1.For those that have never heard of you before, can you tell us a little bit about the solo project?
Громгор is a one-man band project from Petrozavodsk, Republic of Karelia, Russia. The project was formed in August 2024 with the release of the first track, "Зверь".Everything is recorded using a regular Clevan CST 30 guitar. I ripped out all the electronics from it and directly soldered a single Seymour Duncan Black Winter humbucker.
2.A few months back you released your first full length, can you tell us a little bit more about the musical style that you went for on the recording?
The album «Земля сделанная из льда» is recorded in the atmospheric, depressive raw black metal genre. The guitar parts consist of melodic tremolo. The speed is medium: the tempo (BPM) was chosen so that it would be comfortable to play tremolo with the right hand. This technical aspect is always my starting point.
3.Most of your lyrics cover winter themes, can you tell us a little bit more about your interest in this topic?
In fact, "winter themes" sounds too vague. The album tells a specific story that took place on «Земля сделанная из льда». According to the plot, a long time ago an army of chorts descended from the heavens and encased the sun in ice, causing a glacier to form in the middle of a massive body of water. There, the king of chorts built a fortress. He cut out his own heart, hid it in a chest inside the fortress, and fed the key to the chest to a monster that guards it.The winter atmosphere is revealed through the story: blizzards, ice giants, snow reindeer. Just look at the single line about how the main character, Громгор, walks through the snow: "What heavy snow, what heavy snow" — it simply sends chills down your spine.
4.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Gomgor'?
«Громгор» simply stands for "гром гор" (the thunder of the mountains). At first, I wanted to name it "Гром с гор", but then I thought the letter "с" was redundant. It is already clear that we are talking about thunder that rumbles specifically in the mountains. Such thunder has no place in a city, in a cafe, or at work. Its place is in the forests and mountains, which is why I often go to the countryside to record tracks.In general, I love leaving the city and walking through the forest in silence. I would walk there all the time if it weren't for bears — I am afraid of them. In one track, I have a line: "A family of bears crawled into my boot to sleep" — it is an image showing that the hero's boot is so big and powerful that the bears decided to hibernate inside it. But the line itself appeared because of fear, after I actually encountered a bear in the forest.
5.Can you tell us a little bit more about the artwork that is presented on the new album cover?
The artwork for the releases is done strictly in a textured pixel art style.
6.With this project you record everything by yourself, are you open to working with other musicians or do you prefer to work solo?
In fact, I am not ready to collaborate. I write riffs only when I am in a specific mood. For instance, right after a walk in the forest, the music begins to pour out of the guitar like a wide river. Other people often disrupt this mindset, which is already hard to maintain. My task is to take the entire forest, squeeze it into a fist, bring it back, and unleash it into the riffs like a roaring river. Outside people would only get in the way.
7.According to the Metal Archives page you are signed to 'Depressive Illusions', how did you get in contact with this label?
No, that is not true. Громгор is not signed to any labels. I release everything on my own.
8.On a worldwide level how has the reaction been to your music by fans of black metal?
The reaction was good. Before that, a bunch of singles had been released, and listeners expected the album to consist of those exact same tracks. Instead, Громгор unleashed entirely fresh material. And people liked it.
9.Do you have any experience playing in other bands or musical projects?
No.
10.Where do you see yourself heading into as a musician during the future?
In the future, I see myself remaining within this or related genres.
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?
I love doom metal, black. Over the past 10 years, I've also listened to a lot of thrash, death, and melodic death metal.When I used to play the old game Heroes of Might and Magic III, I always turned on Summoning in the background — it’s a magical combination. I’ll also separately note Dissection and Death. But overall, I was probably influenced by absolutely everything I've ever listened to.
12.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
My thoughts are these: black metal is a wonderful genre with a strong character, but it shouldn't be turned into a theater of corpse paint and masks. Black metal is an internal state of soul that no one can take away from you. Whether you are at work, in the subway, or in the city — you just turn on a track and you are alone in this world, this is a state of soul that you cannot share with anyone. Nowadays, within black metal you rarely come across a serious text. Even when it comes to satanism, pain, or nature, you can speak about them in different ways. What's the point of just screaming about it? Black metal is a very serious genre. It should be written in cellars, but it shouldn't be locked away there. It should be like a fresh, damp wind in the middle of a dry desert for you. That's all.
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