EMQ’s With Cabrakaän
EMQ’s With Cabrakaän
Hi everyone! Welcome to another EMQs interview, this time with Mexican/ Canadian Symphonic Folk Metal band, Cabrakaän. Huge thanks to their drummer, Marko Cipäktli, for taking part.
What is your name, what do you play and can you tell us a little bit about the history of the band?
I’m Marko Cipäktli, the drummer for Cabrakaän. We originally formed our band in Mexico City, but we now call Canada our home. The band was formed by Pat Cuikani (the vocalist) and I. She came to my recording studio for a different project, and we found a lot of overlapping musical interests. Even though I wanted to form a Death Metal band at the time, she had a background and formal training in opera. From there, we created a style of music that fit both our interests. It was her idea to incorporate pre-Hispanic themes in our music, and it was an idea that ended up defining who we are as a band, which has been incredibly rewarding. We’ve released two studio albums since then: Songs from Anahuac (2014) and Cem Anahuac My Home (2019) and another on the way very soon, Aztlán (November 17th, 2023).
How did you come up with your band name?
Our band name, “Cabrakaän”, is an adaptation from the Mayan god, Cabrakan (alternatively spelled Caprakan). The name Caprakan originated from a book called “Popol Vuh”, which could be considered the Mayan equivalent of the bible: it’s their creation story where they describe and depict all of the Mayan gods. Cabrakan was the god of earthquakes and mountains. Of course, when you think of earthquakes and mountains, there’s an easy connection to make with the idea of powerful music and metal, just as the Norse gods we read about in Viking history.
Cabrakan was known for being very powerful. According to myth, his power brought out his arrogance and vanity. We wanted to leave this part behind and carry the name forward to symbolize power and strength because it represents exactly what we want to do with our music. As well, the name has a lot of power in terms of phonetics. The original name we chose was “Kaprakan” – we changed it because “Cabrakaän” is more easily pronounced in the Spanish Language.
What Country / Region are you from and what is the Metal / Rock scene like there?
We’re from Mexico City, and there’s a huge, vibrant metal scene there. There’s an unbelievable amount of talent in Mexico, and it’s a shame that a lot of it doesn’t reach an international audience. Most of the band have been in Mexico City’s metal scene for some time and found that there’s a sense of competition between bands – something you don’t see here in Canada. It happens because there are so many of us, so much talent, that bands end up competing with each other for attention. In Canada, the metal scene is much smaller and close-knit. It’s harder to play shows and tour, but the people in the scene are so welcoming and supportive of us. That’s why we moved to Canada after performing here: even though we weren’t known, people supported us and motivated us to keep going. I would encourage anyone not from Mexico to do a bit of exploring in our country’s metal scene, because there’s a lot of great stuff there.
What is your latest release?
On November 17, we’ll release our third album, Aztlán. This is our most ambitious release to date, representing our perseverance to continue onward with our music despite many challenges and setbacks. It gave us the opportunity to create something important and beautiful, and to share a piece of our culture with the world. It’s been a challenge to complete this album for many reasons, and I’m so incredibly proud of what we created together. The album is thematic and based on events/mythologies leading up to, and following, the Spanish Conquest. On this album, you’ll find that our new sound includes folkloric elements, enchanting orchestral arrangements, operatic vocals, and heavy sounds. We hope you love it.
We also recently released our documentary, Journey to Aztlán, and our first two singles from the album (Mictlán and Fuego). The documentary is meant to share more of our culture and the reasons we feel it’s important to mix folklore with metal, especially to broader audiences that might not know as much about our history. For anyone interested in checking it out, it’s streaming on our YouTube channel.
Who have been your greatest influences?
For me (Marko), I’m influenced a lot by thrash metal from the early 90s. Pat has always been influenced by the traditional folk music of Mexico, Opera, Classical, and Symphonic Metal. Her biggest idol is Janis Joplin, even though her style is very different from that. Alex is influenced by a lot of early Thrash and Power Metal bands, Brendan is influenced by bands like Trivium and Iced Earth, and David takes his influences from bands like Therion, Symphonic Metal, Latin Folk elements, and Classical guitar styles. Together, I think we make a very interesting mix of folklore, Symphonic Metal, and some of the heavier styles in Metal.
What first got you into music?
My favourite album is probably Metallica’s “Master of Puppets”. It was something that first influenced me to get into drumming and metal, and I still listen to it to this day. I grew up listening to 90’s Thrash Metal and it directly influenced the way I think about drumming in all of my projects. My sister was also in a band when we were growing up. I was introduced to the local music scene at a very young age and got to explore the instrument I loved shortly after that. The rest is history.
If you could collaborate with a current band or musician who would it be?
There are so many great artists that I’d love to collaborate with. I have a huge appreciation for Maná, a Mexican Rock band that uses great percussive elements. Since I’m a drummer, they have been a big influence in all of my drumming.
If you could play any festival in the world, which would you choose and why?
We would love to play at Wacken Open Air. The idea of sharing our music and performing at one of the world’s biggest Metal festivals is a huge dream we’re working toward. Sharing the stage with our favourite bands, many of whom were important early influences for us, would be the greatest honour and a surreal experience.
What’s the weirdest gift you have ever received from a fan?
I’m not sure we have ever received anything weird from a fan! We’ve met a lot of great and interesting people since we started. One of the best unexpected experiences was meeting Agustín García Reyes, who makes traditional pre-Hispanic instruments. Meeting him and having the chance to use instruments he’s made changed the band’s sound in all the best ways. I don’t know if that counts, but I consider his instruments to be a gift that has influenced our music.
If you had one message for your fans, what would it be?
As you might guess, our upcoming album is the biggest thing on our minds, so our message is:
We hope that you’re as excited as we are for Aztlán! The album shares an intimate piece of ourselves with you. It represents our perseverance to continue onward with our music despite many challenges and setbacks. It gave us the opportunity to create something important and beautiful, and to share a piece of our culture with the world. On this album, you’ll find that our new sound is an evolved, matured version of our familiar style: Folkloric elements, enchanting orchestral arrangements, operatic vocals, and heavy sounds.
To our long-time fans: Thank you for your unwavering support and for embarking on this musical journey with us. Your enthusiasm and dedication are our driving force, and we can’t wait to share this new chapter with you.
To our new fans: Welcome! We hope you find something in our music that resonates with you.
If you could bring one rock star back from the dead, who would it be?
I would bring back Cliff Burton (Metallica’s former bassist). To me, it changed what Heavy Metal is now. He was a huge influence on Metal and for me, even as a drummer. Cliff Burton was a big part of the creative process in Metallica’s early albums (including “Master of Puppets”), so I always wonder how Metal would have evolved if he were still around, and what Metallica would’ve accomplished.
What do you enjoy the most about being a musician? And what do you hate?
The reason I became a musician was to express myself and share my energy with others. That’s what I enjoy most, that’s what inspires me to keep making music. I love the creative process of developing a song, but performing it is an opportunity to transmit a part of myself to an audience in a way they can share and take enjoyment for themselves.
I think the most difficult part of being a musician is the uphill battle of making a living from it. It’s possible, but there are so many factors that limit it, especially these days with streaming platforms, record label monopolies, copyright and royalties, and so on. I’ll talk about that a bit in the next question.
If you could change one thing about the music industry, what would it be?
As many others might say, I would change the way we compensate musicians for streaming music. I think it’s the best tool we can have nowadays to get anywhere we want with our music. From a musician’s perspective, and an industry perspective, it’s unfair because platforms take complete advantage of our music. We make fractions of a dollar from streams. It’s true that you can just put your music out there, and you can feel good about yourself for sharing it as an artist, but the truth is that you’re almost giving your music away for free. Unlike the days of compact discs and other physical media, it’s very hard for musicians to make a reasonable living off of streaming music. As in many other industries, there’s also a monopoly in the industry of people who own and manage everything – Universal Music, Warner Music, Sony Music, and so on.
Personally, the first thing I’d change is how copyright is divided amongst artists and bands. Drummers often don’t receive a fair share after contributing to the creation of a song or album. A famous example is with Dave Lombardo from Slayer, who got little-to-nothing in royalties because drums weren’t considered part of the music.
Name one of your all-time favourite albums?
Amon Amarth: “With Odin On Our Side” is one of my all-time favourites.
When they released this album, I was in music production school. I was fascinated by the sound of the mix, and it inspired me to accomplish a similar sound in my own mixes. Even though the mix isn’t necessarily what I’d do now, it set me on an inspired path to find the perfect mix in my own music over the years. The songs are great, and it’s just an album you don’t get tired of. Every song has something, and it’s connected thematically.
What’s best? Vinyl, Cassettes, CD’s or Downloads?
In my opinion, vinyl is the best in terms of overall sound quality. Other media, like downloads, make music more accessible to the masses. In my opinion, though, there’s a reason vinyl has made a strong comeback amongst collectors and audiophiles – the sound and experience can’t be compared to the others.
What’s the best gig that you have played to date?
I think that the best gig I’ve played was our very first festival in Canada. In 2016, we came to Canada for the first time to play Metalocalypstick Fest. It’s a festival hosted in BC that aims to promote women in metal. We talk about it a bit more in our documentary (on YouTube), but in short, it was an unforgettable experience that changed how we saw ourselves as a band. It gave us incredible motivation after receiving so much enthusiasm and support, and it even influenced us to move to Canada in the end. We saw a lot of potential for success in Canada because of that performance.
If you weren’t a musician, what else would you be doing?
I think that my first-instinct answer would be that I don’t see myself doing anything else, because music is a part of my soul. The other truth is that I’m also very passionate about TV and film sound design and finding the perfect mix in music. It’s something I do for a living, and I truly love it. It directly influences our band, because my appreciation for great sound challenges me to use different elements to tell a story in Cabrakaän’s music.
Which five people would you invite to a dinner party?
Personally, and based on my own musical influences, I’d invite: Frederik Andersson (ex-Amon Amarth drummer), Marko Hietala (ex-Nightwish), Alex Gonzalez (Manà drummer), Pekka Kokko (vocalist / guitarist and founder of Kalmah), and Matt Barlow (Vocalist, Ex-Iced Earth). It seems like a weird combination, but I find all of these people to be inspiring in their skills and creativity. I’d be especially interested in knowing more about their creative processes!
What’s next for the band?
A. As you know, our album release is fast approaching. Soon, we’ll release our third single, then the album will be released. We’re currently making plans for future live shows, and that’s likely our biggest goal for 2024. Our main goal is to promote Aztlán to as wide and diverse an audience as possible. Plans are still in the works, but we’re very excited for what’s coming and can’t wait to share with our fans.
What Social Media / Website links do you use to get your music out to people?
You can follow us on all social media platforms:
SPOTIFY: https://open.spotify.com/artist/0P9preX0OgDtSALRMmeucm
BANDCAMP: https://cabrakaan.bandcamp.com/
APPLE MUSIC: https://music.apple.com/us/artist/cabraka%C3%A4n/1134409618
INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/cabrakaan_band/
FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/CABRAKAAN
WEBSITE: www.cabrakaan.com
Time for a very British question now. As an alternative to the humble sandwich, is the correct name for a round piece of bread common in the UK either a Bap, a Barm (or Barm Cake), a Batch, a Bun, a Cob, a Muffin, a Roll or a Tea Cake?
None of us have been to the UK before, but we’re very excited at the idea of getting to know British culture a lot better in the future! I can’t say that I know what any of those are. When we make our way to the UK, you’ll have to teach us all the proper terminology!
Thank you for your time. Is there anything else that you would like to add?
Thank you very much for the interview! We hope to meet you and all our UK fans very soon. Our album release is coming very soon on November 17th – you can pre-order it on our Bandcamp page. Cheers!
Disclaimer: This interview is solely the property of Ever Metal. It is strictly forbidden to copy any part of this review, unless you have the strict permission of both parties. Failure to adhere to this will be treated as plagiarism and will be reported to the relevant authorities.
