It’s been ten years since Diabulus In Musica released their overall debut studio album with 2010’s Secrets. Since then, the Spanish symphonic metal outfit has a total of five full-length records, with the latest being, Euphonic Entropy, which is scheduled to arrive on Friday (14th) via Napalm Records (order here). A lot has changed for the group, especially vocalist Zuberoa Aznárez and her husband, keyboardist Gorka Elso, who have recently given birth to their second child. Between following their dreams working on new music to living the family life, the two have proven that nothing is impossible to achieve your lifetime goals. It may not be easy, but it’s possible, and you can hear the chaos, beauty, and emotion behind it all with their latest offering. We caught up with Zuberoa to discuss their new album.
This year marks the tenth anniversary of your debut, Secrets. How would you compare your debut to Euphonic Entropy?
Oh, the evolution has been more than noticeable, I guess. Secrets was our first attempt to write and record a good symphonic metal album and we succeeded with the tools we had at the time. I think we did our best and the result was great, but if we had to do it now, I guess we would change many things. We have learned a lot in these ten years and we have evolved as individuals and as musicians, which is evidence in our music too. We still preserve the same elements. Since the beginning we have played with different influences, but these differences and mix of genres is now even more evident and wider. The arrangements are much more detailed and the sound production is much stronger too.
The new album is engaging from the first listen and it all started with “Race to Equilibrium.” Can you talk more about this song?
Thank you, I think this album is a thrilling journey! “Race to Equilibrium” is one of the fastest tracks and it perfectly represents our lives right now. The feeling of rush you get when listening to it is probably the same we had when writing and recording this album with two little babies at our side. Haha. But it’s really energetic and powerful, and this “power” was also the feeling we got when we finished the recordings of the new album. The title itself reflects the content of the song very well, our personal race to find the balance in our lives as parents and artists.
Are there any songs on the album that were more challenging to put together?
Yes, I would say that two of them. One is “One Step Higher” which seems like a catchy simple song, but it isn’t! We worked a lot on the verses. We changed them three times as we didn’t feel they were strong enough. We finally found the one that fitted the best, but it wasn’t an easy task. We didn’t want to have any doubt about the result, that’s why we worked until we were really satisfied and 100% convinced. The other one was “Weeping Lady’s Waltz,” which was a song with many cool parts, but that we couldn’t match in a convincing way at the beginning. We destroyed the puzzle and included new parts until it flowed really well and smoothly.
What was the overall recording process like?
Chaotic! Hahaha. We became parents again and this has been influencing our album in every way. I honestly don’t know how we managed to write the songs. We have been so focused when we had a moment to work that, after, you look back and you are not aware about the whole process. We couldn’t plan anything as Gorka and I are the ones who do the music and production and we had to take care of a three-year-old boy and a newborn baby girl, so we just sat down in the studio when we had a moment. For the recordings we had to ask for help from our families, so that they could take care of the babies for an hour or two, to record one song. This is how our last year has been like: a day we recorded two songs and then nothing for some days, then a song again and nothing the following days… It depended on the children, our families and the situation. On the other hand, I think this way, we could be more objective with the songs, as we were not doing everything in a row, so we could relax our ears and come back to the song again with a cleaner view.
Can you discuss some of the album’s themes?
Most of the songs are related to the different feelings, situations or thoughts one can have in a chaotic period of life as it is being parents of two little children and having to work in the artistic field at home. Being parents is one of the most beautiful adventures one can live, but it is also sometimes stressful and exhausting, above all when you must take care of your artistic career and current jobs too. That’s what the title tries to reflect: the chaos bringing something beautiful. So, overall, the songs talk about overcoming oneself. The final message is very positive: if you really want to do something and if it does just depend on you, you will be able to do it. Willpower is the key, despite the difficulties.
Do you have any touring plans in the works?
We were working with a booking agency for this, but they suddenly and with no logical explanation decided not to work for us anymore which was very unprofessional by their side. We are really upset as we were informed only a month ago or so, when the tour started to be booked. We relied on them for that and now we have to deal with all this and start from scratch alone or to search for another booking agency. This has been a hard mishap for us just when we are starting to promote the new album, which we think is our strongest one… Anyway, we cannot wait to hit the stage again and we will do our best to build a European tour.
On the other hand, we have already booked a special show in November in our hometown. It will be a big thing, a kind of celebration of our 10th anniversary since the release of our first album. We are very excited about it!
Is there anything else you want to say or add to your fans?
We want to thank you for the interest and this interview and thank our fans for always being there. They are the source of our energy, above all in difficult moments of doubt. We cannot wait for you to listen to Euphonic Entropy and we hope to meet you all on the road!
