By Ernesto Gonzalez
HAVANA TIMES – Staying in Cuba for twenty-four years making rock, I think, is something almost heroic, but if it’s making metal, it’s even more heroic. Congregation is a Cuban metal band from the capital, which just celebrated its twenty-fourth year of existence. We talked with them after finishing a rehearsal for the concert they will give to celebrate all this time in the Cuban music scene.
You are metalheads. What characterizes metal as a rock genre?
Gisselle Hernandez Rivas (group producer): There are many types of rock, as well as many types of metal… the most significant difference is in the speed; metal tends to be faster, heavier musically.
What were the beginnings of the group?
Ariel Bustamante (director and drummer): The group originated from the band Trance. In 1999, Lazaro Castro, the vocalist of Creation, and I founded Congregation. The first concert was in the “Patio de Maria,” which at that time was one of the top places for rock in Havana, in March 2000. Shortly after, this cultural center closed.
Months later we recorded our first album in Ivan Leyva’s studio, which was a very good studio thanks to Vicente and Santiago Feliu, who produced it. Later, we made an album at Radio Progreso, which unfortunately didn’t turn out well, and more recently, we recorded “Congregation Congregation,” a compilation requested from Miami with iconic songs from the band.
About this latest album, Leo tells us that the audience itself requested the recording of old songs with current technologies and better resources.
What is the current rock scene in Cuba like?
Ariel (drummer and director) and Leandro Chamizo (Leo) (vocalist): The Cuban Rock Agency, a fantastic place that is neither black nor white, has many nuances. Despite negative opinions, it provided the opportunity to promote and give space to what the Cuban rock and metal audience likes. Unfortunately, at this moment it is struggling; there is a new leadership that provides little support, they aren’t doing anything. It’s all hurdles upon hurdles to work, and when you manage to organize a concert, an album, or anything based on your effort, they want to take all the credit. We have spectacular bands like Zeus, Hypnosis, and others like Death Point that filled the Maxim to capacity.
Today, you cannot make a living from rock in Cuba; most rock bands in Cuba are doing covers because they need to live. They are excellent musicians, and I take my hat off to them, but they need to eat. What we do, we do out of love for art, music, and metal, but we all have alternative jobs to
