UnCovered: TANUS Premiere Their “Abyss” Music Video and Discuss the Single’s Artwork

Revved-up, aggressive, and supercharged melodic metal is what TANUS specialize in, and they are blowing things up with the debut of the new music video for their latest single, “Abyss.” The video is as equally powerful and intense as the song, as the band wails their way through this heavy concoction of riffs and synthesizers.

The track is lifted from the upcoming FiXT: Radium compilation record, a collection of songs by artists on the highly respected independent and artist-owned record label FiXT. “Abyss” is a statement on modern freedom, not so much in a political or legal sense, but more a questioning of where we stand regarding how our circumstances marginalize and manipulate us. The information that is fed to us is affecting us, and it can cause us to fall into an abyss that we need to climb out of.

TANUS was created as a solo outlet for the band’s DJ Mika, and it began under the pseudonym Mikankh. After an initial positive response to the project, it was expanded into a full-fledged band that now consists of six members. Combining metal, electronic rock, trap, industrial, and dubstep, TANUS is a diverse and inimitable listening experience.

Thus far, they have released eight singles, with much more on the way. They also have a past collaboration, “Break The System,” with Fire From The Gods singer AJ Channer. Over the last several years, you may have seen the band at some huge rock festivals in Mexico and South America, including Hell and Heaven Open Air, Corona Weekend, and Punk Rock Fest. TANUS has really found their groove recently, and people are taking notice.

In addition to the debut of “Abyss,” the group joins us today for an UnCovered interview, in which he discusses the creative process behind the new single’s artwork.

Please help us understand what you are trying to convey with the cover’s imagery. Give us
details on the concept.

TANUS: “We have always sought coherence between what is seen and what is heard. Each sound has an implicit message saved that leads you to imagine things. On this occasion, for us, the message is very strong, as is the message of the lyrics.”

Who created the artwork? How did the band decide on the artist?

“His name is Erik Rico, he is a Mexican Architect with an active career. Erik’s work as a visual artist revolves around deconstruction, dark surrealism, and autobiographical religious analysis as a creative process, reflected in drawing, painting, photography, and sculpture.

“I met Erik, and we had a great connection; we had no doubts that we were walking in the same direction, trying to reflect a dark surrealism with a great taste of mysticism, occultism, and elegance.”

How did Erik decide to get into making album cover art?

“He heard the song and the message we wanted to communicate, and that was pretty much it. After a long conversation about how coherence and deconstruction can live together, we decided to make a visual impact with an already made piece of art that could reflect the exact same message I had in mind while writing the song.”

What’s the story behind the single and the artwork? Is there a particular theme or narrative being displayed on which you can elaborate?

“Well, while the lyrics are about freedom and how human beings and their creativity is compromised by a so-called ‘controlled freedom,’ the art reflects decadence and hope at the same time.”

What inspired the creation of the artwork?

“The mixture between today’s decadence and hope.”

Who would you like to collaborate with on future artwork?

“There are a lot of great artists out there; each one of them has their own voice and their own perception, and that’s the magic in collaborations. We are open to working with anyone that reflects passion and art from their own perspective.”

How do you think the record business and art industry are navigating the handling of album artwork?

“Music, as well as other types of art, are constantly evolving. We believe that music, as well as painting, sculpture, and all the types of art, can coexist and convey new perspectives with more decisive messages.”

With the increasing popularity of digital music, most fans view artwork as just pixels on a screen. Why did you feel the artwork was important?

“Because music in its purest state of being, regardless of digital or analog, is part of storytelling. While you give more to the audience, you’ll get a wider and honest response.”

When people look at the single cover artwork, what do you want them to see/think?

“Well, our intention is not to force the perspective of people. But we want them to have as many tools as possible in order to understand our message and our music. If we provide a cover artwork, a video, of course, our music and content with the exact same message we had when we wrote this song, we think that the understanding will be more accurate.”

What are your thoughts and/or the pros and cons of digital art versus non-digital?

“We believe that art can be made in any manner with any tool. We live in a digital era; even though we are from a generation that had the amazing opportunity to watch the evolution from the first row, we are aware of what is happening in today’s era, where creation in any form is a part of art.”

How do you think the single art will affect the listeners’ perception of the album?

“Well, for us, the visual identity in every content is very important. Listeners will have our message in its whole way. The intention of our lyrics, the emotion in our music, our perception of how we see our music in one piece of visual art, in that way we would love to see how they react and, of course, what they think. This is where being in an abyss is an option; agreeing to get out of it is a responsibility.”