Interview with: Gates of Hell

Hell on Fire: Hello Filipe and welcome to H.O.F, everything ok with you?

Filipe: Hello Nightshade, all fine here. It’s a pleasure for us to be in Hell on Fire. I take this opportunity to congratulate your project, it is extremely necessary to have people who support the music that is made in Portugal, in this case the GREAT metal.

Hell on Fire: Thank you my friend for your words it's with pleasure that i do this! Can you talk a little about how everything started with Gates of Hell since the begining?

Filipe: All began in early 2008, with 3 friends: Pedro Afonso on solo guitar, me on rhythm guitar and Filipe Aragão at voice. Marcos to the battery and Afonso (ex-visible noise) on bass joined the band almost the same time. The band remained the year 2008 in composition of the first songs and this helped to solidify the group. In November appears the oportunity to begin the journey and G.O.H. had the live debut at Altar Bar. Since that the band did not want anything else. Eheheheh! Anyway modifications already passed since that. The departure of Marcos and the passage of Afonso for the drums, the entry of Helder Costa (ex-Innerless) in early 2009 and later the entry of Zé (ex-Razor) for voice, brought with them a new environment the group and a greater unity.

Hell on Fire: The bands is recent in the metal scene and until now you seem to have great reactions from the crowd, what can you say about this, do you feel that the audience enjoy the sound of GOH?

Filipe: We have had good reviews and have been well received in all places where we have played. We deeply appreciate all the support that we had by the public and all the bands. That support is what it makes us more willing to work and more power to evolve with our music. We realize we're a recently band and we have to work hard to improve, but we are very keen to develop something important.

Hell on Fire: Talking about recordings! What can you say about this, i think that you guys so far are on studio preparing a record right?

Filipe: Yes, we are currently polish the edges on the songs that will be part of our first EP. We gonna start with the recordings in the 17th of October in Svstudios in Vila do Conde. The EP should be ready in the early of 2010. We hope that the EP is something that identifies us.

Hell on Fire: I wish you guys all the good luck for the recordings! Recently at Thrasheira Metal Fest IV (Chã das Eiras bar) i had the chance to see you guys performing also with great bands as Equaleft, The Last of Them, Unbridled and Biolence! My congratulations you guys have a huge power live! What can you say about your concerts so far do you feel that the band is growing with this performances?

Filipe: Undoubtedly. We chose to show our songs before moving on to an official recording. We are delighted to have made this choice because we have evolved very much since the beginning and the songs have strong changes since we started playing them live. Now we feel we will go into the studio to know how the music sounds live, and the reactions it causes in the public. It’s perfect to have that feeling before recording the songs.

Hell on Fire: Gates of Hell, a simple and a curious name and by the way welcome to Hell;) Who had the idea of this name? Any special meaning for this name?

Filipe: It is a pleasure to be in hell eheheheh The name of the band was chosen in a conversation between the founder members…many names to the mix and came out this eheheh It really is a curious name and I think that was chosen because it’s simple and sounds good. We also associated with an acronym that seemed well (G.O.H). We think it was appropriate to our project.

Hell on Fire: Talking a little about composing, being you 1 of the guitarrists are you the main the main composer of the band or you guys simply rehearse and the songs naturally appears?

Filipe: The band went through several phases. Anyway criativity largely replaced by Pedro. It is undoubtedly the member with more creativity of the group. In the beginning the songs were composed by Pedro and me and the other members just after inserting their roles. Since the entry of members who currently make up the quintet we have been much more united and the composition is done in group and after worked on house. The music gets much more harmony when the ideas start a little of each.

Hell on Fire: What does your lyrics talks about?

Filipe: Our lyrics speak a little of everything that is happening in the world...like injustice, unnecessary wars, religions taken to the extreme...we don’t try to make a critique of society...we just want to show that we declare ourselves free to think... like the phrase in our t-shirt "Religion is nothing to us .... Just open your mind!". Just keeping the mind open people can understand the meaning of many things.

Hell on Fire: Talking a little about the metal music panorama in Portugal, what can you say about this? Do you think the bands have enough supports to live only with music?

Filipe: Personally i think the Metal music is fairly complete. In our country we are very well represented on this musical style, many bands with great songs and lot’s of interesting events. Although Metal is not as sustained as it should be. The underground groups have no reason to complain...especially because there are many people who supported the cause and that makes it possible to do what we like. However it is not easy to live by music, i think most bands that i know do not live with music, just because it is very difficult in our country and our style of music making profits that allow to take it professionally. But however who runs for pleasure never stops.

Hell on Fire: Also about bands but portuguese one’s what do you think about the one’s that we have in our territory? Don’t you think that we have really good bands to act outside and to represent Portugal in other countries? Is this 1 of your main goals in the future to go outside with GOH?

Filipe: Portugal has good musicians and great bands. With more support many portugueses bands would be known throughout the world for it’s quality. We already played with bands that should certainly be being promoted abroad because they would be an asset to the international scene and would be excellent Portuguese metal representatives. We have the ambition to play abroad, but also know that it is not easy ... but the hope is the last to die eheheheh

Hell on Fire: Filipe do you remember with which band you grow up listening 2?

Filipe: I have various influences of childhood like Pantera, Slayer, Metallica and many many more…

Hell on Fire: Great names and also for you a favourite band to share the stage with?

Filipe: It's hard to name a band ... but i enjoy sharing the stage with band like Slayer and Lamb of God. But we already shared the stage with several bands that were part of my objectives: Pitch Black, Equaleft, Switchtense, Echidna, and many others with whom we played ... is a pleasure playing live whatever is the bands... since there are public that likes to hear us is always good!

Hell on Fire: It is good that you mention some portuguese bands, most of the bands don’t do that! Favourite guitarrist?

Filipe: Dimebag Darel I adore him by his attitude and passionate way of playing, it was a shame what happens to him!!! And my brother, Pedro Afonso besides being the other G.O.H.’s guitarist has an enviable skills and lot’s of creativity ehehhe

Hell on Fire: Yes indeed a huge guitarrist Dimebag and yes my friend i also saw your brother and he also plays really well! Did you or do you have any kind of guitar lessons?

Filipe: I have not had any lessons. Youtube and internet tabs are great to start playing some songs and then is a non-stop training ehehhe

Hell on Fire: Indeed is a good way to learn:) What do you like to do in your free times?

Filipe: I like the usual things like cinema,play guitar at home listening music, went to concert’s. I little like everybody. eheheheh

Hell on Fire: Next concerts of GOH for the readers to know?

Filipe: For now we have this concerts confirmed: 26th of Setember with – Necris dust, Antichthon, Apotheus at Metalpoint ; 2nd of October with – Suffochate, Hatetrigger, Equaleft at Metalpoint; 30th of October in Gaia em Peso 2009; 12th of December at Dimebag Darrel Tribute at Vouzela. There more invites but still waiting for confirmation.

Hell on Fire: For those who don’t know the band yet, what can they expect from you guys on stage?

Filipe: Above all we go to the stage to do what we like to do. We think that helps the show because we are all willing and is always a pleasure to show our work to the others. Who knows us knows that we are all happy people and ready to make the party and that is what they can expect from us eheheh

Hell on Fire: What do you wanna say to those that always support GOH since the begining?

Filipe: We would like to thank all the people who support us now and from the beginning because without them we would not have made progress with the project. We dedicate all our work to those people who know well who they are…friends from the bands and personal friends and especially the family that gives us a fairly constant support and understanding.The band dedicate everything that we have to all people who love us and support us.

Hell on Fire: Thank you very much Filipe for your time for this interview, i wish you and the rest of the band all the good luck for the next concerts, the record to come and release of it and i hope to hear soon from you guys always with great power!

Filipe: Thank’s for the opportunity to be interviewed by you it’s wonderfull to show our ideas and promote our project. It is a pleasure to be part of a project such as the Hell on Fire which serves to help bands like us. Congratulations to you and a great strength to continue it’s what we expect from you eheheh Thanks for everything once again and we will give you news very soon about the presentation of our EP. Great Hug from Gates of Hell.




By: Nightshade

Gates of Hell Myspace
www.myspace.com/gatesofhellband666