Gomarran Interview

 

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

 

 

Gomorran plays death metal that draws influence e.g. from black metal. It is a fairly young project that has had its baby steps through our latest release Excerpts from the Dark Age.  -Joonatan

 

The band got its start in the autumn of 2019 by me and Joonatan Wiitasalo. We wanted to create some dark and brutal sounding metal where we also could challenge and express our musicianship. Perttu was already a long time friend to us and he had interest in joining the band. Panu found us online. We recorded some music and now we are here. -Olli

 

It's a four man powerhouse that makes darkness enjoyable. -Perttu

 

2.Recently you have released an EP, can you tell us a little bit more about the musical style that you went for on the recording?

 

For Excerpts of the Dark Age  we wanted a cruel tone to best suit the dark themes of the songs. We wanted the atmosphere to feel really gloomy. I think we never really discussed our genre until we started planning the release. It was more about playing a musical style that everyone intuitively enjoyed. -Perttu

 

Our goal is to make death metal that looks and sounds like us, we strive to have the best parts of death metal entwined with haunting melodies and anthemic and big sounding passages that in the end makes us sound like Gomorran. We always try to keep the song melodic and interesting for the listener. Often the riffs that are fun to play also sound good too. It is all about getting those melodic hooks in and still retaining the sinister and gloomy atmosphere. That’s where the guitar/synth melodies play a big part.  -Joonatan

 

3.A lot of your lyrics cover the Roman Empire and the Middle Ages, can you tell us a little bit more about your interest in these topics?

 

Murky, grim and brutal old societies inspired us to write songs about the Roman Empire and the Middle Ages. Black Plague is a gruesome depiction of the pestilence inspired by the writings of Sienese Agnolo di Tura. Hopeless Endeavor is a song about the murder of Julius Caesar. Hail Caesar tells a desperate story of a Roman war general who prepares for a battle at dawn which he is sure he will lose. -Perttu

 

 

4.Lyrically you are also inspired by pagan literature, can you tell us a little bit more about your interest in the classic Pagan writings?

 

 

I’m very keen on Norse mythology and other beliefs that are mostly dead in our time of the world. Christians slaughtered their way into the north a thousand years ago, placed christianity on the throne and erased the world the people here lived in. Now we have only old artifacts and some literature to tell us about those times. And the fact that we know so little, gives a lot of room for epic romanticizing and imagination. That’s why we have TV shows like Vikings. I sometimes end up reading random stuff during the late hours of night. That happened and I read “Goetia: First Key of Solomon” at 2 o’clock at night. That’s where our song “Sermon” is based on. I wrote those lyrics. Then Perttu made my lyrics better with his tweaks. -Olli

 

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

 

So, this again goes a bit to the direction of paganism. Gomorrah was a city in the Bible. The story tells about the cities Sodom and Gomorrah, which were so deeply sinful that the god decided to destroy them. I, on the other hand, don't think that they were that sinful. Those people were normal people who went their own ways and wanted to enjoy their lives. They were people like you and me. In this story they were murdered for wanting to be the kings and gods of their own lives and not to answer to any other deity. They were the victims. So in a way, Gomorran points to a citizen of Gomorrah and symbolizes a person who decides to live their own way. The name celebrates the existence and independence of a human. So there’s some symbolism behind the name, but as a band we vary in opinions and life attitudes so much that we really can’t push a common symbolic agenda. So all the possible deeper meanings in the band tend to be more subjective and personal. Some songs and visuals have deeper meaning for some and for others it’s just contributing to the mood of the music. To me this band is a sanctuary of self expression. -Olli

 

 

6.Can you tell us a little bit more about the artwork that is presented on the ep cover?

 

The artwork really doesn’t have any deeper symbolic meanings. It’s just a cool picture of one of the many statues of Caesar, which can be found in Italy. I’ve always been a graphical hobbyist and this was the result of one creative night. But it does connect to the themes of those two songs. And that was the inspiration to create something Caesar related art. With the same hobbyism I’ve created the logo’s, videos, shirts and other graphical themes for the band. As a teenager I used to have these imaginary bands to whom I created logos and themes for. I also used to do that with my actual bands like a melodic death metal act “Abyss”, which has been the best band besides Gomorran for me. Also my first. -Olli

 

7.What are some of the best shows that the band has played so far and also how would you describe your stage performance?

 

Due to the pandemic we have so far only played one concert at the OUBS studio in Espoo Finland aside from live streaming. -Perttu

 

We hope to make you bob your head to our music. The joy we have playing in front of the audience shows and that feeling alone makes all this work we have done worthwhile. -Joonatan

 

At such an early stage of the band’s existence, the stage performance is a work in progress. I don’t mean this in a bad way, we’re constantly putting in the effort to get the most out of the live show. In a way, the stage performance will always be a work in progress as new material keeps being released and new themes introduced, the show must and will adapt. -Panu

 

We are trying to make the live shows a common experience where the energy is bounced back and forth with the audience. We want to engage the audience as much as possible and make them have the good time they came to have. -Olli

 

8.The ep was released on 'Inverse Records', how did you get in contact with this label?

 

I had some friends who had published through Inverse Records before. They told me that it’s a good label to try to get your music published through as a new band. I went on their website and sent them a promotional email with the music that we’d created. Joni from Inverse responded and said that he likes the shit out of the music. Of course it’s not a deal that we just get everything served on a golden plate. We must take care of the costs. But the way Inverse Records has handled the publishing and promotion has been way beyond our hopes and expectations. Of course the music must be good in order to get anyone to listen to it, but the music must get the chance to be heard. Inverse Records has provided our music the chance a thousandfold. But it has been a lot of work. All the promotional material you see, like videos, ads, social media content etc.. It is all done by us. Inverse makes it possible for you all to see it. It’s a punkish DIY mentality that lives in our band. We try to make the best with all that we have. -Olli

 

 

9.On a worldwide level, how has the reaction been to your music by fans of black and death metal?

 

Reaction to our EP has been amazing. Esaiah is currently the first track of Spotify’s most listened black metal list Black & Dark Metal. -Perttu

 

We have got fairly positive reviews. People seem to enjoy what we bring to the table! We have gotten praises for having a fresh take on blackened death metal for example. -Joonatan

 

More than I expected! Way more than I dared to dream for the first EP. We actually just had some new fan send us a video where he’d learned Hopeless Endeavor by ear on guitar. It feels absurd and at the same time humbling that something we do here in our casual lives can have that strong impact on someone that they enjoy spending time tinkering with our music. But yeah, the fans can expect more. We will keep exploring this very complex genre of blackened death metal. -Olli

 

Yeah, it’s been somewhat unreal to be honest. I knew the song material to be awesome from when I first heard the demos, but to read such positive reviews and feedback and have other people like it as well, one can only be grateful. My mom only liked the intro song Tavern, though. And so should yours. -Panu

 

10.When can we expect a full length and also where do you see yourself heading into as a musician during the future?

 

Earliest in a year but we will be dropping singles before that! As a musician my aim is to keep composing and writing exciting songs. -Perttu

 

We aim to release a full length record by the fall of 2022. We are right now in the midst of composing new material and I'm really stoked about that. We try to evolve ourselves and provide you listeners with some more refined and matured Gomorran for our next album. We have a feeling that it's gonna be great and we can't wait to publish the first single when the time comes. I myself have tried to think about what went right in the debut record (Excerpts from the Dark Age) that try to keep that in mind going forward.  I'm really proud of what we have been able to showcase on our first record and we will keep that momentum and energy in the following months to come. -Joonatan

 

11.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?

 

For me it would have to be Behemoth! Lately I’ve been listening to Gojira and Post Malone. -Perttu

 

I am a long time fan of At the Gates and I feel like you can hear that influence on some of our riffs for sure. Slaughter of the Soul has to this day some of the best riffs ever written. I also really enjoy listening to some old Mayhem records like De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas. I’m also a big fan of the indie rock band The Jezabels. Some other honorable mentions that have affected the composing process for sure are Brymir, Gojira, Behemoth, Nightwish etc. -Joonatan

 

Hopefully we don’t sound like some cheesy fanboys, but hell yes Behemoth. At the Gates has been very present in the band too. Opeth is my life long love. Personally I’m very inspired by this quite fresh Danish death metal band called Baest. I went to their show in 2019 in Helsinki where they were supporting Aborted. And was I fucking blown away!! I do not want to copycat them, but I do admire what they have achieved in such a short time. I do admire their mentality and working ethics. It’s a passion that shines. It’s something that I relate to and I want it too. They already are a very big band, but I would love to do a show with them one day.. I had such a nice bonding time after the show with their guitarist Lasse and drummer Sebastian. Also their music is out of this world. You hear a lot of classic death metal, but only few of them shine, and this band shines. Besides that I’m a fan of bands like The Jezabels and Kingston Wall, Pink Floyd.. musicians like Eydís Evensen, Claude Debussy, Erik Satie. They have a certain mood I cherish. -Olli

 

12.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts? 

 

Thanks for all the support and stay tuned for more, gomorrans! -Perttu

Go listen to our album! A huge thanks for this interview and get ready for more. A new single might be on the way sooner than you think. -Joonatan

We appreciate the chance to give this interview and you all who read this and listen to our music. Thank you so much for it! If you wish to support, please follow us on socials, you’ll find us with the name “gomorranmetal”. And if you wish to see frequent stuff we do as a band, sub our Youtube channel. Just search for Gomorran. Hopefully we’ll catch all of you on live shows during the upcoming years! -Olli

https://www.facebook.com/gomorranmetal  

https://www.instagram.com/gomorranmetal  
https://gomorran.bandcamp.com 
https://morbidnorth.com/gomorran (Merch) 
https://linktr.ee/gomorran