• Hi Max! Can you give a brief history of Grandiosa Muerte, including the music style and the members?
Greetings! My name is Max, and in the form of Hermes the band Grandiosa Muerte was born in Heredia, Costa Rica. It emerged as a personal necessity for me to exorcize mental and spiritual struggles that were intensified during the pandemic. With over 25 years of experience as a Metal musician and 15 years as a producer in the Metal and Rock genres, I realized it was time for my solo project.
As the sole member of Grandiosa Muerte, I take on all conceptual, lyrical, and musical responsibilities. Additionally, I handle the production and promotion of the entity known as Grandiosa Muerte. The essence of the name Grandiosa Muerte lies in the concept of death and its profound influence on the physical, mental, and spiritual planes.
Thus, Grandiosa Muerte represents a fusion of my experience in Metal music and production, serving as a means to express and confront my personal struggles during challenging times as for me is imperative also to materialize the intangibility of the creative process through music for example.
• Could you provide more detailed information about Egregor and its sales performance?
Despite being a studio band until now, the album Egregor has managed to gain considerable traction since its release. Currently, there are still a few copies of the digipack version available. Interestingly, the majority of support comes from countries that do not speak the Spanish language.
• Grandiosa Muerte has now signed with WormHoleDeath. Could you tell us more about that? When I first discovered your band, it was promoted by Grand Sounds Promotion and released under the label named Bitume.
Indeed the wheel of fortune has been generous with Grandiosa Muerte. First it was the French label Bitume Productions who supported the release in digipack format. Then the Italian label Wormhole Death stepped in in order to release and promote the album worldwide which, for me, is a huge honor as well as immense support in order to spread the seed of my side project. Grand Sounds Promotion also does an awesome job promoting Grandiosa Muerte from their side as well.
• What is the difference between your latest record and the band's very first one (Singles)?
The first single “Sibila” served as the presentation card of this new musical project released in 2022 and included an official video edited by costarican Phosphorus Studio. The whole album was already mixed and mastered by Colin Marston (Ten Thousand Caves studio - Gorguts, Imperial Triumphant -) by the time the single was shared so you can also find the song in the Egregor album which was released in 2023.
• What inspires Grandiosa Muerte's music and lyric writing? What do Grandiosa Muerte's lyrics talk about?
Grandiosa Muerte's music and lyric writing are inspired by various aspects of the occult. Each song delves into different significant concepts such as the Tarot in "Arcano," Mayan teachings in "Destino," the Kybalion in "Mercurio," and the Black Madonnas in "Sincretismo." Other inspirations include gnosticism in "Hereje," alchemy in "Oculto," theosophy in "Isis sin Velo," and oracles in "Sibila."
The lyrics of Grandiosa Muerte's songs revolve around these occult themes. Each song tells a story based on the chosen concept, aiming to provide both depth and accessibility. The lyrics explore ideas related to the physical, mental, and spiritual realms, all centered around the overarching concept of Death. By drawing from these occult concepts, a rich and mysterious atmosphere is created complementing the music and the visual artworks associated with the project.
• Do you play live often? Do you enjoy performing abroad?
Although it is part of the plan, so far Grandiosa Muerte hasn’t played lived yet. I do enjoy playing live a lot, fortunately I’m able to do so with my other bands Advent of Bedlam and Dusk.
• How often do you practice and work on new material?
Usually I do not schedule the creative process for Grandiosa Muerte as it is born by instinct and intuition. I do have my workframe ready in my home studio so I can track any new ideas when they strike my soul as lightning.
• How did you come up with the name Grandiosa Muerte? What does it mean to you?
The process of selecting the name was a continuous evolution that eventually reached its foundation once the music and lyrics had progressed significantly. This project was never rushed, and I was confident that the perfect name would become unmistakably clear at the appropriate moment. The essence of Hermes and Grandiosa Muerte lies in the concept of Death in the physical, mental and spiritual realms, therefore the name Grandiosa Muerte reflects a deep research into the unique truth of this realm: death.
• What are the band's plans for the near future?
Right now there’s a promotional campaign for the release of the album via Bitume Productions and Wormhole Death, the japanese release is expected as well in the next few months. Sooner or later Grandiosa Muerte will have it´s stage debut and new music is being written as we speak so expect more music in the near future!
• Do you have a message for Iron Backstage readers?
As a musician expressing myself via Grandiosa Muerte in Spanish is a huge honor to be part of mighty Iron Backstage Magazine! I do expect that the German and global Metal legions that support this portal and enjoy Extreme Metal will give it a try to the debut album Egregor. Spread and support! https://grandiosamuerte.bandcamp.com/album/egregor