1.Can you give us an update on what has been going on with the musical project since the recording of the new album?
Hey, this is Uruksoth. Well, since 2015, when our first album came out, as well as the split we released with Psychonaut 4, Vanhelga, and Offdrykja. In Luna had basically been on hold when it came to writing new music. It wasn’t until around 2020 that we started working on what would eventually become our new album, which is finally coming out now.
2.In October you have a new album coming out, musically how does it differ from the stuff you have released in the past?
Musically, when it came to writing the album, both in terms of the music itself and the lyrics and vocals, there wasn’t really a huge difference. It was more of a natural continuation of what we had already recorded. The most noticeable difference in terms of the recording process is that, on our first two releases—the debut album and the split we put out—the drums were programmed by Auka. This time, however, we had the collaboration of Diego Mota from Gaerea, who joined us as a session musician to record the drums for the new album.
3.From 2015 to 2026 there was no music being released, can you tell us a little bit more about the long wait in between releases?
To be honest, we didn’t really feel the need to record anything new in the years that followed, so we decided to let the band rest until we had a clear intention of recording something new. We didn’t want to record just for the sake of recording something. We wanted it to be something meaningful for us, something that we genuinely felt was important and could bring something to the project. We wanted to reach that point where we could say, “Now is the right time to record these new ideas we have.” On my side, I’ve also been focused on other bands I’m currently involved with or have been involved with, working on various recordings and albums. If I remember correctly, we started the recording process towards the end of 2020. Since then, we’ve been working on it without any kind of rush or pressure. We’ve taken as much time as we felt we needed, and now, finally, the new album will see the light of day very soon.
4.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the new album and also how would you describe your progress as songwriters over the years?
The lyrics in Luna are one of the most important things for us, just as important as the composition of the music. They represent who we are and the message we want to convey. They follow the same path as our earliest recordings, talking about inner emptiness, the darkness that we carry within ourselves, which comes from deep inside us. On this new album, we explore themes such as depression, anxiety, loss, and grief. When it comes to writing the lyrics for In Luna has always been quite easy for me to talk about these subjects, since I put my own personal experiences down on paper, either in a more metaphorical way or in a more explicit manner.
5.Can you tell us a little bit more about the artwork that is presented on the new album cover?
All the graphic design for the new album was done by Fernando Navarro and his design company, Mutta. He’s a very good lifelong friend of mine, and we’ve played together in different extreme metal bands over the years. He was also responsible for the artwork and design of In Luna’s first album. He knows us really well, so he’s very easy to work with. He also knows exactly how I think and what kind of design I might like, so he can basically create something that I already know I’m going to love. It’s a perfect fit for us. As for the album cover, there’s a person on it, and the album is called “The Architecture of Negativity”. The idea is that the human being is the architect—the builder as well as the destroyer—of the negativity and pessimism in each person’s life, whether they experience more or less of it. So, considering the album title, it probably would have been easier to go with something like buildings or a modern cityscape, some urban landscape from any city in the world. But we liked Fernando’s concept much more. He came up with the idea for the album partly after seeing the lyrics I had written, and that’s how this whole concept came together. Then, as for the photographs, some of the photos we have inside the album were actually taken by me.
6.The band members live in Chile and Spain, what impact does the long distance between band members have on the musical style that you play?
Yes, Aukka is Chilean and I’m Spanish, although I’ve been living in Germany for about six years now. Actually, the distance between the two members of the band has never really been an obstacle for us, especially given the times we live in, and even back when we first started. You can easily record an idea at home, send it to me, and then we can go over it together. We can say, “Maybe we could change this part,” or “Let’s repeat this section,” or whatever else we feel needs changing. It’s actually a very easy way of working. And when it comes to recording the album, there’s no problem at all either, because we both have our own recording equipment and everything we need. So, honestly, it’s pretty straightforward. Even though we’re based so far apart, as I said, it’s relatively easy to put all our ideas together and turn them into a new piece of work.
7.So far the band has only done one live show which was in 2017, would the band be open to doing any live shows in the future?
The show we played was a one-off, and we presented it as Iluna’s first and last concert. The organizers of the Iberian Warriors Fest got in touch with us and told us they were interested in having Iluna play at the festival. I told them to give us a little time to think about it, because we had never really considered playing live. The distance between us makes that quite difficult. So we thought about it, and although Aukka unfortunately couldn’t make it to Spain for the show, we decided to go ahead with it as an exclusive date. I also thought it could be something really special for people who liked In Luna and had never had the chance to see us live—to give them that one opportunity to see us in an exclusive show. And regarding your next question, no, we’re not going to play any more concerts. It would feel like we were going back on our word after saying that it was going to be our first and last show. But it really was an unforgettable experience. The audience received us incredibly well, and there were so many people there who had never even heard of us before. Playing at a festival, in a completely packed venue, alongside such great bands, and having the audience respond to us the way they did was honestly amazing. But, as I said, we don’t have any plans to play live again.
8.On the new album toy also have a few quests, can you tell us a little bit more about who they are and their contributions to the recording?
Yes, for the new album we worked with two session musicians for the recording. As I mentioned in an earlier question, Diogo Mota from Gaerea played the drums. We met at a festival where I was playing with one of my other bands, and shortly afterwards I immediately thought of him for the drum recordings. We didn’t want to use programmed drums again. They had worked well for us in the past, but we wanted to take another step forward and achieve a more professional sound this time. Diogo is a session musician and that’s part of what he does professionally, so I asked him if he’d be interested in getting involved with the project. I sent him a few demos, he liked the style of music, and we hired him for the recording. Then, on bass, we have Deimos AF, who is a good friend of mine. We’ve also played together in a band in the past, and he joined us to record the bass tracks. He really brought a very intense sound to the album, as well as some great ideas during the recording process
9.The new album is going to be released on 'Talheim Records'. how would you compare working with this label to other labels you have worked with in the past?
Working with Talheim is actually very easy. I’ve known Mat, the owner, for many years. They co-released the “Urban Negativism” split with OP Records, and that was our first contact with the label. Over the years, Talheim has also released material by another one of my bands, a Post Back Metal band called Korzo. So we already had a good relationship with them, and they’re really easy to work with. They listen to your requests, they come up with their own ideas or suggestions on how to improve things, and there’s always been a very positive response. Both Mat and his whole team do honest, genuinely underground work, and they’re truly committed to the bands they release.
10.On a worldwide level how has the reaction been to your newer music by fans of atmospheric, depressive and post black metal?
At the time I’m answering this interview, there hasn’t been any preview of the new album yet—not a song or even a snippet. The album is coming out in early October, so unfortunately I can’t really say anything about it just yet. What did come out a few weeks ago were two older tracks that we originally released on the “Urban Negativism” split. They’ve basically been reissued and are now available on all the major digital platforms, whereas they weren’t available there before. Talheim has made those two tracks available digitally, so people can finally listen to them online. As for those two songs, when they were originally released in 2015, along with our debut album—which was also released that year, although it had been recorded a little earlier—the response from the Black Metal and Depressive Black Metal scene was actually quite good. We were a completely new and unknown band at the time, so considering that we’ve always been part of the underground scene, we were really happy with the reception.
Jose Lavin | In Luna:
11.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
As for the future, we honestly don’t know ourselves. We’ve recorded this new album and we’re very happy with the result. Maybe this will be our last album, or maybe there’ll be another one. Maybe we’ve already said everything we wanted to say. We just don’t know yet.
12.What are some of the bands or musical styles the band members are currently listening to nowadays?
We listen to all kinds of Extreme Metal and Metal in general. We just like music that’s well made. And by that, I don’t mean that it has to be ultra-complicated or incredibly technical or progressive or anything like that. We just want music that we enjoy and that makes us feel something. We listen to all kinds of Black Metal, Death metal, Doom… Post Rock and Pos Metal, Soundtracks…And personally, I also listen to a lot of Neofolk and Dark folk and some Heavy Metal classics. We just love music.
13.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
Thank you very much for the interview and for your support of the band."
https://tree.tal.hm/@inluna
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