Doomed Confessionary: Alex Hiltmann & Michaël Dervey (Gora Mama)
Photos by Chantal Dervey
Gora Mama is a tribal stoner rock band from Vevey, Switzerland, inspired by the mysteries of nature, history and human tribes through the ages. Lyrics delve into the enigmatic links between humans and various beliefs, legends and rituals, pondering questions ranging from the fate of Ötzi to the transcendence of animals into gods. Supported by wild rhythms, dissonant distorted melodies and a powerful voice, Gora Mama’s sound is complemented by throat singing and unique, mysterious instruments hidden throughout the tracks. An invitation to celebration and introspection around the fire of Gora Mama’s tribe.
After the release of their two singles »Ötzi« and »Mammoth«, that were warmly welcomed by audiences and the media, Gora Mama dropped their new full-length »By The Fire« on October 25th, 2024. This tribal stoner rock album tells stories that would have been shared around ancient hearths by their ancestors.
Gora Mama are Sebastien Ducommun (vocals), Alexandre Hiltmann (guitar), Floriane Buerki (bass) and Michaël Dervey (drums, ambient vocals).
Can you say a few words about your band?
The name of the band comes from our Bulgarian ex-singer Assia, Gora means forest in Bulgarian and Mama means mother. Interestingly, Gora means Mountain in Russian, the name could also mean Mother Moutain, which also align with the atmosphere of the band.
What was the biggest challenge for the band?
To avoid the beer geyser coming from the crazy crowd. More seriousely, the biggest challenge was to switch from a female singer to a male singer without losing the spirit of the band.
What can you be most proud of so far?
To be a band as well as a tribe.
What was your biggest regret?
We don’t have common regrets to express, but our singer regrets to be the only one of us able to drive a car (and we understand, but we don’t regret).
What was the best concert/tour so far and why?
We don’t really have a favourite live neither tour. Every event is unique as the crowd create its own magic. People happily throwing beer at each other in Yvorne, guys mimicking being around a fire with a phone and a glass in Geneva. We enjoy when the public connects with our music and understand the intentions behind the songs.
What was the biggest surprise on the music scene for you?
Alex: I really enjoyed the last release from Uncle Acid and The Deadbeats, which is kind of an ovni.
Mick: Discovering the band Heilung and the live show they’ve created.
What is currently in your heavy musical rotation?
We invite you to listen to the band official playlist “Mystical Walk” on Spotify, in which we’ve put bands that inspire us for the project. Otherwise every musician has some different preferences and influences.
Alex: I have a lot of musical rotation in my playlist, but I’d like to share with you not so well known heavy bands like Madensuyu, Ghinzu, Kriegsmaschine, Psychedelic Porn Crumpets, Bob Vylan, Amyl and The Sniffers.
Mick: A rich mix of folk music from the likes of Wardruna, Heilung, Altai Kai, as well as a host of other groups such as Villagers Of Ioannina City, Temple Fang, Lamb Of God, and many others.
What was the best advice you’ve ever been given as a musician?
Alex: Learn music theory and develop your earing. I was an autodidact for a long time, focusing on technics and speed, playing in melodic/folk death metal bands. Then I took 1 year of music theory private lessons with Romain (who recorded and mixed the album), did a lot of effort to develops my ears and it changed everything. No more needs to learn by heart, you just know what you are doing.
Mick: “Be at the service of the music.”
What are your guilty pleasures?
Alex: Man I grind too much Trackmania since the end of this summer 🙂
Mick: Replacing my floor tom with a kick drum in my setup! 😀
Can you say something more about the music scene in Vevey?
The music scene is quite developed in our area. You have at least one bar in each town that promote live music and you have places for every musical genre. We have a lot of festivals in the summer, some that we like (Palp, Festival Celtique de Corbeyrier, Rocklette, Ducoco’s Fest) and big mainstream festival that we enjoy less (Paleo Festival, Montreux Jazz Festival).
Where can we see you live this year (concerts/tours)?
Well as the years is coming to an end, we had a show on 2nd of November and then nothing before the next years. We have nothing definitive yet, but we are preparing some shows in Western Europe. We will communicate more about it as soon as we can.
What are your plans for the future as a band?
Well we just released an album, the next step is to tour it and compose the next one. We already agreed on the theme for the next album, but it is a secret.
How can people best support your band?
The best way to support Gora Mama is to come to the show if you can or to buy our music online. (We still owe some money for the album, so if you like what we do and want more please support!) 😀
Do you have any message for your listeners?
Stay united with your tribe and share some food with the neighbouring tribes.
Bojan Bidovc // music enthusiast, promoter, misanthrop and sometimes a journalist as well