We recently connected with Diego Valadez and have shared our conversation below.

Diego, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Did you always know you wanted to pursue a creative or artistic career? When did you first know?

Honestly, I was already messing around with keyboards at home way before I ever thought of doing this professionally. I’d just play along to songs I liked in my room and post little clips on MySpace (yeah… it was that long ago, lol). But the real turning point was in 2007 when I went to my first concert to see Sonata Arctica. That show completely blew my mind.

After the set, I ended up meeting this guy Johnny who had a local thrash band called Ice Storm. I already knew who he was, and weirdly enough, he recognized me too from those MySpace clips. He told me he was thinking about shifting the band toward a more power metal sound and asked if I’d be down to join as their keyboardist. I said yes, and that ended up being my first real step into live music. I’ve been doing it ever since, different bands but that moment kicked it all off.

Also, yes that Sonata concert was the reason why I eventually got myself a keytar haha

Diego, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

It all kinda started by accident. In middle school, we had to take some kind of art elective, and my mom signed me up for piano. My parents even got me a little beginner keyboard to practice on, which was cool but as soon as the class ended, I didn’t touch it again.

A few years later in high school, I got really into metal and wanted to learn guitar. But when I asked my parents, they were like, “We already got you a keyboard and it’s been collecting dust, so… no.” So naturally, being a rebellious teenager, I took that as a challenge and went all in on metal keyboards instead. I started teaching myself by playing along to bands like Children of Bodom, Sonata Arctica, and Stratovarius. Funny enough, years later I’d end up playing keys for Timo Tolkki of Stratovarius, so I guess that came full circle.

From there, I played in a few local bands before joining Cellador around 2012. That was my first real step into the industry. We toured, released an EP and a full-length album. It was a solid run. I wasn’t writing music in that band, but that experience lit a fire in me to create something of my own. I wanted to write dramatic, theatrical, symphonic metal that felt like a story unfolding.

That’s what eventually led to forming Anthea. It started as a creative outlet where I could finally do everything I had in my head, the arrangements, the orchestration, the emotion. The only issue was, we couldn’t find a singer. I had no vocal experience at all, but I figured I’d fill in temporarily until we found someone. Fast-forward to now… and I’m still the lead singer. So yeah, “temporary” turned into something a bit more permanent, haha.

Also, I’ve always loved musical theater, especially the darker stuff like Phantom of the Opera and Sweeney Todd. That definitely bleeds into our live shows. We try to bring some of that theatrical energy to the stage, so it feels like more than just a concert.

Right now, we’re working on a new album, more details on that soon, but I’m really excited about where everything’s headed.

In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?

One of the best ways people can support artists is just by spreading the word. If you love a band, a song, a painting, or a movie, tell your friends. That kind of word of mouth support means more than people realize.

I’m also really glad vinyl has made a comeback. I definitely want to release our music on vinyl in the future. I get that streaming is super convenient,I do it too, but there’s something special about owning a physical record. You get this big piece of artwork, a more immersive way of listening, and it actually helps support the band financially in a real way.

And then there’s going to shows. Live music is such a unique experience. Hearing your favorite songs surrounded by people who are just as into it as you are, feeling that energy in the room, it’s something you just don’t get from listening on your phone. For musicians, that’s the moment we live for. That connection is what keeps us going.

That’s actually why I like hanging out at the merch booth after shows. I love meeting people face to face and saying thank you directly. It means a lot to me, and it reminds me why I do this in the first place.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

There’s definitely been a few moments, but one that always stands out, and still makes me laugh, happened in the early days of Anthea. Our genre isn’t exactly the norm in the Los Angeles metal scene. Even within metal, symphonic stuff like ours is pretty much nonexistent out here. But it’s the kind of music that speaks to me, so I stuck with it.

We played this local show years ago that was stacked with thrash bands, which is super common in LA. We were the odd ones out for sure. A couple days later, I came across a review of the show, and it was talking about how it was an “epic night of true metal” and all that. Then it said something like, “…and then there was this Lord of the Rings type band. I don’t know why they were there.”

I probably should’ve been insulted, but honestly I thought it was hilarious, and kind of a compliment. I mean, I AM a huge Lord of the Rings fan, so fair enough. The fact that we stood out just confirmed that we were doing something different, and I’ve always taken pride in that. If anything, it motivated me to keep pushing forward with this sound, even if it wasn’t what the local scene expected.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.antheametal.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/antheametal/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/antheametal
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@antheametal
• Other: https://allmylinks.com/antheametal

Image Credits

Elizabeth Gore (Lonewolf Productions)
Molly Hudelson (MHudelson.com)
Matt Martinez (Red Hare Images)