Voltax have carved their place in Mexico City’s heavy metal underground through persistence, evolution and a fire that’s never dimmed. Two decades on, they remain a band driven by intent, identity and sheer force of will. In this conversation, they look back at the journey, the turning points and the spirit that’s kept them moving forward.

Interview

TheNwothm: Hey there! Can you please introduce the band, the members and where you are from?

V: We are a heavy metal band formed in Mexico City in 2006. The current lineup consists of Jerry on vocals, Diego on guitar, Víctor on guitar, Héctor on bass, and Andy on drums.

TheNwothm: From my understanding Voltax began after the split of Thaurval, with Gova and Ganso reconnecting with Matt to start what was originally meant to be a covers project. What do you remember most vividly about those early conversations that convinced you this could become something more than a side idea?

V: Although we played a few covers at first—very few, actually—those were just to start shaping the band’s sound. From the very beginning, I had in mind forming a band with original songs oriented toward a more traditional sound within metal but without losing the core of speed, power, and rawness—something contrasting with what was mostly being played back then, which was primarily extreme metal and heavily overproduced in most recordings of the time.

Something else I want to emphasize is that Voltax wasn’t started as a hobby; from the very beginning, we intended to record albums and play shows. Although there was uncertainty about the band’s longevity, we decided to move forward and learn step by step.

TheNwothm: Once the line‑up settled with Isaac and Jerry, how did the name Voltax come into the picture, and what made it feel like the right identity for the music you wanted to create?

V: The name came from the word “voltaje” (voltage in Spanish) to describe the electric charge we wanted to convey through our music. At first, we thought about keeping the word “voltaje” in Spanish, but then we decided to add an “x” at the end to give the band’s name a more distinctive identity and that “edgy” sound that the “x” provides.

TheNwothm: Mexico City has its own energy, intensity and creative pulse. In what ways has living and working there shaped the attitude, sound or spirit of Voltax?

V: Mexico City is a monster; every day is filled with deafening noise. The traffic and the sheer number of people living in the city make the atmosphere there very chaotic. The social situations we experience daily confront us with the various sociopolitical and environmental issues that arise before us at every moment in an ever-changing environment.

Thus, there is also a wide range of musical expressions that create great diversity and a multitude of styles, and personally, I believe that the heavy rock produced in this region of the country tends to be restless music that shifts in form, and varies in rhythm, sometimes constantly; there can be shifts in style within an album and even within a single song. Although, as is the case worldwide, there are bands that mimic a specific style of certain bands or subgenres.

TheNwothm: You explore themes like fantasy, battles, life and emotion. Do you feel any of those themes connect back to the culture or storytelling traditions you grew up around?

V: Definitely, given the globalized world we live in. On the other hand, even though we play music rooted in Western tradition, the traditions of our local culture influence us—consciously or unconsciously—to develop a unique approach to rock music. Some of our lyrics are inspired by personal experiences, and we often use vivid metaphors to describe those experiences, which are usually very real.

TheNwothm: When you look back at the run from your self‑titled debut “Voltax” through to “Hiding into Flames”, what stands out to you about the ideas, circumstances or creative sparks that shaped those early full‑lengths?

V: Every Voltax album has been different—from the way we conceive, compose, and develop it until we arrive at a sound we’re satisfied with—but even after they’ve been recorded, the songs continue to evolve, which is why we’ve re-recorded some of them.

On the album “Voltax” (2007), we were still defining our sound, and the lineup was a bit unstable; the album came out as an attempt to start making our way in the heavy metal scene. On “En Fugitive State of Mind” (2010), with Diego’s arrival, lineup changes, and the experience of our first recording, I feel we managed to define a more solid sound with the power it required.

For me, it was the first Voltax recording where I felt there was cohesion and power, as well as being the album that allowed us to reach a wider international audience. On “Hiding Into Flames” (2013), new influences emerged, such as the heavy and psychedelic rock of the late ’60s and early ’70s.

We had jam sessions while preparing that album, added some keyboards, and wrote longer songs. I consider it an achievement because we could have easily gone down the path of “Fugitive State of Mind,” and that would have been comfortable in a way, but this step helped us find a stronger identity. 

TheNwothm: Moving into the later releases, from “No Retreat… You Surrender” to the EP “Death Race and the Forbidden Demos”, how did the band’s mindset or working process shift during those years, and what drew you towards the material you chose to share?

V: During those recordings, there were lineup changes, and our influences from extreme metal became more pronounced. “No Retreat” takes the rock sound of “Hiding into Flames” to a more solid and powerful level, while on “Death Race” we introduced growling vocals; and with Andy joining on drums, we were able to explore faster rhythms, including blast beats.

TheNwothm: With “Ardentis” arriving in 2023, how did you approach that album in relation to everything that came before it, and what did completing it mean to you at this stage in your journey?

V: This is a very special album in our career. With it, we wanted to try new things, the main one being the use of Spanish in all the songs. We also wanted to focus on less complex and more direct songs, but with a much higher technical level compared to our past material, thanks to Andy (drums) and Victor (guitar), the newest members of Voltax. This album definitely marks a new stage for the band—more aggressive, more intense, and more technical—with the clear idea of ​​continuing to make heavy metal in its purest form.