1. The band counts 17 years of existence. How do you see the course of the band so far? Have you achieved your initial goals?
I am Eric of Gorlock and I would like to thank you for the opportunity to share a little bit about our band with you and your followers. Gorlock formed in 2006 and our goal has always been to create dark music that is inspired by horror and extreme metal while also developing our own unique style and sound. We also agreed early on that each album should always be better than the last album, otherwise what is the point. So far I think we have not only met but exceeded in our initial goals. If we ever fail to live up to those goals that will be the end of Gorlock as a band.
2. First of all, you have a new album, “The Dim”, and the new songs sound very sinister, with a horror and ritualistic atmosphere, though your musical influences are obvious; how did you work over this album? What did you plan to put into it?
First of all, thank you for the compliment. Sinister definitely defines the songs on this latest album. This album was originally intended to be a quick EP to follow-up our previous LP Thorax Hallways. However, one thing led to another and we ended up producing a 10 song LP. Overall we are very satisfied with how the album came together.
3. How do you see the character of energies you transfer through Gorlock’s songs? Is it positive or negative, or neutral?
As a band we approach the songwriting process in a rather unorthodox manner. We consider ourselves to be artists that paint with sound. Each song is a current snapshot of each members current state of being. We pour everything we are feeling at the moment into our music, it is a cathartic form of release for us and I think it leads to our truly authentic dark sound. We feel as though the music is both positive and negative, and at the same time neither at all. We leave the interpretation of our music up to the listener. However the music makes you feel is exactly as it was intended to be.
4. What is the main conclusion you have learned during and after finishing this album?
The greatest conclusion that we have learned through the writing process of The Dim is that our best material has yet to come. I feel that after almost 2 decades invested into this band we have finally found our way forward. We are already well into the writing process for our next album Devil Music and words cannot express how powerful this album will be. We cannot wait to share it with those who are interested in such things.
5. How did you approach the full-length compared to the previous album, as far as the writing and recording was concerned?
Our previous album was also a full-length, in fact it was a 2 disc album called Thorax Hallways. Many of the songs on the previous album were longer and more atmospheric. We intended for the songs on The Dim to be shorter and heavier than the music featured on our previous offering. We really took our time with Thorax Hallways, the recording process lasted nearly 5 years. In contrast, The Dim took about 3 years to write and produce.
6. You´ve released 4 albums so far, when you place your albums side to side, how would you describe each album and their relation and essence as individual releases, but compared to the grand scheme of things as well?
The Dim is actually our 8th album. We would almost consider our first 3 albums to be demos. Grimoire For The Apprentice Warlock, Dwell In Darkness, and Despair Is My Mistress. Our 4th album was The Slaughter Of Muscle and to us our first polished dark offering. All 3 members of the band were going through some dark times during the recording process and we really poured that emotion into the songs. Our next 2 albums, Devil Worship & Deities and Ephemeral were comprised mostly of songs that didn't make the cut for The Slaughter Of Muscle album. Thorax Hallways and The Dim have both been major contributions to the Gorlock catalogue.
7. For this album you chose Darla Mae and Morbid Matt as guest appearances. Why did you decided to work with them? Are you satisfied with the final result? As I know, Morbid Matt ended up being a permanent member.
We are most definitely satisfied with the final results of these collaborations. Morbid Matt has been a good friend of the band since before its inception and also a reoccurring guest on nearly every album that Gorlock has produced. He has officially joined the band as our 4th member and we are currently writing the songs which will make up our 9th release called Devil Music. Our latest album The Dim is the first to featuring Darla Mae on backing vocals but most certainly will not be the last as she is my daughter and her voice adds a nice haunting touch to the Gorlock atmosphere.
8. Are you fine with being called a black metal band or is it important to use terms like “Ambient” or “Experimental” as well when discussing the music of Gorlock?
We prefer to let the music speak for itself, however we like the term southern horror metal when describing our music. We take influence from most forms of extreme metal, especially black, death, and doom metal. We also have a very ambient and experimental sound that we inject into our music. We create the kind of music that we want to hear and hope that others will understand and appreciate what we are putting down. Gorlock is a very polarizing band, it has been our experience that people either love our music or hate it, there is not much in between.
9. How much of your work is the result of conscious deliberation and how much is spontaneous inspiration?
I would say it is equal parts of both. Our newer material is definitely more deliberate and thought out as opposed to some of our earlier albums which were very spontaneous. With each album we find ourselves taking the time to be more polished and precise with our delivery of the music. However, when we sit down to record it is still spontaneous as we allow ourselves to be fully immersed in the sonic abyss.
10. In your opinion, what are the primary musical differences in form between black metal and death metal?
I feel that black metal is colder and more occult based, whereas death metal is more aggressive and horror based. We get inspiration from both genres in the music that we craft. I personally prefer black metal over death metal but both are great.
11. How much time do you spend on the band both physically but also mentally each day? Is it worth all the time and effort in the end?
I personally spend a great deal of time mentally with Gorlock. When we are not recording I am listening to the most current draft of the songs for the album and hearing things that I want to add or change to flesh out the final version of the song. As far as physically my brother Adam and I get together every other Friday night and spend several hours working on our music.
12. What ways has been the best for you in order to promote the band? What do you do to reach as many interest as possible?
Gorlock is about as underground as it gets. We do not have a large following due to lack of exposure. We are still looking for ways to get our music out to those who might find it appealing. Again, we thank you for the opportunity to do this interview. If only one person finds us and becomes a fan then it was all worthwhile. We have recently started to expand our presence on social media and invest more time into working on our official website which we hope will bear some fruit going forward. If you are reading this please take the time to check out our music if you are looking for something dark and heavy in a unique and refreshing form.
13. And now we have finally come to the end of this interview, do you have some important words for our readers?
If you are still reading then thank you, we definitely appreciate the interest in our dark art and hope you'll join us in this dark journey as we have no intention of slowing down. The best has yet to come! Thank you for the interview, much respect! You can discover more about Gorlock by visiting our official website at www.gorlockritual.com
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