(Today we happily present Comrade Aleks‘ interview of Victor Mercado, vocalist of the Mexican doom/death metal band Silent Tombs, whose excellent debut album will be released by Personal Records on October 17th.)
Islander already wrote about the forthcoming release of Silent Tombs’ album Mourning Hymns from Beyond, and it’s hard to add something new to his words. This bunch of experienced extreme metal musicians from Colima, Mexico managed to create a stunning melodic death-doom masterpiece combining all the key influences of the genre yet obtaining a clear individual touch.
These mid-tempo songs built of riffs heavy as a coffin lid, soaring breathtaking melodies, and a firm, vivid rhythm-section accompanied by killer growling parts make a modern classic. I’m still surprised with the top level of this release and its mature, natural vibe, and I bet that this interview with Victor Mercado will give you an answer to some questions you may have after listening to the first singles from Silent Tombs.
Hail Victor! How are you doing? How is it in Colima?
Hello! It’s a pleasure to be with you.
Colima? Colima is a nest of death, currently ranked as one of the most violent cities not only in the country but worldwide. Beyond the issue of insecurity and the violent reality the state experiences, Colima is a very poor city musically speaking, not only in metal but in general.
It’s very difficult to grow your music in a city that focuses more on traditional, popular, and urban music. But look at us here, swimming against the current.
Sad to hear that the situation in the city is so… stereotypical. Is it dangerous to be a metal-musician there? Or is it just dangerous for all despite any musical tastes or anything?
Yes it is, unfortunately, it’s dangerous for everyone in general. A few years ago, Colima was the quietest and safest city to live in the entire country. It’s becoming more common to experience this wave of violence firsthand, or more closely and personally. The normalization of violence is a current problem, it is a worrying situation that contributes to the devaluation of the nation, and I dare say that it even increases violence. It is either dying of fear or living with it.
However, you started the band in 2016, yet you took your time to compose the album. What slowed you? Weren’t you sure from where to start?
Our band is made up of members from other extreme music projects. There’s no support or vision for metal in our city or the country in general, so the answer is a lack of time and money. The reality is that there isn’t even a metal music scene as such, enough to be able to provide continuity for each project.
Silent Tombs was founded in late 2016 by Enrique Fray, the band’s lead guitarist. We started with local shows and sporadic rehearsals, and by 2017 we had a demo The Slipping Away of All Hope ready, which was intended to be a full-length album. However, the quality of the recording and other factors led us to release it as it happened.
Since 2016, we’ve been working on the other bands we’re involved with, and between releases for each of them, performances, and everything that comes with managing them, we’ve stalled on the release of the new album.
Which bands shape The Slipping Away of All Hope demo material? How did you find a way to reflect Silent Tombs’ individuality?
The Slipping Away of All Hope is a snapshot of a decadent time in our lives. We were listening to bands like Daylight Dies, The Foreshadowing, Saturnus, and others back then. They became part of our daily soundtrack. We wanted to express our own emotions musically, and the Silent Tombs project was born not just as a project, but as a reality we were able to capture with the demo.
Almost all of you take part in other extreme metal bands. Do they somehow influence things you do with Silent Tombs?
Absolutely not. Each project we participate in is a completely different genre within metal, with different ideologies, feelings, presets, intentions, and atmospheres. There are no similarities, nor could we combine tracks from here or there to make an album, for example. Each one has its own identity, and that’s precisely what gives life to Silent Tombs, a haven for venting that angry and melancholic feeling that takes refuge in the doom we create.
Four of you are involved also in the black metal band Altumtenebris. How do you manage to combine such passion and understanding towards melodic death-doom and black metal? Is it difficult to switch from one band to another?
No, it isn’t. Enrique and I have been playing together since 2001. Our first band was actually a black metal band named Lugadesh, called later Lux Eterna Du Mal, which is how it appears on Metal Archives. Our passion for extreme metal was in general. We’d been listening to metal since we were very young, back in the ’90s. At that time, finding new bands was a real ordeal. We shared all kinds of bands and enjoyed them from beginning to end on tapes, CDs, and later on digital files.
That passion and understanding of each metal variant carried over into the music we make. One day we might rehearse with Demonic Manifestation, which is death metal, another day Altumtenebris, and then we’ll play doom or whatever else we have prepared. The biggest difficulty is the lack of time as you get older and music doesn’t pay the bills. That’s what I call true passion.
Your first full-length album Mourning Hymns from Beyond has killer artwork; it’s expressive, it’s mysterious. What’s the story behind it? Actually, I’m not sure if any story is needed there, because it works perfectly because of its enigmatic feeling, an understatement probably…
I appreciate your comment. Yes, it’s a magnificent artpiece by Brvja 13. The truth is that his work is truly incredible, and he completely captured the original central idea. The visual work captures the misery of life, the beginning and the end of everything. There’s a lot of symbolism within the work. It marks eras; for example, on the back, you can see three paintings inspired by three existing works: the first is by Zdzislaw Lazuk, Genesis; the second is called Allegory of Wealth by Simon Vouet; and the third is by Jacques Louis David and is called The Death of Marat. From there we start, origin/wealth/death. The story of life itself.
The work depicts a dying character, defeated between emptiness and suicide, devoured by reflection or a sad life marked by the sterile pursuit of pleasure, love, and joy, reduced to fleeting memories and nothing. Only death. Through a window, you can see a mysterious goat, hinting that “evil” was always lurking. A rifle at his side shows that the opportunities to end his misery were always there. In his hand, grief, loss, memory, the root of pain; in the other, a bottle of poison that he apparently drank to extinguish himself. An accumulation of books here and there that point to his search for everything he felt and couldn’t understand… A story too long to fully discuss, but with the essence I tell you here.
Thanks for such an in-depth explanation, it’s a killer story! The material is well-produced and powerful; it’s balanced very well too. How long did you work on it at the studio?
I appreciate your opinion and the way you describe and perceive our material. Yes, it’s a powerful work with its shades, ranging from intense to agonizing, from red to blue.
We have a small studio, Malevolgia Records, where we’ve produced other bands and some of our recent additional work. The drum session was completed in one day, and the strings in a couple more. The vocals took almost two weeks due to a health issue, but the total was recorded in an average of four or five days considering recording overdubs and more stuff. Some songs were included in the demo that never saw the light of day, so the composition work wasn’t so complicated.
The mix was handled by Enrique Fray at Malevolgia, and the mastering was done by the tech Alejandro Mendez, a well-known national producer and active musician with Ravenous Death.
Was it clear for you during studio sessions, that the album would turn out really good? What was the most exciting thing you discovered during the recording?
We knew the songs perfectly; some were re-recorded and complemented with previously rehearsed work. The exciting thing, I could say, was the role of the members and their changes. Arturo Delgado, who previously handled vocals, switched to rhythm guitar, and I left that place to take his role. Personally, it was an interesting challenge, not because I haven’t recorded vocals before, since in my other projects like Demonic Manifestation or Ravenous Death I primarily handle vocals. But giving the band its own identity without seeming like a replica of another subgenre was a key factor in Mourning Hymns from Beyond finding its own essence.
Okay, do you mean that you tried to work on your identity somehow? What does differentiate Silent Tombs from others from your own point of view?
What makes Silent Tombs different is its naturalness. We don’t try to impress anyone with our music. It’s music drawn from the soul for the soul. No pretensions, just the pleasure of sharing those emotions that life has given us in the light and in the darkness.
Colima is a big city, do you have an opportunity to play regularly? Or do you prefer to play live in other places?
Colima is actually a very small city, one of the smallest in the country, and without a metal scene.
We play locally when a “big” national or international band manages to perform, or the organizer asks us for that favor.
Having to attend multiple projects and the lack of visibility for metal in our area, we primarily choose shows outside of our city where our work is most appreciated. It’s complicated because, in general, national metal has very little support; most bands from the center and north of the country get the credit, since that’s where most of the live fests or shows with international bands are concentrated.
For the organizers, paying travel expenses for bands so far from the main venues is virtually impossible. We are a poor nation, and adding to this, domestic travel is quite expensive, and the fans and public response is miserable. It’s very difficult to get on top to be considered, but when it happens, it’s incredibly satisfying. It feels legitimate and gratifying that promoters and metal maniacs believe in our work.
I checked – Colima’s population is about 146.000, so I guess that it’s quite a big one! However I see your point. How much of local cultural influences is in Mourning Hymns from Beyond? Do you see some authentic elements in this album?
Culturally null, if you’re referring to the traditional, it’s clear. Speaking of the sad and violent environment of the current situation in our city and nation, Mourning Hymns from Beyond is an escape from madness. A reflection of how being born among filth doesn’t make you stronger but drags you deeper into an abyss of endless sorrow and pain. The album is a cry of agony, of relief, a mirror of what happens and with no other option, we have to swallow it. It’s not a war metal or gore album, of course. The pain comes deeper, from living naturally where emotions are minimized and violence is seen as natural.
Actually, I had an idea that it’s a privilege of the Southern American scene – the natural tendency to more charged and violent genres, even though there are some good death-doom bands as well. Can you say that doom is an uncommon thing for your country too? As I guess, in most cases, people need some specific perception and some environmental influences to dig into this genre, it’s hard to explain.
Yes, it is uncommon, in its purest or melodic form. Within the variations of doom and other related subgenres such as sludge, stoner, and others, there is a huge underground scene in the nation. Perhaps because of what you’re saying, since its themes and sounds are more congruent with what is perceived in the environment.
Honestly, I don’t know many death-doom bands in your region: Majestic Downfall and Matalobos are the first names I can recall easily. How big is the local doom-scene? Do you collaborate with each other? And do you feel the fans’ support?
The scene is very small. Majestic Downfall and Matalobos are two great bands that I personally like quite a bit. Although the band names are more than you mention, the doom scene is the smallest of the metal subgenres in our country.
We haven’t collaborated together, but we hope to. Maybe at a Doom City Fest or a Candelabrum Metal Fest, which are quite supportive of the genre. I don’t know; it all depends on the organizers. We hope our work resonates in their brains and there can be an approach.
What are your further plans for the rest of 2025?
Well. The year is almost done. We’re going to promote two singles before the full album release. The Crimson Sun single has already been shared, and Dissolve is currently being released.
Once the physical release happens, promotion will continue both on social media and in live performances. Some dates are being considered and in the works, but we can’t confirm them yet, but honestly, I don’t think they’ll happen until next year. Your followers and ours will have to keep an eye on our social media (instagram, facebook, tiktok) and multiple streaming channels (spotify, bandcamp) to stay up to date.
Thanks for the interview Victor! I wish you and Silent Tombs all the best! Let’s hope that Mourning Hymns from Beyond will find more fans soon!
I really appreciate your space, your precious time and good wishes. It’s a pleasure to collaborate with you. Thank you for giving space and visibility to our project.
Regards.
https://www.facebook.com/SilentTombs/
https://silenttombs.bandcamp.com/music
https://personal-records.bandcamp.com/