Zarpa

My life isn't simple. My husband often want me to listen Black Metal songs for all day long, together with him. He always says "You must listen to it! This is the best Black Metal I've ever heard!". ...I hate it! But my nightmare disappeared few days ago, when I caught a new Zarpa release. This band from Spain just recorded their 6th album called "Infierno", but they are unknown here in Poland. And because of this I decided to have a little talk with frontman, guitarist and songwriter Vincente Feijoo...

Hail! Let's talk about your last album "Infierno". How much time you've spent in the studio to record this album? How does looks the recording sessions? I think that this is great release, and are you also satisfied from its final result?

This album is the logical continuation of Zarpa's work, It has been recorded in two weeks and the studio sessions were cool and relax. Well everyone knew his role, we use to be demanding enough on our work but I'm quite satisfiied of the result.

Could you compare this one to the previous ones? In your opinion is it the continuation of the old style of Zarpa?

Zarpa has always know an evolutionary way in its works, but try to keep the same feelings and the same essence since the beginning, but it's not at all a rehearsal because music like each one of ` us grow up and must change.

Which of the tracks on this album is your favourite, and why?

My favourite song is "Fantasmas del pasado" ("Ghosts from the past") because it got a taste of the 80's, era which is over now. This song deals about my own history, when I started to play music and why I'm still playing.

There are 6 bonus tracks that were recorded in the 80's. Why did you decide to put them on this CD? Could you say something more about those compositions?

The decision to include the bonus tracks has been taken by the Karthago Records. They put their favourite songs of "Herederos de un Imperio" and part of "Ruta hacia Europa" some songs never edited we prepared to record in Geneva. Finally we never published them.

Your album "En Ruta Hacia Europa" from 1986 has never been published. Why? And is there any chance for release of this one?

We thought that "En Ruta Hacia Europa" could be our passport to the European music market in 1987. We played in France and Switzerland with good results. We never published what we recorded at the Aquarius studios in Geneva Because of a disagreement and conflicts between the band and the producer in giving a pop color to our Rock music. Finally the group split off.

How do you think: what goes wrong that you guys never got so much attention like let's say Obus, Muro, Angeles Del Infierno or Baron Rojo? I dare to say that Zarpa is in the same league with those major bands from Spain... Do you agree with me?

I never take care about fashions or public opinions because we know that nowadays there are a lot of new tendencies and so many changes in the taste of the listeners who prefer not to think to much about what they "eat"... I suppose that bands like Zarpa need to bring something more and tell about things to try to make the public react. Maybe the day those bands disappear, the Heavy Metal will die too. So we have to keep on fighting for what we believe in.

You didn't release this album in your country. Why did you sign the contract with German Karthago Records? Did they give you the best offer? Are you satisfied from this cooperation?

It's easier for us to record at home in many material aspects and for question of time, We've signed a contract with Karthago, because it seems to us a good way to move the band out of our frontiers, in Spain there are no many opportunities for the Heavy Rock bands who have to publish by themselves their own works. However I'm very satisfied to work and collaborate with Stefan Riermaier who seems to me a very nice person.

Zarpa is the one of few bands that use native language. Why didn't you decide to use English lyrics?

I think that Spanish language is richer than English language, also it's easier for us to communicate and express our ideas with a language we know. There's an important market of Spanish spoken all over the world. In 1995 I published "Solar Signs" with all the lyrics in English, but my fans didn't like it so much. Anyway, English language is according to me a very good and pleasant language to sing.

Could you say something about the stories behind your lyrics? I would love to check 'em myself, but sadly I don't know Spanish...

Zarpa's lyrics are very varied, for example in the Infierno album:

"Babilonia": it's a critic of the consumer society
"Fantasmas del pasado": it deals about my life when I started to play music, my experiences and I'm still going on that way
"Viena": it is a tribute with poetical words to that precious town.
"Infierno": "Hell", describes Hell like the reflect of our bad attitudes as human beings, where life is sometimes a nightmare and where the "last souls" do bad things without any compassion.
"El poder de la fe": The message is, everything is possible and if you keep the faith, there's no wall high enough you can break.

And many songs are about growth of the human conscious.

Is there any chance for re-releases of your early albums? Now they are almost impossible to find, I'm sure that a lot of people would like to have them in their collections. Don't you think?

A lot of people ask me for the early albums recorded in vinyl but it's difficult because of the manufacturing cost and in an other way the standard format now is the CD. however, if someone is interested in buying one of our albums in vinyl format he can enter in our web and order it through an e-mail.

Before we'll finish this interview, maybe you could tell me what did you do 5 minutes before you started to answer on my questions?

5 minutes before answer this interview I was working for Zarpa, as I do everyday. Even if I can't live thanks to the Heavy metal, I'm a professional musician and I earn a living with the music, I'm a guitar player for directs, studio sessions, I also work as artistic producer, arranger and illustrator for albums covers, so I work with everything that is in relation art, this is my way I'm living for.

And what albums did you listen to lately?

Lately I listen a lot of music of the 70's and 80's, differents bands because I don't have a predilection or preferences for a kind of music, I just like music with personality.

I think that's all I wanted to ask you for. Have you something to add? Thank you for nice talk. The last word is yours.

I hope you'll enjoy "Infierno" as well as we enjoyed it when we recorded it, thank you very much for your interest and I send to all the Metal people warmest regards.

Interview done by Marta Kroczak-Gabriel in July 2004.