You may recognize Beatriz Mariano and her perfect and unforgettable cheekbones: the young lady is a well-known alternative model, influencer, photographer and she has a pretty cool band, called Okkultist. The band was originally formed in 2016 and they are ready to drag our sinful soul to hell!

Beginnings:

“I’ve always been into music since I was a kid. I’ve learned a few instruments, and I’ve always been into singing. There wasn’t really a time when I wanted to become a singer, because I never actually saw it as something I wanted to do fulltime. I’ve always sung for fun! If this makes sense.  A few years back Leander and I teamed up to create Okkultist, and we just wanted to jam. Nothing too serious. But we saw that the project kept on growing, and getting more exposure, so we decided to take it to another level. When I told my family I was in a band they were accepting. They don’t understand the music though. When I first asked ‘do you wanna listen to it’ the first reaction I got was a fat ‘no’. But as long as I’m happy, they’re supportive.”

“I’ve been in love with the horror, occult and macabre aesthetic since a very early age. My favorite cartoon as a kid was “Courage, the Cowardly Dog”. I was hypnotized by the first horror movie I ever saw. I just fell in love. It just felt right. It was a calling.”

Through the lens:

“Actually, photography is my main activity. And not the band.  I am in complete control over the band’s visuals. It just made sense.  I first started working with self-portraiture when I was 15. I’m 25 now.  And when I first suggested it to the band they immediately accepted it, also because they enjoy my work. There wasn’t even a question. I just took over!”

“I’m constantly researching visuals. Anything! From movies to pictures, comics, illustrations, nature. Even sounds and textures. I’m especially attracted to the experimental field.”

Teamwork:

“We all work together. Most times we discuss feels and ideas. Anything from riffs, to keywords. And then we let things flow naturally. We don’t exactly have a formula. If it feels right, and if we’re enjoying it, then there’s nothing stopping us.”

Reinventing Evil:

“I remember us all sitting down and just saying ‘this shit has to sound evil. It had to bring people chills to their spine. Let’s make them hallucinate about Satan when our shit plays.’ We wanted a pit to hell to open up as soon as you started playing our album. (laughs) I’d say recording this album definitely brought us closer together. It made us understand each others’ visions better.”

“There’s no limit for creativity! Right now we are working on new material. We are going through a few changes right, but we are excited about what we have to come. “

Touring:

“We are doing the best we can to tour. But as a small band that barely makes any profit, it makes it extremely difficult for us to finance big projects. But things are on the move!”

Please support the band by buying their music – just click on the photo below.

Special thanks to our friend, Maryline Crucifier to make that interview happen.