Interview: Paralelum

Recently the Spanish metallers of Paralelum released their full-length debut called Under The Roots. Because of that DutchMetalManiac’s Tim van Velthuysen had some questions for them!

Hey guys, congratulations with your full-length debut, Under The Roots, it sounds very nice.

Hi guys! Thank you for your support and interest in our album!

How does it feel to have it released?

We are so happy! We have been searching for our own sound during many years, and finally we think that we are in the right way, we are proud about that.

Can you tell us something about the history of Paralelum so far?

Paralelum was founded by Sebas (guitar), he was playing in a rock and roll band but he wanted to create something harder without stylistic limits. For that, Sebas and the drummer who played on the other band, created a parallel project.

In 2013 we won an award in Wolfest Festival (Rockzone Award).

In 2015 we released our first EP While You Sleep that helped us to know what we had to improve and what we had to throw away.

And now, in 2018 we have released our first album and we want to play these songs in every place we can!

Your music is very heavy, but also has quite melodic parts. Who are your musical influences?

We are four different persons, who have many different influences. For that, we are a mestizo son of metal, rock, hardcore… We don´t want to be neither the hardest band nor the more melodic.

Our influences come from thrash (Metallica, for example), metalcore (As I Lay Dying or Killswitch Engage…), groove (Pantera, Machine Head), nu metal (Korn), 90s rock (Alice In Chains, Soundgarden…), to melodic punk (Bad Religion) or unclassifiable bands like Faith No More… We try to mix them to create a compact sound!

You already released an EP, While You Sleep…, in 2015. How has Paralelum grown since then?

While You Sleep showed us that we had much work to do. We felt that we had many things to improve to find our sound. It was a mirror, and it allowed us to focus on our music. We love it, it contains many mistakes, many wrong decisions, but without it we never could create Under The Roots.

How did the writing process of Under The Roots go?

We have been writing this album during many years. For example, Fat And Crazy or Wild Dog were composed six years ago. As you can see, it have been a slow process!

Before going to Moba Studios, we recorded a demo: checking different ideas, making changes… It took six months for us to get ready.

We are an unknown band, we don’t feel any pressure, nobody was waiting for us, and for this reason we didn’t be in a hurry.

The lyrics of the tracks on Under The Roots are in English, except for Dímelo Tú, which is in Spanish. Was there a specific reason for that choice and, if yes, what was that reason?

Well, we love doing experiments, and I was curious about how we would sound if we used our own language. Spanish needs a different resonator process and doesn’t sound in the same way as English… But it is our language and could provide us with more linguistic resources to write more complex lyrics. We think the result sounds great, and gives more versatility to the album, for that Dímelo Tú is our second single.

I can’t swear it, but probably we are going to write more songs in Spanish.

What’s the story behind the cover art of Under The Roots?

We wanted to play with contrasts, using reflections but creating a cohesive image in the same way that our music does. Gustavo Miñaca understood our idea perfectly, and reinforced the message using a tree of life. We think it is a simple but powerful picture that can have so many interpretations.

You’re from Madrid, how is the Madrilenian metal scene?

The Madrilenian metal scene is full of bands with interesting things to show. Probably, our problem is that metal and rock are underground in Spain. For that, there are almost more bands than audience!

Any other Madrilenian metal bands you’ll recommend to check out?

Probably, the most famous bands are Hamlet and Toundra, but we have many other interesting musicians. Check bands as: Against the Waves, Avulsed, Hell´s Fire, Hummano, Lizzies, Second Silence, Coilbox, Somas Cure, The Great Destroyer X, Thirteen Bled Promises, Bones Of Minerva or Vita Imana for example!

Can we expect some touring plans of Paralelum in support of Under The Roots? Maybe a Dutch show?

We are going to play on the 8^th of September in Madrid. Later, we are going to announce a Spanish tour. Later, we want to play wherever we can, and Netherlands are a fantastic place to visit. It could be amazing!

Any other future plans for Paralelum you can already tell us something about?

Now we only have one thing in our mind: Playing, playing and playing!

Thanks for your answers! Is there anything you want to say to DutchMetalManiac’s readers?

Thank you guys, It is incredible that a Dutch website has interest in our music! We would like that you enjoy our music but the most important thing is: Keep On Rockin´!

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