Many bands nowadays put image first ahead of anything else. Not withstanding how their songs or music legacy would fare out, quite a number of bands fell short of what music should be about; express themselves thru their songs. But not Xeno Devata. This Metal-genre band got together last 2016 with Loubelle Luis on vocals, Fidel De Jesus on guitars and backing vocals, Kid Moll on bass and Matt De Mesa on drums.
“We never really dwelled on the image part because for me, I focus more on the badass melody, groove and angst. Also, lyrics-wise, I still prefer songs that are insightful. I think it's better to enjoy the music rather than the stereotyped lifestyle, but then again, to each his own”, confesses Loubelle. “Sex, Drugs, and Rock and Roll used to be rampant. Now, associating sex and drugs with rock and roll is somewhat a lazy thing to do. I have been in the underground scene actively since 1996. I haven't seen the connection so far”, opined Kid.
These foursome hailed from different influences and communities, yet agreed on music. Fidel hailed from Malabon but grew up in Sta.Rosa, Laguna. “My mom plays guitar, my sister sings and my dad listens to a lot of classic rock. My cousins introduced me to rock and metal. I got to watch Slash do a guitar solo in the middle of a desert and on top of a piano in their music video. It was so cool and I want to be like that. Then the guitar obsession came afterwards”, relays Fidel. For Kid, who hails from Bicol, it was Louie Talan’s on–stage persona that made him decide to play the bass. Matt grew up in Makati and influenced by The Beatles, Queen, and Bread. His cousins influenced him to get into heavy music.
Although Metal is their genre, they don't want to limit themselves to a specific subgenre just yet. “We want to be able to create a unique sound that will make you say...ah! Xeno Devata yan”, exclaims Matt. Loubelle has some classical leanings in her due mainly to her aunt and uncle who are classical singers. “My older brother would always crank up new wave music. My mom would also tell me that she listens to classical music when I was still a baby. I also had piano lessons during my younger years. In high school, I realized that I vibe with rock music and then later on evolved to heavy metal. However, it was with my first band – Vintra, that I discovered underground melodic death metal music and eventually I got to explore other genres such as thrash, symphonic metal, grindcore, and others”, continued Loubelle.
“My influences are my cousins Joe and Paul and my friends Geoffrey Trinidad, Sid Pablo and Noel Mendez, internationally Jason Becker, Paul Gilbert, Greg Howe, Brett Garsed, Metallica, Cacophony, Racer X, Cynic, Guns N’Roses, Allan Holdsworth Trio”, asserts Fidel. Loubelle credits Arch Enemy, Death, Megadeth, Metallica, Nightwish, Within Temptation, Kreator, Sepultura, Pantera as her infuences. While Kid cites Dondi Ledesma and Roger Alcantara as his main influences.
Xeno Devata have an EP entitled “Unixistence” launched last 2018. Their memorable first gig last 2016 was one for the books, they used backing tracks for drums and bass because they were just three members then. Matt joined around May 2018, just in time for their EP launch and Kid joined the fray 1 month ago as a session musician and eventually got invited to stay to complete the ensemble.
How did they came up with the band’s name? Fidel explains, “The band's name came from two different languages. "Xeno", a Greek word which means alien, strange or foreign, and "Devata", a Hindu word meaning deity or God”. With the future ahead and time on their side, Xeno Devata has the whole world to play to.
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