A few words from your history, please…
We have started in 1990 under the Dab name, friend, done 04 demos, 02
CDs, 01 best off, over 500 gigs, 05 tours in Europe, 02 videos, 02 TV shows, 06
CD compils, 01 tour in USA, 01 in Central America, and now we are GURKKHAS and
have a CD, "Engraved in blood, flesh and souls", out on Massacre
recs, from Germany, and we are working on some new tours and of course the next
album.
Tell us how is it with Metal music in France?
I think it's ok, with plenty of metal heads and great bands like
DISGUST, INHUMATE, BLOCKHEADS and so on, we would need much support but it's
not already bad.
What is the audience where looks like?
You mean the audience to our gigs? Round 100 and 1000, haha, all depends
if you play in a bar, a club, a Hall, it depends also with who you play, as
openers or Headliners, like everywhere I guess, friend!!…. 70% are true Death
or black Metallers, 20% of Rock Music, 10% of persons who wanna hear Death
Music for the first time.
How many concerts fans can see in a year? In a year in France?
Argh, round 50 good ones I would say, from Gothic to Black, thought
grind core!!! Where do they play gigs, in clubs or on stadiums? Most of the
time in clubs. We are Underground guys on a big label, hahaha!!. We like the UG
spirit, it's all our souls you know…our roots!!.
How often do you play in your area?
We don't like to play often, to not bored the guys, i would say round
2/3 times a year it's enough, but when we play it's a pure chaos my friend, I
hope that you will see us live one day!!!
Is death metal popular in your city, and especially yours death metal?
Our death is very very popular, for example, for our first CD, in 95; we
have sold round 400 CDs in a circle of only 50 kms round our town, hehe! There
are other smaller bands, of course friends of us, we are the oldest band, maybe
one of the oldest one from France, haha! In our city, the minimum of fans is
round 250 each gigs. We live in a 15000 city people.
How can you comment the language of your lyrics? Why don't you sing in
French?
Because French is not made for Death metal, English sounds a lot better
my friend, French has a hard pronouncing, English is more growling you know,
more better for Death style. We prefer to keep the English one, it fits to the
style better, and for the GURKKHAS, the "death" words come each
phrase (haha) so, it's better…
Maybe French is only for romantic songs? (Je m'baladais de l'avenue…)
Haha!!!…You guys are crazy, really crazy people! You know our music. Only
popular music, not like Death Metal, haha! We are not romantic guys when we
play music. On stage it's pure rage, in our private lives it's different, but
for GURKKHAS, this is the WAR, total Destruction commando!!.
About the concept of your lyrics. It's all about bloody corpses
everywhere or not?
The idea is to talk about the feeling of a GURKKHAS soldier during some
battles, his life and so on; we hope to have reached the point. If i look at
our reviews we have very near, but…you know, a musician is never satisfied,
HOPEFULLY, because in the contrary, I would have a so big head… hahaha, and we
all in the band hate this attitude! Corpses, blood, hate, battles, storm,
vengeance, all what the Human being is made of …
Besides, how do you think, what is better: a song about Vikings, a song
about murders, a song about religion, or maybe about something else? Would you
tell your opinion about every of this styles?
Song about a Viking: 6/10…song about religion: 8/10…song about murders:
7/10 In fact all songs could be great, all depends about your style, look at an
author like Stephen King, he has not invented something new you know, he takes
stories about events from everyday life but turns it in horror just with his
talent, this is why a song/book can be great or not, all depend about who write
it!!.
Living in France what are your preferences: French cuisine, French wine,
or French metal?
I would say French Metal. I hate those cookers who say they are the
best, fuck them off, and I don't drink alcohol, don't eat Fish or Meat, so
there is Metal music for me, haha!!.
What are your hobbies?
My family and my friends. GURKKHAS takes me really all my time and when
I'm back, I like to stay with my family, some peace before the next assault. I
like to read (a lot), to see some movies, hear some music too, of course, haha!
Do your work or study?
I have learnt history at the second degree at the University. , I don't
work; I run Deadsun recs and play in GURKKHAS, that is enough for me, haha!!
I almost forgot to ask about your name… What does it mean and how often
journalists ask you to explain its meaning?
We have done 72 interviews in 05 months, and each time I have this
question, but I am happy, because it proves that the name is strange, attractive,
so we were right to choose it. The GURKKHAS are some Nepalese Elite soldiers
fighting for the GB army now. They are considered as the most furious &
finest soldiers on to the Earth.
Tell our readers something very-very special and exclusive about your
band or about members?
I never say anything personal about us, I just will give you an
exclusivity, the title of our second CD will be " A life of
suffering"… you are the really first mag worldwide to know this, even our
label doesn't know this!!!!!… This to prove you that we respect your work, your
scene, and the Metal fans of your country, Death rules!
Any closing bloody words…
Mega thanks for this interview, you really rules. I have something to
say…in '98 a guy has said us " why don't you come and play in Central
America" no bands play here for us, we will finally think it's because we
are Mexican or any others". I have replied, "ok, we come, prepare us
a tour and we come" and we have done it, guys, 1month ? on the road in 06
country for Central America, this to say you we are Deathsters, not there for
money but for you, the metalheads, you offer us to play? Then we come, of
course we come, and proud to do this! Bang your head, Men (& women of
course)!!! And spread the GURKKHAS name everywhere, if a booker read me, MAN,
contacts me now!!! I hope to meet you all one day of the next year!!!