegian embassy and they told us there, they did an interview with a lot of eye contact, seeing if it was, if it was true, eh, and then they said to us, "Come on", at the Norwegian embassy, ​​"come on, how are we on time?" We asked "Why?" So they "wait two hours for us to give you the visa". Wow, what's this? And then everything got brutal. We traveled to Norway, more pictures were taken, more shots were made for the documentary and everything was growing. Then we arrived from Norway and something also very brutal happened, which is that we got invited to play at RocK al Parque thanks to this visit to Norway and thanks to this documentary, given that it's very difficult for a regional band to go play in Capital at Rock al Parque. I think we were like the third band, third or fourth band in the entire history of Quindío to play at Rock al Parque and everything. It grew more. Then the Norwegians returned to Colombia to film more, to film some parts of rituals, and then the documentary was finally possible. I thought the Norwegians were going to release it, but they didn't. It was a very well-known US production company and they released it in DVD format. Then some Europeans released it in VHS format, and that was brutal, and I think the gratitude and the change for Luciferian from before the documentary to after the documentary was enormous. 

Andrea:  tell me a little about the Trondheim Festival experience: the language, the food, the people. The audience, how was everything? 

Hector: Look, for that festival, well, first, the invitation, it was something that one had never realized, or at least that had crossed one's mind, what it would be like to visit such an emblematic country in black metal. Well, then they scheduled us and we saw that there were several stages and on one of the stages they had a band, one at the same time of ours, a very well-known band from the European Death Metal, and we were worried, “oh, but how do you compete against that band with so many followers? No, no, no, what a problem”. Okay, but we're going to do it. Listen, and we arrived and the stage was packed, full of people from all countries, Norwegians, Italians, there were people from South America. Well, I think people from South America like to really support what's coming out of South America when they go to other latitudes, because they understand that, that thing that happens so rarely, and everything that's behind that invitation, that making it there. So that one, that experience was monumental, playing with some really brutal bands, playing with bands like Keep of Kalessin, Carach Angren, Behemoth, Devin Townsend Project, Electric Wizard, and some other things that, "oh, but what's this?", and some festivals were already on a tremendous scale, and the places were like hotels, but they seemed like mansions, I mean, it was a mental blow for you here to understand how metal is experienced in places outside of your country, outside of South America, and then share it with the people, and the people with that, that desire to want to support you, to want to buy your merchandise, and you tried to sell it at a price that was outside of there, and that was a fortune. That thing like how much a CD from there was? worth 120,000 Colombian pesos, that is, six times what it was worth here at that time, and people bought it with that, that good desire to want to support you, to recognize that sacrifice, that effort. and they would say to one, "Bro, look, we came to see you because it seems like something very exotic to us, because we thought that in Colombia there was no extreme metal, no, that didn't exist because what we knew from Colombia was more folkloric themes, more perhaps popular music or pop music" or things like that and see well, like black metal bands and they told us that we preserved that essence of the black metal of the 90s and to hear that from a Norwegian, that was something totally crazy. Then everyone wanted to help. For example, if there was someone who took photographs professionally, he would tell us, "Guys, look, I have no way of acquiring material, but I want to give you some photo sessions because that's my job" and everyone wants to build. And I think that perhaps that is the greatest lesson that remained with us and the most beautiful lesson that we could receive from this whole Norwegian mentality, which is to build, which is to not throw ourselves at each other in the wrong way and trip each other up, but from everyone to build and carry on, and that's how you reach that point that all these Norwegian bands have achieved.

Andrea: Wow, excellent. I love it, I love that you lived that experience and then to Rock al Parque, it was a super busy year for you, right? I'm going to ask the last question, Hector. What references other than metal, for example, movies, books, artists have influenced your composition and performance on stage and that you would like to recommend to the people at Metal Detector? 

Hector: Well, lyrically, and let's say in my thinking, eh, I've always been very influenced by Anton Szandor LaVey. I think his writings are phenomenal. We have to suddenly stop pigeonholing a person for this or that, right? First, you have to read and understand that these are writings that I notice as very humanistic, as ways of seeing life in a practical way, eh, that tell you some very real truths in a very easy-to-understand way. So, maybe that would be a very big recommendation. from Aleister Crowley, also a tremendous writer and no, I like to investigate many topics, not only based on metal, but I am a fan of watching movies, let's say, based on artists, regardless of the genre, it doesn't have to be metal, but to understand a A little bit about how artists reach a point where everyone has had to face a number of very difficult situations, where nothing is given, nothing is handed to them on a silver platter, and from all these, let's say, documentary films or I don't know, you learn a lot, you learn a lot. So, suddenly that's what I really enjoy, doing, learning about the artists, right?

Andrea: Very well, perfect, Hector, I don't think I have any more questions to this day. I had a satisfactory interview. I was very curious to know about the Trondheim Festival, about, Rock al Parque, about all these things. Do you have any questions for me? 

Hector: I see that you've fought, sister, like we all have, and I think it's really, really cool that you're continuing. Once, I remember a lot you posted (on socials) that you wanted to return to Colombia, and I told you, "No, no, don't do that." And You have to fight. Fight hard, and don’t give up.. Let it be for the last, but fight, fight.

Andrea: And yes, I've already stayed here. 

Hector: better. I'm glad.. Colombia is beautiful; there are beautiful things, but there are also very difficult things.

Andrea: So, I think it's a cultural change, right? You've already experienced what it's like,  the tours and all of this, being far away is always something very hard. So you're going to be performing at the Media Torta, you're doing the limited edition of the vinyl, anything else that we might have missed?. 

Hector: Um, the new album is coming out, which I also think I mentioned there, right? I think it's more or less very complete what's happening with the band. 

Andrea: Ah, perfect. Well, thank you very much. I think that's all for today. Thank you for agreeing to this interview. We wish you much success in all your events and any upcoming releases you have. And as always, your home. We're here waiting for anything else, let's keep in touch, and thank you very much, Héctor.

Hector : Thank you, Andrea. Orders here, always grateful, and anything else you need is welcome. Perfect. 

Andrea: Thank you very much. Have a great afternoon

Hector: -Likewise. See you later.