Interview with Pete Devine of Pete’s Rock News and Views (http://petesrocknewsandviews.com)
PD: How would you describe yourself or your band as an artist?
S: Death Doom Atmospheric
PD: Can you tell us briefly about your background – i.e. where you’re from, how you came to make music, etc.
S: I’m from the city of Caracas – Venezuela. I got involved in music at an early age, experimenting with different instruments according to the needs of the moment. I formed my first band in 1982 called “Sacerdotes Malditos”, later I formed another band in 1984 called “Krýstallo Mávros”, in 1986, I joined Stratuz and by 1987 we played our first live show.
PD: Who and what inspires you to make music, both in terms of musical and other influences? What do you like to write about in your songs?
S: The first band that moved my heartstrings was undoubtedly Black Sabbath, and then Witchfynde, but I had a very deep need to transmit a lot of things, to shout out to the four winds all the adrenaline that I had accumulated. I have always been fascinated by the human mind and usually write about human beings and their social, religious, and existential environment.
PD: What are your aspirations as an artist?
S: My aspiration as an artist is to leave an indelible mark on every person who listens to our work, which in time can be passed on from generation to generation.
PD: What is the proudest moment in your music career so far?
S: The greatest pride has been to be able to return to the music scene after 22 years, with a quite mature and decent work. We have put our souls into this work and we are proud of the result we have achieved.
PD: Promoting one’s music is such a challenge these days, especially with so many new artists emerging from bedrooms in the day of the home studio. How is that going?
S: The world is saturated with everything, you have to know how to move and learn from failures. We are in quicksand and if you don’t know how to move, you will sink. If you believe in what you do, you must be persistent, make personal and financial sacrifices and get up as often as necessary.
PD: And how do you book and promote your live shows and tours? Any performances coming up?
S: We are currently in talks to carry out some presentations outside the country, but everything will depend on the availability of our passports and the necessary visas. We are in a country where any administrative activity ceases to be normal and becomes a barrier to be overcome.
PD: What do you think about downloading music online? What about streaming sites like Spotify?
S: Downloading music online is fine, but nothing will ever beat holding physical material in your hands. On the other hand, I feel they are doing a terrible disservice to the artists with the paltry margins they allocate and the timing of payments that are not in keeping with the times.
PD: What song do you wish you’d written and why?
S: The song I wish I had written doesn’t exist yet, I live chasing the musical structures that live in my mind, the same goes for the rest of the band, each one of us lives exploring and expressing through music our own dreams and nightmares.
PD: Is there anything you don’t like about the music industry, which you would change if you could?
S: I don’t like a lot of things. Everything has been distorted, and many have taken advantage of this by ripping off and exploiting talents. The artist’s work has been marginalized much more than it was before. Of course, not all of the industry is like this, but every day one sees this as a plague that goes unchecked. Even selling merchandising at a show is something aberrant, because many want to charge a percentage of the band’s effort and work, without having contributed a single cent.
At this rate, we will get to a point where gang clubs will be established that set their own parameters and are self-governing in many respects, to break these threads.
PD: So, what are you working on at the moment?
S: We are promoting our latest work, Osculum Pacis, making it known as much as possible so that we can present it properly live. This is our priority at the moment.
PD: Where can we learn more about you and buy your music/merch online?
S: Bandcamp: https://stratuzofficial.bandcamp.com/
Amazon: https://music.amazon.com/merch/artists/B08QJRP42V/stratuz
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/stratuzofficial
Twitter: https://twitter.com/stratuzofficial
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/stratuzofficial
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stratuz_official
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/4V6ieXcKGpk7AyHxvgSFs1
Stratuz links:
Band/Artist location – Caracas – Venezuela
Website – Facebook – You Tube – Bandcamp –
Twitter – Instagram – Apple – Spotify – Amazon – Deezer – LinkTree – Last Fm –
Check our page for Stratuz
