Blaxem are a modern metal band from Chile, the deep south of the world! Founded in 2021, the band consists of Dann Hidalgo (vocals and guitar), Guille Malatesta (lead guitar), Chelo Romanini (bass and backing vocals), and Robert Unger (drums), and as far as philosophy, it is proven on their exciting debut EP: Ethereal, that the music is a salute to the grand tradition of metal, while offering all of us something brand new. Are the songs devastatingly heavy? You bet they are. Do the lyrics reflect real-world issues with raw and unvarnished honesty? Darned straight they do, and so we wonder if the theme here is overall darkness. And the answer? Not quite. Interpreting desolation without becoming a part of it is tricky business, but Blaxem walks the tightrope with verve and expertise, shaping each chord to represent a mature and complex way to see things, even dark starless gloom, with hope, with spirit and empathy.
