Cabrakaan Interview
Join us as we delve into the captivating world of Cabrakaän, the Mexican-Canadian folk metal visionaries who skillfully blend the raw power of metal with the rich tapestry of their ancestral heritage. Their upcoming album, 'Aztlán', weaves a compelling narrative of the Spanish colonization era and slavery in Mexico, infusing African and Spanish folklore into the country's musical fabric. Named after the mythical home of the Aztecs, 'Aztlán' remains a mystery to this day, much like the band's unique fusion of historical Mexican instruments and folk metal.
In a groundbreaking move, Cabrakaän takes us behind the scenes of their album production with the newly released documentary, “Journey to Aztlán” (embedded above) This documentary strikes a harmonious balance between preserving cultural heritage and breaking away from the Eurocentric norms of folk metal. It immerses us in a world that bridges the gap between Aztec traditions and modern life. We sat down with the band around this new release to talk about their inspirations, artistry, and upcoming plans.
- Could you start by introducing yourself to our readers?
I’m Marko, and I’m the drummer and co-founder of Cabrakaän. We’re a symphonic folk metal band originally from Mexico City and now call Canada our home. If I were to describe it in a few short words to someone who had never heard of us before, I would first use these words to describe us: heavy, symphonic, and folkloric. We’re very connected to our culture, and it always shows up in one form or another in our music. Whether it’s in the lyrics, the instruments, the melodies or percussive elements, it’s always there.
We are influenced by a range of musical styles that include thrash metal, death metal, symphonic metal, classical music, opera, and traditional Mexican folk music. We also like to incorporate traditional pre-hispanic instruments whenever it fits within the music. You might hear a flute, an ocarina, a conch, or a percussion instrument throughout our music.
The band was formed by Pat Cuikani (the vocalist) and I. She came to my recording studio for a different project and we found a lot of overlapping musical interests. Even though I wanted to form a death metal band at the time, she had a background and formal training in opera. From there, we created a style of music that fit both our interests. It was her idea to incorporate pre-hispanic themes in our music, and it was an idea that ended up defining who we are as a band, which has been incredibly rewarding. We’ve released two studio albums since then: Songs from Anahuac (2014) and Cem Anahuac My Home (2019) and another on the way very soon, Aztlán (November 17th, 2023).
- Tell us about the inspiration behind your latest album, Aztlán. What themes and stories are you exploring through this release?
Before I talk to you about the album’s themes, I think it’s important to know about the concept of Aztlán itself. It’s a very important concept in Mexican culture - it is the ancestral homeland of Aztecs. While archaeologists and other scholars have searched for its physical location, and Mexicans living near or on the U.S. border have used the concept to make land claims, it’s more often thought of in a more symbolic way for us.
Over the past few years, we have faced many setbacks, barriers, and challenges that made it difficult to continue with our music. Immigration, the pandemic, demotivation, all the challenges that come along with assembling a band that lives between two countries (two members live in Mexico, three live in Canada). When we recorded this album, we knew that it should signify a return to our roots. For us, that’s what Aztlán really is - reconnecting with our cultural roots and doing it through the music that means so much to us.
The album itself engages with themes of Aztec mythology, the Spanish Conquest, colonization and the Catholic Church’s legacy, and the history behind the folklore we have in Mexico today. We wanted Mexicans to feel represented on this album, and by exploring topics that are sometimes even “taboo” (such as the church), we hope we’re doing just that.
The album is written in a chronological way. It starts with Tenochtitlán, the historic centre of Aztec civilization and where Mexico City now exists. The first track features Tonantzin as the main subject, a Mother Earth figure. She’s depicted on our album artwork. It’s the first track of the album and musically represents the greatness of the Aztec Empire and their connection with the land and nature.
From there, it follows through some of the events and legends that have followed since Tenochtitlán’s beginnings in a chronological manner. Throughout this album, we tell stories of premonitions and omens observed by Aztecs, foretelling the future Spanish Conquest (according to their beliefs and recorded history). We engage with some of the mythologies and legends that we learn about in childhood, like Mictlán - the conception of an underworld through which the dead must pass through nine levels before reaching their final resting place. We also explore colonization’s legacy and the lasting generational impact of the Catholic Church on indigenous people in our song Luces y Sombras. We hope to talk more in-depth about these stories in a future commentary video because we think it’s important that non-Spanish speaking audiences have an opportunity to learn these stories.
- Your music blends folk metal with elements of Mexican history and culture. How did you come up with the concept of fusing these diverse influences together?
The idea of infusing pre-Hispanic influences originally came from Paty, our vocalist. In the beginning, I was looking to start a death metal band. I met Paty when she came to my recording studio for a different project. We got along right away and found that we had a lot of overlaps in terms of musical interest. She was a classically trained opera singer and not a death metal vocalist, so we reimagined the project to incorporate her style, which also has a lot of traditional Mexican folkloric influences.
I had always wanted to learn more about my own heritage, which isn’t so easy to do in Mexico and in my family. It can be a bit of a “taboo” subject to discuss things related to the colour of your skin. For me, Cabrakaän became a way of expressing myself through my own heritage at a time when I had fallen in love with metal. I was a huge fan of Scandinavian metal, as many of my generation were in the early 2000s. So from this inspiration, I started learning more about my history, and then I just understood that it made no sense for me to try to make something that wasn't even in me. At some point, I told myself: I love the bands, but this is not me. As Mexicans, we have a long history of warriors: Aztecs or Mexicas, Tlaxcaltecas, Toltecas, and so on. What’s more metal than that?
We also eventually connected with a local pre-hispanic artisan, researcher and preservationist, Agustín García Reyes. We source all of our pre-hispanic instruments from him. After we met, these elements became an important part of our music.
- The documentary Journey to Aztlán provides a behind-the-scenes look at the making of your album. What motivated you to create this documentary and what can fans expect to see in it?
Ever since 2015, after our first album’s release, I saw the response we were getting from our music. We knew that we were doing something different and that people might be interested in learning about how the elements come together. At the same time, I wanted to share what the band is about, conceptually. Through our music, we’re trying to tell a story about our roots and who we are.
Music can be interpreted in so many ways, which is wonderful - but it’s hard to express the concept behind the music. We felt that our music videos and music weren’t enough to tell the cultural influences that are embedded in everything we do.
I was also fascinated by band documentaries documenting album recordings. Taking it a step further by expressing the motivations and influences behind the cultural side of things felt like a great opportunity for us.
It worked out harmoniously, because Angela, the director and cinematographer, had the perspective of someone outside both the band and the culture. She had a genuine interest in learning more about who we are and helped us achieve our goal without planning it to be as great as it became. Angela infused the magic needed to interpret our message for a broader audience, especially for English-speaking and non-Mexican audiences. That’s why it has English subtitles, narration and context - our main goal was to put our story to film, and hers was to extend it to an audience that often doesn’t have an opportunity to learn about Mexican history and culture.
To answer the last part of this question: Fans can expect to see a bit of everything. It’s not a typical “studio diary”-style band documentary. It’s meant to be more of a sociocultural music documentary that appeals to metal fans and those with an interest in learning more about Mexican culture. There are interviews, musical performances, instrument demonstrations, and much more!
- The migration of the band from Mexico to Canada is an intriguing part of your story. Could you share some challenges and highlights of this journey, both musically and personally?
Coming to Canada was definitely a journey and a learning curve for us. Years ago, we came here for a festival and tour. It was through those experiences that we quickly learned what an incredible opportunity we had in our hands, that audiences authentically appreciated our music, and that the people were very friendly. In 2019, we started our immigration process, and that was one of our greatest challenges. Immigration is filled with uncertainty, time-consuming, and expensive. Even when you do everything right, there’s no guarantee that you will become a resident. You have to live in precarity while you wait to learn whether you’re able to stay. In the end, it worked out for us, and we’re so grateful for that.
Culturally speaking, Mexico is very different from Canada in many ways. Canada also has a lot of diversity, and only here have we had the chance to make so many friends from so many different countries. Of course, the weather was a huge adjustment for us at first too. A few years later, we’re more prepared for winter, but it’s still a bit of a shock when it comes.
In Mexico, Canada is seen as an extension of the United States. We were apprehensive at first, because we all hear about incidents of racism and it frames how we view the country. When we moved here, we quickly learned that it’s far from true (at least in our experience). The stereotype of the politeness of Canadians holds true. It’s something I really love about Canada.
My biggest highlight since moving here are the people we’ve met. I met the love of my life and many friends that I never would have known if we hadn’t come when we did. It also goes without saying that we had the incredible opportunity to record Aztlán here. If we had done it in Mexico, we wouldn’t have had the resources and collaborations that went into the making of the album. Our experiences in Canada, everything we went through to get here and stay here, and a big piece of my soul are all imprinted on this album. It wouldn’t have been the same otherwise.
- What role do your indigenous roots play in shaping your music and lyrics, and how do you see your music contributing to the broader recognition of Mesoamerican Culture?
In the documentary, Pat says something like: “There wouldn’t be a Cabrakaän without the pre-hispanic element”. Anyone could incorporate the instruments into a song - but for us, it’s inspiration for every aspect of the music. It’s inspiration for us as people who strive to understand their own heritage. The history, the mythology, all of the themes we use. Writing and performing our music also gives us a sense of pride, so we try to do it in the most beautiful and respectful way that we possibly can. Our roots also directly influence how we feel about
ourselves because in Mexico, folklore is everywhere from the time we’re born until the time we die. Folk music is everywhere. The fact that we had so many different cultures in our territory thousands of years ago gives us a lot of history to explore through our songs.
To answer the second part of your question, we believe that the act of making the music, using our indigenous languages, our traditional instruments, and mixing it with contemporary styles allow us to contribute to preserving these cultures in our own way, and allow diverse audiences to listen to it.
- What are your plans for the future, both in terms of music releases and further exploration of Mexican cultural themes in your work?
To keep it simple, our plans are just to continue doing what we have the privilege to do. The next album will continue to explore parts of our history, including folklore and mythology. It’s quite early for us to know exactly what that will look like, but we are dedicated to continuing the work we’ve started. We also hope to continue extending our work to broader audiences outside of Mexico, because it’s important to us that the rest of the world learns more about Mexico’s rich history and culture.
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