For somebody reading this and hearing about the band for the first time, how would you describe your history ?
Well we have a very long history with lots of ups and downs. The band started in Chile and the first few years we did very well playing lots of support shows with big bands such as Sepultura and Slayer and selling loads of CDs. After a while we kind of hit our peak down there so we decided to move to Europe, but it was only two of us, Rod the lead guitarist and me. We regrouped with British musicians and that's when the second half of our history started.

For many, "Akelarre" will be a bit of a surprise, as the band leans into a modern metal sound. Is this the product of the band maturing as musicians or an obvious next step after "White Hell" (2009 ) ?
I don't know. I don't really think "Akelarre" sounds more or less modern than our previous albums. We know very well what we like and what we want for the band. If anything, the new material is more simple and to the point. It's funny, because if you ask an old-school metalhead with a denim cutoff full of patches he will probably say we soud modern, but for a kid who listens to Trivium or whatever we must sound super old-school.

What does the album title signify ?
The literal translation is "witches sabbath", but we gave it a special meaning through the album cover and concept, so this witches sabbath is more like a gathering of the powerful to dominate the world. "Akelarre" is a word from the Basque language. Olmo is from the Basque Country and I've been living there for a few years as well, so we thought it would
be a cool idea to use a Basque word for the title.

When you heard the final mix of the album, all ready to go, what was your first reaction ?
It took us a while to get there and it was a bit of a grueling process, because I was at home and our bassist Dan was mixing the album at his studio in the UK. Everyday he would send me the newest version in the evening and I'd spend the rest of the night listening to it and making notes which I sent him in the morning, so I pretty much lived through the whole process, so when it was the final mix I already knew everything inside out.

Are there any plans or hopes to do live shows in Europe and particulary in France ?
We'll be doing some shows in Central Europe with Ektomorf in November, but unfortunately none in France. My dream would be to play Hellfest, as it's my favorite festival and I go there every year.

Do you have any final words for our readers ?
Check out the new album, we think it came out killer. It's straight, no-bullshit death/thrash, so if you like to bang your head or slam dance, this is for you.

Philippe Duarte