Sacrifice is more than just a follow up EP to The Inferno Doll‘s 2015 full length Dollmination it also continues the story of the main character being possessed by an alter ego with no vision of which one is the enemy. This time out, the character is awakened and summoned by a High Priestess who controls the element of fire and offers a second chance. For this story to play out, the music must match not only the occult at work here but the battle at hand. And it does, in spades. This is dark, gothic metal at its theatrical and evil best. The slow burn enchantment of the title track crashing head first into the gnashing teeth of Land of the Lords shows just how talented vocalist and songwriter Laura Vargas is at bringing this all to successful, albeit dark, fruition. Sacrifice saw digital release back in October and as of this month has seen a physical release. Just behind this particular release we had the chance to pose our Profile questions to Laura in hopes of finding out more about the project and the artist. She opens up with a ton of info so head below to see how it went down.
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How did you first get into playing music, and have you achieved the level of success that you hoped for?
When I was around 9 years old when my Dad taught me how to play the guitar. Before I started as a solo artist, I fronted the metal band Sacramento (in Chile) for many years and we played very often, we opened for several bands in Chile – like Theatre of Tragedy or Within Temptation. We also played at the first edition of The Metal Fest, also in Chile and in 2013, I had the opportunity to perform at Metal Female Voices Fest in Belgium back in 2013. So artistically I have achieved some success and I feel very proud of it. Today, relocated to Canada, I’m continuously working on achieving my goals as a solo artist and I feel very proud of what I’ve achieved so far.
What’s the most you have ever debased yourself to get your band onto a show, into a magazine or otherwise promoted, covered, and praised? (If you don’t have a story, please tell us any funny/embarrassing story.)
With my former band, we would contact venues or promoters directly to get a slot to play or to open for a big band. Sometimes we would get answers from the emails we sent and some others, nothing. I remember once we played at this venue in Chile and the room they gave us as backstage was a tiny little room that was incredibly dirty and it had roaches.
What do you see as some of the great things happening in metal and what are some of the worst things happening inside the scene right now?
2020 has been a hell of a crazy year and some artists have been able to adapt to this new way of living. They (I include myself here) have gotten more active on their social media. I think, and I talked to a friend of mine about this same topic not too long ago, that being able to adapt to this new way of living is one of the best things you can do. Streaming shows online or just chatting with other artists on your Instagram or Facebook. But I’ve also seen how some bands and artists, especially independent artists or emerging bands, do not do this. They think social media is a waste of time and they do not promote themselves. Social media is a great tool to connect with your current fanbase, attract new listeners to your music world and sell.
It seems that now everyone has a passion for some cause and that those people are very open about displaying their passions. This is probably a very, very good (and progressive) thing socially. What are some of the most important issues (social/political/humorous/etc.) for you and how do you insert those issues into your music?
Mindset. For that’s very important. Working on directing your thoughts and energy in a positive way and getting rid of all the negativity that doesn’t add anything good to your life. My EP “Sacrifice” is all about that: making sacrifices in order to become the person and artist I want to be. The struggles and fears I faced when I left Chile and came to Canada. It’s about personal growth and self-love too. That with a dark romantic twist, that’s what inspires me to write the music I make.
What, or who, got you into metal and how old were you? How did your family take the news?
That was my friends from school. I was 12 or 13 years old when I started going to a new school and I had no idea what metal music was. One day my classmates (the boys were all metalheads), during art class they played a Sepultura cassette tape and the first song I listened to from them – and also the first metal song I listened to – was “Biotech is Godzilla.” That changed my world instantly and I have been a metalhead since then. We weren’t able to listen to the whole cassette though. The teacher found the music to be too loud and aggressive… hahahaha!
What advice do you have for aspiring music critics and outlets out there? How can we all better serve the genre in the eyes of a hard-working musician?
Research the band you’re going to interview before doing the interview itself. I had come across music critics that have no idea who the artist they’re reviewing or interviewing is. But this is also a shared work. If you’re a new/unknown artist or band, get your Bio on Spotify, on your Facebook Page, on your Instagram, your website. Tell your fans and new music critics who are you and what your music is all about. If I don’t do that you, the interviewer, won’t have anything to work on.
What’s your goal? You guys thinking world domination? Maybe saving a continent? Maybe invading one? Do you guys have day jobs or hobbies you want to share? Whatever it is, please let us know.
Right now my main focus is promoting my new EP SACRIFICE and connecting with my audience. Because covid is not gone yet and it’s not safe, performing is not my priority but I do want to play locally, within Canada and worldwide. So working on my own online music business to get ready to hit the road is what I’m focusing on today. I do have a part-time job now and my goal is to become a full-time artist and only work on my own music business.
When you’re not obsessing over your own material, what are some of your favorite albums to listen to currently? (Feel free to include non-metal)
I’m a big fan of Devil Doll and my favourite album is “The Girl Who Was… Death.” I also have been listening to Leprous (Pitfalls), Garea (Limbo), Peter Gundry (Goëtia), Avatar (The Black Waltz and Hunter Gatherer), Diary of Dreams (Hell in Eden) and The Vision Bleak (The Unknown), Peter Murhpy (Lion).
What is the 12-month outlook for you or your band? Any specific events on the horizon that the masses should be aware of?
No shows at the moment, Covid is not making that possible. As I mentioned before, I’m promoting my new EP, growing my fanbase, doing lots of Livestream on Instagram and Facebook, I’m using social media as a tool to get my name and music known. Other plans for the next 12 months are writing a new album that I’d like to release during the 3rd quarter of 2021, plan the promotion and hopefully, be able to play live.
Summarize your band in exactly one word. (Disclosure: If you include additional words, we will select our favorite for the final publication.)
Bewitching.
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Many thanks to Laura for her time!
Sacrifice is available now, digitally and in physical format, on the band’s Bandcamp page. For more information on The Inferno Doll, visit their official website.
Nine Circles 