Maulén Releases New Single “Rostro”; El Miedo de Amar EP out Sept. 29
Carlos Ibarra stands at the epicenter of Maulén. The multi-instrument experimentalist, formerly of Age of Woe, will offer the second in a new pair of EPs through Icons Creating Evil Art (ICEA) next year, and to herald the arrival of the first EP on Sept. 29, titled El Miedo de Amar, Maulén today unveil the single “Rostro,” a nine-minute droning post-metallic procession that reminds of Neurosis circa 2001-2004 in its howling guitar without copping the “Stones From the Sky” riff — a rare feat — and has a melodic wash of its own that speaks to the years over the course of which the outings were apparently put together, with travels to India, recording in Sweden, and in the case of “Rostro,” spoken lyrics in Persian by guest vocalist Behzad Barazandeh.
There’s a slow unfurling happening, and a full band feel despite Ibarra‘s spearheading, and the song is duly consuming by the time it has laid the groundwork for its full tonal breadth. Open collaboration is apparently part of Ibarra‘s stated purpose here, so I wouldn’t expect the rest of an EP to sound just like “Rostro,” but the single sure makes for an intriguing proposition on what may follow across the release(s) to come.
The PR wire brought the following background:
Introducing new signing: Drone/experimental solo artist MAULÉN releasing his stunning new single Rostro (feat. Behzad Barazandeh)
Out August 12 on Icons Creating Evil Art
Drone/experimental solo artist MAULÉN will release his stunning El miedo de amar pero igual lo hago two-part EP via Icons Creating Evil Art early 2023. The brainchild of composer/musician/artist Carlos Ibarra, Maulén collaborates with a multitude of artists to create art with the ambition of manifesting something unique, beautiful, strange, and alluring. “Maulén” is the surname of his grandmother, a member of the Mapuche people in Chile, and translates to “a wet valley.”
In 2019, after spending a year composing material, Ibarra began work on a solo record. He recorded the music in a subterranean water cistern that has been abandoned for almost one-hundred years and is located 20 meters under a small hill in Gothenburg, Sweden. This water cistern just happened to have magical natural reverbs that are up to eighteen seconds long. Working in this was a true challenge: electricity was limited, it was wet, cold, and full of rats and spiders. Not many recording engineers would do it, but Carlos Sepulveda (Psycore, Leather Nun) was up to the task. For four magical days, Sepulveda and drummer Stefan Johansson (Abrovinch, Jimmy Ågren), worked in this enchanting setting.
The following year, Ibarra went to the Thar desert in India to find the peace and serenity necessary to write the lyrics to these songs only to get stuck there during the outbreak of Covid-19. This served as a huge inspiration for the lyrics of his upcoming album: El miedo de amar pero igual lo hago. The record touches the subjects of loss, heritage, and the feeling of belonging or not belonging with lyrics sung in Spanish, Polish, Arabic, Persian, and French.
El miedo de amar pero igual lo hago, translates to “the fear of falling in love but I still do it” and will be released as a two-part EP, the first of which, El miedo de amar, will see official unveiling September 29. In advance of its release, today Maulén reveals first single, “Rostro,” noting of the captivating, near-ten-minute hymn. Released Aug. 12. Ibarra comments:
– “This was the first song i wrote for this album back in 2019. The lyrics are about a connection i got with someone and in just a few days she was gone from my life forever. The song is a slow and beautiful monolith in Persian featuring Behzad Barazandeh on vocals. With an epic and melancholic mood the song takes you on an journey inwards towards your inner darkness.”
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Carlos Ibarra began his career as a guitarist and songwriter in various local bands before reaching infamy and notoriety across the metal and punk scene in Europe as a guitarist/songwriter/producer of the death metal act Age Of Woe. With them, he recorded two albums and two EPs: Inhumanform (Suicide Records, 2013) and An Ill Wind Blowing (War-Anthem, 2016). He has also released music with Terrorstat, a band featuring members of Walk Through Fire and Serpent Omega as well as Wefring featuring members of The Leather Nun, Exhale, and Psycore, amongst others.
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