Zamora>>Nergal>>KRATORNAS - THE PHILIPPINES/CANADA
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Members Vocals ZACHARIAH [BRUNO ZAMORA]Guitar ZACHARIAH [BRUNO ZAMORA]Bass ZACHARIAH [BRUNO ZAMORA]Drum GB GUZZARIN |
History & Biography Grinding act Zamora (named after its leader) ran between 1991 and 1995 and managed one demo. The name was changed, at first to Nergal, and the trio quickly dropped down to being a solo act after two members descended into self-abuse. Realm Of Goatlust was the 1995 demo. The next demo was called Enorht Eht Nihtiw Si Taog Eht and was a full-length. Goats everywhere rejoiced. In the meantime, Demo '97, and a recording called Obssessis Demonio, never materialized as the man was dissatisfied with the music. A further demo was called The Onslaught Of Battledemons and was assigned to Zamora's Ligum Dulum imprint. The band signed to Ordealis Records and saw the rerelease of The Onslaught Of battledemons and the follow-up demo, Hecatomb To Affliction. Several Nergal tracks appeared on Subterranean Sodomies - Peel Sessions 2004 in 2005, which Ordealis also repressed. More demos attacked the market until Fudgeworthy Records issued a single called Hollow Ground Destruction in 2006. That year was a productive one for the band. Over The Fourth Part Of The Earth was a full-length demo in 2007. A full-length debut album arrived in 2009 however. There was an uncharacteristic lull in the band's activities. A full-length demo again arrived in 2016. This one was called Devoured By Damnation and released by Grathila Records. The sole proponent was augmented by drummer GB Guzzarin (as of 2016) making the act a duo. Bruno had made the move to Canada and picked up a band-mate.Pestilence was a 2020 demo. Canada-based Kratornas had a vinyl demo on May 20th 2025 and a remix cassette through Grathila Records on May 30th, 2025. These releases served as a prelude to the full-length demo God Of The Tribes, which was scheduled for release on August 20th, 2025. The man warned fans that the musical style has shifted since previous works. The cover artwork was violent and risque. Reviews Interviews  There is a lot going on with Zachariah and his Kratornas. There is a single called Ravaged By Hurakaan. There is a cassette remix of the same release called Ravaged by Hurakaan (Que Diablo Remix). On top of that, a full-length entitled God of the Tribes has surfaced and Zachariah himself has warned listeners that it marks a shift in sound. Each one of these would be a good enough reason for Metallian to drag him into the spotlight, but combined, the timing is perfect. There is something else too. As far as underground goes, Kratornas is as subterranean as it gets. It has been several years since the scene heard of the act and so it was an opportune time for a conversation - 09.09.2025 METALLIAN: Zachariah, thanks for your time and for answering our questions. I think your experience and tenure could help answer multiple questions for us. The band has been around for 30 years, no less, but given the underground nature of the act to this day, could you give us a history lesson? ZACHARIAH: It started in 1991, but nothing happened while I was still figuring out a DIY coupler that I was making through trial and error until I asked our electrician to get involved. I used this device from Demo 1994 until 2002. It's all stereo and overlapping. Horrible beyond belief, but as a kid living in a remote area, you used what you had. The active years were from 1995 until 2010. I got everything I wanted in the 2009 album. A track for a tribute CD from 2010 was Kratornas’ last recording. Then I relocated that same year, and that’s it. METALLIAN: Time to ask about your move from the Philippines to Saskatchewan, Canada. That is a big leap across the pond. ZACHARIAH: I left that country in 2010. Then I wandered around before I settled down in another country in 2013 or so. Nothing dramatic caused this decision. It’s just that I was sick and tired of everything there, and it’s not only Canada… I have two citizenships now and the Philippines is not one of them. To be honest, the only time I see this word is when I'm doing anything related to Kratornas, but I haven’t had any news whatsoever from that country since 2013. Where I live now, I stay away from them! Things go smoothly without these people in my sight, and let’s keep it that way; it’s a win for both. METALLIAN: So you do not regret the move from Camp Sawi to the land of Conservative rednecks. I would. ZACHARIAH: No. The only regret I have is why I didn’t leave earlier. I could have left in 2002, but... you see... while you’re there, you’re immune, accepting all this… nothingness. Until you see things from a different perspective and realize how much time you wasted living there. METALLIAN: It sure sounds confining. You have recently released Ravaged By Hurakaan and its counterpart, the Ravaged By Hurakaan (Que Diablo Remix) featuring DJ Aromaz. Firstly, the release is described as less extreme and featuring an ambient cut, etc. Is this a move away from grind and underground death? ZACHARIAH: The one on the vinyl is just a rough mix. It was deliberately mixed to sound ugly and mastered to be dynamic so that it feels like you’re inside a rehearsal room with the 'band.' The Que Diablo remix is nothing serious. It was done while messing around, taking a break, which actually helped generate more ideas for the final mix. Nothing is moving away. We’re planning to do what I call autopilot albums. You know... brutal albums just for the sake of being brutal, that you could finish in 8 hours, like Devoured By Damnation! We’ll keep doing that. Just not this time, though. METALLIAN: This is an opportunity to ask who “we” is. Do you have band members? ZACHARIAH: No members, but I’ve had a stable session drummer for a couple of releases now. I once hired a ‘celebrity’ guitarist to play a solo on Human Livestock, but I cut his parts after reading his last email. I don’t credit sessionists or name them. They stay anonymous. No guests allowed. But that’s not why I keep using ‘we.’ This ‘we’ is me. Yes, it’s confusing, but I avoid using ‘I’ in band bios because it feels arrogant, for lack of a better word. Not the first time I’ve been asked about this. 
METALLIAN: And DJ Aromaz… ZACHARIAH: It's just me. Zamora spelled backwards. I did some vinyl scratching on this Que Diablo remix… appearing around 4:32. METALLIAN: Also, is the material here additionally included on God Of The Tribes? ZACHARIAH: Yes, but it is properly mixed now. When I say proper, I don’t mean production with Abyss-level clarity. I can do that now too. I’ve been studying that. I can replicate a mix like that now, but I’m not doing it because it sets the standard and everybody is replicating it 20 years later. I don’t want to join the party. So, here’s God Of The Tribes and the reference album during the mix was... Sin After Sin! METALLIAN: How would you describe the mix of Sin After Sin? ZACHARIAH: I’d describe it as my reference while mixing God Of The Tribes, mainly for the guitar tone without the flange. Over the years, I’ve played it through several amps and speakers, and it’s always lacking bass, so I boost the bass in my mix. I don’t want to name-drop, but there are underground productions I really like that are worth a mention: Vampyr's Throne Of The Beast and Ad Interitum Funebrarum. Both were unique and hard to replicate in the box. The best snare sound, for me, belongs to Revelation Of Doom by Gorgoroth. If I ever make another album, expect it to sound like those. I have no idea why people obsess over crystal-clear albums now. It’s the easiest thing to do! METALLIAN: Speaking of God Of The Tribes, and I also listened to the music on the unlisted video preview, do you consider it an album with a sharp left turn to tribal music or is that description overdone? ZACHARIAH: It is out on CD as of the 25th of August (2025). Expect it to be a real mess and polarizing, more on the bad side if you can’t understand it, and yes, it’s tribal, just like the album title suggests. I think it's to my advantage because I know a lot about this. I’m doing this for myself first, based on what I really want to hear when I read the word 'tribal.' I grew up watching indigenous buskers play their improvised guitars, and I was a tribe drummer, on snare, in tribal festival contests held annually in my area. I want to capture those experiences, put them inside this album and share them with those who want to hear it. METALLIAN: So no label behind God Of The Tribes then. ZACHARIAH: No, and I’m not looking for one. I only worked with those people in the first fifteen years because I lacked the resources back then. At this point, I only make the music, or noise, whatever you want to call it, but I don’t handle packing or shipping. All orders are handled elsewhere by other people now. METALLIAN: And since we are here, at whom would you gladly toss the snake who stars in the video preview? ZACHARIAH: Probably toss it at those who spend an eternity arguing that vinyl sounds better than CDs because of the warmth it brings. METALLIAN: If that is how you feel about those people, let me ask you your opinion of people who are buying vinyl, collecting vinyl and arguing about the warmer sound, but... do not actually own a record player. ZACHARIAH: If a band releases a vinyl, it means they put effort into the layout and paid extra for vinyl mastering so the listeners can absorb it. If you’re buying it just to flip it ten years later sealed, then don’t buy it because someone out there actually wants to listen to it now. That’s as far as I’ll go. I don’t correct people. Look, if I’m walking home from buying groceries, chilling, and I see a jumper, I’m not looking up again to draw attention. I’ll just keep walking and wait for the thud or a scream from someone else. What other people do or think isn’t my problem. METALLIAN: You describe the material as "a return to roots," which is the opposite of the description of the music as differing from your early turn-of-the-century output. Could you reconcile these two points? ZACHARIAH: Yes, it’s a return to the mindset, not the sound. When I started, all I wanted was to release different kinds of albums, but I couldn’t do that back then because I didn’t have the equipment. “Returning to the roots” now isn’t about repeating the same albums again and again just to make the fans happy. I am a one-man band. I shouldn’t be stuck releasing twenty albums that all sound the same because it’s a risk to experiment. I write whatever I see fit. The music may sound different on this album, but the foundation is the same. METALLIAN: As I mentioned earlier, your tenure and perspective could be unique in helping with some thoughts that we have here at Metallian Towers. One of those, in our minds, is the normalization of commercialism and mainstreamization on the metal scene. Everyone is striving for sales, awards, popularity, social media bragging rights, et cetera. Has it always been like this, and we are romanticizing the old metal scene, or has the scene really become a branch of pop music? ZACHARIAH: I think people forget why they are here and why they’re doing this. In my case, I’m doing this because I have a never-ending fascination with all things metal-related. Now, if more people can hear what I’m doing in my spare time, then it’s a bonus, not a priority. For all I care, I’ve been losing more money here than making any, but here’s the thing again: if I wanted money, I’d sell houses, not stupid-ass CDs or put extensive effort into things like touring. I have nothing against anything you said above either. Spread it! Let Jennifer Lopez wear Anal Cunt shirts, then wait for someone to ask her what her favourite AC song is. If she can’t answer that, the interviewer proves his point that he’s 'true' and Lopez is 'false,' a poser, so to speak. Well, what do you know? Of course she is! I’m a simple person... if something has no benefit to me, I won’t waste a second on it. METALLIAN: Also, your new releases are described as extremely limited and ones that won't be repressed. This is in contradiction to every label, band and release on the scene which proudly boasts of a dozen different formats, editions, colours, sizes, versions with pink panties, et cetera, et cetera, with constant anniversary, and otherwise, rereleases. What are your thoughts on this situation? ZACHARIAH: It’s not limited just for the sake of it. We picked companies with the lowest minimum. No repress because that’s just it. It’s for myself. If they can sell the rest, then it’s a bonus, not a priority as said earlier. Of course, it’s good if some people can own it too; otherwise, what’s the point of promoting the release? I worked with many 'labels' back in the day, and after those messes, I learned how these people think. Labels just follow where the money is. They won’t do those things you mentioned if there’s no demand for it. They’ll inflate things, but it’s the consumers who cause them to do this. METALLIAN: Granted Zachariah. In the context of your years in the arts, your persistence and the nature of your music, what does audience reaction mean to you then? How do you react to feedback from the listeners out there? ZACHARIAH: I can’t agree with my being persistent. I was active only from 1995 to 2010. The next chapters were on and off. For all I know, I’m always pro-kras-tinating, but by feedback, you mean reviews, is a healthy part of everything. It’s just that I never listen to it. Unlike other bands, I also don’t react to reading people’s opinions. I just read them, good or bad, and move on. This hasn’t changed since 1997. It’s still the same self-serving and condescending trope to get readership, but it actually has no point anymore, especially these days of streaming. I bought a lot of music in 2024, and the only source I checked for the music and the packaging was YouTube. METALLIAN: There is obviously a lot in what you say. Finally, as you know, everyone everywhere acknowledges Metallian as the number one website ever. What are your reasons for agreeing? ZACHARIAH: I agree with the 'No friends' sign. Piggybacking is everywhere. It’s an embarrassment and absolutely not metal. Many thanks to Metallian for this interview! For more information on Kratornas head over here. If you enjoyed this, read Kess’khtaka
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Kratornas