We’re ticking the 58th country off the GigRadar map with a fascinating Colombian band who see themselves as metal’s answer to the hacktivist movement Anonymous. Zarator’s collective purpose is to “awaken others to their own stories” led by a deep shared love for rock, mysticism, philosophy, symbolism and powerful, theatrical shows.
Zarator have crafted a dramatic rock sound that they describe as “epic, magical and awakening.” The band lean on the teachings of history’s great philosophers and storytellers in a fusion of symphonic rock and spiritual metal.
As they explain to us: “Zarator was never meant to be about ‘who,’ but about ‘what.’ Like Anonymous, we believe the message matters more than the messenger. We prefer to keep our origins shrouded in mystery — not out of secrecy, but because our purpose is collective, not personal.”
Our first taste of the Zarator experience is their debut single Así habló Zarator (Thus spoke Zarator), which was released last month. It opens up with light orchestral instrumentals in a slightly sinister, building intro. A slight pause is broken by spoken Spanish vocals “Abro los ojos, Fue esto un sueño, u otra dimensión, No sacrificaré más mi vida por un futuro engañoso, Les diré a todos lo que pasó, Visite un mundo de seres superiores, Me enseñaron una lección y hasta dos,” which translates to “I open my eyes, Was this a dream, or another dimension, I will no longer sacrifice my life for a deceptive future, I will tell everyone what happened, I visited a world of higher beings, They taught me one lesson, and even two.”
At this point in the music video, an awakening man discovers a lightsaber and is transported to the hooded crew of Zarator diving into a cool darting guitar riff over driving drums and guitar chords. Engaging high-pitched vocals take over, flowing into a big catchy chorus “El futuro es ahora, El éxito es el amor, Viviré por la justicia, Busco siempre ser mejor” (“The future is now, Success is love, I will live for justice, I always seek to be better.”) A cool darting riff returns and the intensity builds in a verse supported by darting violins and continues into an extended chorus supported by sinister drawn-out violins and cool choral backing vocals. Call-and-answer guitar flurries develop into a shared solo, the choral vocals return and it drops into a few final blasts of the chorus as the track comes to a dramatic conclusion.
On the track, the band told us: “It’s been powerful. The response has been full of emotion and connection. Así habló Zarator is our first single and the seventh song of our upcoming album, Humano, demasiado humano (Human, too Human), an album we’re currently developing.
“The song is a manifesto, a spiritual and philosophical call to remember that life is not meant to be competition and burnout — it’s about purpose, inspiration, and connection.” Check it out in the video below.
Intriguingly, the Zarator sound and approach is influenced by musical artists, philosophers and storytellers. From a musical point of view, they lean on bands like Kraken, Rata Blanca, Iron Maiden, Therion, Haggard, Ghost, and Mägo de Oz, while drawing influence from philosophers like Nietzsche, Plato, Eliphas Levi and Goethe and the “narrative influences of modern mythology” like The Matrix, Star Wars and Lord of the Rings.
As they explain: “We write about awakening, the human spirit, the need to live consciously, in harmony and cooperate to go beyond what a single human being can be or do. We believe music can be a tool for inner revolution.”
As mentioned, despite living in Medellín for a couple of months and finding nothing but horrendoes regaeton, this is the first Colombian band we’ve discovered. And the band told us: “Colombia’s metal scene is alive and passionate, although still underground in many ways. We recently hosted the Monsters of Rock festival, and in recent months, we’ve seen major international acts like SOAD, Linkin Park, Megadeth, and Slipknot perform here.
“Locally, we have legendary bands like Kraken, Akash, Neurosis, and Gaias Pendulum who’ve been active for decades and have loyal fanbases. Most of the support for local bands comes directly from the fans who attend live events — especially in cities like Bogotá, Medellín, and Cali.”
There’s plenty more to come from Zarator, who are currently working on their debut concept album Humano, demasiado Humano. They’ll be releasing two or three more singles in the next few months, before launching the album with a live show on 8 November to, in their words, provide a full audiovisual and philosophical experience. They’ll also be releasing a series of short videos that combine spiritual ideas, philosophy and music to develop a deeper community across their social platforms.
And the band adds: “Zarator is more than just a band. It’s a message, a call, and an invitation to remember who we really are — and to live in alignment with that truth. The future is now. Success is love. Zarator is calling.”
We can’t deny it feels a little bit culty, but we’re fascinated by the Zarator message and we’re fully on board with it. And we’re excited to discover the next few chapters of the Zarator story.
You can follow Zarator on Instagram and TikTok, and check out their music on Spotify, Apple Music and YouTube.
GigRadar 