Friday, June 10, 2011

Gortuary

San Diego's Gortuary have been on the go since 2006 now, I talked to guitarist Andres Guzman  to see what the band has in store for 2011 and beyond.

1. With your second record out almost a year now, can you tell us what to expect from Gortuary in the near future?

With our third release, Divine Indigenous Sacrament, we are definitely still keeping the same type of writing style as our last record but with more intricate parts as well as more groove and better song structure. We feel as with every release we would like to top the previous record each time without losing any type of listening credibility.

2. I have to say, I much prefer Awakening Pestilent Beings over Manic Thoughts. Manic Thoughts for me was an album that  ticked all the brutal death metal boxes, whereas Awakening, I felt there was much more to it, right down to the lyrical themes and artwork which moved away somewhat from the textbook torture/gore type to a sort of classic horror/apocalyptic style. What are your own thoughts on the two records in hindsight? Can you perhaps comment on the direction future material may take?

We feel the same exact way. With our debut, we were much younger as far as being musicians and after that record was released we felt that we could definitely better ourselves not only musically, but as well as writing more concrete song structure, rather than just going all crazy and see how it goes. As with every release, we have put more thought on the music as well as what we want to write the record about. For Divine Indigenous Sacrament, we are definitely straying away from the typical serial killer/zombie type concept; instead we are focusing on writing about all the blood laden rituals and human sacrifices of the Mayan and Aztec as well as other tribes. Something that we are very excited about since it is definitely something different than what we've written about previously.

3. Brutal Death metal must be one of the most saturated musical genres; there are literally thousands of acts churning out similar material, and although I am a fan, it does become tough to find the good bands. Would you agree with the saturation comment? And how do you feel Gortuary have managed to stand out within the scene?

Well it all depends on the bands really, if you really want to stand out, you have to have that certain something that will make you stand out from the rest. For us, we have been fortunate enough to mix all the elements of death metal that we each personally like and have the audience tell us how well we mix those elements of groove, speed, melody, and guitar solo's. For us, it's more of writing music that we would personally would love to hear  a band do, like from a third person point of view, so it just comes out naturally.

4. Am I correct in saying you guys have not played Europe yet? If so have you any plans to get over here at some point?

Yes you would be correct. Although we do have a few things being lined up for 2012 so we will definitely be going out of the U.S on that year. We have a lot of devout European fans so it is a no brainer to go to their homeland and destroy the stage.

5. Obviously Brutal Death metal is not for everyone, aside from fests how have you found touring from an attendance perspective?

As far as touring, we are waiting to go over seas to do a tour because here in the U.S it is very much not the same, the shows have very little attendance so the bands don't feel like it's worth it because, like you said, brutal death metal is not for everyone but outside of the U.S. it is widely more accepted and the fans are much more devoted to the scene and the music.



6. If you could hand pick a touring package, who would you take with you?
    Inveracity, Despondency, Disgorge and Insidious Decrepancy
7. Can you tell us about your best and worst touring experiences?
    Ask us next year and we'll definitely have an answer he he

8. Just one more keeping with the live theme I've never seen Gortuary live – when (and if!) I get to see you on these shores, what can I expect to see from a Gortuary gig? I find in a live setting I’m let down by some death metal bands, they promise a great show but then when you see the band they are rooted to the spot. For example I was very disappointed with Dying Fetus last time they passed through here, fantastic musicians, but no stage presence, I may as well have been at home listening to the record. Is the “show” element important to you guys?

We have always been very into the music that we play on stage; therefore we feel that stage presence is and should be a very huge part for a live band. Your energy onstage results in fans getting into your set, therefore high energy bounces back and forth from band to fan. With us, we like to enjoy a few cold beers and just let loose on stage. We increasingly get told that we always have the best energy out of any of the bands that are playing. So it’s really flattering to hear positive feedback from our live set since we put lots of effort to please the people who pay to watch us.

9. Musically speaking who have been the biggest influences on Gortuary?

We all individually have different influences but we all agree that bands like Disgorge, Necrophagist and Inveracity, amongst more, hold a great deal of influence to us.

10. Finally, I’ve got to ask you. Have you heard the new Morbid Angel record, and if you have what are your genuine thoughts on it? And could you ever see yourselves experimenting like this musically?

We will never change nor play around with such experimental extremity as they did on that record

Thanks again to Andres for his time, Please be sure to visit Gortuary's facebook site

To Buy Gortuary Albums/Merch

Wednesday, June 8, 2011

Grey Waters

Grey Waters are a tough band to describe, you could label them many things without being completely accurate. Whatever the label, the result is very effective, the debut EP is nothing less than impressive. I recently caught up with Tim to find out where Grey Waters are heading next.




1. After some promising releases, Austere split up. Can you tell us what lead to the dissolving of the band?

Tim - We had our reasons and they will remain private.

2. Can you ever see yourselves returning to that style of music or has it been put to bed for good so to speak?

Well, I guess the last Woods Of Desolation album is similar to Austere's later material, but that was recorded over 18 months ago. As for myself, I don't think I'll ever do something too similar to that style of music again. I find more enjoyment creating different kinds of music and trying new things.

3. Grey Waters are an entirely different proposition altogether, what were the initial ideals/inspirations behind the formation of the band?

Basically just to create music that came from the heart.

4. I hear a lot of Post-Rock, Mid Period Katatonia and some of Australia’s own Butterfly Effect in your debut EP “Below the Ever Setting Sun” are these comparisons you are happy to accept? Would you cite these styles as an influence? Please elaborate on what else is influencing you musically.

We both listen to some Post Rock, and enjoy older Katatonia material, but for myself my main inspiration comes from other styles of music. Maybe it's hard to hear when put into the context of a Grey Waters song, but I'm influenced by a lot of things that would probably be completely surprising to listeners. Everything from Pop to Classical to Blues to Trance.

5. Do you view Grey Waters as a metal band? Most press I have encountered has been in metal related publications and I was wondering - Is this the audience you are going to be aiming toward predominantly? I know its early days yet but in my own opinion, based upon your EP, I think you are going to be a difficult band to categorise. I can see fans of different genres finding something they like in your music.

I don't think we are a Metal band, especially a lot of songs from the upcoming full length really don't have many "Metal" elements in them, aside from of course a distorted guitar. We didn't want to aim to any audience in particular, but given our past bands I think we were lumped into the Metal genre quicker than we would have been had our pasts been different.

6. How has reception been towards Below the Ever Setting Sun critically and commercially?

Honestly I don't really know. I looked at a few comments and reviews when it first came out last year, but other than that all I know is what I get told by people. I guess most people are finding something to enjoy in it. But of course you can't please everyone.

7. Have you found it tough to reach a new fan base or has your past with Austere helped launch the band? Have you found that some fans of Austere’s have warmed to Grey Waters’s material?

Of course Austere has helped Grey Waters gain exposure. I guess this can be considered both a blessing and a curse. If Austere fans can find something to like in Grey Waters material, then that's great, if not, that's OK too.


8. Who took care of the lyrics on “Below…?” I love the style, simple direct and very effective. Can you elaborate on some of the inspirations behind the lyrics on the EP?

I wrote most of them, along with reworking some of D's. I don't think they are anything great, but maybe they can just be considered a small look into my thoughts.

9. Forgive the ignorance if I’m wrong on this, but Grey Waters have yet to perform live, if this is the case do you have plans to play live at some point?

You are correct. Last year we began rehearsing with a full line-up, and even began to talk with promoters about booking some shows, however after some time we made the decision that it didn't feel right, and it's better to not play at all than to give a performance we would not be 100% happy with. Whether Grey Waters will ever perform live is uncertain, but one thing is for sure - it won't be any time soon.

10. Although I thoroughly enjoyed the EP, I don’t think we have heard your best material yet, would you agree with this? To add to that, I know you are recording your debut album at the minute, can you tell us anything about how it’s shaping up or when we can expect it?

Yes, I definitely agree with that. We began work on the full length around a year ago now, however after a few months we came to a halt, and since then not much has been done in regards to completing the album. We'll resume work on it sometime this year though, and I hope to see it released by the years end, however time is passing very quickly it seems, and I don't know if this will happen...

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