NUCLEAR – A storm comes up – Interview- english

NUCLEAR (Facebook ) have unleashed a killer record on mankind with „Murder Of Crows“. This album has received great reviews all over the world. Therefore, I am very happy that I got the opportunity to do an interview with these courageous men from NUCLEAR. We are deeply dived into the background and history of the album. Therefore we discussed many serious topics, but also the humor did not come too short. So you can learn many interesting, exciting and funny things about NUCLEAR and their album:

NUCLEAR´s worldwide success

MH: Hello NUCLEAR ! You have now freshly unleashed your album „Murder Of Crows“ on mankind. It has become a hard angry album, a merciless reckoning. Worldwide NUCLEAR received many excellent reviews so far, so you are guaranteed attention and NUCLEAR ´s message will be heard.

Matías (Vocals): It is a pleasure to chat with you guys again, at least virtually. We still have fresh memories of that very first time that we met and talk each other at Rage Against Racism Festival in Duisburg. Thanks a lot for your kind words on our new release, we’re stoked with the reception, a lot of positive feedback on media and -of course- from the metalheads whose like our music. „Murder Of Crows“ represents the new reality of Nuclear, and the music speaks by itlself: angry, heavy and raw.

Ideas and feelings about „Murder Of Crows“

MH: The making of every album or song is always something special. This means that it is based on certain circumstances and moods and often reflects the personal feelings of a musician.

Under which conditions was your album „Murder Of Crows“ created?

Francisco (Guitars): „Murder Of Crows“ was created out of the idea of going back to zero again. We had worked a lot in the past to obtain some sort of stability and to have a house where we could trust and rely our music on. All of a sudden that house was gone and we needed some start from scratch again.

We worked as friends and with absolutely no musical boundaries, we did not have anyone asking for the new stuff or setting a deadline to deliver. We took some serious time, but I think it was definitely worth it. Once we began working, things just kept on going and the result, 3 years later, might be considered as one of the band’s highest points.

The birth of „Murder Of Crows“

MH: With which idea or which song did the creation of the album start?

Francisco (Guitars): The first song we wrote for the album was „Hatetrend“. It was some sort of continuance of „Formula For Anarchy“ (maybe a little bit angrier), but nevertheless, the first, but it wasn´t until we came up with „No light After All“ that we really started working on „Murder Of Crows“. That song felt right, felt new and fresh, we were really comfortable playing it so I’d say that was the real kick off of the album.

Changes for NUCLEAR

MH: Are they still the same circumstances that accompanied NUCLEAR on the last albums?

Francisco (Guitars): No, they aren’t. Prior albums were written under different scenarios and moods. We were living a different time then. „Murder Of Crows“ caught us in a bad shape individually (I can speak for myself at least) and that is probably why it is that angry. We never thought about the outcome – we just went with it. Perhaps those different circumstances gave the album the spark it needed, who knows.

NUCLEAR ´s reckoning

MH: What or who do you settle up with? (Maybe many people don’t know what the current situation in CHILE is like? So from your point of view, could you briefly summarize what it’s all about and where the problems are).

Francisco (Guitars): Chile changed. Chile was one country before October 2019 and a totally different one after that. We realized there have been too many fuck ups and abuse over the years and that must be stopped. It is difficult to point a finger at someone, it has been a sum of many things that went down the drain over the years.

Politicians are the first to blame. Their selfishness and arrogance led the country to the downward spiral we see nowadays. Lack of health care, low salaries, the extremely high cost of living, it is barely impossible to make it here but our politicians will say everything is great and Chile is the most stable, prolific and sustainable country in South America. Sadly that is just another bullshit excuse to keep pulling the strings.

NUCLEAR ´s message for the nation

MH: Why did you write the song „Abusados“ in Spanish?

Francisco (Guitars): Because it was dedicated to the Chilean people and we wanted all to understand the lyrics.

The envirement of NUCLEAR ´s „Murder Of Crows“

MH: The political situation in Chile is anything but relaxed and the social grievances are omnipresent. Please tell us something about it! Did you personally or as a band ever have any difficulties with the system?

Matías (Vocals): Tough times indeed. Political and socially speaking. Since last year Chile passes through one of our most definitory trances since the end of military dictatorship back in the late 80s. Last year millions of people across Chile were on the streets protesting against decades of abuse, inequality and corruption. Tough days, brutal repression against protesters, people injured, people mutilated by riot police, some dead and the entire country seemed like a big bomb near to explode.

After that, we had to face one of the worst pandemic blasts in all our history. High contagion rates, many deads,  curfew, quarantine, disemployment, the economy in a downward spiral. I don’t know if is positive or correct to say „inspiration“, but all those situations created an atmosphere full of violence and anger also a dark mix of sadness and despair. That was the enviroment around „Murder Of Crows“.

The sick system

Straight to the point regarding to your questions: as inhabitants of Chile we always had, always have and always will have problems with the unfair system we live on. The „chilean democratic way“ means inequality, corporate abuse, political corruption and economic predation. Everything in our country was sold to multinational corporations, even the water.

Can you believe that? The water! It is frightening. Low wages, a totally collapsed public health system, miserable pensions to elder people, business and filthy lucre on education, politicians acting like lobbists for big business, police brutality, just to name a few things. That is Chile in the 21st century. And it is sad, because who wants to think in the future if our own present is so depressing, so negative?

We’re not political activists but as citizens we have our points of view, and we try to represent that thoughts in our music. And show some of our own reality to other people whom maybe don’t know how the things are going in this side of the world. And that is what music means to us: an expression of brutality in really though times, life isn’t easy in South America, and the last two years being very difficult to Chileans as well.

Metal-Szene in Chile

MH: Let’s talk a little bit about metal scene in Chile. You have been making music for several years now and I think you have been through a lot.

Seba (Guitars):  For me, it make no sense to compare the early years with the current situation, because everything changed drastically. Internet and communications has rebuilt the way people interact socially. It is really hard to find people sharing albums, tapes or fanzines like before. Nowadays Spotify or YouTube replaced that meeting points, but I think is also cool because more people have access to music.

In Chile many people are metal fans, big concerts have big attendances but honestly I don’t think we have a metal scene or maybe nowadays. It is different than the past. We have bands, but we don’t have a strong movement around metal and the genre is still some kind of sub-culture for most of the people. Metal music is far away from culture media and we don’t have specialized media, professional media around metal for example. It’s kinda very underground thing still here.

The Childhood

MH: Let’s go further back in time.  What kind of experience comes to your mind spontaneously when you remember your childhood and youth?

Punto (Drums): I have very good memories of when I was a child and I began to know many things such as music. It comes to mind when I was 11 years old and I was already listening to bands like IRON MAIDEN and METALLICA, but when I heard SEPULTURA or SLAYER, it was a new world.

It was the year 1992 and in our city there was a store that brought metal and we were able to discover the most extreme new wave of the style: Death Metal, discovering bands like MORBID ANGEL, DEATH, OBITUARY, ENTOMBED, DISMEMBER, NAPALM DEATH among others. Those years helped me to meet bands, people who were in the same way with you and to generate more contacts with people  inside and outside of Arica (my hometown). Finally, we liked the idea of making music and with friends that we had at school and influenced by our favorite bands. It was born from making a band and it has not stopped until now.

Punto´s baby

MH: Do you have kids yourself?

Punto (Drums): Yeah, his name is NUCLEAR, jejejeje. No, I dont. Personally I took a decision when i was child don´t have any kids, because I always wanted to have a band and this has been my project of whole life.

Memories of first music listening

MH: Who or what awakened your interest in music at that time and in the further course of time especially for metal music? 

Matias (Vocals): My oldest memory is when i was a child and listened to AC/DC for the very frist time. I think i was eight years old maybe and listened to „Who Made Who“ on a local radio station. It was something powerful, the guitars, Brian Johnson’s voice, the drums. Undescriptible. After that i repetidely started to ask my mom to give me „Who Made Who“ as a gift. And so it was.

After that the search for heavier music like thrash or death metal started and never stopped. With the guys we love to listen to new music, every rehearsal someone recommend a new band, an album, a single, wathever. I think you can be always suprised by music, its versatility or its variety. And that’s great because it is a universe in contant expansion.

MH: What did your parents think about this idea when you decided to play metal music and wanted to form a band?

Seba (Guitars): At home we always had a good relationship between music and arts. My brothers also deveoloped themselves into artistic careers. Then, I decided to study sound engineering and dedicate myself to music full time, as music producer and musician. I think it wasn’t weird for my family. With Francisco and Punto we started the band when we were schoolmates, very young. Actually I think my family was more frightened for the cover art of the records that we exchanged and listened to back in those times hahahaha.

Christmas is coming

MH: Christmas is coming soon, also for the hard guys of NUCLEAR. What are your thoughts about it this year? How is Christmas celebrated in Chile?

Matías (Vocals): It will be a very different Christmas time this year. We’re still under pandemic and all kind of restrictions. I don’t know if will be the same like other years, but I personally will have some kind of intimate celebration with my wife and son, spinning some records, and grabing some beers.  Replying your question, in Chile Xmas is widely celebrated, lot of barbecues everywhere and family meetings. As difference with Germany, we’re in summer and you can imagine all those long bearded Santa Claus costume guys boiling inside their suits with 32° degrees, no snow, no deers and no elfs.

„Cola de Mono“ the hellish beverage

MH: What does the „Cola de Mono“ tell you? Is there a story about it?

Matías (Vocals): Yes, „Cola de Mono“ the hellish beverage. Take note: milk, 50% proof alcohol called „aguardiente“, coffee and sugar. Everything mixed in one glass or bottle and served with some kind of sweet bread. The first thing is milk with alcohol? damn! I cannot recommend to survive a hangover after drinking that, for me was a near-death experience, literally speaking hahahaha.

I still remember that night: we were listening to some albums of metal bands with my best friend of that times, we were teenagers, no much money in our pockets. The only way to solve that was to take a bottle of „Cola de Mono“ from my friend’s grandma fridge. Wrong decision. The elder woman used to „improve“ the beverage with high percentages of aguardiente in the mix. The final result was catastrophic, we literally got drunk in minutes and it was one of the worst hangovers i have memory hahahaha, we felt ablaze all the day after. Summer, hangover, milk with alcohol. Bad decision, absolutely!

NUCLEAR at Rage Against Racism 2019

MH: What memories do you have of the Rage Against Racism Festival 2019?

Francisco (Guitars): The best and I am not saying this just because. We really had a blast that day. It was a Saturday and we were coming from another festival. Since we arrived in the morning everything worked perfectly: the people, the crew, the vibe, food, drinks, everything was in place. It felt like home and we enjoyed every second of it. It was like a big metal family working for the same goal and we would’ve loved to stay longer that night at the afterparty but we had a show in London the next day so we had to leave. We often chat between us and remember RAR. We NEED to come back one day and relive everything once again. RAR was one of those things in life that got stuck forever, I guess. Thanks again for letting us be a part of that.

NUCLEAR ´s last words on „Raise Your Horns“

MH: What do you think about the following pictures? Does anything look familiar to you?

Matías (Vocals): Hahahaha maybe is not the same, but remembers me the final minutes before we left Rage Against Racism on our way to the hotel. Beers, shots, and more beers and shots. Early in the morning the next day we had to travel all the way to London for the next gig. I can bet nobody remembers well how we arrive to hotel, but we had a cool time in the bar at the backstage. And yes, raise the horns up! But instead of horns we had beercans and shot glasses hahahahaha.

On our own business

We are primarily a German online magazine, but some sections are also available in English. Subscribe to our free newsletter or follow us on Facebook. That way you’ll stay up to date about everything from the underground to the big boys. If you like to watch pictures, Instagram is the right place for you and our YouTube Channel. There we offers you interviews, unboxings and some documentaries.