Buziraco are a metal-done-the old-way band currently located in Miami, Florida! Coming off a killer EP we wanted to catch up introduce them to you!

NWOTHM: Hey and Happy New Year! Thanks for the opportunity to interview you! Could you tell us a bit about the band and introduce yourselves to us?

Buziraco: First, thank you so much, and THENWOTHM, for your time and support.

“Buziraco is my old-school heavy metal solo project. I’m the guitarist and founder of Lucera, a Colombian Black Metal band that started in 92 in Colombia, South America. Buziraco is my pseudonym in Lucera. That’s why I named my Heavy metal project after that name. As a member of Lucera, I can tell you that from the beginning, we were fans of the old school heavy metal and rock, and for that reason, the Buziraco band was always something that I had in mind since the beginning of Lucera. Finally, in 2018, I decided to start Buziraco, I had a couple of songs ready, and I began looking for musicians, so I asked Lucera’s current drummer, Malignus Pendencierus, to join me. Still, this time in the bass, Corsario Aguirre joined us on vocals and a local guy in the Drums who also recorded our first EP. And that was the beginning.” 

Buziraco has new members today: Pestilent Hammer in drums in 2022 and Mighty Ophicvs from Lucera in keyboards. Both guys are present in the “Nightgazer “album.

NWOTHM: I’ve done a little reading about you and from what I’ve gathered, you used to be a black metal band? How and why did you decide to switch it up to Traditional Metal?

Buziraco: As I told you before, I am still playing with Lucera, so Ophicvs and Malignus, indeed, we just released a new album in January 2024 called “Satanass.” We are an old-school Black metal band from the early ’90s with influences from the ’80s; we lived in the late ’80s, which means that we grew up listening to old-school Rock and metal; we’ve always been fans of bands like Rainbow, Deep Purple, Black Sabbath, Scorpions, Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, Blue oyster cult, Praying Mantis, Warlord, etc. Of course, heavier bands like Venom, Bathory, Celtic Frost, etc. That’s why how our love for heavy metal and heavy Rock in general is explained. We have never switched genre, we just play one genre called Rock; As a Fenriz said “We were raised on Rock.

NWOTHM: Is there a big difference between writing and playing traditional metal vs black metal?

Buziraco: There are differences but not too many, mainly because we play old-school metal; if you listen to Lucera’s albums, you can hear a lot of old-school heavy metal riffs in our songs and covers from Accept “Up to the Limit” and “Electric eye” by Judas Priest in one of our albums. Consequently, In many of Lucera’s lyrics, we emphasize that a real black metal head needs to respect and enjoy the classics: “classic rock and early heavy metal.”

However, to respond to the main question, I think the main differences between writing heavy Rock and Black metal, in our case, are the style of voice and the lyrics.

NWOTHM: You just released an album this past November called Nightgazer( I’ve listened to it several times and I loved it). The artwork is awesome, did you design it yourself? What inspired the artwork?

Buziraco: First of all, thank you so much for your words. Yes, the artwork was designed by Ophicvs. He designed all Lucera, Buziraco, and Ophicvs (Band) art. He is definitely an excellent graphic designer and musician. 

The art was inspired by album covers from bands like Journey and Boston and others from the late 1970s, and the album name was, of course, inspired by Rainbow.

NWOTHM:What comes first in your songwriting process, music or lyrics?

Buziraco: Generally, music comes first, but I always have some lyrics written before, so in the process of songwriting, we try to fit them as best we can into the music.

NWOTHM: Was there a specific moment in your life where you all knew this is it- I want to pursue music and I want to play heavy metal?

Buziraco: Even before Lucera, knowing that Lucera was born in 1992, as I mentioned before, we grew up listening to classic rock and old-school heavy metal.

NWOTHM: What would you consider the “golden era” for traditional metal?

Buziraco: 1975-1986 were the best years for rock and metal in general.

NWOTHM: Who are your biggest influences in metal? Who are some of your favorite bands?

Buziraco: We love bands like Rainbow, Black Sabbath, Deep Purple, Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, Dokken, Gary Moore, Thin Lizzy, White Lion, Dio, etc, and heavier bands Like Bathory, Celtic Frost, Venom, Old Destruction, Old Kreator, Old Sodom, of course classic Death Metal and early black metal from bands before 1994 like Darkthrone, Master’s Hammer, Old Mayhem, Old Rotting Christ etc.

In my case, I also love the Japanese metal scene; I am a big fan of my friend Shinji Tachi’s band Magnesium (Jap)

NWOTHM: Let’s get your top 5 traditional metal albums?

Buziraco: That’s a Thought question. Let me try to mention some albums that I really like and that are coming to my head now.

Rainbow Long live rock & roll

Black Sabbath Heaven and Hell

Praying Mantis Time tells no lies

Accept Restless and wild

Scorpions Taken By Force.

NWOTHM: Who are the best NWOTHM bands going right now?

Buziraco:  I can’t tell who the best are because everybody is working to show good stuff. To mention some new interesting bands could be Drifter, Mausoleum Gate, Flight, these guys from Switzerland called Amethyst, and the disbanded Horisont.

NWOTHM: Someone asks you “what is heavy metal” and you can only give them one album to listen to. What would it be?

Buziraco: I will show that person the collection of Judas Priest, from Rock Rolla to the Painkiller, and tell him or her, “This is heavy metal and its evolution.”

NWOTHM: To you, what makes metal “traditional”? Would it be dueling guitars? Clean sung vocals? Can harsh vocals and screaming be used in traditional metal?

Buziraco: Heavy Metal in the old way!!! No triggers in drums and no over-processing guitars.

Harsh voices like Udo, Graham Bonnett, or Tony Martin and clean voices like Michael Sweet or Kiske are traditional heavy metal for me. Beautiful guitars like the ones played by Vitto Bratta or William J Tsamis are traditional heavy metal.

NWOTHM: If you were to incorporate some of your black metal vocals into your traditional metal music, would you still consider it traditional or something else?

Buziraco: Personally, I don’t like it when bands mix those two voices. There are some exceptions that sound okay, but I don’t recall any right now.

NWOTHM: For the last several years death metal has really been the most prominent style of metal. Tech Death, 8 string guitars, trying to be more “brutal” than everyone else. Traditional metal is often looked at as the goofy, nerdy, sword and sorcery loving, cheesy younger cousin. Aside from a select few NWOTHM bands, the majority of modern metal fans don’t take it seriously. Do you think that traditional metal will ever become a force to be reckoned with in the greater metal community?

Buziraco: I’m not too fond of Tech death metal. That’s why I don’t listen to Death or Black metal bands born after 1994; there are only a few that I listen to, specifically those bands that stick to the old organic tradition. I don’t like new heavy metal or brutal Death bands with super plastic sounds and technical guitars; it is tough to enjoy new bands lacking an organic sound typical of the old times; many of them have amazing musicians, but their productions are plastic, and their musical skills are only focused on speed, I would rather have something organic, straightforward, honest and from the heart. 

However, seeing new generations playing heavy metal is fantastic because it brings fresh air to our agonizing metal movement and is delightful when delivered well and played from the heart. However, the problem is renaming the heavy metal genre with new names. You know, we all play rock; metal is under its umbrella, and metal styles don’t need to compete with each other. However, it is sad and hard to say, but true metal is dying in all its ramifications worldwide.

NWOTHM: Is music your main job or do you have other jobs outside of music? If so, what do you all do?

Buziraco: Buziraco and Lucera are my passions; there is no money in them. However, I am a professional Classical guitarist and K12 Music school teacher.

NWOTHM: Do you listen to any other music besides metal? If so who are your your favorite non metal artists?

Buziraco: Yes, as I said before, I am a Classical guitarist. I play music from the world, especially classical.

One of my favorite artists is a Spaniard guitarist named Carles Trepat because he plays antique guitars and music from the XVI, XVII, XVIII, and XIX centuries, as well as my own.

NWOTHM: Ok so imagine your speaking to thousands of metal fans who have never heard of you. Sell yourself to them right now-why should everyone be listening to Buziraco?

Buziraco: Lol , I am an awful seller; that’s why I am a musician. I can tell them only the truth about Buziraco :

“Honest, old-school heavy metal, take it or leave it.”

NWOTHM: Any new music on the way?

Buziraco: Yes, we are working on new material for a split vinyl with the new band of ex-members from the disbanded band Borrowed Time.

NWOTHM: What are your touring plans for 2024?

Buziraco: We hope for some touring this year; let’s see what happens.

NWOTHM: Where can fans buy your music and merch?

Buziraco: Here you can find all our discography:

https://austenitizedrecords.bandcamp.com

NWOTHM: Anything you’d like to add I didn’t ask?

Buziraco: Thanks to you and NWWOTHM Webzine, you cover a lot of great questions. Creating a robust net of metalheads worldwide is possible with people and zines like you. Keep up the fantastic labor!

And remember, all Buziraco merchandise is available at Austenitized Records (Ohio, USA).

Cheers brothers! Keep it trve.