Lachrima Corphus Dissolvens (Bolivia)

Interview with Antonio Ortiz (vocals/founder)

https://lachrimacorphusdissolvens.bandcamp.com

It’s the first time, but hopefully not the last, that we have an opportunity to present a band from Bolivia! The band, which is now a quartet, recently released their latest full-length album, Where Shadows Speak and Time Weeps. Today, I’m joined by Lachrima Corphus Dissolvens’s founding member and vocalist – Antonio Ortiz. It was one of the longest and most emotional interviews I have done in a long time. Within minutes, Lachrima Corphus Dissolvens & Antonio moved past the standard album promotion talk and dove into the personal tragedies and triumphs that shaped their sound. Please enjoy reading this interview and let it inspire you!

Metal Revolution: Hi Antonio, pleasure chatting with you. How are things nowadays in Bolivia?

Lachrima Corphus Dissolvens: Greetings, friends of Metal Revolution. It is a pleasure and an honor to speak with you. Currently, Bolivia is emerging from an economic crisis caused by a government that led us to bankruptcy. We estimate that inflation could reach around 20% this year. Fortunately, we have changed authorities; now it remains for the whole country to regain balance and adapt to this new cycle of life.

MR: Can you introduce your band to our readers? Can you tell us about the very beginnings?

LCD: Lachrima Corphus Dissolvens is an Atmospheric Death Doom Metal band from La Paz, Bolivia. It was founded in 2003, although years earlier I already had the idea of forming my own band with a different sonic approach. At that time, Black Metal and Heavy Metal were predominant in my country, and my intention was to show greater versatility in sound. The idea was to mix electric and acoustic guitars, combining an aggressive style with melancholic nuances, as well as integrating clean and guttural vocals. That was when I took on the mission of finding musicians. With my previous experience as a vocalist in Black Metal bands such as Amduscias, and in Grindcore with Acrania, I managed to gather the necessary members, and thus LCD was formed.

MR: I now that Beyson Gibson and you are the only original members left from 2003 when the band was founded. Have you had many line-up changes during the years, and are you pleased with current line-up? You’ve been together since 2019, right?

LCD: When I found musicians to form LCD, one of the first was Beyson on guitar. Eugenia was also on keyboards, who was later replaced by Joel. Iván was on drums, José on second guitar, and Xorge on bass.
With this lineup, after several local shows, we recorded some demos and rehearsals that we distributed among metalheads so they could get to know our music. However, for personal reasons, several members decided to step aside. By 2007, only Beyson Gibson on guitar and Joel Crispin on keyboards remained.
In 2008 we released our first demo Laudo/Extinción, and in 2009 our first album The Truth Is Out There. Later, in 2012, we released the EP Birth from the Obscure. After this release, Joel left the band.
Together with Beyson, in 2022 we released our second EP, MartyrDoom. In 2018, we decided to perform some live shows with session musicians such as Nilss Vásquez on second guitar, Rhysela Chavarría on bass, Dreco on drums, and Antonio Magne on keyboards. During the pandemic, we also performed a livestream that was broadcast at several online festivals.
After my relocation from La Paz to Cochabamba in 2013, it became difficult to continue composing with Beyson Gibson. Finally, in 2022, the band went on hiatus and Beyson decided to step away temporarily. After two years of pause, and after releasing several splits with European and Latin American bands as well as participating in various compilations, in 2024 I resumed composing new songs and writing lyrics. It was during this process that I met Carlos Catari, with whom we began a new stage to record LCD’s second album. Currently, we work with session musicians from Cochabamba for live performances, such as Harold Dubravčić on bass and Osmar Carballo on drums. I feel very satisfied with this new stage of the band.

MR: Just recently you released your new album, Where Shadows Speak and Time Weeps. What can you tell us about this album? What can we expect from your new effort?

LCD: Where Shadows Speak and Time Weeps is a journey to the farthest confines of the soul, where life and nothingness merge into a single breath. Through its dark, aggressive, and melodic sound, it explores the inner abysses of the human being, the weight of existence, and the echo of truth—where the deepest emotions breathe beneath the shadows, and shadows become oracles of what we were and what we will be. A journey in which darkness has a voice and time sheds its tears.
The album unfolds as a spiritual and introspective passage through eight songs that explore duality:
Between Life and Nothingness — The fragility between life, death, love, and loss.
Whispering Voices — Inner madness, guilt, and the voices of a fragmented soul.
The Kingdom of Demons Rises — The fall of faith and religion, and the awakening of inner chaos.
The Path of Stars and Shadows — The search for meaning between darkness and hope.
Sanctuary of Lies — Spiritual disillusionment and the break from imposed faith.
Dark Omen — The encounter with death, destiny, and lingering memories.
Don’t Pray for Me — Rebellion against dogma and the liberation of the soul.
Howls of Sorrow — Loneliness and the search for balance, love, and peace in the end.

MR: Utilizing any new recording techniques to this one, compared to the songs you created before?

LCD: The recording process was similar to our previous works, except that this time we recorded all the songs in C tuning. Like former band member Beyson, Carlos has his own home studio, and since I also have recording equipment at home, we recorded the vocals and other instruments at home, and then Carlos handled the mixing at his place.
This way of working is better because recording studios in Bolivia are very expensive, especially now that the country is going through an economic crisis. This approach benefits us to some extent, but like many other bands, it is time-consuming, since we have to balance our time between work, studies, and the band.

MR: How does your creative process work? What’s the creative process like when you make a new song?

LCD: With the previous line-up, Beyson and I were always in charge of composing. Whenever we got together, Beyson would bring some riffs, and we would rework them until we had a final product. However, for this new album, I already had the ideas and took on the task of creating some demo versions with vocals. Carlos is also a great musician, and we aligned on the ideas; he arranged them until we finally completed the album.

MR: What is your favorite track from Where Shadows Speak and Time Weeps? Which song from the album resonates with you personally the most and why?

LCD: Every track has its own character and appeal. Carlos likes Dark Omen, which was the first composition we recorded and released as a single. For me, Where Shadows Speak and Time Weeps is not just an album… it’s a part of me.
I like all the songs because each one represents something I have felt or lived. It’s like a reflection of my deepest thoughts, my inner struggles, moments of darkness, but also a search for meaning. The album speaks about that balance between life and nothingness, the weight of existence, faith, loss, and pain… but also about moving forward. Each track has a special meaning, because they are not just compositions—they are emotions turned into sound.
It is a personal journey… where the shadows speak for what we keep silent, and time weeps for everything we leave behind.

MR: The band just released their new official video for “Between Life and Nothingness” Can you tell us a bit more on this particular song? What inspired you to choose this title?

LCD: I decided to release this song as a music video because it is one of the most personal and intense pieces on the album, not only because musically it moves from slow passages to aggressive shifts. It directly represents the central concept of the record: the fragility of life, loss, and that point where the mind begins to break between memory and absence. From the very beginning, “Life is a fragile, trembling thread…” already establishes the main idea: everything is ephemeral, everything can break at any moment. The song builds a contrast between love and heartbreak, between what once was and what no longer exists. There is a strong sense of nostalgia in lines like “I loved you when the world still made sense,” reflecting an idealized past that never returns.
As it progresses, it enters a darker, more psychological territory. Absence becomes almost a constant presence: “Today, your absence is a nameless echo.” Here, it is no longer just loss—it becomes obsession, pain transforming into something internal, into madness, into a dialogue with oneself.
The emotional climax comes with the idea of living between two worlds:
“Because life is a sigh, and death a promise…”
That line summarizes the entire meaning of the song: the awareness of how brief everything is, and death as something inevitable—almost close, almost tempting.
It carries a strong visual weight—ghosts, memories, emptiness, that “thin line” between life and nothingness—which connects perfectly with the album’s aesthetic and message.
We also decided to film it in one of Cochabamba’s most emblematic theaters, the José María Acha Theater. We are the first extreme metal band to perform on that stage.

MR: Has the lyrical content changed over the years? Where do you get inspiration for writing lyrics and who’s the main songwriter? Or do you all participate equaly?

LCD: Yes, it has evolved over time. In the beginning, it was more direct and focused on darkness and pain, but over the years it became more introspective and conceptual, exploring themes such as existence, the mind, spirituality, and emptiness.
The inspiration comes from personal experiences, deep emotions, moments of crisis, and also from reflections on life, death, and the human condition.
It is also about expressing everything I have gone through. It could be said that I have observed and experienced many things throughout my life. During my four years working in media and press, I witnessed very harsh situations, as well as deeply human ones—many of them profoundly traumatic.
Added to this are very intense personal experiences, such as the murder of my mother, the premature death of one of my younger brothers, and the loss of my father during the pandemic. Currently, living in another city and due to my work with politicians, I continue to observe and face different realities of life.
That is why I am the one who writes all the lyrics for Lachrima Corphus Dissolvens. It is a very personal process, although the music is developed collaboratively to give each song its full form.

MR: How many copies of Where Shadows Speak and Time Weeps has been released and which medium will be used for this new edition (CD, digital, vinyl, cassette)?

LCD: Initially, we released it on all digital platforms. In the coming months, it will be released in physical formats in different countries around the world. First, it will be issued in Ukraine in CD Slimcase and cassette formats under the Depressive Illusions label. It will also be released in Mexico in CD Jewel Case format under the American Lines label. In the coming days, I will be closing deals with other labels—we hope in Canada, Panama, and Argentina.
Additionally, it will be released in Bolivia in CD Digipack format under the Satan’s Grind label. All these editions will be limited copies. I still hope that some label will take the initiative to release it on vinyl; hopefully, that can be achieved someday.

MR: I think you’re doing a fantastic job promoting your band, but do you have any support from a label/distro/promo company etc. or is it all ‘DIY’?

LCD: We only work with the labels I mentioned; aside from that, I handle the promotion independently, although the labels also help us quite a lot in promoting the band.

MR: What obstacles or challenges, if any, do you encounter when it comes to getting your music out there and heard by potential new fans?

LCD: In the early days, the band didn’t have much support in our country; we played very few shows. I also produced some CDs independently to promote our music and hand them out at shows. Likewise, when I traveled abroad, I would take these CDs with me to give them to bands or metalheads outside the country.
Nowadays, it’s easier thanks to social media, which helps a lot in spreading the music. The three splits we participated in were also very helpful, as we built connections with bands from Europe and South America, such as Les Memoires Fall from Brazil, Funeral of Souls from Argentina, Vermiforme from Uruguay, Abigorum from Germany, Until My Funeral Began from Ukraine, and Umbral de Muerte from Ecuador.

MR: Now, would you tell us what the next step is for Lachrima Corphus Dissolvens? Live performances in support of Where Shadows Speak and Time Weeps? Any new projects in the pipeline that you can share with us?

LCD: In fact, yes—we already have a couple of confirmed dates to perform live in our country and present the album in full. The next step is already underway: we are preparing new material.
There are some compositions I had saved from our first two demos/rehearsals from 2003 and 2005; we are working on them with Carlos, modifying certain aspects and creating new material. We have already finished the first song, which runs for almost 7 minutes.
And I can share this news: this release—whether it ends up being a full album or perhaps an EP (I haven’t decided yet)—will feature collaborations from some important Doom Metal musicians worldwide. On this first track, Daniel Neagoe from Clouds will contribute vocals; he is also writing the lyrics for the song. We are very excited about what’s coming next.

MR: What about your musical inspirations, which are your main influences? I know that you’ve had two appearances, namely “Sign of the Cross (Iron Maiden cover)” & “Listen the Silence” on Beast Over Bolivia: A Bolivian Tribute to Iron Maiden (2xCD, 2017), so I guess your symphaties for Iron Maiden are abvious?! (Laughing).

LCD: (Laughing), that’s right. Personally, I’m a fan of Iron Maiden and NWOBHM Heavy Metal. Beast Over Bolivia is the first Bolivian tribute to Iron Maiden; it’s a double album—on the first disc are the covers, and on the second, the original compositions from all the participating bands. It also includes the song “Listen the Silence”, which belongs to our first album The Truth Is Out There. But aside from Heavy Metal, I also love Doom, Dark, Death, Gore, Thrash, and Black Metal, as well as classical music and some Andean folklore from Bolivia.

MR: I see many promising acts hailing from the South American countriees, including Bolivia. Any particular that you would like to recommend for mainly European readers of Metal Revolution Webzine?

LCD: There are many good bands of all styles in my country. Some of the well-known bands I can recommend are Kulto Maldito, Corporal Jigsore, Ethernals, and Lilith.

MR: Any clubs/venues/festivals playing this kind of music in La Paz-area?

LCD: Yes, there are several pubs or clubs that are dedicated exclusively to metal, but most of them lack good acoustics and proper sound for bands to perform well on stage. As for festivals, there was one that is currently no longer being organized: Illimani Metal.

MR: Do you have any knowledge of the Danish metal scene?

LCD: Of course, one of our biggest influences—and a band we even covered on one of our demos—is Saturnus; moreover, Thomas is a close friend of mine. Another major influence is Mercyful Fate and King Diamond, whom I had the opportunity to see live two years ago—it was a dream come true. Artillery also came to Bolivia a few years ago. Some bands I listened to many years ago include Autumn Leaves, Illdisposed, Konkhra, Evil, Myrkur, Urkraft, among others.

MR: Cool. How can people reach your band & music?

LCD: On various digital platforms such as YouTube, Spotify, iTunes, Bandcamp, and Facebook.

MR: Thank you for taking the time to do this interview, Antonio. Would you like to add anything to the readers of Metal Revolution?

LCD: Thank you for the interview. It is an honor to be part of Metal Revolution, and I truly appreciate the work you do for the metal scene worldwide. Remember that metal is for strong people. Just as depressive and melancholic melodies can help us reflect on difficult moments, aggressive and heavy melodies can lift us up and motivate us to become better people. Stay Doom Metal!