Sotabosc emerge from the heart of the Catalan underground as a project that rejects easy separations between music, identity, and political stance. With roots in different spheres of black metal and post-rock, the band builds a sound that oscillates between brutality and contemplation, always carrying a strong conceptual and emotional weight. On El Batec dels Maquis, their debut album, Sotabosc transform earlier acoustic material into a denser and more atmospheric language, while also delving into historical narratives linked to the anti-Franco resistance and the memory of the Maquis. The result is a record that works both as a sonic experience and as a statement of intent.
In this interview, the band talks about their creative process, the connection between music and ideology, the importance of the Catalan language in their artistic identity, and the path already being laid out for the project’s future.
M.I. – Sotabosc brings together musicians from a wide spectrum of the Catalan underground. How did this project first come to life, and what was the initial vision behind it?
Sotabosc began in 2023, with just Xavi, Manel and Óscar jamming together to some riffs ideas and building a first version of what would be the title track of the album, but without any vision in mind. Just jamming and playing some music we’d enjoy.
M.I. – The band feels deeply rooted not only musically, but culturally and politically. How important was it from the beginning to build Sotabosc as a project where sound, language, and ideology are fully intertwined?
The moment we started writing lyrics and conceptualising the album we felt it could not just be about nature or darkness, it needed to express a concrete message and tell a story about our history. It was a chance to shed light into topics we felt necessary to have in mind in an era where ideals are being erased and conformity is the norm.
M.I. – Your lyrics are entirely in Catalan, which adds a strong sense of identity and place. What does expressing yourselves in your native language allow you to convey that might be lost otherwise?
Singing in Catalan is a way of preserving a culture and language that has been subject of constant acts of erasure, boicot and prohibition by many spanish regimes over the last 350 years. Either monarchs, dictators, or during this corrupt democracy we have currently. Our duty as a Catalan band is to not let it wither and, if possible, inspire more people to do the same.
M.I. – The album is divided into two distinct yet connected parts. What made you revisit and reinterpret Ulmus material as the foundation for the first half of the record?
When Ulmus released the collaboration with Sylvaine, Xavi had the idea of adapting a couple Ulmus songs live with electric guitar and drums to a black metal style. It sadly never happened, but the idea remained.
M.I. – Transforming acoustic, instrumental compositions into atmospheric black metal pieces is quite a radical shift. How did you approach that process without losing the original essence of those songs?
We wanted to maintain the delicate part of the tracks, wich was mainly the melodies and space between parts. But by adding the aggressiveness of the drums and guitar distortion they gained a new dimension that barely needed any major change. Heimdall and Nerthus were pretty straight forward to adapt when we first started jamming them, but Freyja was the trickiest to adapt, though we managed to add layers to the existing blueprint of it and make it sound right.
M.I. – Nature plays a central role in the first part of the album, with themes around animals and forests. What does the natural world represent within the narrative of El Batec dels Maquis?
There is a certain mystique to be found in the concept of the album, with the fact that the Maquis guerrilla hid during their last years of resistance in the forests until their very last breath. We only took these three Ulmus tracks that already had their titles set and tied it all together.
M.I. – The second half of the album is a single, expansive track. At what point did you decide that this story needed such a long-form composition to fully unfold?
We were hesitant at first, but felt it would make more sense to connect these parts we wrote and make it a longer but more intense track than just splitting it in the middle and loose all the atmosphere.
M.I. – That track also introduces a more direct historical and political dimension, focusing on the Maquis and anti-Francoist resistance. What drew you to this specific chapter of Catalan history?
It was a subject that we had been interested for some time. In general, the Spanish civil war is a matter yet to be properly remembered and acknowledged without being white-washed or told only through the perspective of the fascists. Many aspects are being treated as something to be left behind to “not stir more conflict” or to “let heal the wounds”, but when a new mass grave of the already hundreds discovered emerges with thousand of anonymous victims executed during the war you start seeing how this is not something to be just forgotten.
M.I. – There’s a strong emotional weight in paying tribute to the Maquis. Do you see this album as a form of remembrance, resistance, or both?
Both. We want everyone to remember that there was still resistance even decades after the fascist regime took power, and encourage the listener to not give up even when all seems lost.
M.I. – Musically, the record blends raw black metal with post-rock structures and atmospheres. How do you balance aggression and introspection when composing together?
Our approach so far has been a mix of trying to not saturate the songs with too much of anything, and finding the spot where the song can breathe but also sound aggressive and fast.
M.I. – With members coming from such diverse projects, ranging from black metal to post-rock, how do individual influences shape the final Sotabosc sound?
We all have our own tastes and share some favourite bands, and in the end we tried making music that all of us would enjoy and feel comfortable playing.
M.I. – The visual aspect of the band is striking and clearly deliberate. How do artwork, symbolism, and design contribute to the storytelling of the album?
The musical style we play itself is pretty set in the aesthetic aspect, and going too far would feel unnatural, so we had to play a bit within the rules to make it coherent, but also not fall into something generic. We had a message to convey, and went straight to the point without it being too obvious.
M.I. – Your anti-fascist stance is explicit and central to the project. In today’s climate, do you feel a responsibility as artists to take a clear position, or is this simply inseparable from who you are?
As artists and anti-fascists it’s something inherently within us, and our art gets reflected by that. We know that throughout history, art can be used by or associated to political currents, and yet creating art is a part of what makes us human. In this day and age, being an artist is something that’s being threatened by the agenda of the tech oligarchs pushing the spread of generative AI’s usage.
If we want the atrophy of the brain to be the new epidemic, we must fight it to prevent this new wave of fascism that is upon us.
M.I. – The production on the album feels both raw and expansive. What was the experience like working with Daniel Gil at Siete Barbas Studio, and how important was it to capture that balance?
Our experience working with Daniel was amazing. Since he has a black metal background and experience producing albums with gritty sounds as well as big atmospheric passages, the process of getting the sound we wanted was really easy and enjoyable.
M.I. – As a debut, this album already feels like a fully realized artistic statement. Did you approach it with a long-term vision for Sotabosc, or was it more about capturing a specific moment in time?
We want it to be the first of many albums to come. This is not just a one-off project, therefore you can expect more from us in the future.
M.I. – Finally, what does the future hold for Sotabosc? What are the plans?
Our next record is already being written, and we have a bunch of shows and festivals booked including an european tour for this year’s fall. The future might feel uncertain but we want to do as much as we can while it lasts.
For Portuguese version, click here
Listen to Sotabosc, on Spotify
Questions by Sónia Fonseca
