CHASKA

composed & lyrics by Hueso Raffo

track-list:
Winter Night Heights
Sweet Lover
Imperio Caído
Possession
Nymph of the Lake (Live Session)
Bicolour Cannibalism (Live Session)

Chaska are:
Hueso Raffo – guitars, vocals
Fabián Flores-Castro – drums
Hernán Gonzales – bass
live musician:
Carlos Polar – lead guitar

discography:

Peruvian metal band Chaska released a new music video ‘Winter Night Heights‘ edited by Tom Flynn (Lamb Of God, Suffocation, I Prevail, Nile).
The track is taken from ‘Rites of June‘ EP which was released via Inverse Records.
The band comments:
“The music video for the song ‘Winter Night Heights’, besides the images of the band performing, features some images from the film ‘La Luz en el Cerro’ (The Light on the Hill) provided by its director Ricardo Velarde and Caudal Films. This video was edited by Tom Flynn, who has worked with bands such as Lamb Of God, Suffocation, I Prevail, Buckcherry, Nile, As I Lay Dying, etc. Visually, we wanted to present a video with some dynamics and darkness, in addition to some elements such as mystery, cold and night, which surround the characters and landscapes. Initially, ‘Rites of June’ was only going to feature three songs, which are: ‘Winter Night Heights’, ‘Sweet Lover’ and ‘Imperio Caído’. The first song was composed especially for the film ‘La Luz en el Cerro’ (The Light on the Hill) (2016), and the other two songs appeared on the EP ‘Chaska’ (2003). These three songs were totally re-recorded to be included on this new EP. Then, along the way, the idea of recording the song ‘Possession’ (Bad English cover) arose, perhaps as a bonus track, since EPs usually include this type of material as surprises or gifts. Finally, to make the EP more solid, we decided to include the live session versions of the songs ‘Nymph of the Lake’ and ‘Bicolour Cannibalism’, previously featured on the album ‘Pururauca’ (2009). So, ‘Rites of June’ represents, in some way, the different phases or stages of the band over time. We think this EP is a good introduction for people who don’t know us or have never heard us before.”
Chaska is a Peruvian band that fuses the intensity of worldwide metal with the beauty of Latin American folklore elements, and has become one of the most interesting bands in their country and in Latin America.
The band was formed in Arequipa, Perú, in 2002.
December 2002, Chaska won a local band contest obtaining, as prize, the recording of two unpublished songs.
February 2003, the band released their self titled EP, ‘Chaska‘.
This EP allowed the band to play in different cities of Perú.
In 2005, Chaska performed for the first time outside of Perú, in Chile.
Then, the band was invited to be the opening act for the Brazilian band, Sepultura, in Bolivia.
June 2007, Chaska released an EP titled ‘Bicolour Cannibalism/Tuta Chaska‘, as a preview of its debut album, ‘Pururauca‘.
March 2009, the band released their first full-length album, ‘Pururauca‘, through the Peruvian label, Mythic Metal Productions.
In 2012, Chaska and the producers of the Peruvian film, ‘La Luz en el Cerro‘ (The Light on the Hill), reached an agreement so Chaska’s music is part of the soundtrack of this movie.
September 2015, the band released the song, ‘Winter Night Heights‘, composed exclusively for the film, ‘La Luz en el Cerro‘ (The Light on the Hill).
September 2016, Chaska reissued its album, ‘Pururauca‘, through the Peruvian label, Xaria Music.
July 2017, the band released the compilation, ‘Everlasting Night‘, through the Peruvian label, Inti Records.
October 2017, Chaska released a video clip for the song, ‘Winter Night Heights‘.
This video was a shared work with Caudal Films, and includes images of the film, ‘La Luz en el Cerro‘ (The Light on the Hill).
February 2019, the band was part of the compilation album, ‘Songs of Injustice‘, released by the European magazine, Metal Hammer.
March 2019, Chaska was part of the 1st World Metal Congress held in London, England.
In 2020, the band released two live session videos for the songs, ‘Nymph of the Lake‘ and ‘Bicolour Cannibalism‘.
August 2020, Chaska reissued its album, ‘Pururauca‘, in cassette format, through the Peruvian label, Disturbio Producciones.
Through the years, Chaska has shared the stage with important bands like Primal Fear, Death Angel, Moonspell, Annihilator, Rhapsody, Arkona, Saratoga, and more.
In 2023 Chaska made a deal with Finnish label Inverse Records to release the new 6-track EP ‘Rites of June‘ which was released in 2024.