Mexico is not one the countries people usually associate with the world of quality extreme music. However, two bands from this country have come to my attention in the last two years and have grown to become some of the most favoured bands in my musical collection. The first I came across was the now defunct Cenotaph, who produced three albums, their final being 1996's _Epic Rites_ [CoC #26], before splitting up in late 1998. The second is the very much alive and flourishing The Chasm. Interestingly enough, The Chasm's mastermind, Daniel Corchado, was originally the singer and guitarist for Cenotaph, whom he left after their first album _A Gloomy Reflection of Our Hidden Sorrows_ (recently re-released by Oz Productions). With The Chasm, Daniel helped create the complex and unusual _Procreation of the Inner Temple_ and _From the Lost Years_ [CoC #13], but was next heard singing and playing guitar on Incantation's last masterpiece, _Diabolical Conquest_ [CoC #33]. When things failed to work out with Incantation, and also for his own reasons, Daniel went back to full-time work in The Chasm, releasing _Deathcult For Eternity: The Triumph_ [CoC #40], which was recorded before Daniel joined Incantation, soon after leaving The Chasm. _Deathcult For Eternity: The Triumph_ was just that: a triumph, a record which proved The Chasm could match most more well-known death metal bands on their turf, and beat them hands down in terms of sheer creativity. Finally, The Chasm now seems to have a stable line-up (allowing them to crush audiences in the live arena) and future, with the planned recording and release of the fully written new album, _Procession to the Infraworld_, slated for this fall. This update interview is to introduce The Chasm to those of you who may not know them, and give recent or long-time followers some insight into where the band are on at present and where they are headed.
CoC: Could you give a brief history of how The Chasm came to be formed?
Daniel Corchado: The darkened force known as The Chasm was procreated in January of 1993. After I split from my former band Cenotaph (RIP), I decided to keep raising the flag of metal and death. My inner self wanted to progress to an extreme and darker level of musical experimentation. So, I asked a few people to help me in this new concept. After several years of existence the only original members that remain in this Deathcult are Antonio [Leon] on Drums of Doom and myself on guitar and vocals. Almost a year ago, two extremely talented and dedicated warriors joined forces with us, they are Julio Viterbo on lead guitar [of Cenotaph and Shub Niggurath fame] and Roberto Valle on bass. I definitely think and feel that this is the most devastating and coldest line-up ever for The Chasm.
CoC: You've previously played in both Incantation and Mexico's Cenotaph. How are your experiences from these bands reflected in the music you create now, in The Chasm?
DC: Well, I have been creating music for The Chasm since long before I joined Incantation; my stay with them didn't really affect or influence the way I compose music at all, I think. The style of death metal that I was conceiving with Cenotaph was of a very high calibre of heaviness and extremity. We were really getting to the limits in those days, but I wanted to taste the darker and more bizarre side of death metal, to have more freedom and experimentation in my own personal way. That's why The Chasm was born. This is the ultimate way of expression for me and for the other Sons of the Mictlan. We play music from and for our spirits and will continue to... loud and proud.
CoC: How did you feel about how _Deathcult For Eternity: The Triumph_ turned out and the reception to it? Were you satisfied with that last album?
DC: _Deathcult For Eternity_ is a total triumph for The Chasm. The aura and feeling that we procreated in this album is sometimes beyond words for me. I'm very proud of what we have done in the past and _Deathcult..._ is like the end of an era (since our change of members and move from Mexico, etc.) and the beginning of a fresh, more destructive and obscure one for the band. The critics for the album have been really good. If I could change one thing, it would be the production. The sound is really weak and it doesn't capture the real essence of The Chasm. The people that have seen us in a live attack will know what I'm talking about.
CoC: What have The Chasm been doing in the year and a bit since the release of _Deathcult..._?
DC: Basically, we were really concentrated and working hard on new music. We have nine new songs and we recorded six of them for a promo CD which we gave to several labels at the latest Metalfest [my promo had four tracks --Paul]. We have played a few shows, too. Since we moved here to the USA we have shared the stage with Cianide, Scepter, Morbid Angel, Skullview, Corpsevomit, Nile, Exciter, Sorrow Bequest, Macabre and a few more. We are working on a tour for the last part of the fall. We'll see what happens.
CoC: Do you have a new label yet, have any labels you can tell us about shown interest in signing you?
DC: It seems that being a band from Mexico and really underground is like a curse for us. We have been in the underground since '93 (personally I have been playing since '88) and never got a serious offer from an American or European label, and that hasn't changed yet. It's kinda depressing and disappointing for me, but it doesn't surprise me anymore. I'm used to it, and my main priority is to keep creating metal of death for myself. We have just had like two or three propositions, but of course we still have a lot of talking to do. If nothing happens with any label we'll release the next CD by ourselves, fuck it!!
CoC: When do you hope to put together and record a new album? Has a title been decided upon?
DC: We have all the stuff ready. The songs we recorded for the promo plus one more will be a part of this new opus macabre. Our goal is to release it somewhere between October and November; the title is _Procession to the Infraworld_.
CoC: Could you explain how the title _Deathcult For Eternity_ reflects your ideas about the music you create?
DC: Since I can remember, my personality and inner temple have been really strange and complicated. The way I feel and see my existence is full of questions without answers. I feel trapped in this cage made of flesh and bones. I want to reach the Portal and find all the answers and visions that I have been looking for since a long time ago. I really pray for death. I think that the extinction of my human being will bring me eternal peace of soul. That's why I decided to create this cult to the Death, the old rider, the master reaper. My cult and my devotion to metal and Death are my ultimate motivation to keep me alive on this rotting earth. Until I complete my preparation to start my long cold journey I will be keepin' alive and well The Chasm. We are overlords of the Infraworld...