| Cultura Tres | |
| Origin: | Maracay, Venezuela |
| Genre: | Thrash metal, sludge metal, psychedelic rock, progressive rock |
| Years Active: | –present |
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| Past Members: |
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Cultura Tres is a band that started more than a decade ago in the small town of Maracay, Venezuela. During the sludge-doom era of the band, guitarist brothers Alejandro and Juanma Montoya brought out a number of independent releases, but despite various musical highlights such as touring Europe, Japan and South-America or being declared "Discovery of the month" by Metal Hammer UK, the early aspirations of the Montoyas would lack the resources and team members to reach the next level. A number of challenges and even personal tragedy would eventually put years of silence to their musical output.
The early efforts of the brothers wouldn't go totally unnoticed by recognised musicians and publications though. Magazines such as Burrn (Japan) and Decibel (US) would praised the band's originality.
Noticing the prevalent interest in the rarity of these early DIY releases, the Montoyas regained the energy to ignite a new Cultura Tres, this time within a team with similar aspirations, and with a renewed vision of what South-American heavy music should sound like.
In 2019 after hearing about the plans for a new Cultura Tres, old friend Paulo Jr. (bass player of Sepultura) surprised the brothers by offering to join in. Alejandro and Juanma were honoured and happy to welcome him on board. Soon after, the first demo sessions took place in a studio in Amsterdam where the three musicians explored new ideas and found a musical common ground. The resulting style retained elements of the psychedelic-sludgy past, but incorporated the groove of a more metal oriented vibe that Paulo brought in with his Sepultura influence. After these sessions it became clear that the 4th member of the band had to be not only skilled but also familiar with South-American grooves, and since the driving force behind Cultura Tres was now friendship and artistic view, it made Jerry Vergara Cevallos an obvious choice. Jerry, a Venezuelan-Colombian drummer and close friend, shared the same obsession with creating metal with a new twist. He was delighted with the demos and joined immediately.
During the following three years and despite the pandemic, Cultura Tres would go deep in the making of their last album Camino de Brujos (Trail of Witches), an album that explores new and old musical textures; the power of thrash-metal with the eeriness of sludge and the melancholic feel of classic rock, all through the scope of organic and realistic recordings, evoking the way heavy rock sounded before "over producing" became a thing.
“Camino de Brujos” was released in 2023 through Outono / Universal Music Group in the Americas and in the rest of the world through AJM / Bloodblast.The record has been praised by the media for its darkness, heaviness and beauty.After a successful touring kickstart in late 2023, Cultura Tres will hit the road again in 2024 and is set to perform in major festivals both in South America and Europe.