TERRICULUM AVIUM: New Vision

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Terriculum Avium is a Spanish instrumental prog rock/metal band active since 2018. The group released their debut EP entitled ‘NEST I‘ in May this year, and they were recently featured on our Progotronics compilation. Below is an interview with the band following that event.

Define the mission of Terriculum Avium.

Our main goals as a band are reflecting the music we like and which we enjoy, giving it our own personality and style, spreading progressive metal and contributing to this genre with a new vision based on our compositions and effort, especially in cultures where it is undervalued.

Tell me about the creative process that informed your recent release “Nest I.”

There was a great effort and enthusiasm in this project, starting to track NEST I since the very beginning in our rehearsal room, with our own recording equipment. We worked really hard on the songs in order to be well prepared for the recording sessions, and that allowed us to have them finished in three months, ready to be mixed.

The tracks of NEST I were already composed, since the three members of Terriculum Avium were part of the previous band Tuverías Smith. The problem was that the drummer did not work on the songs, therefore, by separating ourselves and creating the new formation, we composed the drums of these compositions, giving them another more appropriate approach to our musical orientation.

Although it’s instrumental, is there a certain message you are trying to give with “Nest I”? 

We want to let people know with our work, that there are different styles out there. We would like the public to investigate other types of music for their own interest, without being conditioned by social and media trends. More than a message to the world, it is a message to ourselves: we can make the music we love, and it can be done really well.

If we have to translate them into a written message, we would say that we find inspiration in the cosmic and universal harmony that surrounds us, although camouflaged with consumerism and extensive and improper globalization, as well as in some war conflicts and serious attack on human rights.

How did you document the music while it was being formulated?

During the composition process different ideas arise for each instrument and then those ideas are registered in their respective track in Guitar Pro, and that is when we can begin to practice the songs, focusing on our instrument and having as a reference the rest of the instruments, rhythms and melodies.

Is the dynamic flow of the pieces carefully architected?

Of course it is. Each part of the song is perfectly designed to cause different emotions in the listener, as if they were parts of a story, with the intention of applying a dynamism and change that identifies us, giving us our own personality.

Gods ’Orchestra is the most direct song and the one that defines our style the best. With Digital Generation, the dynamics initiated by the previous track continue aggressively, with an expressive final part revolving around guitar leads that cause a certain tension that will be resolved with the initial calm of Volumetric Theory, after which it returns to the exchange of protagonism between the instruments and culminating with an intertwining of guitar leads and backed by a very marked rhythmic accompaniment of the bass and drums. The E.P. ends with Maruta I, formerly a vocal track, in which (due to our curiosity and interest in history and war issues) we spoke about some of the horrors that were carried out by the Japanese in WW2. When we became an instrumental band, we removed the lyrics, but kept the title and as it was a long song, we split it into two parts, so that our future work NEST II will begin with Maruta II, giving the whole work a feeling of continuity and connection.

Describe the approach to recording the EP.

When we formed the band in November 2018, we were certain that we wanted to record in the short term. During November and December, we planned the election of the tracks of the E.P, since we think this format is more accessible to the public. We also made decisions regarding the composition of drums and metronomes, time signature changes, and the search of a mixing and mastering engineer (Carlos Arcay).

How long “Nest I” was in the making?

The recording of the guitars and bass of NEST I, took about three months of pleasant work in our rehearsal place with our own equipment, only on weekends due to our occupations, beginning on December 31, 2018 and ending in March 2019, also recording NEST II, coming soon. Once finished, the entire project was sent for mixing to Carlos Arcay’s studio with the drum MIDI files. It was in May when we began the distribution of the EP, both in physical and digital format.

Which bands or artists influenced your work on the release?

Dream Theater, Mattias IA Eklundh, Haken, Allegaeon, Andromeda, Freak Kitchen, Special Providence, Scale The Summit, Circus Maximus, Panzerballet, Pomegranate Tiger, Adagio, Animations, Leprous, Oni, Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, Judas Priest, Megadeth, Kreator, Kiss, Pantera, Annihilator.

What is your view on technology in music?

We are a clear example that technology in the musical world advances, and really fast. Proof of this is that we have been able to record all our songs successfully, composing and programming the drums, as we couldn’t count on an actual drummer. All of this allowed us to have a lot of independence and to take our own time without having to overcome additional obstacles to achieve our goal.

On the other hand, social media and the Internet give a lot of independence and freedom to record and disseminate music, which leads us to a high competition between bands, an excessive musical offer for a not so widespread demand, passing many of these bands unnoticed.

Do you see your music as serving a purpose beyond music?

We see our music as a new alternative that the public can access instead of relying solely on the styles of music imposed by television, radio and current media. It is a new alternative to an open and interested public in new styles and bands, which does not conform to the trends and sensationalisms imposed by the means of our time.

What are your plans for the future?

Continue working hard on new compositions, practicing and having a great time, and soon publishing our second work “NEST II”, continuation of the work at hand, and which publication and broadcasting are imminent.

Follow Terriculum Avium on Facebook.

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