One of the bands that has caused a shock since its inception in this dark era in Mexico, Luciferian Rites emerges from Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas (on the US border). They are also members of other bands such as Demon Kultur, Voidwalker, Ocularis Infernum, and others. Mexico has always been a breeding ground for Black Metal machines, and Luciferian Rites is yet another spawn of this coven. Their sound is characterized by Raw Black Metal without losing the essence of the old and dirty nature of this genre when it comes to Mexican Black Metal.
Salve, Abomination, first of all, thank you for join us accept our invitation… Tell us a little about yourself, and how your journey with Luciferian Rites has been over the years, and consequently, your other projects.
Thank you so much for giving us a space in this edition. Luciferian Rites is a project that has already celebrated 20 years of existence. Like everything in this life, with its ups and downs, changes, evolution, and commitment, it has been an interesting journey for me, as well as for the members who were and are part of Luciferian Rites now. If one thing is certain, it’s that change and evolution are unstoppable. At the moment, there are people involved willing to give this the dedication it deserves, and it’s working for now. Since 2006, the idea was to create our contribution to the genre and make our songs aiming for a dark and cold sound. In every project I’ve had the opportunity to collaborate on and create music with, commitment, discipline, and sincerity are fundamental to making everything fit together and flow well. Something that I’m told and that echoes in my mind is, if you’re going to do something, do it honestly.
Throughout Luciferian Rites’ existence, and as one of the founding members, what has the experience been like for some of the members, and what do you think they contribute, or how has their influence continued to shape the Luciferian Rites sound? Does each member draw influences from different genres, or are they all heading in the same direction?
Each member who has been in Luciferian Rite has been a vital piece in their time in creating our music. Each of them has contributed their own technique on their instrument and even given their opinion on the structure of the songs. We’ve never closed ourselves off to receiving suggestions from the members. I think it’s important to see that there’s a mutual interest in making music that we all like. Each of us has our own tastes and influences; we’re different in many aspects, but we agree very well when it comes to creating music, and we know what we want to create. Everything can change, but for now, this works.
Did the change of record label influence Luciferian Rites’ sound? I understand that it often depends on the country, and even the type of label, to modify their sound. This can be noticed in the jump from their first album, ‘Evangelion of the Black Misanthropy’ (Azermedoth Records, 2011), to the album ‘When the Light Dies’ (Moribund Records, 2015). The sound of the first album was more raw, while the sound of the second is more defined. Did this have anything to do with it?
Our first album was more raw, so to speak, because we intended to make more aggressive music. That’s why our first album has that more cavernous and harsh sound. Over time, we acquired a different technique and chemistry when creating songs. We have to attribute the change in sound to other factors in our daily lives that made us create the sound of ‘When the Light Dies’, simple experiences and life events that helped us create and polish that album. The change of record label didn’t influence our music in the slightest.
Does each member contribute the lyrics? Or is one of you in charge of them? What philosophical current does Luciferian Rites follow when crafting their dark verses? Are they based on past experiences? Or a way of life?
While the vocalist (Shadow) is the main songwriter, I’m also involved in the creation process, and we’re always focused on negativity. When writing songs, it’s always about darkness, hatred, melancholy, anger, etc. You could say we always explore the negative aspects of the mental, emotional, and spiritual realms. These are fundamental parts of our lyrics, and of course, there are also certain songs we create based on personal experiences, passages from books, we take something from our lives and incorporate it here.
‘Oath of Midnight Ashes’ (Moribund Records, 2024) This is their latest work, the sound is completely different from all the previous ones. It sounds polished, but still has that raw essence of the first album… would you like to continue experimenting with other types of improvements? Mastering, harmonies, etc.?
The idea for this album was to create a sound that, while not entirely different from our previous work, would still distinguish it from the first two. It took almost 10 years to finish, as we were constantly changing, restructuring, etc. The use of two guitars is now more than necessary compared to the previous two albums. Of course, we will continue experimenting with new rhythms, harmonies, and sounds. We like to experiment and see if we like it or not. As I mentioned, the band has had changes not only in members but also musically, and this will continue in the future.
Luciferian Rites is a band that has spread curses around the world, from their tours of North and South America to their most recent European tour in 2025. How does your perspective as musicians change when you experience different scenes? How seriously do you take each other’s roles? Did you feel different kinds of treatment in each one? Tell me about the expedition through the eyes of Luciferian Rites.
For us, each of those dates was a wonderful experience, being able to perform in other countries and share the stage with different bands. We could say that we came to understand that at these events, you have to be committed, respect agreements, schedules, etc. The three countries where we performed are each very different in their customs and traditions. While in the United States they are more reserved and serious when listening to a live band, in Peru people are very passionate and dedicated to the atmosphere, and Switzerland is a mix of both…well, not as passionate as in Latin America, but they do express more emotion. Everyone we were fortunate enough to meet on these trips takes this very seriously; they respect it and are passionate about it. The way the organizers treated us was exceptional in each country; they behaved and were very professional. Each country has a very solid scene, with bands that give their all when they perform.
Please tell us a little about Luciferian Rites’ plans for 2026. Earlier this year, you toured with Satanic Warmaster in Mexico… there’s still half a year to go…
This year, we had a show with Satanic Warmaster; it was a great event. The organizer did an excellent job. Our plans include finishing some work we have pending, as well as finalizing future dates and distributing our latest material, a split album with Hierophany and Repvblica, both very good bands from Mexico City. We’ll announce more news soon.
Any message you’d like to add for the readers of this community, who have been following updates, acknowledgments, curses, obituaries… for many years?
Thank you again for the opportunity and the interview. We hope you enjoy it. Greetings from the northern border of Mexico.
