Sulgogar are a Venezuelan thrash / death metal band whose newest album, Science of Beyond, crosses the boundaries of what the style can offer with unique vocals, original tone, and passionate lyrics. I interviewed main-man Sting to find out more about the band.
Contaminated Tones: Can you give me a brief history of your band, Sulgogar?
Sting Weiss: Sulgogar is a metal band of Venezuelan / Russian origin that was founded at the end of 2016 in the town of Duaca, located in the municipality Crespo, north of Barquisimeto, Lara State, Venezuela. It is considered as the first and only extreme metal band existing in that area to date. His musical style is very close to the Old School Death Metal, despite having some very typical elements of Thrash and Black Metal, all of them appreciable in each of his songs. The band is currently composed of Sting Weiss (vocals and bass), Steve Kaiba (guitars) and Svetlana Sevostianova (drums).
The lyrics of Sulgogar are inspired by sinister themes, such as urban legends and unsolved mysteries, as well as a bit of social criticism.
CT: What is a Sulgogar? Where does this band name come from?
SW: Sulgogar was the name of a fictitious race of aliens first appeared in the game Urban Assault belonging to the genre of action and strategy for PC. It is supposed to be the most powerful enemy faction in the game. We chose that name because it is very cool and because no other band in the world is using it.
CT: What bands are the main influence to Sulgogar's sound?
SW: The main source of inspiration for our band is Impaled Nazarene, from whom we took some musical ideas from their latest albums. Although we also have much influence from other groups of different subgenres within the metal such as Violator, Havok, Municipal Waste, Fueled by Fire, Thrash or Die, Death, Svartsyn, Mayhem, Burzum, Behexen, Dark Funeral among others.
CT: Your new album is called Science of Beyond and you have some excellent artwork. Who did the artwork for the cover? What does the artwork depict in relation to the album?
SW: The cover art was in charge of the great Venezuelan illustrator BJ Manchester who, besides dedicating himself to drawing comics, also designs covers by hand and in black and white style for death metal bands, brutal death metal and other extreme subgenres.
The art of Science of Beyond represents an extraterrestrial abduction with a slight touch of gore, as several gray extraterrestrials dissect the corpse of a human being inside their spaceship. This work of art fits very well with the central idea of Science of Beyond, since it deals with the theme of gray extraterrestrials and their obscure intentions with respect to humanity.
CT: I think the album has a very modern tone but an early 90's or late 80's crossover style riff-wise. Is this the sound you were going for? How do you usually describe your music to others?
SW: Well, we really wanted to do death thrash but without including the guitar riffs that are normally used nowadays in death metal that sometimes are a bit indigestible and boring. But it seems that our music effectively approaches the crossover style of those years that you comment. I hope that's a good thing for the band's reputation, because I liked it a lot. I can describe the music of Sulgogar as a crazy fusion of several extreme subgenres, whose purpose is that the songs are very sticky and digestible for most people.
CT: What is Sulgogar's writing process? Do you have a specific way in which you compose your songs?
SW: Well, at the time of writing the lyrics I always like to listen to the whole instrumental theme and compose the vocal part following almost the same rhythm of the riffs. That's great, since this method contributes to the songs being more moving and less monotonous as in many of the modern extreme metal productions. The central idea of each lyric always arises spontaneously and based on the sensation that each instrumental track transmits.
As for the instruments, we usually make a simple base on the guitar and then we assemble the drums. The bass I leave almost always for the end and sometimes I like to leave a few pauses for this instrument between the changes of the structure of each song. For example, in Socialista-Satanista it is noted that the bass is present and also has an important role giving more power to the song.
In the case of the drums, we like everything to sound as brutal as possible and with interesting fillings. Svetlana is very good at that, too much I would say. It is a pleasure to watch her play and record. Practically she is a sexy demon of the rums embodied in the body of a woman.
CT: The vocal style on Science of Beyond is very unique. Was this a natural vocal style for you or was it something that specific for this band? To me, it falls somewhere between a grunt and yell with gang vocals on top.
SW: For me it is very easy to make such guttural voices. Before I used a very different technique that was not very good because I got too tired, but now I feel much more comfortable. I managed to learn how to do it properly shortly before recording the voices of the Acechadores Intergalácticos (Intergalactic Stalkers) song. That voice is just what we were looking for from the beginning: a very powerful guttural voice capable of generating a great impact on the listeners.
The clean voice is something closer to the thrash metal style, a little street if you like. This is usually used to give that "vintage" touch to the whole thing.
CT: What has the feedback been on Science of Beyond so far?
SW: The responsiveness of this first release of Sulgogar has exceeded all our expectations. Really, we are very happy with the work done by Machine Man Records, because our music is reaching many people all over the world. A lot of people have told us that they love our sick sound and that they want to see us play live someday. Others are begging us to release a CD version soon. Right now we are considering that possibility.
CT: I could not find lyrics for any of the tracks but I'd like some expansion on a few of them. "Socialist-Satanist," for instance. What are you trying to say in the lyrics to this song? Is this something dangerous to say in Venezuela?
SW: Well, in the particular case of "Socialist-Satanist" this is clearly a song of mockery and protest towards what they call "Socialism of the 21st century". The name of the song makes reference to the rumors that many people of the Venezuelan government practice or have practiced horrible black African magic rituals at some point of their lives, especially the deceased former president of the republic.
The lyrics of this song are very short. Here the English translation:
Socialist-Satanist,
Corruption excites them,
Socialist-Satanist,
Sorcerers, false and Marxists,
Socialist-Satanist,
Controlling the currencies,
Socialist-Satanist,
Sorcerers, false and Marxists.
I composed it by taking some phrases I have heard from people in the street when they feel helpless in the face of all the stupidities that the current Venezuelan government does and that are constantly applauded by their brainless followers. The lyrics were going to be longer, but it was too controversial and could bring us many problems with the government later on. So we decided on something much simpler and that reflected the anger of the people who suffer every day under this corrupt government.
CT: Also, "Femi-Nazis." Are you guys anti-feminism? Are you saying that feminism is becoming too authoritative as a political ideology? Is it about a specific person or incident?
SW: I am in favor of the ideals of feminism of the old waves. But I do not agree with the ideals of the modern radical feminists and even less so-called "Femi-Nazis". In this song I make a joke of them, but before doing it I admit that they have all the chance to win because it has been scientifically proven that the masculine gender will gradually disappear from our species.
In this song I also talk a little about the theories of Richard Dawkins and about the radical feminists going against the interests of our genes. In short, the Femi-Nazis movement is a threat to our species. I also say that they only want power and that they will not be able to reproduce just by relating to each other.
CT: The title track is "Science of Beyond." Do you believe in extraterrestial beings? Are there real life extraterrestrial experiences which you've had? I know that South America in general is considered a hotspot for UFO and Paranormal activity.
SW: I do believe in aliens. In fact, I really like to read about it and investigate the most well-known cases of abduction in South America and the rest of the world. One of the cases that struck me the most was Betty and Barney Hill’s abduction and that's why I wanted to propose it as the central idea of this first album and cover art.
CT: There's a sample that is used as the current title track. What is this sample from and why did you make the whole title track a sample?
SW: That audio sample is an excerpt from the hypnosis session held with Betty and Barney Hill. There they relate how they were kidnapped by the aliens and then subjected to very strange medical tests. Apparently, the interests of grey extraterrestrials go far beyond our three-dimensional logic. That's why the album is called Science of Beyond.
CT: Sting, you've been in a few other bands. What other bands have you been involved with and how do they differ from Sulgogar? Have Steve or Svetlana been in any other projects or bands as well?
SW: Apart from stay as the vocalist and bassist of Sulgogar, I am also the keyboardist and leader of Anfítrite, a female fronted symphonic metal band inspired by Greek mythology. In the same way I play the keyboard in Dragón Blanco, a band of symphonic power metal led by my brother Steve Kaiba. In both bands we are also recording new material with a more clean and delicate sound.
The sexy bomb Svetlana Sevostianova was part of a band in her native town in Russia but she soon abandoned it because her work and studies consumed a lot of her time. So she devoted himself to perfecting her technique on the drums. She and I met some time ago on the internet and we became good friends. When I showed him some of the material that I was recording with Sulgogar Svetlana asked me to let her record the drums of all the songs. Since then she is collaborating with us on drums.
CT: Have you played or will you be playing any concerts or live shows?
SW: For now we have not been able to play live with Sulgogar because it is very difficult to move from where we live to the city and other states. We practically live in a very remote area comparable to Hobbiton, Fangorn or Narnia. We have received many proposals and invitations for concerts here in Venezuela but it is very complicated for now with the crisis. We hope in the near future to start playing live both nationally and other countries.
CT: What are long term plans for Sulgogar?
SW: Our plans are to record a lot more material and find a way to play live anywhere. As I write this, we are already fine-tuning the details of our next album, which we hope will also be liked by our fans. We also plan to release a version of Science of Beyond in CD format and another cool video clip that we have already uploaded to Youtube several months ago.
CT: What are your thoughts on the impact of the internet, and particularly social media, on music in general, and then more specifically on metal?
SW: The internet is a very important medium for today's musicians. Thanks to tools such as the internet, I was able to contact my friend Svetlana Sevostianova and we were also able to sign with the people of Machine Man Records, in addition to making our music known in all corners of the planet.
Social networks are important because through them you can meet people with your same musical tastes and many fans eager to listen and follow the new groups.
Every musician and modern metalhead should take advantage of the virtues of the internet, otherwise we will be stuck and we will not be able to continue growing and expanding our influence.
CT: What is it like playing metal, particularly metal which has some politically motivated songs, in Venezuela right now? Your country is going through what the west views as a fairly several economic crisis with your money ever inflating.
SW: Well, believe it or not in Venezuela there is a government regime quite deceptive and repressive that we could consider a mix between the ideals of the Italian mafia of the movies, the most absurd things of communism, a lot of what happens in the novel 1984 George Orwell and some of that fanatical ardor of the golden days of Nazism in Germany.
Saying something, (be it serious or not) against the Venezuelan government can immediately put you in a very compromising situation where your life and that of your family may be at risk. Therefore, it is very likely that you will be imprisoned and tortured in secret places or that you will be accused of something false as an excuse to damage your credibility before the public.
In the case of the songs, I know that we are not the only band within the metal and other musical genres with songs criticizing the actual government such as Socialist-Satanist, but I am not in a position to tell you exactly what other bands or artist are in this same position.
There was a golden age for the Venezuelan metal scene just a few years ago, when important bands came to the country as part of their tours and many brutal concerts were held here. Regrettably, government obstacles and other problems prevented that golden age from evolving into something more interesting and lasting. Now we are only few fighters in the metal ranks trying to make us know in the way that best suits our situation.
It is difficult for people from other countries to understand what is going on here, which is really very serious and a threat to the entire world, such as the USSR or Nazi Germany. It's like telling someone in Dubai to understand the situation of oppressed people by terrorists and psychopathic religious fanatics deep in the Amazon...
In short, you have to live it in your own flesh to understand it. The words are not enough to describe something so absurd and dangerous. Many foreigners have come to the country and have cried or scared enough to see what happens. At the moment, as I write this, in my house we only have one package of beans to eat in the next few days, and worse, I'll have to find another job because the money is not enough to support my family.
Playing metal in Venezuela, besides being a great passion like love your sexy girlfriend, has become a way of escape from the harsh reality we live. So, expect to hear more songs like Socialista-Satanista from Sulgogar in the near future mocking us and complaining about the worst political ideology that has existed in the world after communism and Nazism: the socialism of the 21st century.
CT: Your President was almost assassinated this week in a drone strike during what looked like a military parade. He blames Colombian far-right interests for the attack. What are people saying about this attack? What is the state of the government currently in Venezeula from the perspective of someone who lives there?
SW: It is true. Everything seems to indicate that it was a real attack but it is not clear who the real culprits were. Although, the majority of the population suspects that within the ranks of the government there are people who do not agree with the president and want to take it out of the way as it may. This is a consequence of having chosen the worst possible path, represented in the figure of socialism in the 21st century.
After the attack, the government has suspiciously issued arrest warrants for several people. It is likely that many of these people do not even have anything to do with the attack. It is now common for the government to discover a supposed conspiracy with extravagant names and take advantage of that to jail and brutally torture those who think differently.
If the government continues with its terror policy, it is very likely that in the future immediate terrorist groups will arise in the style of ISIS or ETA formed by disgruntled civilians and military.
CT: Are there any specific forces which are currently preventing bands and artists from freely performing, writing and speaking, and making music? In the US Anti-fa is currently very active closing shows, especially in the northwest and California, according to friends there.
SW: Well, if you have songs that speak against the government, it is likely that the same people who support that government look for ways to damage your reputation and credibility or prevent that you can play in concerts. In Venezuela there is a kind of "Gestapo" called SEBIN, which can appear one day in your house and take you handcuffed and move you to secret torture chambers. This may sound like something taken from the argument of any cheap movie but unfortunately it is true.
In short, we must be very careful with what one does and says here in front of a large number of people.
Recently, a Venezuelan extreme metal band revealed the art that adorns the cover of their next album where you can see many important figures of the government and the opposition in a sexual orgy too explicit. Having done this can cause many problems. Only time will tell what will happen to these daring guys. Although I must admit that the cover has become a viral image on social networks and is great.
On the other hand, in Venezuela and elsewhere in Latin America most people listen to that musical nonsense called "Reggaetón". Many of those people constantly complain about the metal and try to discredit the bands. Another thing is religious fanatics. In Venezuela there are many of them and believe that metal is a musical genre created by the devil.
CT: Is there a split within the metal community on political and social beliefs in Venezuela, as there is in the USA?
SW: Okay, yes. There are bands and artist that support the government through their music and some of them enjoy certain privileges (as in the case of Paul Gillman) while other bands do not or simply play metal music without including any political messages in their lyrics. I imagine that in the United States it is the same with liberals and democrats.
I just wait for this government to fall so we can play music freely as before and return to the golden age of Venezuelan metal scene.
CT: What thoughts come to mind when you hear the word, "individual?" Is the concept of individualism important in your life?
SW: Well, by thinking of the word "individual" I imagine someone free in almost every way, always within the limits allowed by law. For me it is important that one recognizes oneself, but one must also do it with other people. I believe that if you become aware of your own existence and that the world does not revolve around your head, you can easily put yourself in someone else's shoes and understand what is happening in his mind.In Venezuela, the government is currently looking for a collective mind, but in a quite wrong way. If I as an individual need to have a stable job and give my family the best, that cannot be done, simply because having tried to keep everyone in balance (through laughable and absurd methods) prevents me. I mean, I cannot go to a supermarket and take a cart while I see what to buy to feed my family. I have to stand in big line with a lot of people and when entering the store there are only a few products and at exorbitant prices.
Here individualism is a privilege for the leadership of power, consisting of a purulent cancer that we must extirpate immediately. No one can negotiate a peace agreement with gangrene or with an incurable and chronic terminal illness. But despite all that, many of us are trying to change the things peacefully. Although it seems somewhat useless, in reality it is the only thing we can do within a legal framework.
We are playing a game of dungeons and dragons created by a corrupted master of the game that violates the rules continuously, sends wave after wave of beasts almost impossible to beat, denies the experience points of the players and strips them of their special abilities when he wants. This is not fun or legal at all.
CT: What final thoughts do you have for our online readers?
Sulgogar - The Science Behind Each Song
Femi-Nazis:
The controversy surrounding the radical feminists of today and the proposal to legalize free abortion in countries like Argentina led us to compose this song. In reality it is a mockery of the "Femi-Nazis", a mass movement that takes part of the feminist ideals so defended in the old times by the past waves twisting them to make a very mediocre media circus.
At the musical level, the song is quite simple. A repetitive but at the same time addictive structure serves as the basis for firing constant explosive bullets of common sense, sarcasm and some macho pride relaxed through the voice. A joker guitar solo helps a lot to the song.
Misión: Sobrepoblación (Mission: Overpopulation)
The lyrics of this song were written after Sting Weiss was a shopping day in town. While he lined up to buy some miserable vegetables to feed his family and to visit several places in search of better prices, he noticed the huge number of pregnant women there were (many more compared to days or weeks before).
Unlike other countries where the adult population is more numerous than the young, in Venezuela and other places in South America there are cases of true "baby booms" or a large number of births in a short period of time with any good reason behind it. This could lead to serious overcrowding problems in the immediate future as well as further compromising the reserves of available resources.
For this reason, Sting Weiss imagined a fictitious country where an unscrupulous government makes the decision to promote free and indiscriminate sex with the aim of purging the population. At the same time, this hypothetical government would seek to get rid of the adult population by sending it to war in the future.
At the musical level, Misión Sobrepoblación has a very interesting structure: it starts as a black metal song through the solitary guitar and ends in a crushing rhythm when the rest of the elements appear. From there it becomes a song of thrash very moved. This feeling is reinforced by the interpretative style of the clean voice as well as having a touch of death metal thanks to the gutturals. On the other hand, a narration recorded in the style "police radio equipment" imitates the implementation of a black special forces operation called "Mission: Overpopulation."
However, the best thing about this song is the guitar solo: it's just great and very emotional. It’s possibly the best guitar solo of the whole album.
Chupacabras (Goatsucker)
Chupacabras is a theme clearly inspired by the urban legend of a supernatural and unknown blood-loving being that had its most notorious appearance in Puerto Rico during the beloved decade of the nineties. At that time, the adventures of this supposed vampire demon caused a panic among the population of almost all the countries of South America.
The lyrics cover everything that is known and presumed about this horrible nightmarish creature.
At a musical level, it could be said that the song begins as a thrash metal song and then becomes one of black metal. The most plausible comparison is with some songs of Behexen in his album My Soul for His Glory and Svartsyn in Bloodline. Although, a part of the beginning sounds very similar to a Helloween song included in the Wall of Jericho album where one guitar enters first, then the other, later the bass and finally the drums. I think that theme is Murderer.
Svetlana Sevostianava did an excellent job on drums creating rhythms that approach those of a black metal song in the style of the old school (Mayhem, Burzum, and others). The guitar solo is a total madness. This was to be changed but Sting Weiss said it was perfect for the song "it's as strange and great as the Chupacabra vampire himself" he said once.
Finally, the spoken introduction is an extract taken from a very popular television program in the 90s called “Ocurrió Así” (It Happened So), specifically the special where they address the topic of Chupacabras and intend to explain their origin based on different interesting and weird theories. One of these theories is that the Chupacabra can actually be a demon created or invoked by witches with the objective of collecting blood and other elements for their macabre spells. That is the argument what can be heard in the opening narrative.
Socialista-Satanista (Socialist-Satanist)
In this song we make a joke of the absurd political ideology called "Socialism of the 21st century" established in Venezuela by the late former president Hugo Rafael Chavez Frías. This led to a country as rich as Venezuela becoming a dark paradise for common criminals, great leaders of the underground Mafia, assassins for hire and other unscrupulous people of all kinds. Something like what Port Royal was for the pirates of the Caribbean.
The lyrics were composed based on some of the phrases that people dissatisfied with the government have come to say in public to drain their anger while traveling by bus or subway. Curiously, the lyrics were going to be longer but it was too controversial and that could bring us big problems with the government. Therefore, we decided to condense everything in some of the most interesting phrases.
Here the translation of the lyrics:
Socialist-Satanist,
Corruption excites themselves,
Socialist-Satanist,
Sorcerers, false and Marxists,
Socialist-Satanist,
Controlling the currencies,
Satanist Socialist,
Sorcerers, false and Marxists,
In addition to talking about the taste of Venezuelan socialist leaders for the corruption, cynicism, easy life and poor ideas of Carl Marx, the lyrics speak of the special preference of these infamous individuals for Cuban Santeria (a variant of black magic of the Congo). Although, we also talk a little about the currency control.
At a musical level, the song start as one of black metal something similar to the songs of Dark Funeral and then takes an unexpected turn. From then on it becomes a thrash song in the style of the old school to enter the choir with a clear voice reciting the name of the song and the gutturals reciting some phrases used by people to express their discontent towards the infamous Venezuelan government.
The theme is very simple. A few punk-style chords along with a firm and violent drum beat set the tone for unleashing all the contained fury of the vocals. After repeating the chorus a couple of times, the subject changes a bit and gives way to a guitar solo very raw and desperate as the desire of each Venezuelan to destroy a government led by a group of corrupt Neanderthals.
El Comegente (Enviado de Satanás) (The Man-eater (Envoy of Satan))
This song is inspired by a Venezuelan serial killer named Dorangel Vargas (currently in prison) who during the 90s killed many people to eat their meat. This allowed him to survive in misery until he was captured and baptized by the media as "The Man-eater". An urban legend tells that when this infamous murderer was to be put behind bars, the inmate prison population trembled with fear and began a hunger strike to prevent the entry of an unstoppable monster psychopath devouring of human flesh.
The lyrics tell all that this bloody character did, which is considered by many Venezuelans as "a being sent to this earth by Satan himself".
At the musical level, it could be said that we are dealing with a death metal song in the style of the old school and you can even notice a bit of influence from Cannibal Corpse or other brutal death metal bands at the guttural level. The guitar solo is very refreshing and equally unexpected, perfect to give a little twist on the dark theme of the song and reflect the metal status of the killer Dorangel Vargas.
For its part, the spoken introduction heard during the introduction was taken from the news program of a television channel currently closed by the Venezuelan government. There you see the serial killer Dorangel Vargas calmly answering the questions of a reporter while being stopped by the police. When this was broadcast on television the whole country felt a great relief, because people were very afraid to go out and be trapped and devoured by this cannibal killer.
Acechadores Intergalácticos (Intergalactic Stalkers)
The lyric of intergalactic stalkers was inspired by the abduction of Betty and Barney Hill, considered the first recorded case in the modern world of this type of phenomena. It deals with everything related to this rare incident, from the sighting of the UFO by Barney Hill to the conversation between Betty Hill and one of the aliens in the control room of the object.
At the musical level, this song also starts with a part of black metal and then ends in a thrash. In the chorus of the song the guttural voice stands out quite demonstrating all its dark power. The twin guitar solo contributes to give a strange alien touch or maybe from another world.
Science of Beyond
The song that gives name to this first album of Sulgogar is called Science of Beyond. Basically it is an audio extract taken from a hypnosis recording made to the Hill couple, the first pair of humans abducted by aliens. Here you can hear the story of the terrifying experience on the part of both witnesses.
Although, the most interesting are the nervous reactions of Barney Hill who relives terrified every minute of the kidnapping, in addition to the shocking revelations made to Betty Hill by one of the aliens. While the extract is being played, a nightmare soundtrack helps to give it an even more sinister and enigmatic touch.
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