Interview with Eliud Urdiales(Stranger Blaze guitarist)

1.Hailz Eliud! Tell little infos about your band!
Well, I started to play the guitar like 4 years ago. My friend and bassist from the band, Albert Garcia, was
the person who taught me the basic things on guitar, then we were searching musicians to make a band. That's how we met this guy Jerry Lopez, who was the first lead guitar in the band, then Adolfo Sanchez joined to the band answering a post of us in some web page for musicians. That's how we got the first Stranger Blaze line-up, after some gigs, the recording of our first demo, and after the "South Demolition" tour, Jerry Lopez leaved the band, so we give the lead-guitar place to our friend Rafael Garcia, so I can tell that this is the line-up actually. Albert Garcia at bass guitar, Adolfo Sanchez at drums, Rafael Garcia at lead guitar, and me at rhythm-guitar and vocals.

2.What bands influenced you?
About our influences, I can say that everyone of us has different influences. But the only band that we have in common it's Metallica. You know, it was the first band that I heared when I discovered this thrash metal world, of course it was with one of their golden albums, the "Master of Puppets" album. But I can say that we have other bands between our influences, like Exodus, Slayer, Angelus Apatrida, Crisix, Strike Master, Violator, Heathen, Testament, Sodom etc. Sometimes it's hard to find a point in common between us, because of liking: for example, me and Albert are more into thrash metal and Adolfo use to hear more black and death metal stuff while Rafael has mixed tastes in music, because he was studying music before, so he has more apreciation sense for other kind of music, but he still kicking his ass on thrash..


3.Did you played in other bands before?
No, this is my first band, and the last one, because Stranger Blaze means a lot for us, it's what gives us the happiness that we need to still fighting, you know.


4.How is the thrash scene there in Mexico? What about extreme metal one?
To be honest, sometimes the people can't appreciate what we have here in our own country. You know there's a lot of good bands here, but also a lot of problems. I mean, now there's not enough support for the bands, but everyday you can see a new band that want to fight in this battle you know. I think in the future the world will see that we can make good music here, and let see to all the people that we can go there and show that we have enough balls to destroy some big festival.

5.Can you recommend some of those bands?
Yeah, you can go and hear good mexican bands like Strike Master, our friends Thrashsteel, Intoxxxicated
Commando, Disgrace, Next, Drunkiller, Toxik Avenger, or from our local scene you can hear Deathstriker, Hercobulus, Legislator, Excesus etc.

6.Your first demo was called "Let Destruction Begins". To me it is a very good thrash demo. Are you satisfied with it? Did it received good reviews from the underground press?
We are satisfied with our first work, yes, but like a musician you always want to make something
better, so for the first LP we are recording those songs again, but making new details. And besides recording
the new songs, we received good reviews from the underground press in our local scene and in some blogs and online tv shows. It was amazing for us, cause you know, people in other parts of the country and in other countries realized about our existence hahaha. Internet can be bad for musicians, you know, illegal downloads and that shit but its a good way to show the people what you are doing.

7.Now you're working on your debut LP. What can you tell about it? Do you want to sign with a well-known label, or it will be self-produced?
Yes, we are working in the "Let Destruction Begins" LP. We were recording those songs from the EP and new songs, so the people will like it. And talking about labels, of course we would like to sign with some important label to make bigger things you know, like independent musician sometimes the things are hard. For now we are trying to reach an agreement with a label from Mexico City, but it's not a fact yet.

8.Now tell us, what bands from Ukraine, Hungary and Romania do you know!
To be honest, I don't know a lot of bands from that part of the world, but I was hearing some days ago a band called Toxic Dolls, they are from Ukraine or Poland, I'm not sure..

9.Recommend to the readers, please, something from your local cuisine, drinks and so on.
The people who has never been in Mexico always, talks about tacos and burritos. But there's a lot of delicious food like tostadas, enchiladas, pico de gallo, chalupas, tlacoyos. From my natal city there is, barbacoa, cabrito, and about the drinks you have to taste Tequila, and the mexican beer Corona the most important mexican brand of beer. To be honest if you ask me for my favorite cuisine, i'll tell you mexican food.

10.Your favourite all-time 10 metal albums are?
of course the Master of Puppets (Metallica)
Hell Awaits (Slayer)
Bonded By Blood (Exodus)
Eternal Nightmare (Vio-Lence)
Epidemic of Violence (Demolition Hammer)
Thrash Zone (DRI)
Majestic Strike (Strike Master)
Beneath the Remains (Sepultura)
Kill Em All (Metallica)
Agent Orange (Sodom)

11.What about Stranger Blaze's future plans?
We will make a roof, so the next week we will work like masons hahahha. No, seriously, we will finish the album and then we will try to make a national tour, bigger than the first one. Trying to go to new cities and show to people our shit. We will put up for sale our album in Mexico, South America, U.S, Europe and rest of the world by shipping. Actually, we are working on new stuff for the second album. So, if the scene close the doors, it doesn't matter, because Stranger Blaze will kick them again.

12.Thanks for the interview. Last words are yours!
We want all the people to support the underground thrash metal scene! Give support to the new bands, because yes, the old-school gave us what we have now, but the newschool will keep the spirit alive!

Stranger Blaze can be contacted here: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Stranger-Blaze/159725484105506

Interview done by Necrotrooper