Interview: Flor de Loto
The lyrics of Flor de Loto are more introspective. The vast majority of our lyrics are like that, exploring or analyzing the inner self, the inner world of a person, and then looking at how that analysis causes the person to engage with or respond to their surroundings.
In 2024 I went to A New Day Festival for the first time as the combined attraction of Hawkwind and Tangerine Dream overcame my normal reservations about festival attendance! We enjoyed it so much we returned in 2025 and then again this year! One of the standout bands over the three festivals has been Flor de Loto, a Peruvian band who combine prog rock and traditional Peruvian pipes.
The band formed in 1998, their first album coming out in 2005 They have subsequently released another 8 albums including Cosmos in 2025. The band is currently made up of Alejandro Jarrin (bass), Alonso Herrera (guitar and lead vocals), Sergio Cuadros (wind instruments) and Alvaro Escobar (drums).
Having thoroughly enjoyed their two sets of contemporary prog rock fusion and wanting to know more about their music and approach I contacted the band to see if they would consider an interview for Echoes and Dust which they kindly agreed to. All answers by Alejandro, who is impressively bilingual!
E&D: Could you tell us a bit about the history of Flor de Loto? Where in Peru are you based, how long have you been going?
Alejandro: Flor de Loto started in 1998. It wasn’t until 2005 that we made our first album, which came out of various improvisations we had been doing since we first got together. The band has gone through several lineup changes over the years. The current lineup is now more solid and has been together for several years with the same members. Alonso and I are the original members; we were the ones who started the band.
E&D: Did you have a clear idea of how you wanted to sound from the start or has your sound gradually evolved?
Alejandro: The evolution of our sound was more gradual. Since we did a lot of improvising at the beginning, we allowed the band’s style to gradually take shape through those improvisations. At one point, we even had a keyboard player who left the band. To replace the melodies that he used to play on the keyboard, we brought in a wind instrumentalist. That was how the band began incorporating wind instruments into its sound.
By the time we were finishing the recordings of our first album, that musician had also left the band, and we brought in a new one who played traditional Peruvian wind instruments, such as the panpipes, for example. That’s when the sound of Flor de Loto and its fusion with the music of the Peruvian Andes emerged spontaneously. As we released more albums, the style gradually shifted more toward progressive metal, also due to the strong influence of metal that Alonso and I have, as well as the subsequent members who joined the band.
E&D: How would you describe your sound? Having seen you a couple of times now it seems like a blend of different influences, prog rock through a Peruvian lens?
Alejandro: Basically, it’s more or less as you say. It’s a fusion of progressive rock, or even progressive metal or progressive hard rock, with Andean wind instruments, traditional wind instruments from Peru. That could be the most accurate way to describe our style.
Of course, people or fans of the band may have different opinions. Some say that Flor de Loto leans more toward metal, while others say it’s more progressive. But I feel that we’re somewhere in the middle, and that seems to work well for the audience that follows the band.
E&D: In one of your songs you insert a bit of ‘Locomotive Breath’ – would Jethro Tull be a particular influence? (3)
Alejandro: In part, yes. One of our influences is Jethro Tull, along with many other bands. For example, this particular version we have of ‘Locomotive Breath’ came about when we worked with producer Roy Z on our album Eclipse. We worked on the entire album with him, and he told us that, to him, Flor de Loto sounded as if Iron Maiden and Jethro Tull had met high up in Machu Picchu. That’s where the idea came from to do our own version of the song, adapting it more to the band’s style.
E&D: Is there a big prog scene in Peru and South America – are there plenty of opportunities to play live?
Alejandro: I’d say that in South America, or Latin America in general, there used to be a more active progressive rock scene, at least from my perspective. When we first released our debut album, the first progressive rock festivals we attended outside the country were in Brazil, at a festival called Rio ArtRock Festival, and in Mexico, where there was the Baja Prog festival, which had many editions. Neither of these festivals exists anymore. We’ve also played at other progressive-oriented festivals in Chile, but they don’t take place very often. I would say that the progressive scene in Chile is more established than in other countries.
Here in Peru, there was a small progressive rock movement in the early 2000s and into the 2010s, when quite a few progressive bands were active and the scene began to attract a certain number of people. But eventually, that scene declined. So here in Peru, there’s very little of an audience for progressive rock, unless established, older bands come to play concerts, like Yes, or when Steve Hackett from Genesis came here a few months ago. Current local progressive bands don’t have much of a following among the general public, which is why here in Peru we tend to operate more within the metal scene. Even though it’s still relatively small, it’s a little more established.
E&D: Do you think cultural histories and influences mean there is a difference between European and South American prog in terms of musical styles or is it a global culture?
Alejandro: Although there are, or used to be, classic progressive rock bands here in South America, particularly symphonic progressive bands with a style heavily influenced by Europe, there are also bands with a distinctly South American style blended with progressive rock. For example, there is Los Jaivas from Chile and Sep Polen from Peru. So, you can find both approaches.
E&D: Often prog has been seen as singing about fantasy, however, historically prog has had bands with social/political content and in UK prog The Emerald Dawn have a very strong environmentalist message. I wondered about Flor de Loto. What sort of subjects do you sing about?
Alejandro: The lyrics of Flor de Loto are more introspective. The vast majority of our lyrics are like that, exploring or analyzing the inner self, the inner world of a person, and then looking at how that analysis causes the person to engage with or respond to their surroundings. Rather than focusing on political or fantastical themes, the lyrics are very much related to the individual and to the personal conflicts that people experience.
E&D: I think one of the songs you played at A New Day Festival was called ‘Empires of Sand’ – what is that about?
Alejandro: The song you’re referring to, in Spanish, is called ‘Imperio de Cristal’. We also have an English version called ‘Empire Made of Glass’. That song is actually a little different from the introspective theme I was telling you about, or at least somewhat different, because it talks about, or rather, it’s a critique of the superficiality we see in music and art in general, in television, in film, and so on. Everything tends to be very plastic, made to sell, very simplistic, and many times the more artistic or complex work isn’t given as much exposure. We see this as a house of cards, something very fragile, or like glass, which is fragile and can shatter with the slightest impact. That’s why we called it ‘Imperio de Cristal’, or ‘Empire Made of Glass’.
E&D: We seem to live in a world of increasing environmental crisis and militarism! Do you think music can create an alternative space, create room for other voices?
Alejandro: Definitely. And that’s something that has been happening with rock in general since its beginnings in the ’60s. Throughout all the different varieties of rock and metal, there have always been, and there are still, many bands that are rebellious and critical of the society of their time. So you can use it as a tool for social or political criticism, but also as a kind of space where you can take refuge, so to speak, away from the negative influences of everything that’s happening in the world. In a way, it can also help calm your mind, giving you a chance to clear your head and gather the strength and energy you need to face whatever you have to deal with on a daily basis.
E&D: You played the Cart and Horses in London in the summer as well as A New Day Festival – how did that go? Was its place in Iron Maiden’s history significant to you? (2)
Alejandro: Yes, definitely. Being fans of Iron Maiden and having the chance to play at the Cart and Horses was a dream come true for us. Overall, our time in England in August was really great and very exciting. At the A New Day Festival, the audience was incredible. We had a great time, got to interact with the people, and sold a lot of albums. Since this was already the second time we’ve played in England, or in the UK, we definitely want to keep coming back in the future, hopefully for longer tours as well.
E&D: What is the rest of 2026 and 2027 looking like for Flor de Loto?
Alejandro: We still have a few more shows lined up for the rest of the year. For example, this weekend here in Peru, we’ll be opening for Sonata Arctica, the Finnish power metal band, and on Sunday we’ll be in Brazil playing with the Brazilian band Angra. Then, in November, we’ll be sharing the stage here in Lima with Lorihen, an Argentine heavy metal band. That’s what we have left for 2026, and we’re already working on more tour dates for next year, which we’ll announce as they’re confirmed.
E&D: Is it possible to buy your albums in the UK? Any more plans for playing in Europe again soon?
Alejandro: At the moment, there aren’t any physical stores in the UK where you can buy our albums, but they are available through our Bandcamp. There, in addition to downloading our music, you can also order physical copies of our albums and vinyl records, CDs and vinyl, that we can ship anywhere in the world. As I mentioned, we’re already planning more tour dates for next year. We definitely want to return to Europe. We’ve also played in other countries besides the UK, such as France, Italy, and Germany, so we want to keep expanding our music and playing in more and more countries. Europe is definitely always on our radar for future tours.
Thanks to Alejandro for words and time and to the band for their sets at A New Day Festival!
If you want to check out Flor de Loto’s excellent music, their bandcamp page is https://flordeloto.bandcamp.com
Photo courtesy of Flor de Loto.
Bibliography.
Author Unknown. No Date. Flor de Loto https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flor_de_Loto
(2) Author Unknown. No Date. Cart and Horses: The Birthplace of Iron Maiden https://www.cartandhorses.london/iron-maiden/
(3) Laurence, Todd. 2026. ‘New Day Festival– Mount Ephraim Gardens, Faversham, Kent, 21-23 August 2026’ Velvet Thunder https://www.velvetthunder.co.uk/new-day-festival-mount-ephraim-gardens-faversham-kent-21-23-august-2026/
