Warcry is on tour in our country. At the time of writing this text, they have already given concerts in Mexico City and Puebla, and they still have dates in eight more cities.
In the midst of this coming and going, we had the opportunity to talk with Victor Garcia, vocalist and composer of the Spanish band.
We had the opportunity to see them in the flying circus as soon as possible and although it is a project that only started in 2002, it seems they have been on the scene for about 40 years due to the way people know and sing each song. What's the formula for creating a legacy that fast?
I couldn't say it. I wish there was a formula that following it as a recipe would lead us to that result and I'm sure all the bands would like to apply it. But I think it has to do with the fact that from the beginning we tried to engage and interact with the public, and they immediately adopted the live themes as their own. I have seen bands that hardly look at people and we not only look at them, but we demand with our attitude that people participate. In the end they have a good time and they really enjoy it.
This particular phenomenon, do you consider it to be special in Mexico or does it occur in the same way in many parts of the world where they have played?
It is a difficult question because I do not want to make any audience in any place feel bad because we love all our public. But hey, there are videos of people in many countries to judge. Mexico is a very strong country and it has supported us from our first albums and always demanding our presence. We are just doing an extensive tour of Mexico that we do not do anywhere else except in Spain; That can answer your question how special your country has been to us.
What people always want to know Are you already working on new material for the successor to your most recent 2017 job?
On the subject of composition, he never stops. As a composer I start the work at home, and a mockup of probable themes is being developed. Then I see the other colleagues before entering the studio and we improve them, and still with our producer we give more details until it is ready to be recorded. So between concert and concert and between tour and tour suddenly at home you grab the guitar and take out a tune and so on.
So in short, it won't take long for new material to come out officially, right?
Indeed. We can't be late or people are coming at us (laughs).
Warcry has had many concepts in his lyrics: from epic to social or sentimental. For example, they talk a lot about life after death as in "A place without God." Speaking specifically of you, Victor: What do you believe or would you like to believe is beyond after you die?
I wish there was a place where we all got together to drink beer non-stop for eternity! (laughs) But what I believe is that the soul endures like a butterfly that it does not remember was a larva, and when it is born as a larva it does not know it will be a butterfly. It would be great to be able to remember what you lived in your previous life and not to lose all those memories. I fervently wish there was something beyond. Finally we are energy and there are studies that show energy lasts and stays only in change. Of course already in the songs we take these situations to the extreme because it is like a newspaper headline, it has to be shocking for it to work. In Warcry if we talk about love it is extreme love, if it is about extreme feelings and in this case, exposing life after death as an extreme experience as well.
Speaking of extreme things, although in an unpleasant tenor. You in "Coward" go hard against violence against women and even live project newspapers with headlines about femicides. This is a difficult issue today in Mexico. What is the form or the change that must take place according to your perspective to eradicate this trend at its roots?
Not only in Mexico, in Spain we have a wave of terrible group rapes where 5 or 6 men go out and rape a girl; and they are pure young people. My first response would have been education, but it has been seen that education is useless in this regard. And that is supposed to be a strongly Christian people and not, for example, like Muslims where women have a hierarchy in the background; but when it comes to facts and respect for women we are the same. I have reached the point that if I walk at night and see a woman walking in front, I slow down or stop and let her go, because although I know that I am not going to do anything to her, I also know that my presence alone put her alert and afraid. It is as if you were going into the most dangerous neighborhood in the world, you would obviously feel fear; they feel that way, but in their neighborhood, at work; everywhere. Respect as I mentioned is the key and what we as men can do to improve the environment. For men, women, animals, nature; respect is a fundamental aspect.
Continuing on this tough topic, only in Mexico a large march of feminists gave much to talk about because the response was enormous, but there were also many pints and damage to historical monuments or attacks on men who were there just for being men. A majority of the population disapproves of vandalism and this radical way of proceeding, and another applauds it and says that only in this way do people listen and the government heeds because pacifism is ignored. What's your opinion about it?
Based on what I have seen in Europe or, for example, North Africa, I will tell you that I think that if you attack the state, you give rise to the state to attack you. If you become radical and disrespectful to the law, you give carte blanche to the state so that later it is justified if it repels you. I believe that strength is number and not anarchy. In Europe there have been quiet and silent marches but with thousands of people and their mere presence has been able to awaken consciences and achieve important things. There was, for example, I do not remember that country in Eastern Europe that every day at the time of the news would go out to his window and knock on saucepans making a huge crash through the streets. It was of course a form of protest that was heard and did not hurt anyone, but the clear state realizes it. If you are right but you express it in a bad way, you begin to lose part of that reason. For me, the demonstrations must be numerous, with specific but ordered objectives; that all people really know what is going on and not hitting a man, for example, just because he is a man, because that is a far cry from the definition of respect that you are demanding.
Returning to the theme of music production in 2006 they released their first live album and six years later the next. From that 2012 to the moment seven have already passed. Is it time to launch a new live material?
More than the time between live records is the amount of studio records between live records. There are bands that almost after each album release one live. We are not interested in our live albums having the same songs and so we decided that every three studio albums is the ideal time to think about releasing live material. So probably after the next material is a good time to think about it, that there will be something good to deliver.
Finally, is there a message for your Mexican fans that you want to give them?
Well, since we are still here on the Mexican tour I would like to thank all the people who have gone to our shows and who will go to those who are missing, as well as all the people who have contacted us to tell us that they will not be able to attend but who wish us the best; Or all those who ask us to get closer to their cities next time. We are very excited because at every concert in Mexico we know that it awaits us with all that emotion and passion that externals us. Let's keep having a good time and listening to heavy metal with us!
