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Egregious could be called an Albuquerque “super-metal group.” The band’s members have decades of combined experience in the studio and on the live stage. Isaiah Rosales (bass, back-up vocals), James Gonzales (drums), Julio Quiroz (vocals) and Mikey Armijo (rhythm and lead guitar) are a force to be reckoned with, and they’ve proved it by performing frequently around town in several popular heavy acts over the past couple of decades. Armijo has been playing live for over 17 years, and you may recognize his guitar and bass work in bands such as Dred, Nuclear Reign, Diesel Drinker, Funeral Relic or Church Crusher. Maybe his mugshot looks familiar because he goes to a ton of concerts. You can catch Egregious shredding an all-ages show at Ren’s Den on Wednesday, March 19 with Warhead and Show N Tell from Arizona as well as local rockers Trenchless.
The Paper.: Will you describe your sound for us?
Mikey Armijo: We’ve been called “Cancer-Tura” by a reliable source in our local ABQ music scene — which is simply a mixture of the band names Cancer and Sepultura — with a big squeeze of spicy, mustardy German tectonic thrash. Although there are so many tree branches of music the four of us love as a collective, we just like to call our sound “metal.”
What are your favorite venues to play and why?
Launchpad has always been “home base” for all of us, even when members of Egregious were in different bands in the past. That goes for attending shows as well. It’s a legendary venue and a staple of the community.
What are your lyrics about?
Horror, sci-fi, fantasy, life, death, mental illness and cult classic films. We are big fans of a lot of different types of media. We usually come up with a cool title and that determines what the lyrics will be about.
What bands or genres inspire your music?
Classic genres, of course, like thrash metal, death metal and heavy metal. We also bump an array of other genres for other influences, but to name a few bands: Death (the band from Florida, not the musical genre), Sodom, Kreator, Destruction, Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, D.R.I., Suicidal Tendencies, Morbid Angel, Grave, Entombed, Evildead, Celtic Frost, Obituary, Overkill, Vio-Lence and even bands like Rick James.
What is the best show you have ever played and why?
The best show we’ve played so far was December 9, 2024 opening up for Havok at Launchpad. The energy was electric, even for it being on a Monday night. The crowd moshed the entire time for us, and we fed off their energy. It was a recipe for a fun and sweaty evening.
Check out the band’s track “The North Remembers” from their album Living While Suffering here.
