Metal, Hardcore, Indie, Rock
Hailing from Xapala, Mexico, they are one of the rising stars of the country’s metalcore and post-hardcore scene. But what’s interesting about Afelian — the band featured in this interview— is that they are anything but predictable. On their new EP, they combine that aggression and melancholy with elements of regional Mexican music and even snippets of dubstep.
A few days after the release of the EP, Chaoszine spoke to Gustavo Montes de Oca (vocals, screams, guitar), Ian Leyva (vocals, screams), Miguel Castañeda (guitar) and drummer César Hernández (the line-up is completed by Josué Landa on bass) about their brand-new material, sound, influences and much more.
Let’s talk about your EP, “El Peso de sentir Demasiado” (“The Weight Of Feeling Too Much”). I imagine the title refers to the idea that the world can be a hostile and difficult place for sensitive people. What can you say about that?
César Hernández: As the title suggests, the five of us have experienced both good times and bad, but above all, they’ve been intense. We come from the emo and post-hardcore scene of the 2000s, which was characterised by conveying the sadness and heaviness imposed on you by the world. We brainstormed a whole host of names, and this one came up. It clicked with all five of us; it described our experiences, and it stuck. Everyone said, “This is the one“.
“El Peso de Sentir Demasiado” might have something to do with trying to fit into a world that tries to sell us something abnormal as normal. So, the album title makes me think that one must take charge of one’s belief system, one’s stance and ways of seeing the world, and, in a way, live by one’s own rules. Do you see it that way?
Ian Leyva: What you’re saying is very interesting, because as musicians we’re often hypersensitive to certain things that other people aren’t. We’re exposed to a hostile world where there’s a great deal of misunderstanding. A lot happened between the band’s last release and this EP, and we were carrying a heavy emotional load – both positive and negative. Our hypersensitivity is reflected in the songs that came out of it.
Gustavo Montes de Oca: Yes, I think one of the reasons we liked the title is that it’s ambiguous – but in a good way. Everyone can interpret it however they like. As a band, we thought of the title in relation to everything that’s been happening. From the start of 2024 until we released this album, everyone’s life has changed: people have come and gone, our routines have changed, and so have our lives. The name is also a statement of principle: we know it’s difficult to dedicate yourself to music, but here we are, and we’re carrying on.
The band was formed in 2019, didn’t it?
Gustavo Montes de Oca: Yes, more or less. César and I have known each other since we were babies, because we’re cousins and we grew up together. We met Ian in 2018. Then, in 2019, we started to establish ourselves as a band. We released our first EP and then changed our name.
In my view, “El Peso de Sentir Demasiado” reflects the outfit’s peak of maturity. Do you agree?
César Hernández: Yes, we’ve grown both emotionally and technically, in terms of our performances, songwriting, and our ability to express ourselves. After all these years, we’ve noticed a change, so we could say that it is indeed the pinnacle of everything we are.
Ian Leyva: I think there’s been a huge evolution. We produce our own music, and on each song I perhaps focus a little more on the audiovisual side, while Gustavo focuses on the audio side. But each composition has a bit of both of us in it. We learnt a few things from the video for “Arrogante”, and for this EP, I didn’t direct the videos myself. Instead, a dear friend of ours, Enrique Altamirano, directed them. Part of learning is also about delegating tasks. This EP sounds the way it does thanks to Gustavo. We’ve been learning as we go along, and ‘good’ is the enemy of ‘great’. I reached my limit with the videos, so we handed them over to someone fully dedicated to that aspect. As for the audio, Gustavo always likes to innovate and push forward. We’re doing our best, and this EP reflects our feelings as closely as possible. We have the necessary tools and know-how to bring things to life, and here it is.
I really liked the blend of metalcore and post-hardcore with other genres, such as regional Mexican music in “Etay:more” and “Mirando el atardecer en Saturno”, which incorporates elements of dubstep. It seems you have very diverse influences. Can you name one Mexican band and one international band that have influenced you?
Ian Leyva: I really like a band called Melian. They’re from Argentina.
Yeah, I know them.
Ian Leyva: I first got to know Deny, and that led me to Melian. As for Mexican bands, there’s Insite. They’re brilliant.
What about you, César?
César Hernández: Internationally, I’d say Architects. They recently came to Mexico. I’ve been listening to them since they started, and they’re one of my biggest influences. From Mexico, it would have to be Here Comes The Kraken – they’re a deathcore and death metal band. They emerged in the early 2000s.
Gustavo?
Gustavo Montes de Oca: I want to start with Mexican bands, but most of them don’t exist anymore. I really liked Rojo Melanic. As for groups that are still active, I like From Alaska and Finde. Internationally, I like Architects and August Burns Red, especially for their guitar composition and song structures.
You just mentioned From Alaska, and I see that vocalist Jefté Avitia is featured on the fourth track of your EP. How did that collaboration come about? What can you tell us about him?
Gustavo Montes de Oca: We played with them here in Xalapa in 2018 and got to know each other better. We started chatting more on social media, and gradually a long-distance friendship developed. In 2024, a festival featuring Mexican core bands was organised, and César and I went along intending to network. From Alaska were playing, and we ended up chatting to Jeff. César then sent Jeff a DM on Instagram to ask if he would like to feature on our new track, and he agreed. He’s an incredible and humble person. He sent us his part straight away, whereas it took us a bit longer. He’s a really cool guy.
Xalapa is the capital of the state of Veracruz. How can bands from Xalapa, and Mexico in general, gain more visibility? Mexico has always been well known for its indie scene and the Avanzada Regia movement in Monterrey. Many bands are well known, such as Kinky, Zoé and Café Tacuba, but it’s also a great time for metal. Ladrones are a well-known band, and I’ve also interviewed OceanGraves from Guadalajara. What more is needed to take things up a notch?
Gustavo Montes de Oca: We’re constantly thinking about what we can do to improve our prospects. In Xalapa, one of the things we’re lacking is venues for playing amplified live music. It’s just bars or very small venues. It’s a peculiar situation on a national level: the scene, the education and the conditions for good art in general are there, and it does happen, but the problem is that we artists from Xalapa don’t know what to do beyond that. Perhaps the commercial, business-oriented or sense of camaraderie between bands is missing. There are certain rivalries at times, and that’s a problem. As for what you were saying about the Avanzada Regia movement, they’re used to seeing it as a business there, and that’s perhaps what’s missing here to take the next step.
What are your plans for the rest of the year?
Miguel Castañeda: We’ve been very careful about how we release our material. We’re all real perfectionists when it comes to how we want it to sound. There’s loads of music to share, and the idea is to tour as much as we possibly can. It’s tricky to do that here, and we’ve also got other commitments, which are part of what keeps the band going. We’re trying to organise ourselves and plan everything as efficiently as possible. The show we’re launching will be fully coordinated, meaningful, coherent and, above all, full of love.
Quality is better than quantity.
Gustavo Montes de Oca: Yes, absolutely. We’ve planned a few gigs for this year, but we’re going to take it one step at a time. The idea is to play in Xalapa, Mexico City, Puebla and Veracruz and run promotional campaigns to publicise our EP. I think one of the key lessons from this album is that the way you present yourself to the world, as well as your music, is very important. We’ll keep releasing music, and in December we’ll start writing the next album. There’s a lot in store for Afelian.
