WOODEN VEINS: “…how for a dream to take place, something must die or change.”

2 facts:
– In 2020 Wooden Veins was founded.
– All five members are originally from Chile, but are spread all over the world: Alberto lives in Germany, Juan E. in the Czech Republic, Eduardo in Spain, Javier and Juan in Chile, but in different cities.

Formative albums:

Alberto: Sting – “Ten Summoner’s Tales” (1993), Poema Arcanvs – “Iconoclast” (2002), Porcupine Tree – “Fear of a Blank Planet” (2007). I really like the connection between the music and the lyrics, how they sound and were played. Masterpieces for me.
Javier: Arcturus – “La Masquerade Infernale” (1997), Borknagar – “The Olden Domain” (1997), Dream Theater – “Images & Words” (2017). I guess that of all the albums that made an impact on me it is mostly because of the atmospheres they create along with really fun stuff happening there with the instruments, sounds and voices.
Edu: Fleurety – “Min Tid Skal Komme” (1995), In The Woods… – “Heart of the Ages” (1995), Arcturus – “Aspera Hiems Symfonia” (1996). Three albums where I could feel the art of creating deep and strange atmospheres through experimentation, along with unconventional structures, marked an important time for me and continue to accompany me day by day.

That sounds like a neat mix of genres? Yes, and this is also reflected in the sound of Wooden Veins, which harmonizes as a whole despite all the diversity. Founding member Edu’s idea was to realise the vision of “creating music that was new and different, blending various sub-genres and musical elements“, he explains. The result is melodic doom metal that incorporates progressive and gothic elements. We talk to the likeable quintet about their latest album “Imploding Waves”, dreams and death.

Wood Veins?
Orkus: How did you come to name the band Wooden Veins?
Edu: The name represents the connection between our spiritual and physical roots, linking the “I”, the universe, and the earth. The veins symbolise roots, while the wood symbolises the connection with the earth. This amalgamation serves as a gateway to delve into our inner selves and express them through music.

Imploding Waves
O: Let’s stay on the topic of names: Your second album is called “Imploding Waves”. I think that describes very well the sound worlds, atmospheres and feelings that come up in the course of the album. What is the idea behind it?
Javier: The initial idea that came as a concept was dreams. The problem is that dreams is a very wide concept, so while exploring this idea in writing, it didn’t take a while to see that another concept came out, which was death. Between the two of them, you have a third idea coming with dreams and death, a transition, meaning change.

Dying Dreams
O: Can you give an example?
J: So, while in “Tearing Seas” the music is kind of in a nightmarish realm, that panic of a dream paralysis, “The Dreamer” explores a more intimate relationship with death as a way to wake up from this dream called life; “Dreamside Death” is a more seemingly clear example, exploring how for a dream to take place, something must die or change. “Kaimerah” also goes around this idea of something impossible, a dream never to be fulfilled or achieved. The collapse of these ideas is what finally gave us the name of the album, that was presented indirectly as a concept in “Broken World” and we thought it was a fair representation of these chaotic internal impacts, this imploding waves crashing and clashing inside.

Harmony
O: Thanks to the Internet, musical collaboration is possible even from a distance. How did you go about it and how did you manage to make the songs harmonize so perfectly with each other?
Alberto: Since I worked together with Juan in several albums in the last years, we got some good work flow there already. Normally someone has an idea, we record demos of that and we start sending variations till we are all happy.
E: IIn this second work, Juan Escobar has been the composer of almost the entire album. That’s why I think a fluid connection between each song is appreciated. It was concretized with the work of each member, and, of course, the internet helped in this whole process, along with the technology of being able to record at home and the constant communication between all the members.

Sky
O: “Skies” is a particularly standout song. What’s behind it?
J: “Skies” is about the tragedy of going for that change, that death… like, jumping to a metaphorical death for a dream, and the tragic outcome of becoming a futile effort, as it happens every second and every minute around the world. The skies above are where the gods are watching these attempts, these willing jumps that keep falling and falling….

Future
O: What about your future plans?
A: We are very happy with the reception of “Imploding Waves” so far, now we just want to play live, we are working hard on that now and we hope we can soon give some news about it.

Claudia Zinn-Zinnenburg

Line-up:
Javier Cerda – vocals
Juan Escobar – guitars
Juan Diaz – bass
Eduardo Poblete – Keyboard
Alberto Atalah – drums

The album is available for example on Amazon*

Enjoy the video clip for “Skies” here: