Established in 2012 as a collective born from the aftermath of previous musical endeavors, Born in Exile truly found its distinctive sound in 2015 with the arrival of singer Kris Vega, ushering in a captivating era of Progressive Metal exploration.
Having produced three remarkable albums since then, the band experienced another transformative shift in 2019 when Joaco Luis joined their ranks, introducing a fresh perspective without compromising their core essence. From its inception, the project was driven by a shared vision of a “Prog” style, drawing inspiration from the likes of Dream Theater, Opeth, and Symphony X. The early days saw a more extreme inclination with the introduction of a vocalist favoring a guttural approach, a dynamic that evolved significantly with Kris’ arrival and her expansive vocal range.
As Born in Exile continues to navigate the ever-changing landscape of Progressive Metal, the quest for a style and sound harmoniously aligned with the collective vision of its members remains an ongoing and exciting journey.
Prog Sphere: Let’s delve into the essence of the compilation’s standout piece. Could you unfold the inspiration or narrative behind the captivating “Arcane XIII: Dreamcatcher”?
Lucas Comunas: Certainly, it’s quite an intriguing story. “Arcane XIII: Dreamcatcher” is actually part of a larger 3-part narrative. While it could be dissected into three distinct sections, the song was originally conceived as a seamless whole. The narrative behind Arcane XIII draws from experiences shared by several members of the band and unfolds across three episodes. The first part, “The Hunt,” is raw and intense, reflecting the tumultuous events that transpired, while the third part, “Conflagration,” serves as the resolution to the conflict.
Now, delving specifically into “Dreamcatcher,” it represents a more contemplative moment within the broader narrative. It encapsulates the process of healing, the quest for solace, and the discovery of peace of mind in the midst of overwhelming circumstances. Our inspiration for this particular segment was drawn from Stephen King’s book of the same name. In it, one of the protagonists, without giving away too much, visualizes his own thoughts as if they were meticulously organized in an archive—an intricate library containing the information of his life.
Speaking about the creative process for the new album “Major Arcana,” Lucas shares: “Normally, we always write the music first and later on we add the vocal melody and the lyrics. Though we have tried it the other way around, writing music to a message or specific story.“
He goes on saying: “Regarding ‘Major Arcana‘, it has been a slightly different process, since most of the songs were already written beforehand (Arcane XIII was written when Kris joined the band). We decided to rewrite the lyrics, to change rhythmic parts entirely and to modify some melodies as well. Carlos and Joaco are mostly responsible for this, working on the updated sound of the band, in opposition to the sound there was at the moment the song was originally written.“
Who or what are your major influences in progressive metal, and how do they impact your own musical style?
We have mentioned some of them before, Dream Theater being probably the biggest influence in the world of “prog,” but through the years we have discovered bands like Leprous, Pain of Salvation, Karmakanic, Transatlantic, Devin Townsend, Twelve Foot Ninja… All of them have a very particular style and we have been influenced differently by all of them, which is the beauty of “prog,” where you could find completely different colors in the same music genre.
What challenges have you faced as an artist in this scene, and how have you overcome them?
The music industry that we know in Spain does not really support Heavy Metal per se, and even less “prog” or styles as particular as these. We are forced to go into labels, promoters and such, “specialized” in a more extreme music, which doesn’t work either. We have encountered parties that benefit from our work but we don’t receive anything in return. It means throwing money away. Perhaps in other countries it differs, but in Spain it seems that doing work on your own is best. Personally, what has worked for us so far is working on our own, without labels or anything related.
How do you see the scene evolving, and what role do you believe your music plays in that evolution?
Lately, it seems that people tend to prefer seeing a tribute band perform, rather than original music. Or even watching the same legendary band for 10 times in a row in the same music festival every year. What will happen when the bands from the 80s and 90s retire? What will happen when those bands stop touring? Who will fill the slots in festivals in 10 or 15 years time? It’s getting harder to find a way in the metal scene. It’s not only enough to be able to perform. Now you need to know how to record your music, produce it, be your own manager, contact the venues for the shows, do the artwork, keep the social media updated… All this is what limits a band, since you are dedicating the 80% of your effort and energy into something that isn’t even practicing your instrument, or playing live, or writing music. If these things had their own results or rewards, that would be great. But we know it is not that way, sadly.
Share with us some of the most memorable moments in your musical journey so far.
One of our best moments as a band was to play in the awesome ROCK FEST Barcelona ‘18. We had barely released our first album “Drizzle Of Cosmos” one year before and to have the opportunity to be playing on a big stage right before the shows of our favorite artists, hanging out with them there and so on… It was such a fulfilling and wonderful experience.
Another memorable moment was to play in Can Mercader Fest ‘22 in front of a crowd of over 5000 people. It is a small free entrance festival in Cornella (Barcelona) for local bands. Festivals like this one help the scene to keep growing and help not to let live music die.
Do you have a personal favorite among your own compositions? If so, which one and why?
Here we have different opinions. Kristina and Lucas prefer the songs from “Transcendence”, but Carlos and Joaco are more into the “Major Arcana” ones.
Carlos: XVI The Tower, is a very emotive song that we dedicated to a friend who passed away. It was my way to heal and pay tribute to him.
Lucas: Torch, the “Transcendence” formula was more direct in general. For me, “Torch” has all that is needed to be a hit. Very heavy rhythmic parts, technical passages and a cool melody on the choruses.
Joaco: I’d say my favorite track is “Dreamcatcher,” or the middle section of Arcane XIII. I’ve been escaping from the “Metal” aspects of music lately, and I feel like the vocal harmonies on this track came out nicely. Also I had time and space for a cool solo!
Kris: Ziggurat and Enchantress are very energetic to play live. On “Major Arcana,” my favorites are nooM ehT and The Empress due to the meaning of the lyrics.
Can you give us a sneak peek into any upcoming projects or collaborations you’re working on?
We are currently working on promoting our brand new album “Major Arcana.” Our wish this year is to play live as much as we can, record a new music video and start thinking of new ideas for our next album.
What does it mean to you to be a part of our compilation? How has the experience been for you?
It’s been a pleasant surprise. It’s always a pleasure to share our music in a different way and it’s really nice to reach new fans and prog lovers who don’t know about us yet.
Is there a message you’d like to convey to your fans who will be discovering your music through this compilation?
We hope that whether you like it or not, we encourage you to appreciate all the effort and work that everyone has put on every single song of this compilation album and if you like our music, don’t hesitate to follow us on social media.
Quickfire Round
If you could collaborate with any artist, living or not, who would it be?
Carlos: Mike Portnoy
Lucas: Baard Kolstad
Joaco: Guthrie Govan
Kris: Devin Townsend
If you had to pick one instrument (besides your primary one) to master, what would it be?
Carlos: Drums
Lucas: Piano
Joaco: Violin
Kris: Bass
What’s your all-time favorite progressive metal album, and why?
Carlos: Metropolis pt.2: Scenes From A Memory (Dream Theater), I believe it’s the album that has influenced me the most, and the one I’ve listened to the most too.
Lucas: In a Perfect World (Karmakanic), it’s a very particular “prog,” influenced by the 70s and 80s sound but with very technical parts.
Joaco: Metropolis pt. 2: Scenes From a Memory is definitely my fav album, followed very very closely by Pink Floyd’s The Wall. I guess I like the technical ability displayed in Metropolis a bit more, but definitely the storytelling and narrative of The Wall.
Kris: 1000 days from Tool or Malina from Leprous, can’t decide.
Are there non-musical influences that find their way into your music? (e.g., literature, art, science)
Carlos: Video Games.
Lucas: H.P. Lovecraft.
;Joaco: Video Games.
Kris: Occultism and ancient cultures.
Any final thoughts or reflections you’d like to share with our audience?
Thanks a lot for reading this interview. Thanks to Prog Sphere for reaching out to us and willing to share our music. We appreciate your support very much. It’s always a pleasure to be able to speak about ourselves, our music writing process, and to express our thoughts about music in general.
Where can our audience find more about you and your music? (Include social media handles, website, etc.)
INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/borninexile/
FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/bieborninexile
THREADS: https://www.threads.net/@borninexile
TWITTER / X: https://twitter.com/Borninexile
TIKTOK: https://www.tiktok.com/@born.in.exile
SPOTIFY: https://open.spotify.com/intl-es/artist/1LU6A7kv3ixlYIBCcHJFmi?si=NNlgER29RZyO0cL_IRvSJQ
YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/@BorninExile
TIDAL: https://tidal.com/browse/artist/18067151
AMAZON MUSIC: https://music.amazon.es/artists/B0842WMZJP/born-in-exile
APPLE MUSIC: https://music.apple.com/es/artist/born-in-exile/1235083541
BANDCAMP: https://borninexileband.bandcamp.com/merch
