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Exclusive Interview with Archfiend UP
Artist Spotlight: Archfiend UP
Archfiend UP, Brian Lafave, delivers a raw heavy metal concept album, Lost Forever, raising awareness about human trafficking. The 10-track album, featuring the single “Caged in Fear,” follows a young girl’s tragic journey from abuse to kidnapping and her ultimate demise.
Archfiend UP, Brian Lafave, delivers a raw heavy metal concept album, Lost Forever, raising awareness about human trafficking. The 10-track album, featuring the single “Caged in Fear,” follows a young girl’s tragic journey from abuse to kidnapping and her ultimate demise.
Handling all instruments and vocals himself, Archfiend UP combines storytelling, precise musicianship, and visuals (in collaboration with Colorado-based artist Michael Lynn) to create a sequential, immersive experience. Each song reflects the character’s emotions, while also providing listeners with resources to combat human trafficking.
Our conversation with Archfiend UP offers a glimpse into the mind of a creative powerhouse and the forces that continue to inspire them.
BH Review: What inspires your songwriting? Do you draw from personal experiences or fictional stories?
Archfiend UP: What inspires me with songwriting is to be able to move my audience with deep emotional feeling, and I draw more from Fictional stories, yet maybe a little personal.
BH Review: How would you describe your musical style?
Archfiend UP: I would describe my music style as hard rock and heavy metal.
BH Review: How do you balance your own unique sound with influences from others?
Archfiend UP: And how I balance, my own unique sound with influences from others as I think that would be in the guitar riffs that are right for my songs I usually write a bunch of guitar riffs and then kind of piece it together like that and then I try to think of a topic that's the best gonna move the audience then that's how I start writing lyrics and then when it comes to my influences, I guess it just be From listening to their music growing up as a kid
BH Review: What's the most important thing to you when creating new music?
Archfiend UP: The most important thing to me when I create new music is my audience and my fans. I want to create something that's really going to move them, that they're gonna be like, " Wow, this is really, really good and maybe they can relate to.
BH Review: Do you have a favorite song to write, and why?
Archfiend UP: And I think my favorite song to write, and why, would be the songs about human trafficking, because it does tell a story, and hopefully it will provide awareness and potentially maybe help some victims out there.
BH Review: What's the most innovative thing you've done in your music?
Archfiend UP: The most. innovative thing that I've done in my music I think would be the information that I have in the movie of the story of Jenna Lee there are one 800 numbers to call there is information and how many victims there are in the world, there's information in what type of money that this generates so in case somebody suspectshuman trafficking there are numbers to call and text.
BH Review: How do you handle criticism or negative feedback on your music?
Archfiend UP: And how I handle criticism and negative feedback for my music is I like it because it kinda tells me and shows me where I stand with the music that I write and how well my audience in my fans like my music so I always tell people when I ask them to listen to my music is to be honest and don't say you're like it if you really don't because criticism and negative feedback is also a good thing cause it kind of tells you where you're at with your music.
BH Review: Do you have a favorite lyric or verse that you've written?
Archfiend UP: And I think my favorite lyric or verse would be the verses and the chorus in the song seven "Caged in Fear". I think that would be my favorite.
Close your eyes, forget your name as you go insane,
Close your eyes with fear inside as hell awaits,
There's only rape you cannot escape the hell
They create you try to fight with all your might
You cannot escape
BH Review: What's the most inspiring thing that's happened to you in your music career?
Archfiend UP: And I think the most inspiring thing that's happened to me in my music career so far would be this promotion that I am doing with Starlite PR I think that this is very inspiring for me as a musician because it is truly getting my music out there to the public and out to my fans.
BH Review: What are some of the most important lessons you've learned as a musician so far?
Archfiend UP: Some of the most important lessons I've learned so far as a musician are who to promote and who not to promote. There are a lot of scams out there a lot and I think that is just the most frustrating thing to deal with. Are people out there taking advantage of musicians trying to make it in the music industry?
BH Review: What inspires your songwriting? Do you draw from personal experiences or fictional stories?
Archfiend UP: What inspires me with songwriting is to be able to move my audience with deep emotional feeling, and I draw more from Fictional stories, yet maybe a little personal.
BH Review: How would you describe your musical style?
Archfiend UP: I would describe my music style as hard rock and heavy metal.
BH Review: How do you balance your own unique sound with influences from others?
Archfiend UP: And how I balance, my own unique sound with influences from others as I think that would be in the guitar riffs that are right for my songs I usually write a bunch of guitar riffs and then kind of piece it together like that and then I try to think of a topic that's the best gonna move the audience then that's how I start writing lyrics and then when it comes to my influences, I guess it just be From listening to their music growing up as a kid
BH Review: What's the most important thing to you when creating new music?
Archfiend UP: The most important thing to me when I create new music is my audience and my fans. I want to create something that's really going to move them, that they're gonna be like, " Wow, this is really, really good and maybe they can relate to.
BH Review: Do you have a favorite song to write, and why?
Archfiend UP: And I think my favorite song to write, and why, would be the songs about human trafficking, because it does tell a story, and hopefully it will provide awareness and potentially maybe help some victims out there.
BH Review: What's the most innovative thing you've done in your music?
Archfiend UP: The most. innovative thing that I've done in my music I think would be the information that I have in the movie of the story of Jenna Lee there are one 800 numbers to call there is information and how many victims there are in the world, there's information in what type of money that this generates so in case somebody suspectshuman trafficking there are numbers to call and text.
BH Review: How do you handle criticism or negative feedback on your music?
Archfiend UP: And how I handle criticism and negative feedback for my music is I like it because it kinda tells me and shows me where I stand with the music that I write and how well my audience in my fans like my music so I always tell people when I ask them to listen to my music is to be honest and don't say you're like it if you really don't because criticism and negative feedback is also a good thing cause it kind of tells you where you're at with your music.
BH Review: Do you have a favorite lyric or verse that you've written?
Archfiend UP: And I think my favorite lyric or verse would be the verses and the chorus in the song seven "Caged in Fear". I think that would be my favorite.
Close your eyes, forget your name as you go insane,
Close your eyes with fear inside as hell awaits,
There's only rape you cannot escape the hell
They create you try to fight with all your might
You cannot escape
BH Review: What's the most inspiring thing that's happened to you in your music career?
Archfiend UP: And I think the most inspiring thing that's happened to me in my music career so far would be this promotion that I am doing with Starlite PR I think that this is very inspiring for me as a musician because it is truly getting my music out there to the public and out to my fans.
BH Review: What are some of the most important lessons you've learned as a musician so far?
Archfiend UP: Some of the most important lessons I've learned so far as a musician are who to promote and who not to promote. There are a lot of scams out there a lot and I think that is just the most frustrating thing to deal with. Are people out there taking advantage of musicians trying to make it in the music industry?
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