1. For those that have never heard of you before, can you tell us a little bit about the musical project?
Gorguina is a Black Metal project which thrives towards darkness and dissonance through soundscapes of catharsis and fury. Taking elements of modern and classic Black Metal, Gorguina delivers these misanthropic concepts with a broader use of mid-paced passages to portray better the dread displayed.
2. Recently you have released an album, can you tell us a little bit more about the musical style that you went for on the recording?
As aforementioned, the music style intended to be displayed is Black Metal, although we try and escape from the average and repetitive sound displayed by new bands that sort of mixes all the aggressive aspects of the most well-known acts into an almost always identical amalgamation. To achieve this point of divergence, we didn’t want to blight the sonic obscurity with Progressive or Avant-Garde elements, so the composition depends on simplicity while also allowing some space for more complex ideas without an abusive use of these. Therefore, to give this album some personality, we implemented some elements of Blackened Doom Metal while never falling entirely into this subgenre, as we’ve also done with Atmospheric Black Metal or certain other subgenres. Finally, we have wanted to create some further distinction with the vocal performance straying from the average Black Metal shrieks (though for example on Dominus Lucifugus there is a part sung in the purest Unholy Black Metal vein), with Hellenic Black Metal in the likes of early Rotting Christ being the most present in mind while recording.
3. A lot of your lyrics cover mythological, occult and demonology themes, can you tell us a little bit more about your interest in the dark arts?
As a form of divergence of the norm and as a way to try and quench the thirst for knowledge on a metaphysical level, the dark arts and especially demonology may be considered as a shady side of philosophy which deserves the same amount of studies as other sciences. Besides, it also serves as a good way to make a tribute to the early Black Metal bands’ influence on our sound.
As for mythological themes, we personally have a very deep interest in folklore and its mystical way to explain life’s unknowns. The mythology that has been most broadly worshipped on this release is the Greek one, given its transcendence in concepts such as hubris and its unquestionable deep-rooting in most European literature that may have also influenced our lyrics. You may look no further than the album’s intro as to see our fascination for Greek mythology: Summoning Of The Muses is in fact our sonic adaptation of the Orphic hymn to the Muses, for all good tales may start with their invocation (take for instance the works of Hesiod, Homer or Virgil, which have been some important lyrical influences for us).
4. What are some of the other lyrical topics and subjects the band has explored so far with the music?
We find it interesting to lyrically deal with the human psyche on a metaphysical level, especially when it concerns its decay. From a pessimistic and misanthropic point of view, half of our album deals with sin and temptation’s ease at corrupting the simplest of men. While these topics at first may seem very Christian, they vastly stray from the depraved cult’s teachings. Instead, we view these ideals as bodiless incarnations which may enter in one’s mind to destroy anything good in it when one allows it too. This allowance may come in the form of lowly distractions, irrationality, dogmatism or sheer ignorance. Despite any possible attempt at elevation, there will always be a vast proportion of mankind which cultivates these evils, which constantly shriek depravity in their subconscious and as so are eternally incarnate in mortality. This dusk of reason is surely fathomless by those affected and its treatment may prove itself a Sisyphean task, but some day their veil of condescension which shrouds all beauty shall be pierced by those above to free mankind from itself and take it to a higher plane of reason. Nonetheless, this day may quite possibly take aeons to come, so for now we may just sing about it and hope for its coming.
5. What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Gorguina'?
Gorguina is an old Catalan word that comes from the Basque name Sorginak, which is a broad term that references some Basque mythological creatures as well as witches. In its adapted Catalan form it only means witch, though one may also consider it a term to reference female inhabitants of a gorg or stream pool, which are prominent figures of Catalan mythology and are also known as dones d’aigua, possible adaptations of classic naiads. Although the current Catalan word for witch is bruixa, gorguina is still present in the nation’s landscape. For instance, we have Vallgorguina (whose dolmen appears in our CD’s artwork) and the Gorg de la Gorguina. Besides its occult, historic and folkloric connotations, the name was also chosen as a way to express our Catalan nationalism, for we have a deep respect for our land’s history, culture, identity and oddly demonic heritage. This latter point is reflected in landmarks such as La Pobla de Mafumet (Baphomet’s town), El Pont del Diable (the devil’s bridge), the common surname Bofarull (who is in fact a demon of the wind), El Turó de l’Infern (Hell’s hill) or La Cova de les Encantades (the cave of the possessed women); as well as in folkloric traditions like the correfocs, where participants play percussions and do acrobacies with fire while dressed as demons.
6. Can you tell us a little bit more about the artwork that is presented on the new album cover?
Following our admiration of Darkthrone’s most pure Black Metal trilogy and Black Sabbath’s debut, we thought it would be a great tribute to make a similar cover. Besides this, there is also a deeper meaning behind it: in a look between scorn and sorrow, Hekate Chthonia poses as a divine observer who may feel nothing positive concerning man’s state of blight. To enhance the feeling of divinity, the picture is done in the most perfect of places (broad and deathless nature) and is clad in a dark aura that dims all concrete comprehension of the image to depict the fathomlessness of that which lies above.
7. Currently there are only 2 members in the band, are you open to expanding the line up or do you prefer to remain a duo?
We would be open to expanding the band and allowing the incorporation of new members in the near future, perhaps especially a drummer to allow a greater focus on the guitar compositions, though at the moment we wouldn’t want the band to be more than a trio, and the hypothetical new member should be strictly aligned with our lyrical and musical directions.
8. The new album is coming out on 'Negra Nit', how did you get in contact with this label?
Negra Nit is a label that heavily supports the Catalan underground, and after a personal contact after dozens of CDs purchased from them, it was decided that our full-length fitted well with the rest of the label’s catalogue.
9. On a worldwide level how has the reaction been to your music by fans of black metal?
While the response has been broader on a national level with numerous webzines announcing it, the album has also been listened to and reviewed on an international level with a fairly good reaction from the listeners. At the moment, the response has been very positive. In fact, even more positive than what was expected.
10. Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
It is hard to say with certainty how our style may sound like in the future, for we often feel as if our music chooses how it must sound itself with us as musicians merely acting as mediators between them and our plane, somewhat in the likes of Plato’s Theory of Forms, and while we strive to eliminate the maximum amount of imperfections during their transition, several difficulties are posed, and we are currently far from our objective. While our main idea is to perfect the sound appreciated on our debut as to “smooth” any roughness that may have surged with it, we don’t really want to stray from the style we have cultivated. Although perhaps we have planned composing more aggressive and straightforward tracks as well as immersive pieces that take the mystique teased at from this release to a whole new level, nothing can confidently be conjectured for now.
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?
Both members of Gorguina have notably different musical tastes. While Varg The Mighty enjoys from Uriah Heep to Asphyx, from Mötley Crüe to all kinds of Black Metal, from Scriabin to Exciter and from King Diamond to The Sisters of Mercy, Hekate Chthonia has a more closed spectrum and solely enjoys Death Rock, Dungeon Synth and the rawest of Black Metal.
Thus, Varg’s influences bring the experimental and free side to the music while Hekate’s focuses our artistic results into something real and coherent, both aspects always thriving towards a dark final product.
12. Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
Not really, I reckon all has been explained well enough for now…
Thanks a lot for this interview, keep the flames of Hades forever burning!
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