Ghoulschapel interview

Symphonic black metal from Armenia.

• Hello Ghoulchapel! Please introduce yourself to the readers!

– Hello! We are Ghoulchapel band, we play symphonic blackened death metal with some progressive and melodic death influences. We created this project august 2013, at that time we didn’t anticipate that it will be a serious project, we just wanted to do something new, something that we love. My name is Mark Erskine (I will answer all your questions), I play all the instruments in the Ghoulchapel, and vocalist is Ando Kamavosyan, when we first met , our tastes coincide well and we decided to start this project, we were full of enthusiasm. After that we met Tigran Ayvazyan, he was a guitarist, but he left the band due to some reasons. And now we remain as a studio project, until we find a new musicians.

• Ghoulchapel was founded little more than 1 year ago. Is it your first band, or you have had any projects/bands before?

No, it’s not a first band, I played in Blood Covenant, and had another project called “Edengard”. But for Ando this is a first metal project, also we are planning to create our new project in different genre very soon.

• Armenia – I can’t say I have listened to many bands from your country. How could you describe Armenian metal scene? Are there many bands/gigs and etc?

Armenian metal scene is little weak at the moment, but slowly growing. There are not many metal bands, only a several ,others just a local rock/progressive/folk rock or nu-metal bands, but it’s normal for such a small country I think. You should check out these bands: Sworn(arm), Divahar, Bokrag, Disfinite, Daeron, Aramazd, Sadael. Some of them already split-up.

• Well, one of your main themes is anti-religion. This is good, but couldn’t you please tell us when and why you rejected religion from your head? From your point of view – what the shit religion is all about?

Personally I rejected religion several years ago, but I wasn’t that religious even before hehe, that was automatically inserted in my head, because my family was pretty religious, I was reading many books, I loved mythology also I loved science, that’s why I erased religion out of my head without any fear. And Ando rejected religion when he was 14. For us religion is a perversion of mankind, of earth at all, all the worst shit happening now is based on fucking religion in the main, it kills millions of people, if not physically, well mentally it kills our race. That’s about religion, but we don’t want to compare religion to faith, we know that sincere faith helps a lot of people, well it’s their lives and their choise to believe in something, I don’t really care haha.

• Ok, then how possible Mark played in Blood Covenant, who is into christianity into their music? How this was possible at all?

As I said in previous question, simply I was a chrisitan, that’s the reason that I played in Blood Covenant, also it’s my brothers band, we are close to each other even now.

• You have two albums so far, recently you have recorded “Idols of Doom” album. Have you found the label to release it on CD or any other format?

Yes, our both albums were released on Exalted Woe Records, great label and we are very thankful and satisfied!

• And how’s feedback about your music you received from your Domestic area so far? Are there Armenian fans who like and support Ghoulchapel?

Not so many fans but people here enjoy our music and support us, many still didn’t heard about us, that’s because we don’t have concerts.

• Right now – do you compose some new stuff or just relaxing and listen to the new album again and again? Wouldn’t you like to change anything now? I mean are you completely satisfied with the result?

There are always ways to improve the stuff, we are satisfied with our latest album, but now we are thinking how to improve or change something, it will took more time, our next album will be released maybe in the mid 2015, but to make our fans happy, we are preparing a brand new single that will be released this november 2014! All I can say now that it will be different from all the music we have ever made.

• Your music is symphonic black/death metal, but of course with some Eastern tunes, what sounds really great! Where you take inspirations for composing symphonies?

I take inspirations from video games hehe, such is Silent Hill, Alien and etc. I’m really inspired by horror games, horror stories, horror classical films, also I’m inspired by classical composers such as Aram Khachaturian, W.A. Mozart, Petr Chaykovskiy and John Williams!

• What is the main conception of “Idols of Doom” album? What shown at cover art?

Main conception: anti-religion. Religion is a main big idol for millions of people, and so it leads people to doom. Don’t know is it correctly to say that religion is an idol, but that’s how I see.  The big statue on the artwork is a religion, the wolf sitting near is a priest and the creature behind is a ghoul, that’s just an eye-catchy artwork, nothing deep haha.

• Do you remember your first metal band you have ever heard? Who brought that record to you and etc?

My first metal band was  Queensryche or Dokken, or Ratt, I don’t remember, it was like 10 years ago, but difinitely these bands was one of the first metal bands I’ve listened and fell in love with heavy metal.

Ando’s first metal band is Rammstein!

• Your favorite bands are Anorexia Nervosa, Emperor, Enslaved and etc (typical list), but what about non metal bands? Are there such in your “list”?

Yes, we listen to different genres, for example Ando are also a DJ, he loves electronic,trance,house music and etc.
I don’t listen to that genres but I love more old school artists and bands: Tom Petty, America. Also I love old school gangsta rap haha: Ice Cube, Eazy-E, 2Pac…And a deep meaningful “Immortal Technique”. Ando loves them too.

• Do you like live in Armenia at all? How could you describe life conditions over there? I mean how’s good conditions for people who have jobs, prices and etc…

It’s difficult to say.
Armenia isn’t a bad country, there’s just not much opportunities here, and we can’t show our whole potential, it’s hard. Most of people are dissatisfied with their lives here, but that’s because the government doesn’t think about the people, you have to be rich so you can be satisfied with your life here. I can be wrong, but that’s what I understood while living here.

• What do you know about Ukraine and what are your thoughts about what’s going on over here? Russian aggression and etc…

I don’t think it’s Russian aggression, because TV lies to us everytime. And I’m not very interested in politics, but war is an awful shit, it’s sad that hundreds of innocent people die over there everyday, I hope it will end soon.

• Well, that’s all I wanted to ask right now. Thx for your time and good music! Stay metal!

Thank you too, Aleksandr! It’s a pleasure for us! Horns up!

Aleksandr (27-10-2014)

http://ghoulchapel.bandcamp.com/