I guess it’s the natural influence of Rock and Metal on it. As much as Zardonic is a Dance Music act, I like the feeling of a live concert in a full blown arena, and it’s kind of the experience I try to bring to people somehow. That’s what drives the fullness in my sound. I enjoyed the energy that Dance Music gave me, specifically Drum & Bass. And as I was going to raves I realized that something was missing for my ears, so I started bringing in metal elements and there you have it. Zardonic was born. I started in 2004, and since then I was dead set on making a living off music since I my early teenage years, and so far I‘ve succeeded. Can‘t complain!
2. What’s the origin of the band’s name? Any particular reason why you wear a mask?
Zardonic comes from Sardonic, which means disdainfully derisive. These days, I’m not sure Zardonic means anything else but my own name. I wanted a name you would search in Google and found nothing else but what Zardonic is. As far as the idea behind the mask goes, there are two key things I keep in mind which are somehow represented in the stage costume as well, and those are Evolution and the Balance between Good and Evil. I have learned in my experiences that men who believe to be good are capable of the most unthinkable atrocities if pushed to a specific limit, and I have known my limits very well to know how to not go there again. I thrive to be a Paragon, as much as it is tempting sometimes to be a Renegade. Those who played Mass Effect probably know what I mean.
3. Where are you based out of and what is your music scene like there? Are there any local artists you could recommend?
I was born and raised in Barquisimeto, Venezuela. I have lived pretty much all over the world though, but right now I am in the Cologne area in Germany. Off the top of my head, here are 10 albums of different genres and in no particular order that you should totally hear from the Venezuelan music scene (apologies to anyone I left out. I could easily do a list of 100 quality records from my homecountry, but these should get you started):
THE – Mentes
The Zeta – L’Antiteoria Del Todo
Arca – Arca
Verminous – Depraved Institution
Canserbero – Muerte
Krueger – Granuloma Inguinal
Desorden Público – Plomo Revienta
El Pacto – Hyperdance (En La Curva De San Pablo)
Tempano – El Fin De La Infancia
Stratuz / Noxious – In Nomine… / Grotesque Death
4. We saw you have an extensive discography! For anyone new to your sound, what could they expect to find?
It’s a little bit like Sepultura in the sense that I’ve done too many things within the same category but very different styles. You know, Morbid Visions sounds a bit more Black Metal, then Arise is a bit more thrash, then Roots is a bit more Metalcore, then whatever the hell happened after Max Cavalera left is, well, what it is. Since the first release in 2004, Zardonic has an older, raw hard Drum & Bass sound, then there’s Black Metal remixes, then there’s Bullet For My Valentine remixes, then there’s original songs that sound like Mayhem kicked out Hellhammer and started using an Akai MPC, then there’s original songs with female vocals. I go with my own flow and celebrate myself as a human, so I don’t try to force myself to be what has to be. If I’m angry, I’ll make angry. If I’m peachy, I’ll make peachy. If I’m happy, well, I probably don’t make music to be honest. But to me honest expression is more important than trying to please a crowd. That’s why there’s things you’ll find Zardonic has in common with itself, and there’s things that will sound different.
5. Your new album “Become” just got released on Entertainment One Music. What can you tell us about it? Any particular reason behind the name?
There are a few. The first one being that beginning with my 2015 record Antihero I am trying to create a new Anthology because of the direction Zardonic has taken which is somewhat different from everything I did before. The name Antihero has two key things: it starts with A, and includes an O. I could then replace the O with the Zardonic Logo. Same goes with Become. The next album will probably be named something like Coruscant, Connect, Contradiction, Collapse, Control, Compendium, something of the sort. I obviously want to think carefully about which word will inspire the best ideas, but I’ve found that limiting the creative process to a concept is often a much more productive route for me than having all the possible options. I can create an entire story from a word, and it inspires the vibe of the record.
Become is, then, an album about evolution, change, overcoming obstacles and letting go. I had to leave behind too many things way too soon and way too fast since I moved out of Venezuela in July 2014. That might be fine for someone who enjoys a nomadic lifestyle, but I am someone who wants to settle down, get married and have children. Having a family is the top priority of my life. Much more than music itself. I just happen to be lucky enough to make money from what I love, but if that money is not invested in a family I don’t see the point in it. You see, I believe that all this western cultural current of individualism has ultimately hurt society. Family is to me the fundamental pillar of society. You can talk a lot about personal freedom, but how is it possible that we live in a system where having a family itself is becoming a luxury? Or worse, a choice? Having offspring, to me, is my duty as a human animal, and I don’t think you can’t have that when you’re a rockstar like Lemmy from Motörhead said, or else you wouldn’t have people like Trent Reznor which is more of a role model to me than someone getting wasted for the rest of their lives.
On some tracks (like Takeover) I wanted to make a dance tune, and nothing more. But then you have tracks like Children Of Tomorrow which hints at the situation in my homecountry Venezuela, as well as Libertadores, the closing track from the record. We had a rebel that was annihilated together with his hideout with a Rocket Launcher fired by the Bolivarian National Guard, and this was after he surrendered. That is downright macabre. Become might as well be the last record where I bring this topic to the table, no matter how subtly. As much as I love my homeland, Venezuela is not the country where I was born anymore.
6. How about playing shows and touring, have anything planned out?
Last month it was Czech Republic and Slovakia. October is Bulgaria and someone from Lithuania just wrote today, then maybe Portugal could happen. November is France and Germany. December is Czech Republic, Switzerland, France, Germany, and there’s a pending tour leg in Korea, China, Taiwan, Japan and Australia. We will inform more as everything is confirmed and a poster should come out within the next few days if it’s not out already, but the best way to stay updated is to follow me on Facebook and also check my own website www.zardonic.net
7. What plans do you have for the future?
For the immediate future the mission is to continue to make music, tour the world and see what else I can do in my free time that makes me more money. I might settle down sooner than I think. Who knows! If there’s something I’ve learned in life is that you can’t really plan too much. There’s only some factors you can control and so many others you can’t, so it’s better to care for the things you can and let go of what you can’t control.
8. Where can we listen to your music? Can we also buy CDs, Vinyl or Merch?
All my releases on Entertainment One Music are on CD, and the new album Become is also on Vinyl. There are some older Vinyl releases which you can also find but they’re a bit of a rarity as most of them were limited runs and sold out. Amazon so far is the best place to find everything, and if you don’t want anything you can touch, there’s always Spotify and YouTube. Best link to find everything is here: http://smarturl.it/Zardonic_Become
9. What is it you’d like a listener to remember the most when hearing your music for the first time?
I want anyone who hears Zardonic to come back to life. This is what my music is meant to do. Wake the dead. Make you snap out of it. Time to fly. Full throttle. Go. Now. That is Zardonic. The strength in the struggle.
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