NEKROGOBLIKON’s ALEX ALEREZA Talks Influences, GWAR Tour & Unapologetic New Album: “Let’s Make S**t Weirder”
Loss of life to all false goblin metallic! Nekrogoblikon have emerged from the bowels of sunny California to change into one in all heavy metallic’s preeminent melodic loss of life folks comedy insanity sights. Buoyed by ever-present and salty mascot John Goblikon, viral movies and ace advertising and marketing have cemented the band as one of many rising touring sights in all the style. Numbers do not lie!
Hours faraway from a tour reveal alongside the mighty Gwar, long-time guitarist Alex Alereza sat down with Steel Injection for a deep dive into Nekrogoblikon‘s upcoming album The Elementary Slimes and Humours, possession of the bizarre, rise of the absurdly entertaining goblin-talk present Proper Now, his definitive guitar hero and far more!
Have you ever guys toured with Gwar earlier than? Clearly there must be a lot affect for what they’ve accomplished within the metallic area. I assume you would say Alice Cooper, however I am unable to actually consider a band that got here earlier than Gwar that basically owned the comedic facet, the tongue-in-cheek and the satire like they did.
Yeah, positively. It is shocking this hasn’t occurred earlier than. It virtually occurred earlier than, and on account of every kind of issues occurring we simply could not make it work schedule-wise. That was like eight years in the past, so I am glad they supplied it to us once more as a result of the timing is ideal with us having a brand new document. They’ve a brand new document popping out and I feel lots of followers wish to see each bands collectively. At the very least we hear that from our finish.
Going into the genesis of Nekrogoblikon, all the things with John Goblikon and the comedic facets, was Gwar a giant affect in these early days?
Fairly the alternative, really, and never in a unfavourable approach. We got here from such a unique place. John Goblikon turned part of the band in 2012, and we have been round since 2006. We began actually tongue-in-cheek type of as a joke with not a complete lot of thought going into theatrics. At first it was simply “would not it’s humorous to make an album that is simply all metallic songs, about goblins?” There wasn’t a grandiose imaginative and prescient with it. It was similar to, that is humorous. We needed to make catchy music that was quirky and enjoyable and comedic and tongue-in-cheek.
It wasn’t till we noticed the “No One Survives” video with Brandon Dermer, who’s the director and type of the creator of John Goblikon. He is John‘s father. We did that video, we birthed this character that immediately made the band observed. We had been about to get a competition provide and our supervisor was on the telephone with the brokers. And he stated, “I feel I may get you this competition, however the goblin goes to be there, proper?” It is like alright, we bought to do that factor now. At that time we owned it. That is like a part of what we do. That is now an entertaining issue, a part of our exhibits, and he is simply this extra type of bandmate that does not play an instrument. Like our mascot or our sidekick. It wasn’t premeditated, however we embraced it when it got here.
Did you’re feeling a noticeable change when it comes to the eye or the trajectory once you actually leaned into that within the dwell performances? I do know the movies progressively bought crazier and also you amped up goblin all the things with John type of being the face of it.
We had been a totally unknown band till we had John. Very underground. We had a little bit of a MySpace following again within the day and we had MySpace bots harassing individuals. Folks from throughout knew about us, some individuals, but it surely did not begin to change into a reputation anybody acknowledged till that music video hit, that first one with John, “No One Survives” that Dermer made. That went viral in two weeks and hit 1,000,000 views. That is when the presents began pouring in and that is after we really turned a touring band. We did not even tour earlier than that. We had been similar to dudes at first going to highschool, then having jobs and on the weekends doing exhibits at shitty bars downtown and stuff. This changed into the place we’re really getting paid to carry out and all that type of factor.
Any band that has a “gimmick” or embrace comedy parts I really feel, particularly within the metallic area… they must again it up by being heavy as shit and having a fantastic dwell present. And also you guys positively match the invoice in that regard. Your albums are heavy, however they merge so many various issues from the comedic, EDM and synths, however there’s huge breakdowns. Is there a wonderful line for you guys for incorporating the issues which can be going to make you stand out and be completely different, however nonetheless being a melodic loss of life metallic band.
The one ones who’re nonetheless round since that starting period are Nicky, our singer, and I. He does the writing. And like for me, I’ve type of been round this entire time. So each of us have this understanding of what is goblin sounding and what’s not. And that does not imply that we have restricted ourselves, but it surely’s type of the best way wherein we transcend. An concept that’s insane to us often has to make us crack up. And if we’ve got that impact whereas we’re engaged on one thing, OK, that is goblin. That is on par. That is what our followers need from us. That is what we have been from day-one to an extent.
We simply hold making an attempt to take {that a} step additional in each facet. If we bought a few breakdowns on one album, for the following album, “alright, how a lot additional can we go along with breakdowns?” On the opposite facet of that you’ve got the enjoyable type of accordions and main key songs. “Alright, let’s go additional with that, too.” It is taking each component of what we have recognized to have accomplished and simply pushing {that a} bit additional every time.
I cherished the duvet you probably did of “Chop Suey” a pair years again. To me that was peak Nekrogoblikon taking a track like that that is so cherished and actually making it your personal.
I am glad you favored it. The reception was nice. It was superb. And I feel we made some new followers from it too. For the longest time, I’ve all the time needed us to do a System of a Down cowl as a result of I felt like out of all of the bands from that period that we grew up in to cowl, they had been like some of the adventurous. The secret for them was like their solely limitation was the track must be actually good. They go in all places. There’s influences from punk-rock to pop to bop to loss of life metallic to folks to all the things in what they do. And I felt like Nekrogoblikon pertains to that. Doing one thing from System of a Down felt prefer it was match for us. After which it was nearly determining how we make this particularly Nekrogoblikon in a approach the place nobody else would suppose to do it.
The Elementary Slides and Humours, I feel, is probably the most gonzo Nekrogoblikon document. It is amping that every one as much as 11 and actually proudly owning the merging of all the things. Was there a recipe for this document or the way you needed to method it?
A giant distinction this time than the previous couple of instances is that often we’ll have a bunch of songs that we made, like 11 or 12, and it is “alright, these are the album.” This time Nicky began writing fairly shortly after we dropped Welcome to Bonkers. After perhaps the second tour in assist of that album, Nicky was already starting to write down “This Is It.” He had a slew of songs. He has this massive Dropbox folder, and I feel there’s a minimum of 35 to 40 songs or track concepts which can be lengthy sufficient to be accomplished, not too troublesome primarily based on what’s there. So it was lots of simply actually pruning and selecting the very best.
He had some songs that had been so good at first, particularly “This Is It” was a excessive bar to set for ourselves, it felt like. He wrote lots of cool songs, but it surely’s like we’ve got to check to this now. He type of discovered this new movement the place he stepped it up after which there was like a movement of songs that had been simply high notch, approach higher than something he had written earlier than. And we’re like, “OK, these are the album.” We nonetheless would possibly do one thing with these different songs. We have talked about perhaps doing B-sides or one thing like that, however we’re not too positive at this level. We do not wish to work on an album once more for a very long time. We spent lots of time on this one. It was just like the pre-pandemic and all through the pandemic we have been engaged on this.
The place did the entire Proper Now concept come from? That is probably the most excellent facet hustle for you guys and is so hilarious. It is Conan O’Brien meets Gwar and Gremlins with zero fucks.
I used to be speaking to, I consider, each Brandon Dermer and Dave Rispoli, who performs John Goblikon. It was proper after Heavy Meta got here out. And I had rented this warehouse area the place we might apply and in addition generally throw exhibits and stuff and we had been simply speaking about new issues to do with the goblin and we’re like, “OK, perhaps he has a chat present and it is type of like an ungainly state of affairs speak present.” And I bear in mind Dave being like, “OK, effectively, it is not like The Tonight Present, as a result of to be on-line it might probably’t be The Tonight Present or The At present Present.” It must be similar to on-line. I used to be like, “Nicely, then it must be known as proper now as a result of everytime you’re watching it, it may be proper now.”
Settled on that, and it was a protracted discovery course of for that too, similar to with the band. The primary season was simply these two episodes we tried out. The reception was good, however the information of the band wasn’t and the attention of the band wasn’t the place it’s now. It was alright. Individuals are liking this. Each component of it, music and Proper Now included, had been lengthy grinds to get them to the place they’re well known now and all the things. We simply completed season 4 of Proper Now. I feel that was my favourite season of it but. Dave was on high of his sport, all Dermer‘s ideas for it he knocked out of the park.
For you, going again to your earliest days loving and discovering metallic, had been there some gateway bands for you or seminal information that basically kick-started your love of heavy metallic?
There’s lots of completely different ones inside metallic, as a result of my tastes in metallic are very broad. There’s not not a single sub-genre I do not get pleasure from. The one which I feel led me to being in Nekrogoblikon is Youngsters of Bodom. Like Alexi’s one in all my guitar heroes, RIP. That is the massive one. Hatebreeder, Observe the Reaper and Hate Crew Deathroll, these three albums I really feel like had been all seminal and all very a lot led to me being right here.
Any parting ideas on the document? This actually looks like all the things we have seen within the evolution of Nekrogoblikon rolled up in all its insanity and glory. To me it is probably the most enjoyable document you guys have ever accomplished.
Thanks man, that is precisely what we had been going for I really feel. I contemplate it extra accessible additionally than what we have accomplished previously whereas not apologizing one bit for being as bizarre as we’re. It is type of like, “OK, let’s hone in these songs. Let’s make these even catchier. However let’s not take out any of the shit that makes us bizarre. Let’s make shit weirder.” Unapologetic is a giant a part of it, however nonetheless sustaining that making it fist pumping, making it enjoyable, making you neglect about all of the shittiness on the earth. That is often one in all our targets.
The Elementary Slimes and Humours is out now by way of their very own Thriller Field label. Seize it right here. U.S. tour dates with Gwar listed beneath!
w/ Gwar & The Native Howl
5/19 – Ft. Wayne, IN @ Piere’s
5/20 – St. Louis, MO @ The Pageant (PointFest PreParty)
5/21 – Wichita, KS @ TempleLive
w/ Gwar, Goatwhore, & The Native Howl
5/23 – Colorado Springs, CO @ The Black Sheep
5/24 – Grand Junction, CO @ Mesa Theater
5/26 – Sacramento, CA @ Ace of Spades
5/27 – Chico, CA @ Senator Theatre
5/28 – San Diego, CA @ Home of Blues
5/29 – Tempe, AZ @ The Marquee
5/31 – San Antonio, TX @ Vibes Occasion Heart
6/2 – Destin, FL @ Membership LA
6/3 – Chattanooga, TN @ The Sign
6/4 – Charleston, SC @ Music Farm
6/5 – Charlotte, NC @ The Underground
6/7 – Joliet, IL @ The Forge
6/8 – Inexperienced Bay, WI @ EPIC Occasion Heart
6/10 – Washington, DC @ 9:30 Membership
6/11 – Sayreville, NJ @ Starland Ballroom
6/12 – Albany, NY @ Empire Dwell
6/14 – Hampton Seashore, NH @ Wally’s
6/15 – Burlington, VT @ Larger Floor
6/16 – Windfall, RI @ The Strand
6/17 – Studying, PA @ Reverb