Madrid is producing some amazing talent and the four piece known as Rave In Fire is just one of those bands who are ready to take the world by storm! From having backgrounds in aerospace engineering, Journalism and more, Rave In Fire are by far a very interesting bunch! Check out the interview!

THE NWOTHM: Hey there Rave In Fire! Can you start by introducing us to the band, who the members are and where you are from?

RIF: Hi guys! We are Rave in Fire, a heavy metal quartet based in Madrid. We are Jonjo (guitar and producer), Sele (vocals), Sara (bass) and Jaime (drums and backing vocals). The four of us were born and raised in Madrid, and we are between 29 and 33 years old.

THE NWOTHM: How did you form and where did the band name come from?
Rave in Fire began in late 2015 when we got together in Madrid with a very clear intention: a heavy metal band. From then on, a series of changes took place in the lineup, until the current one was formed in mid-2020. We came up with the name because we wanted to reflect something very heavy, powerful and fun. That’s how we came up with the word “rave”, a term associated with crazy parties, but not common in the heavy metal world. So, what’s heavier than a rave? A fucking Rave in Fire.

THE NWOTHM: Can you tell us more about your musical backgrounds?

RIF: Our style could be included within the New Wave Of Traditional Heavy Metal (NWOTHM). This translates into a style that draws from the heavy metal of the 80s, but with a sound and theme brought to the 21st century. Medium tempos predominate, with complex and forceful riffs and a wide vocal and harmonic spectrum. Some of our main references are Warlock, Loudness or Dio. We also are very inspired by other bands from the NWOTHM such as Enforcer, RAM, Skull Fist, Leather Heart or Cauldron.

THE NWOTHM: What is the metal scene like in your hometown and in Spain in general?

RIF: Madrid currently has a great metal scene, despite the mainstream music media (magazines or radio stations) often despise us. There are great heavy metal bands such as Frenzy, Invaders or Slowburn. And in other metal genres as well. In Spain we could say the same. Last year we could hear great heavy metal albums such as ‘Digital race’ by Redshark or ‘Triumph & tragedy’ by Hitten. Other bands like Witchtower, Loanshark, Crimson Storm or Savaged are making great music as well and keeping heavy metal alive in Spain.

THE NWOTHM: What are your favourite instruments in your collections? Do you have a go to brand?

Jonjo: On the guitar side, I use my Gibson Explorer for live playing and my Charvel San Dimas for recording. As time passes by, I see gear as something not relevant compared to the decisions you make while using it. So, I do not have a go to brand (and btw no one is sponsoring me at the moment!).

Sele: I use a Shure SM58, but I don’t care much about brands, as long as the mic sounds good and doesn’t break hahaha.

Sara: I began playing guitar when I was a teenager. In fact, I started playing bass a few months before I joined Rave in Fire. My second guitar (the first one was a shitty cheap one) was a white and black Jackson RR3 which I still love like the first day and is very special for me.

Jimi: I’ve used the same drum set for years, a low range Mapex with good cymbals and better drum heads. Despite being a “cheap” instrument, I believe it sounds great. I believe expensive drums are overrated in comparison with a good tuning, good drum heads and cymbals, all mixed with good taste. I like Sabian and Paiste cymbals and Remo drum heads, but I don’t care so much about brands. The key is you sound good even if you can’t afford great equipment.

THE NWOTHM: Can you tell us an interesting fact about each of yourselves?

Sele: I sing many other genres besides heavy metal, like soul, jazz, folk or pop. I love almost all music genres. I’m also a geek of role playing games.

Sara: Besides my music passion, I’m an environmentalist who loves nature and animals and works as an environmental analyst in a renewable energy company.

Jonjo: I am a geek aerospace engineer. Everything from mathematics to smashing my head to my guitar while playing is a continuum of pleasure.

Jaime: I’m a journalist specialised in crimes and other happenings (not politics, fortunately). I spend a lot of time in the streets looking for stories and I’ve written about very, very creepy and bizarre stuff. I’m also a photographer and I ride a really cool motorbike hehehe.

THENWOTHM: If you could have a beer with any musician who would it be and why?

Jonjo: Jimi Hendrix. Not just for the guitar stuff. He looked so chilled, bro.

Jaime: John Bonham, because I know he wouldn’t have just one beer. We would get drunk as hell.

Sele: Dio. He didn’t drink, but I admire him so much as a singer and as a person. I would have the beer while he talks.

Sara: Ozzy Osbourne would be extremely interesting and fun to have beers with. He was in the middle of the creation of heavy metal and also has some of the craziest stories to tell!

THE NWOTHM: ‘Chronicle of a Timeless End’ came out in 2018! Tell us more about the background of the release and the writing and recording process!

RIF: This EP was conceived as our introduction to the world. It was some kind of presentation about what we could do. We started working on those songs in early 2016 and we had them ready for the studio one year later, approximately. The recording process took place in G Studio, in Colmenar Viejo, a town near Madrid. We recorded there for a few weeks and it went great. We’re very grateful to Oscar J. Lopez, our first producer, for the kindness and professionalism with which he treated us when we were still very rookies.

THE NWOTHM: Where did the idea for the ‘Lost in a Road’ music video come from?

RIF: We wanted to play in an abandoned place to represent the lyrics of the song, which talks about the path of life, and how sometimes you don’t know where you’re going. You just can choose the way you walk and who you walk with. That’s the idea we wanted to portray. And, well, it was a free location as well hahahaha.

THE NWOTHM: Can you each tell us what your favourite track of the record is?

Jonjo: ‘Lost in a Road’. That was a song that forged some maturity as composers and made people sing along with us.

Jaime: ‘Beautiful Lies’. It has super heavy riffs and it’s sooo fun to play.

Sele: ‘Beautiful Lies’ as well. I love to sing it my way, which it’s a bit different from Willy, my predecessor. He did a great job and I think I honour his lyrics my own way.
Sara: ‘Rubble, smoke and darkness’ has some parts that are SO CATCHY.

THENWOTHM: Do you each have a favourite movie of all time that you have watched over and over?

Sele: ‘Labyrinth’. I’m a huge fan of fantasy and David Bowie. This movie has both things!!

Sara: I’m not the most cinephile person, but ‘Requiem for a dream’ really shook me.

Jonjo: I spend more time with books and music but ‘Blade Runner’ and all the legacy of it (music, aesthetics, etc.) gives me shivers.

Jaime: Damn this is a tough one hahaha. I’m very cinephile and I like a lot of movies. To name a few I’ve watched over and over: ‘Road to perdition’, ‘Goodfellas’, ‘The secret in their eyes’, ‘Crouching tiger, hidden dragon’, ‘The dark knight’, the LOTR trilogy, all Tarantino movies… and so
on.

THENWOTHM: What bands of recent years would you say to look out for?

RIF: We like a lot modern thrash metal bands like Suicidal Angels, Angelus Apatrida, Revocation, Warbringer and so. In NWOTHM, bands like Evil Invaders, Traveler, Riot City, Vanik, Roadwolf, Mega Colossus or Dream Troll are making some kick ass albums. And also outside the metal scene there’s great music as well. We are very open minded and we like a bit of everything: prog rock, reggae, punk, pop, folk, ska and many electronic genres.

THE NWOTHM: ‘Sons of a Lie’ was released last year! Can you tell us more about your most recent release?

RIF: The album speaks for itself. We’re very proud of it and everyone loved it. All the reviews in specialised media say it’s a great job, so… what can we say? We’re very happy with this album and we hope in the future we can make even better music.

THE NWOTHM: What made you choose to do a cover of the Tarot song ‘Wings of
Darkness?’

RIF: That song was chosen for the auditions of Sara and Sele. They performed it so well we decided to record it to present them as new members.

THE NWOTHM: How would your abilities have developed since starting out?

RIF: We believe it’s a natural evolution based on experience and hard work. It has no mysteries. We started with this band almost eight years ago. Despite our previous experiences, we were very rookies. During this time we have improved our technique, our song writing and our taste. In Jonjo’s case, he has become a professional music producer in the last years. He recorded, produced, mixed and mastered the whole ‘Sons of a lie’ album. Now he is working in other projects, even beyond heavy metal, as a music producer.

THENWOTHM: The trad music movement has changed massively since the early 2000s. What are your thoughts on its evolution?

RIF: What if the new wave of British heavy metal occurred in the early 2000? That’s what the new wave of traditional heavy metal has been trying to simulate all these years. Now we are able to reedit the history of music by creating an evolution of what might have happened after the classics of 80s metal. We have the power to produce our own music and to release a new branch of music that could have happened but never happened. So, it’s not just normal but desirable that this “new” branch of music evolves. We are creating a parallel reality and that involves evolution.

THE NWOTHM: What are your other touring plans for 2023? Do you have any big shows you would like to highlight?

RIF: We’re about to announce our first Spanish tour, or mini-tour maybe. We have concerts scheduled in Madrid, Barcelona, Almería and a festival in Jaén. We believe it’s gonna be awesome.

THE NWOTHM: Where can fans purchase your music and merchandise?

RIF: They can write directly to us by email (raveinfrie@gmail.com), in our Bandcamp page as well, or the web pages of our labels: Lost Realm Records and Iron Oxide Records.

Bandcamp: https://raveinfire.bandcamp.com/album/sons-of-a-lie

THE NWOTHM: Finally Is there anything else you would like to mention?

RIF: We would like to thank you guys, and to thank all the specialised media, for treating us so well and giving us the chance to reach more people. We’re very, very grateful. We believe 2023 is gonna be an awesome year in Rave in Fire’s history and you guys are already part of it. Thank you so much and best regards from Madrid. Long live heavy metal!!