Vorax is a Zurich-based death metal band who took time to answer questions related to their old-school approach, their new album, "Volcano Shock" among other things related to their band. Vorax is formed from members of Messiah, Omophagia, and Death Kommander. Answering the questions is their guitarist Benj.
1. Vorax is a band that comes from members already experienced within the metal community. How was this band formed and what were its intentions beyond the other bands your members were involved in?
Honestly, one of the sparks was writing songs about dinosaurs. What’s more metal than dinosaurs and the raw law of survival? A lot of people said it’s a stupid idea — so it had to be done.
We’ve known each other for a long time and for one reason or the other the timing was just right. So we all jumped at the opportunity to create something together that reflects exactly what we love about death metal. The primal mindset ended up shaping the whole direction of the band. We wanted to strip everything back to something raw and uncompromising—no trends, no samples, no clicktracks, no studio trickery, just honest death metal.
2. The new album, “Volcanic Shock” was recorded differently from most modern bands. Was the intention to return to a more “real” sound separate from current recording techniques?
Absolutely. We wanted a sound that feels real and alive, not tweaked and polished. Most modern productions sound very similar and therefore somewhat boring to us - maybe because the same plugins and samples are used over and over? Who knows. With Volcano Shock we went the other direction, full on analogue hardware, real amps, tape machines, and as little editing as possible. There are many imperfections on the record, but that’s what makes it “us” and unique.
3. How did the band obtain and use all the vintage equipment on “Volcanic Shock”?
We’re constantly searching the second hand market for old and broken analogue equipment. It became an obsession to collect, restore, and maintain old studio gear ourselves. We didn’t just want the sound of that era—we wanted the process that comes with it.
Working with tape machines, outboard gear, and a vintage console forces you into a completely different mindset. You commit to tones, you commit to performances, and you accept limitations. Those limitations are exactly what give the recording its character.
4. Do you have any recommendations for musicians that are trying to follow suit with Vorax to acquire a more realistic sound?
Focus on performance first. The gear matters, but it won’t save weak playing or uninspired riffs.
If you want a more organic sound, avoid over-editing, and commit to decisions instead of endless tweaking. Limitations can actually push you to be more creative and more decisive.
Instead of worrying about sounding perfect, I would rather focus on sounding different and unique.
5. I believe Vorax has an older sound in the music’s composition with a touch of modern song writing. Why do you think many bands are trying to relive the older days of the genre?
For us, it’s not really reliving it— some of us were there and helped define extreme metal in its formative years, so it’s more about continuing what feels natural for us.
As for other bands, we think it’s great that so many bands are exploring old school death metal. It keeps the scene alive and evolving in its own way. As long as it comes from a genuine place, it enriches the genre.
6. What was the charm that you feel older metal albums possessed as opposed to recent releases?
First of all, we don’t think everything old is automatically good. But many of those old records had a strong identity. A big part of that came from how they were made— limited time and possibilities in the studios. It was more expensive to record back then, so bands made sure the material was solid before entering the studio. That combination—commitment, preparation, and performance—gave those albums a personality that’s sometimes missing today.
7. The new album focuses on volcanoes both in the title and lyrically. Despite the obvious of a volcanos destructive force, was there any other reason for the choice in subject matter?
Volcanoes are pure violence—unpredictable, explosive, and unstoppable—and that reflects exactly how our music is meant to feel. But to be honest, volcanoes and dinosaurs just belong together. An erupting volcano is a must have in every dinosaur artwork, so we had to make up for the missing volcano on our EP cover art by adding multiple ones on this record, and that gave it the name!
8. As music evolves to eventually incorporate more A.I. whether we like it or not, how does a fan and a band ward off the eventual shift?
For us, it’s simple—we will never let AI write any of our music. Writing songs and performing is the whole reason we do this. And we love it, why else would we spend our time and money doing it? We care deeply about music, and we believe fans feel that too. There’s a difference between something generated and something that has been crafted - mulled over, changed, improved, and revised over and over. As long as bands and listeners value that, there will always be a place for real, authentic human music.
9. As an unsigned band do you feel you have more freedom of control over Vorax? Is there anything beyond perhaps wider distribution that you feel a label could offer you given people’s ability to self-promote more today than before?
Being unsigned of course gives us complete control over every aspect—music, production, visuals, everything. DIY is a core part of Vorax’s identity so that’s quite important to us. What a label potentially could offer would be support in reach, promotion, and distribution. These are time intensive tasks and we all have full time jobs. That being said, we’re not interested in compromising just for convenience.
10. Because I like to ask in most interviews, are there any bands from your area that you enjoy and could use some more promotion?
Big shout out to our buddies in these killer bands: Omophagia, Messiah, Death Kommander, Disparaged, Heathen Heretic, With one word, Still Slayer and Fracturus.
vorax.bandcamp.com
www.facebook.com/voraxdeathmetal
1. Vorax is a band that comes from members already experienced within the metal community. How was this band formed and what were its intentions beyond the other bands your members were involved in?
Honestly, one of the sparks was writing songs about dinosaurs. What’s more metal than dinosaurs and the raw law of survival? A lot of people said it’s a stupid idea — so it had to be done.
We’ve known each other for a long time and for one reason or the other the timing was just right. So we all jumped at the opportunity to create something together that reflects exactly what we love about death metal. The primal mindset ended up shaping the whole direction of the band. We wanted to strip everything back to something raw and uncompromising—no trends, no samples, no clicktracks, no studio trickery, just honest death metal.
2. The new album, “Volcanic Shock” was recorded differently from most modern bands. Was the intention to return to a more “real” sound separate from current recording techniques?
Absolutely. We wanted a sound that feels real and alive, not tweaked and polished. Most modern productions sound very similar and therefore somewhat boring to us - maybe because the same plugins and samples are used over and over? Who knows. With Volcano Shock we went the other direction, full on analogue hardware, real amps, tape machines, and as little editing as possible. There are many imperfections on the record, but that’s what makes it “us” and unique.
3. How did the band obtain and use all the vintage equipment on “Volcanic Shock”?
We’re constantly searching the second hand market for old and broken analogue equipment. It became an obsession to collect, restore, and maintain old studio gear ourselves. We didn’t just want the sound of that era—we wanted the process that comes with it.
Working with tape machines, outboard gear, and a vintage console forces you into a completely different mindset. You commit to tones, you commit to performances, and you accept limitations. Those limitations are exactly what give the recording its character.
4. Do you have any recommendations for musicians that are trying to follow suit with Vorax to acquire a more realistic sound?
Focus on performance first. The gear matters, but it won’t save weak playing or uninspired riffs.
If you want a more organic sound, avoid over-editing, and commit to decisions instead of endless tweaking. Limitations can actually push you to be more creative and more decisive.
Instead of worrying about sounding perfect, I would rather focus on sounding different and unique.
5. I believe Vorax has an older sound in the music’s composition with a touch of modern song writing. Why do you think many bands are trying to relive the older days of the genre?
For us, it’s not really reliving it— some of us were there and helped define extreme metal in its formative years, so it’s more about continuing what feels natural for us.
As for other bands, we think it’s great that so many bands are exploring old school death metal. It keeps the scene alive and evolving in its own way. As long as it comes from a genuine place, it enriches the genre.
6. What was the charm that you feel older metal albums possessed as opposed to recent releases?
First of all, we don’t think everything old is automatically good. But many of those old records had a strong identity. A big part of that came from how they were made— limited time and possibilities in the studios. It was more expensive to record back then, so bands made sure the material was solid before entering the studio. That combination—commitment, preparation, and performance—gave those albums a personality that’s sometimes missing today.
7. The new album focuses on volcanoes both in the title and lyrically. Despite the obvious of a volcanos destructive force, was there any other reason for the choice in subject matter?
Volcanoes are pure violence—unpredictable, explosive, and unstoppable—and that reflects exactly how our music is meant to feel. But to be honest, volcanoes and dinosaurs just belong together. An erupting volcano is a must have in every dinosaur artwork, so we had to make up for the missing volcano on our EP cover art by adding multiple ones on this record, and that gave it the name!
8. As music evolves to eventually incorporate more A.I. whether we like it or not, how does a fan and a band ward off the eventual shift?
For us, it’s simple—we will never let AI write any of our music. Writing songs and performing is the whole reason we do this. And we love it, why else would we spend our time and money doing it? We care deeply about music, and we believe fans feel that too. There’s a difference between something generated and something that has been crafted - mulled over, changed, improved, and revised over and over. As long as bands and listeners value that, there will always be a place for real, authentic human music.
9. As an unsigned band do you feel you have more freedom of control over Vorax? Is there anything beyond perhaps wider distribution that you feel a label could offer you given people’s ability to self-promote more today than before?
Being unsigned of course gives us complete control over every aspect—music, production, visuals, everything. DIY is a core part of Vorax’s identity so that’s quite important to us. What a label potentially could offer would be support in reach, promotion, and distribution. These are time intensive tasks and we all have full time jobs. That being said, we’re not interested in compromising just for convenience.
10. Because I like to ask in most interviews, are there any bands from your area that you enjoy and could use some more promotion?
Big shout out to our buddies in these killer bands: Omophagia, Messiah, Death Kommander, Disparaged, Heathen Heretic, With one word, Still Slayer and Fracturus.
vorax.bandcamp.com
www.facebook.com/voraxdeathmetal