Opensight is a band that are notorious for dressing up their songs with suspense, spy themes, hard-boiled action sequences and enigmatic horror passages among other elements, revelling in vintage Genre Film conventions as a main source of inspiration. The band is currently releasing a string of singles before revealing their next full length album “Mondo Fiction” in 2022. Their last single is the Crime and Thriller themed “Plot Twist” Here’s a conversation with frontman Ivan Amaya:
Describe your sound in three words
Crime, Thriller and Suspense
Tell us a few things about your last song Plot Twist, the main idea behind it and your creative process in general.
“Plot Twist” sounds like a score for one of those Crime and Mystery Thriller films where soundtracks were being done through a band format and sounded jazzy but dramatic. The song ends up being a Heavy Metal song of course since that’s what we really are, but the sense of mystery and drama reminiscent of those types of pictures is there. So, the creative process is basically aiming for a particular adventurous and dramatic vibe and ending with an energetic Metal song that possesses that feeling.
The way we present “Plot Twist”, like other Opensight singles, would be like an infamous and controversial lost movie from the past that you are eager to see. A buried and forgotten gem, soaked in controversy, too intense for its time but resurrected now for the delight of curious and adventurous viewers. So the video looks like a trailer for a 70s hard-boiled action film. It would be fun to see if people can find out where the images come from in reality.
If Plot Twist was actually a soundtrack from a 70s Crime Film, which film would that be?
It would be a movie about a relentless cop or detective on the hunt for a violent killer who is terrorizing an already violent and corrupt city. The killer would wear black leather gloves and be faceless throughout the film until the end. So, maybe a mixture between “Magnum Force”, “Ten To Midnight” and “The New York Ripper”.
Which is the biggest guitar riff you wish you have composed yourself?
It has to be a Black Sabbath riff right? Let’s go with either the main riff from “Sabbath Bloody Sabbath” or “Symptom of the Universe”
Is there an album that caught your interest recently?
Quite a few of them, old and new. David Axelrod’s “Songs of Experience” would be the one spinned the most this year, the latest Helloween and Iron Maiden albums. A Stelvio Cipriani “best of” album which includes themes from the films “The Great Kidnapping” and “What Have They Done to Our Daughters”. Currently listening to Mastodon’s latest record “Hushed and Grim” and Cynic’s “Ascension Codes” which I’m growing fond of.
What would be your favorite gig you did till now?
Playing live is great and we have a blast at every show. Maybe a good memory was A New Day Festival where we were in the lineup with Focus, Uriah Heep and other classic bands which was pretty fun. Also, after being locked down we’ve now done a few dates in different cities and that has felt amazing!
Can you share something funny that happened during one of your gigs?
I got electrocuted a long time ago while playing in Colombia. The crowd was pretty drunk so they never really noticed when I got the electric shock. The shock made me bite my tongue and I spat blood on my hand. A drunk guy in the audience gave me a hi five and smeared the blood on his face. He probably thought it was stage blood. I didn’t know what it was but I realized later that there was a live wire on stage that I was stepping on. My tongue was in a very bad shape afterwards so I was speaking funny for a week or so..
What would be your dream performance venue?
I think there are quite a few iconic venues which are part of the dream. Thinking strictly about the UK, if you look at London only there are quite a few like the Royal Albert Hall, Brixton Academy and Hammersmith come to mind
In which place or state of mind do you imagine people might listen to your music?
The energy and excitement of a live show would be the best thing. People can listen to music at anytime, and although I really like sitting down with a drink and immersing myself into the music, the artwork and the liner notes everything comes full circle onstage.
What advice would you give to your younger self?
Never rat on your friends and always keep your mouth shut
Thank you!
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