Interview: LeTuM- Blasphemy at its Core

When you think of Central California, you think Vegetable Fields, Truck Stops, Indian Food, Sasquatch, Camping, Kayaking and BEARS!!! Did I mention Sasquatch? Well, I have news for you, Central California also has BLACK METAL!

Hailing from Delano, California, comes a two piece Black Death Metal band made up of vocalist/guitarist David “FUNESTUS” Sahagun and Drummer Luis “Rotten Angel” Galvez. Here we take a few minutes to get to know the band and what their future endeavors are.

Introduce yourself, tell me what you do in LeTuM,, and how long the band has been together.

My name is David “FUNESTUS” Sahagún and I play guitar and vocals. The drummer is Luis “Rotten Angel” Galvez. We’re a two piece Blackend Death Metal band that has been together for 11 years now. Due to the lack of metalheads in our town we were forced to make it a two piece band, and as time went by it was just easier to keep it this way.

What does the name LeTuM mean and what made you decide to use that name?

LeTuM is a Latin word that means Death, Chaos, Ruins. We choose Latin because we think of it as the beginning of our language, Spanish. And the word death with signifies the end.

Tell me about the bands Parafilia Biblica Album?

Our first and only album so far is “Parafilia Biblica” which translates to Biblical Paraphilia. Paraphilia is a condition characterized by abnormal sexual desires, typically involving extreme or dangerous activities. We all have noticed the violence, incest, and rape from the beginning of the bible scriptures. So it makes it more disgusting that the people who are in charge of spreading the word of God commit the most horrible crime in existence which is pedophilia. Each song in this album has something different but blasphemy and sex are very well represented.

Where do you get the ideas for some of the lyrics you write?

Our lyrics are mainly about Lust, blasphemy and sex. Embracing our true humanity and sexuality. Expressing it and not judging anybody for their sexual choice as long as it Is CONSENSUAL!! It’s blasphemous because church and religion are chains that need to be destroyed.

How exciting is it to play with legends Saratoga on January 25^th and with Skeletal Remains on January 27^th? and what plans do you have for these days?

We’ve played with great bands over the years, Vader, Hate Etarnal, Kataklism, Sadistic Intent, among others. But, it’s always great to be part of someone’s anniversary in this case Saratoga. Skeletal Remains is just going to be fucking Brutal. We’re opening that show but is full of L.A. and Bakersfield bands that tear it up. We don’t care whether we’re playing in front of hundreds or just 10 people. Our intensity comes from our love for this music and we don’t think of ourselves as musicians. We’re Metalheads.

What are the future plans for LeTuM?

We’re working on our Second album. It’s going to be called “Made of Hate” we believe that Hate is a strong fuel to this music that we all love. Black Metal and Death Metal sound better when you can feel the Hate in it and some people try to water it down so is “socially acceptable.”