Justin Sanchez, the drummer of death metal band Immortal Prophecy, creates music for the community and audiences of all ages. Since 2007, band members Carlos Apodaca (guitarist), Isaiah Santistevan (guitarist), Jason Orona (bass) and Sanchez have been practicing and performing around Albuquerque, their hometown.
Daily Lobo: How long have you been playing the drums, and what first interested you in playing them?
Justin Sanchez: I’ve been playing for five and a half years. I got an interest when I met some people in bands my freshman year in high school. I ended up helping them out for their shows, and I just knew that it was the place for me. I really just love music.
DL: How did the band meet and why did you decide to create Immortal Prophecy?
JS: Jason, Isaiah and I have been making music for about three years. We got together for Battle of the Bands our senior year in high school. Carlos was a friend from marching band, and he helped us three put together some recordings. Eventually Carlos joined us, and we created the band.
DL: Why do you think music is important?
JS: Music has an inherent value. It just makes people feel good, and everybody likes music. I have never met a person who disliked it. Since we like music so much and understand music, we don’t just write music. We have to write it. We are a do-it-ourselves kind of band. We record all the music ourselves — we even screen our own t-shirts.
DL: What is your goal as a band?
JS: We would like to be career musicians. We want to get signed to a record label and start traveling. Right now we have quite the
following in Phoenix, Ariz. and at Fort Worth, Texas. But we want to expand farther. As a band, we just want to put out music that people want to listen to. We have been doing a lot of shows locally to get our name out. Soon we just want to make enough money to create a good enough recording to send out to labels.
DL: Have you released any albums, and how would you describe that success?
JS: Immortal Prophecy has only had three self-recorded demos. We hand these out and we have gotten some good feedback. A lot of people tell us that they are actually listening to the demos, which is really great. It is hard to tell how many people are listening to it because we aren’t there. The feedback is good. We just want to be able to take that feedback and make something great.
DL: How do you manage being a musician and being a philosophy student?
JS: You don’t sleep much — that’s for sure. But you have to prioritize your classes and schedule them in accordance to being a musician. Weekends must be available, and I try not to take any early classes.
DL: What is the best part about being an artist?
JS: It is hard to just sum it up. There are so many great things. Every time we create a new song, it’s like creating a new part of you that anyone can experience. Being on stage is the best feeling ever. We get to meet some great people when we put on shows. We have some dedicated followers, and that gives us some satisfaction as musicians.
*Immortal Prophecy
Wednesday, Nov. 6 at 7 p.m.
The Bleeding Eardrum
9201 Indian School Rd.
$8 at the door or online at bleedingeardrum.com
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