Интервю с Roman и Manuel от Path of Golconda/Interview with Roman and Manuel from Path of Golconda

Hi Roman, hi Manuel. Tell me about the beginning of  Path of Golconda. When did you form the band?

R: Basically, I think we formed the band in 1999 or something around that, but actually the todays band was formed at 2002, when Manuel joined. Before that we were doing some kind  of stuff, but with Manuel on board, we began recording our first CD, which came out at 2004 and I think this was the actual beginning.

What does it mean Golconda? Why have you chosen this name for your band?

R: Oh nooo, I hate this question, because I can not answer it! When we formed the band, before Manuel joined, we had a basis, which was more obscure, mystical stuff and role-playin’. So that we came to the name ‘Golconda’, which means something like a ‘nirvana’ – it’s a state of mind, freeing your mind of all the crap, something you want to go to, so Path of Golconda means the way of freeing yourself from all this crappy world. Ever since we’ve been asking what does it mean, but we didn’t have the answer, because we are not into these role-playing , fantasy stuff, so we just decided, that Path of Golconda is just US, no boundary, no musical categories, it’s just US and what we so.

M: We are trying to reach Golconda. Golconda means some kind of paradise for freaks and we think everyone can learn how to get there and have fun.

R: The paradise, where, you know, the honey blows and such kind of stuff everywhere, but in our case is whiskey and beer, so this is actually Path of Golconda.

Ok, I think I really had fun today and have reached the Golconda. So tell me about the lyrics and music. Are you doing all the things together, or there is someone for every part?

M: We are definitely always working together, of course, there is always someone, bringing up an idea – musically or lyrically, so we just tried to let everyone’s ideas blow into it. Sometimes it works, most of the time it works, this is a part of the secret of Path of Golconda. Because I think not so many bands can say this, it is a full corporation. Roman has very good English skills , as you’ve already had noticed and he is the man, who is doing the artificial part, but the base comes from the ideas of everyone. This is the something, that brings up really cool lyrics. From the musical side, it’s really a corporation of everyone.

R:  This is definitely something, which we are proud of. Someone comes with an idea for lyrics and present it to all of us and we say : „Yeah, this will suits to this“, and someone brings music. Or someone brings a riff and we say: „This lyrical part will suits very good here.” There is no lyric-or-music writer, we do all together, when we go to the practical room and we do  every song  together. It’s like growing organically and this is how we do it. I know it would be easier to write music on your own, but we don’t want to do that, we want everybody to participate.

Is part of Golconda your first project? Have you been part of another bands before?

M: Speaking for myself, I have been part of some other bands, but Path of Golconda is definitely my first serious project for me as a vocalist. I  have some experience from before, but it never felt so true.

R: Yeah, for me is also the same, THIS IS IT. I’ve never learned how to play my instrument. I started with a punk band actually..

M: I took lessons on the farm, you know… the pigs (Wrooooough)

R: (laughting) I played around with a punk band before, where I’ve got most of my attitude from and I am still the punk guy, not someone, who is always speaking about equipment and etc, I just want to rock and everybody to enjoy it. So, yes, this is the first time, we are feeling so good in a band. And this is because the ideas if everyone come in. We sit in the practice room and we’ve got a lot of fight: “ I hate this part, and your ideas, bla – bla” but in the end everyone’s ideas have been included into the song and everybody is happy of the final result.

M: And I think everyone is having a different attitude and brings it into the band, Roman is more like, you know – comes from the punk roots, and some other guys in the band are really into some kind of technical stuff, so there is a cool kind of balance. The punk and rock’n roll attitude, together with technical passion and it’s a great, fucking combination!

Are we going to expect a new album soon? Return second part for example?

R: Yes, actually we are working on it. We had somekind of a hard time, when a guitarist left us, but we have luck, finding Kay, he came as a replacing guitarist  and he has really many ideas, we didn’t expect it, so that we started working on new songs. I think, that next year will be the time of the coming of the new album out. We have really good ideas, focusing on what we should do more, like to do more. When we recorded Return, people don’t expect some kind of album after The Threshold Daries, which was more technical, and we recorede Return, people said, it’s some kind of melodic, it was like a narrative album. Now we started to gather all the ideas we have – in a way “back to the roots black metal”, death metal, all this influence comes together , we enjoy every peice of shit, we do and I am very much looking forward to record this album, it will be the best album, you know, these fraises, but I really think it will be so.

M: It was long time ago we had such fun playing in the practice room and creating the new songs, there are really some new influences , back to the roots things, but we wouldn’t definitely repeat ourselves, I think this is the newest Path of Golconda.

Which kind of bands you like?

R: It’s difficult to say, because there are bands, which the others hate and I like. But I think there are bands, which we all like, for example the old school german thrash – Sodom, Kreator and also modern bands, not really modern, but todays tops – Testament, Slayer, on which we could all agree in a way. There is some music, that others love like Type O Negative or Carcass.

M: Dream Theater ( shame on us)

R: Yeah ( laughing), some of us like Dream Theater, but we both do hate them.

M: We are always discussing music with each other, someone thinks, that a stuff is good, the other one, that is crap.

How did you deicide to play death metal?

R:This is the best fucking music in the world! I remember, that we had an interview at 2000 or 2001 , where we’ve been asking, because we always say we don’t have a boundary, are we going to move in some kind of other direction, and I said – „We are not going to play fucking dance music.“ I remember, that we had a demo in the nineties, really black metalish, but we have included a two techno remixes and it was like:“ What are you doing?!!?“, but we will always say – „Fuck you! We love it! If we want something – we do it! If we felt, that we must do something different, we will be doing it.“

M: I don’t think, that we are doing the classical death metal stuff, I think there is enough space for being creative. This description is not enough to describe, what we are doing and what we are feeling. We definitely have our roots in death metal, as it has the power and the brutality, which we really enjoy, but then we’ve got also this tragically part, melancholic elements, we like to have in our songs, as we have many emotions, feelings, which we want to express in our music and I think this is really cool.

R: The secret is not to think so much, we just play fucking music. We are aware of all this categories, we speak to lot of people after the shows and fans. Death metal fans say: „Yeah, we love your music, sounds like Morbid Angel“ or whatever, some death metal band and the black metal fans say:“ We’ve got the feeling of Cradle of Filth, the thrash metal fans say:“Yeah for us is really as the eighties. Everyone can find something for himself and that is really cool.

What do you think about grind, gore grind, porn grind music? Do you like it?

R: I, basically, like this. The bands are cool, but I don’t care for the image. If a band is making your kind of music, it’s cool. I don’t care about provocation, I am not into this kind of stuff.

M: I really like it too, because some of these bands, I don’t know porn grind or whatever, I know some grind core bands and I definitely see, that they are funny people, enjoying the time of the stage and producing music just to have a good time, people are having a good time and this is really a good reason to do music. I really respect them, but I am not that much into it.

Do you have plans for tours and concerts outside Germany?

M: Yes, in June we have an appointment in Middlesbrough in England.

R: Rockin’ the United Kingdom!!!

M: And there are some plans for playing shows in Vienna, we’ve been there few times, we would like to play there, but its still not really fixed.

R: We’ve been always thinking about playing in European countries, but it is ridiculous, paying all this things on your own. There are also couple of bands I would like to join us for this experience, but it is incredibly expensive.

What kind of music are you listening in your free time, you know, when you are relaxing?

M: German shlager music, really into.

R: You are talking crap! ( laughing). As I said, we all are listening to quite different music. We are into old school thrash metal, death metal. We all love in a way Type o Negative, for example or Anathema, not because of the image, just because they are unique and actually I do like some classical music. I am really exploring the music. I am searching for the expressions, I can find it in rock, goth, electronic stuff.

Manuel, you look like Peter Steele.

M: No, I don’t

Yes you do! Am I the first person, who told you that?

M: Yes, you are. (smile)

You’re lying.

M: Yes, there are some people, who say, that I am looking like Peter.

R: We are making fun sometimes of this, basically, but Manuel is individual and unique, like everyone of us. You know our former guitarist looks like Jon Shaffer in a way, I look like Dani from Cradle of  Filth, and Maniel like Peter. So we go into a bar and we say: „He is Jon Schaffer, I am Dani Filth and he is Peter Steele, can we get free drinks“ and it works actually( laughing).

M: He has been a great person and I really respect him!

I’ve been representing you all to time to my friends and you have already fans in Bulgaria.

M/R: Thank you about that. Greetings! We would be very happy to come and play in your country!