Interviews

Bestial Mouths delivers their unique industrial blend and speaks directly to the heart!

It's not many years back since the first time I was fascinated by the uncommon beauty of the music that, the California based project, Bestial Mouths, offered to my dark soul. Lynette Cerezo is gifted with an ability to express her emotions, experiences and thoughts through a unique, haunting and witchy voice melody sonic interpretation. This talent could not be hidden and Lynette Cerezo manages to deliver every aspect of her artistic personality into the music interpretation, which is based on industrial pillars but includes elements from different genres, influences and inspirations.  Bestial Mouths casts a new spell to everyone who is tempted from their sound and the ritual, dark electronic and post-punk, music ingredients of their magic is always seductive. 

From their inception in 2009, the core root of Bestial Mouths has combined Cerezo’s voice with myriad genre influences across the spectrum of goth, industrial, post-punk, New Wave, noise, metal, and other underground sounds using live acoustic and electronic drums and analog synthesizers. With a history in fashion design and gender activism, Cerezo’s visual and social aesthetics are interwoven deeply into Bestial Mouth’s presentation, building outward into captivating theatrical live performances.

Since 2018, Bestial Mouths has been the sole project of Cerezo, blossoming outward as a channel to explore deeply personal lyrics of self-stagnation and trauma.

The haunting figure of Lynette Cerezo has given us some of the most dark electronic albums during the past years with the latest being the amazing and critically acclaimed, "R.O.T.T. (inmyskin)", released in August 2023. On the occassion of "ROTT (inmyskin)" release and together with the all new remix album, "BACKBONE", Bestial Mouths will visit Athens, Greece on Saturday, May 25th, and they will bring their ritual on the stage of ARCH Club Live Stage and in front of their Greek fans.

I had the pleasure to have a really interesting chat with Lynette Cerezo few days prior to their Athens show.

ES: Hello Bestial Mouths. I have to admit that I am a big fan of your sound and inspirations. Before going into details about Bestial Mouths and your live appearance in Greece, would you like to introduce yourselves to our readers?

Lynette Cerezo: First, thank you for this and your support ~ it means a lot and keeps us going. Bestial Mouths is art. This is Lynette Cerezo, vocalist and creator of Bestial Mouths. The other half of the project is Brant Showers of AAIMON and SOLVE as producer. Throughout the years we have had the opportunity to collaborate with many producers and live musicians to help bring us to people’s ears.

ES: Well, I want to know much about you. Let's start from the future. First live show in Athens, Greece as part of the European tour. How do you feel about this?

Lynette Cerezo: Thrilled! I have always wanted to visit Greece and now to get to play there and open for legends DAF is incredible (this will be the second time we opened up for DAF - the first was in Berlin for CTM Festival)

ES: Your albums are always based and create a unique atmosphere built upon specific ideas. What happens when this ambience is being brought on stage? How do you approach translating your studio recordings into a live setting? What could your Greek fans expect from a Bestial Mouths live show?

Lynette Cerezo: An experience - I try to bring them into a trance and feeling. To come along for the story and ride. They can expect emotion and movement.

ES: This tour, which started in the US and continues in Europe, was conducted to promote your last album, "ROTT (inmyskin)". Another unique album with the elements that characterizes your sound, exploring themes of identity, transformation and even aging. Can you discuss the inspiration behind these themes and how they influence your songwriting process?

Lynette Cerezo: Discussing this is discussing my life and all I have been through. From my divorce from a marriage of 10 years, betrayal and traumas. The pains of existence and jealousy. The exhaustion of trying to reach a goal and feeling stuck. This is my story to tell - trying to reach others as I know a lot can relate. R.O.T.T. stands for Road Of Thousand Tears. It was inspired by the Trail of Tears the Native Americans had to endure. In this song I sing in both Spanish and English. This is the first time I sang in Spanish, in homage to my Puerto Rican heritage.

ES: You are active as Bestial Mouths for 15 years now, with a numerous releases and live performances. Would you like to share with us one of your favorite moments during a tour or a concert? How have these moments influenced your perspective on music and performance?

Lynette Cerezo: This is truly a hard question for me to answer because there are so many, and all for different reasons. For example, my favorite city in terms of my personal time or the audience, the venue, the other artist/performers, even promoters. Shows which had the strangest experience or things happen - like when I accidentally unplugged the main sound while we were playing in a city in Mexico, and the whole venue went quiet.

Or when it was so dark from fog I slipped off the stage, only to crawl back on it for a while.

Or when we were opening up for PTV and Gen P-Orridge decided to take a shortcut into the back room walking on the stage throughout our set; it was their birthday as well, so what could we say? A time in Italy when I got to take the best tiny pizzas with me to sit in the back of the van after the show enjoying them so much. A show in Spain during sound check when only a dog was our audience and watched happily.

ES: "ROTT (inmyskin)" marked the beginning of the new cycle for Bestial Mouths, while it was produced by Rhys Fulber. Which are the elements or facts that mark this new cycle and which was Rhys Fulber's influence in this album? An album that balances perfectly in two or perhaps more genres.

Lynette Cerezo: For this release I really wanted it to be catchier and to stick in your skin. So I focused on lyrics and choruses that get stuck in your head, vocals which were easier to hear and understand so they could know the journey and connect with the story with their own experiences. I wanted it to be more accessible, to bring us all together after covid and the disasters of the world; even AI and the like are pushing us apart. I felt it was time we all need to connect, to be human.

Working with Rhys was incredible. He really set with the tracks/music we gave him and put his soul and influence on it. He spent a lot of effort to create a sound that marries both Bestial and his style. He was really able to make each song its own while they all work together as a whole; a lot of the elements he added give it a very anthemic and scorelike quality.

ES: Besides "ROTT (inmyskin)'' there is another new release that followed the album and this is the remix album "BACKBONE" where we find some great collaborations. You are a band that collaborates with other artists and this is something great. What are the factors that, usually, lead you to choose a remix band or artist? What do Bestial Mouths expect from the different interpretations of each song in a remix album?

Lynette Cerezo: To have another artist you admire sit with your music and take the time to put their touch on it means so much. I find it very exciting to see what they hear. Just as Bestial is not one exact genre, we like to choose from all we listen to. It can come about from times we have met in person, played a show together, other artists telling us they want to remix, and/or reaching out to ones we love.

ES: Your music often blends elements of post-punk, darkwave, and industrial or even some gothic rock tunes, like those in 2021's, "LostIN". What initially drew you to these genres, and how do you incorporate them into your sound? Which were your initial and main influences?

Lynette Cerezo: I have been listening to this type of music for as long as I can remember. My very first show at 12 was The Ramones. I would say I started with punk, goth, deathrock, post punk, shoegaze, industrial, experimental, minimal synth, Brit pop as a lot of what I have listened to through the years. I never set out to recreate or create to a certain exact genre; Bestial creates wants in our pores and soul, and lets it come to life in that way. I consider that we are creating modern dark music.

ES: Speaking of "LostIN", this track was released as a part of a compilation, titled "We Stand". A compilation that featured some great bands and artists and for a really important cause. Would you like to tell us some things about this compilation?

Lynette Cerezo: WE STAND was to take a stand and fight for women's reproductive rights. It is really disheartening to think we are going backwards instead of forwards on women's equality. Those in the past fought so hard and now it is our job to do the same.

ES: Your visual aesthetic is striking and often plays a significant role in your music videos and live performances. How do you conceptualize the visual aspect of your art, and what role does it play in conveying your message to your audience?

Lynette Cerezo: I have a fashion design degree and art history, so I view Bestial not just as music/band but art work. So I like to use all the senses to tell the story, ears and vision as well let’s say. Often I just see these things as the songs are composed. Sometimes we collaborate with photographers or filmmakers to tell a story. I find it also just as interesting to show them the music and lyrics and see what they take from it, and how they bring it to life in visual form.

ES: Looking ahead, what are your goals and aspirations for the future of Bestial Mouths? Are there any upcoming releases or collabs that you'd love to share with your fans?

Future goals are always the same: for Bestial Mouths to continue to breathe and use our mouths to create and reach others. To connect to people all over the world. To hopefully inspire (especially women) to be yourself and don't let anything hold you back, to be brave in this harsh landscape. There are always collaborations on the horizon whether it’s for bestial or me personally. So stay tuned!

ES: Thank you very much for this interesting chat. Would you like to add something more, prior to your arrival in Athens? A message to your fans and our readers?

Lynette Cerezo: “Everyone's wings get clipped in this life” ~ remember life is a journey, so do not rush to the end. We don't know what the finish line truly is, so focus on now and not what society tells us we should be. Stop smelling what is and continue to support art to feed our souls - and thank you for taking this time with me.

xx Lynette

Event: https://www.facebook.com/events/1142863920415481/

Tickets: https://www.more.com/music/d-a-f-robert-gorl-de-bestial-mouths-us

Info:

http://bestialmouths.com/

https://www.facebook.com/BESTIALMOUTHS

https://bestialmouths.bandcamp.com/

https://www.instagram.com/bestialmouths/

https://www.youtube.com/@BestialMouths