En marzo tendrá lugar la visita, por primera vez a suelo mexicano, de la banda de death metal originaria de Dinamarca, Chaotian. Ocasión ideal para que nuestros amigos de Metalópolis Podcast conversaran con su guitarrista Søren Willatzen, sobre las expectativas del tour; una exclusiva internacional más de nuestros guías del heavy metal.
Interview by Valente Salazar
March just started and that means we are soon to welcome Chaotian, a death metal band from Copenhaguen, Denmark, in their first tour around Mexico. Valente Salazar (V) from Metalópolis Podcast had the opportunity to talk to Søren Willatzen (S), guitarist and leader of Chaotian, about the band’s music style, their origin, and their expectations of this tour.
Interview
V: Hi Søren, welcome to Metalópolis! How are you?
S: Hey Valente, I am good, excited for the tour!
V: First of all, Chaotian plays a really loud and hard death metal. Can you tell us a little bit about the beginning of the band, why did you choose the death metal way, and why did you call the band Chaotian?
S: The band was formed in 2017, when Andreas and I met in a rehearsal room to try to play some old Sepultura. We got along and quickly decided to play more in the death/thrash vein, but it soon (d)evolved into purely death metal – preferring not to be locked down to ‘just’ playing fast and thrashy. The name originates from my student days as a geology student. Chaotian is an eon of the earliest formation of Earth where chaos reigned.
V: The lyrics of Chaotian are about chaos, death and even some cosmic horror. Where do you find the inspiration for these topics?
S: The inspiration comes from many things, but mostly some sort of story or idea that intrigues me. I have taken inspirations from horror flicks and books, interesting mythology, and sometimes scientific ideas. Generally, there’s an apocalyptic meaning behind the songs.
V: «Where Gods Excarnate» was your first release back in 2018, and «Effigies of Obsolescence» is your last record release in 2022. In all these years, how has the evolution of the band been?
S: “Where Gods Excarnate” came out in 2018, so the evolution from 2018 – 2022 has been pretty significant (to us), but not exactly dramatic. It’s still death metal, perhaps less thrashy and darker, and at times even atmospheric, but a heavy focus on riff and exploring the limits of what we can do to create death metal in our vision as a three piece is still very much there.
V: Can you tell us a little about your background, your beginnings on the heavy metal world?
S: It all started when my dad introduced me to hard rock and early heavy metal like AC/DC, Black Sabbath, Metallica etc. Then it took off and I began digging deeper and deeper, finally listening to the more extreme styles sometime in my early teenage years. I’ve played in bands since I was a kid in school, first as a drummer and later as a guitarist. Professionally I’m a Master of Science in Geology – Geoscience and am currently working as a Meteorologist.
V: Chaotian has played on festivals and individual gigs. What kind of concerts are your favorite to play and why?
S: That’s a tough one as we’ve played quite a few good shows at bars but also concert halls/festivals. I’d say in general a crazy, pumped, and moshing crowd at a 100-capacity venue is definitely more fun than 500-capacity where everyone has their arms crossed and sipping IPAs.
V: You’ll be playing in Mexico for the first time this year. What are your expectations about Mexican heavy metal fans?
S: We’re expecting some of the most dedicated and genuine metal fans on Earth. Hispanic metal fans are pretty well-known in Europe for their dedication and love for metal, so we are sure we’ll meet lots of metal maniacs.
V: On the other side, what can Mexican fans expect from the Chaotian live shows?
S: Three middling musicians doing their very best at playing their own songs while giving it their all, haha. No, it doesn’t matter if we play in front of 3 people or 300, we know and owe the crowd our very best. We’re already preparing a setlist to showcase Chaotian anno 2024 at their very best.
V: We always like to ask our international guests how is the metal scene in their countries, so how you guys perceive it in Denmark?
S: I think it’s pretty much split between the local underground scenes and the more mainstream ‘pop-metal’ crowd. By that I don’t necessarily mean that there aren’t overlaps, but the more popular crowd may only be aware and interested in the biggest bands. I think we have a good underground scene in death metal and maybe black metal too, but in general I don’t think we’re particularly blessed with talent. A good support from both older and younger people, so overall quite healthy.
V: What are your plans for 2024? Maybe we can hear some new music?
S: You will absolutely hear new music and see more shows.
V: Thanks again for your time! I’ll see you at your show in Xalapa. Any last words for the readers of this interview?
S: Support artists of all kinds, we rely on your patronage now more than ever in recent times.
V: See you soon! Keep death metal alive!
S. See you soon, Valente, and thank you for the interview! Keep it SICK!!!
We wish all the best for Chaotian in their upcoming tour! We’ll be bringing some info about the concert in Xalapa. Check their Facebook page for more events!
