The following is an interview with vocalist/bassist Raquel Centeno and lead guitarist Milton (Mick) Rodriguez of Satriarch, hailing from the city of Los Angeles in the USA. Interview performed by Lilith, reviewed and edit by Mark.
- Thank you for joining us Mick and Raquel.
Mick: No prob, Bob. Thank you as well.
Raquel: The pleasure is mine, Lilith.
- Raquel, Judging from what we’ve seen live, Satriarch is quite an impressive act, with a strong stage presence, a potent, diabolical sound, raging guitars, and deadly female growls. Where was the inspiration for the band first born?
Raquel: It started when founding member Esteban Garza formed Satriarch, which was then called ARSENIK back in 2005. He simply wanted to play Black Metal, and started by finding two capable guitar players to jam with then going on from there. But stripped down, it was simply a desire to create dark music that inspired the band.
- Mick, Your sound is a heavy blend of melody, black metal, and death metal. Was it difficult to find your own unique style?
Mick: Yes, all guitarists struggle to find their own sound or style, and only very few find a unique one. It’s taken me a decade of aggression (see who gets that reference, (laughs)) to find my own sound. When we first started 10 years ago, I was a Metallica/Slayer junkie. That was my religion. Then later came death metal and black metal, and I realized I could blend these together. This is what ultimately became SATRIARCH.
- Mick, How did Satriarch first come together? Was having a female vocalist part of the plan all along? How was the initial chemistry between all members?
Mick: I won't sugar coat any of this: this band came from the band ARSENIK with ex-guitarist Alex Rosas and ex-keyboardist Esteban Garza.
When they first began in 2005, they had half a song, called “Death of Divinity.” Once I heard the potential, I automatically assumed the role of leader and our first four songs were born. I never would have thought that I would ever sing with a female vocalist; until I met Raquel. It’s funny, she was pissed off one day, and I heard her yelling her ass off, and when I heard her I was like, “Boing!” If she can use that voice and her really amazing poems (as lyrics), then it’s golden in my eyes.
In the beginning when the lineup was Alex Rosas, Esteban Garza, Matt Potter (ex-drummer), Raquel, and I, it was good for a few months, but then some other members were getting lazy. Raquel isn’t the kind of woman who likes lazy people. She wanted them to work, and they didn’t like it, so Alex and Matt quit after our first huge show with Possessed at the Gathering of the Bestial Legion. After they were gone, Esteban, Raquel, and I went on.
- Raquel, How does it feel to be the front-woman? Was it difficult finding your own voice? Have you been in any bands before Satriarch?
Raquel: It feels great to have a surge of power onstage; the power to be whoever you desire to be. In my case I become my anger - my utter hatred for the lies, ignorance, and selfishness of this world. I don't really think it was difficult for me to find my own voice. When I first started out I was singing along to a lot of Venom, Slayer, Morbid Angel, and At The Gates. I have been in 3 bands and two projects before Satriarch.
- Raquel, In other reviews I’ve heard mentioned, and I agree, that you have “steel pipes,” which tends to surprise many first time listeners. Have you ever lost your voice from performing? How do you prepare yourself before a show?
Raquel: Well thank you! I actually have never lost my voice, thank goodness. I don't really have any sort of regimen before a show; sometimes I warm up and sometimes I don't. When I do warm up I try to do some techniques I've learned from watching videos from Angela Gossow and also James Hetfield.
But really the best technique came from my band instructor in middle school. I used to play trombone and he taught us a lot of breathing techniques which really do help tremendously. I would say first time extreme vocalists tend to use too much diaphragm instead of having the scream/growl come from the stomach.
- Mick, Clearly the guitars are what makes the band stand out. Do you think adding more melody to your music is a possibility? What can we expect to hear in the future?
Mick: Well for me in the beginning, I wasn’t much of a melodic guitarist really. It was different influences and styles that opened me up to new ways of playing. Ex-members have all influenced me in one way or another, be it through their playing or me just having feelings of hatred and stuff like that. For me nowadays it’s beauty and brutality. If we can mix them both in one song, cool. Expect the unexpected with us is all I can say.
- Mick, I understand the meaning of Satriarch comes from the words “Satan” and “Patriarch,” symbolizing a leader and free thinker. Did it take long to come up with this name? What inspired it?
Mick: Esteban Garza was the one who came up with the name. Raquel was the one who put the meaning behind it. The reason why we had to change the [ARSENIK] name was because some retarded French rapper had the name and was signed to Sony France, so they e-mailed us saying “change it.” Fuck it; I never liked ARSENIK, actually. SATRIARCH fits. It took a while for us to find a powerful yet meaningful name. Also, Raquel and I are the ones who truly embody what SATRIARCH means.
- Raquel, Many have described your sound as “too brutal;” would you agree? How would you describe your music? Is there one member who writes most of the music and/or lyrics, or is it more of a band effort?
Raquel: Well I hope when they say "too brutal" they say it with a good connotation! I would describe our music now as a focused effort to pay homage to the bands which have inspired us and also as a creative outlet to express how we feel as individuals [about] the darker aspects of life. That's pretty much what Metal is about to me: a real representation of what life is; an exposure of our fears and nightmare transformed into an art form.
Usually Mick is the main songwriter and arranger for most of our music. Sometimes we all get ideas here and there but it's always Mick who transforms and arranges those ideas. I do write all of our lyrics though.
- Mick, Metal has always been notorious for attracting negative attention from certain religious groups and individuals. Does it bother you to hear negative comments of thissort?
Mick: It really pisses me off when people give me shit for being a metalhead and automatically lump me in with the retards that represent us in a bad way. Some of us are actually nice, hard working people. Funny thing is, as so-called "freaky" or "not normal" we are, the so called "normal" ones are probably fucking worse than we are (laughs).
Sheep follow and the wolves eat them... you get the picture. To those who represent us in a bad light, fuck them too. Get your ass up and do something with your life, other than beat your meat over some groupie cumdumpster! Respectfully, of course (laughs).
- Raquel, is there a message behind your songs? What inspires your music?
Raquel: Absolutely. The message is perseverance: To stop at nothing, and to never give up on what you believe in. My inspiration derives from my own thoughts about life, other artists, and the exploration of death and the occult.
- Mick & Raquel, How was your experience in the making of your first music video for the song “Exiled of Oblivion?” (A very powerful video too, I must add.) Any difficulties filming, or was it just fun on the set?
Mick: It was an amazing experience. I never would have thought li'l old me would be in a music video. But it was hard work, as not only did I play air guitar, so to speak, but I also was moving props and other stuff. A straight eight hour shoot became our video. It gave us a boost of confidence that we are actually a contender here in LA, plus we look cool (laughs). Federico Aragon did an amazing job!
Raquel: Oh we had a blast. Our producer, Federico Aragon made it one of the high points of our career. He is a fantastic artist to work with and a complete metalhead as well. But it was simply just fun because it was so well organized.
- Mick, I heard there are some new songs in the making; could a new album be in the works? What can we expect? Any release date?
Mick: Well now that it is just Rachel and I as the primary members we can focus on what we like and try new stuff. The new material is sounding more sinister and evil, but we will do some more death metal sounding music also, especially now that I have the freedom to use my 7 string to make some wicked shit. As far as a release date we don’t have one, but the debut album title will be "Malevolent Legacy."
- Mick, What bands have you had the pleasure of sharing the stage? Have any of them been personal idols or major influences?
Mick: Wow, where do I begin! I never would have thought I’d be sharing the stage with some of my favorite bands. We have had the pleasure of playing with POSSESSED, THE CHASM (from Mexico), MALEVOLENT CREATION, INFINITUM OBSCURE, SIGH, WINTERTHRALL, DEICIDE,VITAL REMAINS, ROTTING CHRIST, IMMOLATION, BELPHEGOR, MASTER, NIFELHEIM, 1349, LETUM ASCENSUS, and many others, including MARDUK at our forthcoming show on December 4th (which we have tickets to, by the way (laughs). A little marketing never hurt anyone).
The ultimate dream for me is to open for SLAYER!! But all these bands in one way or another influenced us as a band and me as a guitarist. It's been an amazing feeling.
- Raquel, Recently we’ve heard about the departure of your keyboardist, drummer, and, soon, one of your guitarists. Do you mind elaborating a bit? Hopefully this doesn’t lead to any cancelled shows. Are you holding auditions or welcoming new members at this point?
Raquel: Yes, our keyboardist was kicked out due to some very personal issues he had and that is as far as I will go with that. I wish him the best. Our drummer and guitarist also left for their own reasons or to play with other bands. Best of luck to them all.
There will be no cancelled shows at this point. We have a show in December with MARDUK, NACHTMYSTIUM, MICTLANTECHUTLI, and others, which will be our guitarist's final show with us. We are currently rehearsing with Rick Jovel (Letum Ascensus) and soon Leslie Medina (Insentient). Both are very good friends and amazing musicians. Rick is helping us with drum parts for our new songs and we hope to be in the studio with both of them for our full length.
We are currently holding auditions and all of our requirements are posted on our myspace: www.myspace.com/satriarch
- Raquel, What does it take to be in Satriarch?
Raquel: It takes a great attitude, pure determination, professionalism, and simply a great work ethic. We want people who understand the challenges that accompany playing extreme metal. This is not music for the weak and if you aren't going to make the necessary adjustments in your life to devote time to Satriarch don't bother wasting your time or ours. If you are looking for a quick road to success with this band then you are looking in the wrong place.
We are hard working musicians who have created a music that will someday be recognized as more than a dime a dozen metal band. We just want to rock hard, but we also know it takes hard work. Simple as that.
-Mick & Raquel, What are your goals and dreams for Satriarch? What challenges have you overcome so far to get to where you are?
Mick: Our dream and goal as a band is to be the best we can be. Touring around the world is what we want: to visit new places, meet new people, fans, friends, etc, [and make new] memories that I will hold dear for the rest of my life.
We want to show the world what SATRIARCH is about. We embody the old school way of being by staying true to your convictions and accomplishing everything you want. We want to show not only the naysayer but also people within the metal world that you can accomplish anything. We've played for nobody, had people talk shit about myself or the band, lost members, etc, but Raquel and I firmly believe that what doesn’t kill us makes us stronger!
Raquel: My main goal is to have an impact with metalheads across the globe with our music, to go on successful tours with other legit bands, and to make new friends and fans from all over the world. But most importantly my goal is simply to touch people with our music and give them the best fucking show we can possibly give!
I am constantly learning and overcoming challenges. The biggest has probably been patience! This shit does not happen overnight! Nothing good ever comes easy, but that doesn't give you the right to be lazy. As long as every day you are working towards a goal and new ideas are forming you are going in the right direction.
You can never give up and never give in! People are full of negativity for you and if you let that stop you it simply means you will be another band to die out. So yes, patience is a virtue. Playing in this band and trying to finish college and working full time at a shitty job was probably the worst but now that I've graduated and have a great job it allows me to spend more time with Satriarch, the time I need to really get things going.
- Mick, Do you have any plans to do any major touring? What's next for Satriarch as of right now?
Mick: As far as this is concerned, touring will be at the bottom of the list. We need to focus on our new material and we are on the hunt for a new drummer and guitarist. We have a session drummer named Rick Jovel from LETUM ASCENSUS (a badass band, by the way). He’s a real pro and a fun dude to chill with.
As for guitar we are in the process of teaching the songs to a friend of ours by the name of Leslie Medina, who fronts and plays guitar for her badass band called INSENTIENT. So shows right now will be off and on because of their own priorities, but we will not disappear like some want us to do. We will come back in full force, better than ever!
- Well guys it’s been a pleasure, thank you very much for your time and for answering our questions. Best of luck and success to you and Satriarch, we look forward to hearing more from you. You are one Hell of a band, much respect!
Mick: We thank you also; it was a pleasure doing this. Hope to see you at some of our shows soon. Until then, keep up the good work! Dark Angel Projekt rules!
Raquel: The pleasure was all mine! Thank you for the interview and the comments on our music! Respect to you, sister!
- Mick & Raquel, Any final words for your listeners and future fans?
Mick: We thank all the people who have supported us, seen us perform, bought us beer, and have said we touched their lives in some way. It makes us feel not only appreciated but also good that we have a positive impact on people.
As for future fans – Do you like to mosh, headbang, chant, scream, windmill, and have a blast? Then we are the band for you! Thanks to all who have helped us in any way!
Raquel: THE FALLEN SHALL RISE AGAIN.
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SATRIARCH
www.myspace.com/satriarch