EMQ’s With ESHTADUR
EMQ’s With ESHTADUR
Hi everyone! Welcome to another EMQs interview, this time with Columbian Melodic Death/ Black Metal band, Eshtadur. Huge thanks to their Vocalist/ Guitarist, Jorg, for taking part.
What is your name, what do you play and can you tell us a little bit about the history of the band?
Hey! Thanks so much for having me here, this is Jorg, Vocals and Guitar, founding member of Eshtadur.
We started playing in 2007 following the style of Dimmu Borgir, Hypocrisy, and Dissection, and we have been able to record 4 albums, 2 EPs, toured twice in Europe, and recently did a North American tour.
How did you come up with your band name?
I was 15 and they were older than me 18, 20s, an old book mentioned “Eshtadur” as the rebellion of angels. It was a Greek author who wrote a whole book about the kind of rebellions, in which “Eshtadur” was the one related to the rebellion of angels.
What Country / Region are you from and what is the Metal / Rock scene like there?
I’m from a small city called Pereira, which is located between the mountains of Colombia where many coffee plantations remain. The metal scene is well known for the passion that everyone involved likes, you can find a Black Metal scene with huge crowds and things going on very often, and you can find also a new wave Thrash Speed Metal scene with many things going on.
What is your latest release?
We have released ‘UMBRA’ a new single into the waves of Symphonic Black & Melodic Metal in which we were able to add a real symphonic orchestra, we recorded with Colombian tiple (folk instrument) and we included a whole passage in an ancient native language called “Purhepecha”.
Who have been your greatest influences?
I believe I have admired Ihsahn and Peter Tagtren from the beginning, but bands like Graveworm, Old Man’s Child, Covenant, and Dissection were the music I listened to the most when I was young. Metallica was the very first influence I had since it was one of the first bands I heard and I liked the most, I still think they are the best band ever in the history of metal.
What first got you into music?
I think I always liked the sound of electric guitars and drums, I used to listen from outside to a school band rehearsing while we were on school break. I used to go outside the music rooms and listen to the older guys playing until I was able to study at 12, I learned drums first.
If you could collaborate with a current band or musician who would it be?
Oh definitely, I would love to produce any song with Ihsahn and Peter Tagtren, that would be crazy. Either being a single song to combine all styles and participations, or either bringing them into an Eshtadur song, that would be sick.
If you could play any festival in the world, which would you choose and why?
It has to be Wacken open air, it has been my dream for many years. I think it is the most fantasy metal fest, and I believe there´s no fest bigger than that. Wacken is visited by many people around the world and it is now digital streaming in every corner of the world.
What’s the weirdest gift you have ever received from a fan?
Well, I do not often get gifts from people but, recently we got a drawing sketch, manually painted on pencil during one of our shows. I remember playing the show and I saw this lady taking notes on a small book, and I got to ask myself, what is she writing about? I thought maybe she was writing information about the band, I don’t know, but then after the show, she came and showed us this incredible drawing of our performance, that was cool.
If you had one message for your fans, what would it be?
Firstly I would say thanks for their support, for being there somehow and so ever, that’s always much appreciated. I would like to say also that this is our only chance to be free, to embrace our real self, to live as we please, and that anything that you might like or desire, you can make it thru, you can get that to be true, if you really believe it, sure, you will have to do some sacrifices, but still, if you really want that so much to be real, then you will sacrifice anything.
If you could bring one rock star back from the dead, who would it be?
It has to be the one and only RONNIE JAMES DIO, that man sings like no one else, he has been the master of the vocal performance in heavy metal. Because he did not only scream high-pitched notes, but he sang. He could sing anything.
What do you enjoy the most about being a musician? And what do you hate?
I love it when I can move someone’s soul or someone’s feelings with a song or a melody I created. That’s the meaning of doing music, I do music to move people’s hearts.
And one thing I dislike a lot is finding people who get a completely wrong idea of music, like when someone makes money their priority, or they base their essential root on money, that’s very disgusting, same thing when someone thinks that playing the fastest notes makes one the best musician, the best musician is the one who plays with the heart.
If you could change one thing about the music industry, what would it be?
I don´t like those who do this for money, yes, this has to be a business at some point, but never forgetting about how invaluable art and music could be, if I could I would change that for sure, erasing those who get money and huge payment quotes for bands that never will get serious and respectful guidance into music.
Name one of your all-time favourite albums?
My favourite album of all time is “RESCUE YOU” by Joe Lynn Turner.
What’s best? Vinyl, Cassettes, CD’s or Downloads?
I think all are best, depending on your likes. I have made the way of having pretty much everything, I have Vinyls, I love that unique sound, quality is the best, it is so intimate and special.
I like tapes, I have some of them still but don’t get to use them very often. I love CD’s, I listen to almost everything on CD in my car because I drive an old car with a CD player, so that’s great.
But I also buy digital formats, there is music that is hard to find on a physical record nowadays, so I have my files on best quality audio FLAC or WAV, just for myself, because that way I am sure, I will always have the chance to listen to it on my smartphone or laptop.
What’s the best gig that you have played to date?
One of my favourites was a show in Sofia, Bulgaria. We had so many issues with arriving, we were touring with Batushka and we were driving from Rumania, we almost failed to arrive on time that night, so they fixed the schedule in Sofia, so that we could make it on time, and we ended up arriving just in time, we load our backline and went straight to perform our show, so fast and everyone was waiting on us, they knew that we might be not arriving that night, but when we got into the stage everyone was so excited, so that show was kind of heroic.
If you weren’t a musician, what else would you be doing?
I would be a writer or philosopher, I enjoy sharing deep thoughts and helping others’ consciousness to elevate.
Which five people would you invite to a dinner party?
Sorry for not answering this like so fancy haha, but I will invite my mother, my grandmother, and my aunts and that’s it.
What’s next for the band?
We are coming with another new single this October, we have a video clip prepared for that release and this song matches, pairing a full map of what we have for the new album in 2024, since we already released “UMBRA”, this next song is going be like the continuation in all aspects, conceptually, musically, etc.
What Social Media / Website links do you use to get your music out to people?
www.eshtadur.com
https://linktr.ee/Eshtadur
Time for a very British question now. As an alternative to the humble sandwich, is the correct name for a round piece of bread common in the UK either a Bap, a Barm (or Barm Cake), a Batch, a Bun, a Cob, a Muffin, a Roll or a Tea Cake?
I watch a lot of premier league soccer games, Liverpool fan here, but I really don’t know this. I think is Barm? Haha
Thank you for your time. Is there anything else that you would like to add?
Thanks for having me here, again, this is much appreciated, I have a special respect for all the people who spend their time helping the metal community.
Disclaimer: This interview is solely the property of Ever Metal. It is strictly forbidden to copy any part of this review, unless you have the strict permission of both parties. Failure to adhere to this will be treated as plagiarism and will be reported to the relevant authorities.
