Thursday, March 16, 2017

Gholem Interview

1.For those that have never heard of you before, can you tell us a little bit about the band?

We are a death metal band from Mexico City, we are in our mid 30's and we have just released our first Full Length recording in seventeen years of intermittent career and we are very proud of it, we hope you listen to it, and we hope you like it, it came from the heart.



2.Recently you have released an album how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recording and also how does it differ from the demos you have released in the past?

Well, first of all, this record was entirely composed by our guitarist Geronimo Najar, so maybe the sound is more oriented to his particular skills, less acoustic parts and less melodic than our previous demos, that were a little bit oriented into medieval themes.



3.This is your first release since 2006, can you tell us a little bit more about what has been going on during that time span?

We broke up, and basically all focused on finishing our school degrees and finding our firsts real jobs. Gero and Kano went to the US to study Jazz guitar and Music production respectively (Kano wasn't in the band at that time). Claudio went to travel the world as a film promoter and Alexis continued playing with some bands as a hired gun in the Mexican circuit.

Then by 2010, we all were in the city and decided to make a record in the long term, with no other objective than that.



4.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the music?

Every song is a story on it's own. For example, “Hearts and Souls” is about a terrorist on his way to die for his religion. “Advent” is about the path of men, who thinks of himself greater than nature, and “Red Horizon” is about Edmond Dantes, the main character from The Count of Monte Cristo awaiting for his death.



5.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Gholem'?

Claudio is the founder, and at that time, he was very interested in Jewish culture and folklore, so he baptized his band Golem, an animated anthropomorphic being that is magically created from inanimate matter. A colossus made of stone.



6.What are some of the best shows that the band has played over the years and also how would you describe your stage performance?

We have been very lucky to visit every rock and roll bar in this huge city and a good portion of the country. The most crowded shows must have been a little tour in public squares with some big names from all genres funded by “Instituto de la Juventud” (something like the local YMCA).



7.Do you have any touring or show plans for the future?

We just have one confirmed show in the near future as the opening act for Borknagar here in Mexico City. However we are planning that it will be the kickstarter to perform the new Record everywhere we can.



8.Currently you are unsigned, are you looking for a label or have received any interest?

Yep, we are interested because we want to spread our music everywhere we can. Previously we received some proposals, but the working times were too long, so we decided to release it independently.



9.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of death metal?

We are just starting, but the feedback has been great so far. We have been very busy distributing the record. Now it’s available worldwide and it's coming soon right to your neighborhood!!!



10.Are any of the band members currently involved with any other bands or musical projects these days?

Gero is a music teacher and is always involved in many projects of all genres.

Alexis performs live with quite a few bands like Calvaria, Tenderizer and Evil Eyes as a hired gun, and has a heavy metal project called Sanguinea.

As a producer, Kano is working nowadays with the all-female Death Metal band Introtyl.



11.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?

We don't really know, we used to take really long hiatuses to know, hahaha. But maybe becoming a little more experimental, just a little bit.



12.What are some of the bands or musical styles that have had an influence on your music and also what are you listening to nowadays?

As the band's top influences, Morbid Angel, Carcass, Emperor, Slayer, Sepultura, Blind Guardian too.

Nowadays.... I really can’t tell, to be honest we all are very open in music styles, but in the metal vein we are hearing stuff like Mastodon, Gojira, Ihsahn, Meshugah, Opeth, latest Gorguts, and when the time is right, stuff like Sunn O))), Chelsea Wolf or Scott Walker.



13.What are some of your non musical interests?

Well, everyone has his own interests, but in general, cinema (film making for Claudio), traveling, yoga, food, beer and whisky.



14.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
We just want to thank your support and encourage everyone who read this to listen to the new metal that is emerging in other parts of the world, with other type of influences and environments.

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