Doomed Confessionary: Danny, Gonzalo, Jorge & Camilo (Ashes Of Göth)
Ashes Of Göth (formerly known as Unborn Doom) is a death doom metal band from Bogotá, Colombia. Founded by Gonzalo Tovar, Jorge Giraldo and Marcelo Bonilla, with the intention of a dark and depressive musical genre about human life and its defects. Ashes Of Göth’s self-titled debut album was released on October 1st, 2023 via Entropy Records.
Featuring current and former members of Nocturnal Atmosphere, Reborn In Flesh and Hegmont, Ashes Of Göth consists of Danny Castillo (vocals), Gonzalo Tovar (lead guitar), Jorge Giraldo (guitar, vocals) and Camilo Sotelo (keyboards).
Can you please say a few words about your band?
Ashes Of Göth was created with a gothic spirit, and over the years we’ve found our true essence in the dark and disturbing sounds of doom metal. This is a very important affinity for what the band’s sound is today. We try to experiment with new sounds set to keyboards and guitar melodies that seek to capture our lyrics deep within this strange world where thoughts can be expressed until the mind shuts down.
Ashes Of Göth was created with a gothic spirit, and over the years, we’ve found our true essence in the dark and disturbing sounds of doom metal. This is very important affinity for the band’s sound today. We try to experience new sounds set with keyboards and guitar melodies that seek to capture our lyrics in the depths of our being, in this strange world where thoughts can be expressed until the mind turns off.
What was the biggest challenge for the band?
The biggest challenge for us is to find a quality sound that complements our compositions and characterizes us within the DOOM genre as a solid band through its lyrics.
What can you be most proud of so far?
All the work done so far, we consider that our greatest achievement has been materializing our ideas into a demo and later our first album. In both projects we managed to capture thoughts and melodies that we share with the world today and whose acceptance fills us with satisfaction and gratitude.
What was your biggest regret?
We wouldn’t call it regrets because we haven’t had any.
What was the best concert/tour so far and why?
We’ve had the opportunity to participate in some great events, especially local festivals, which have served as excellent venues for showcasing our music. However, there are two performances that we’re particularly proud of. The first is the “Hand of Doom Fest,” which invited us to participate in its first edition in the country. This event is focused exclusively on the doom metal genre.
The second was having been the opening act on the first visit of the band October Tide from Sweden to our country. Both events were a true honor for us, not only for their relevance in the scene but also for what they meant to our career as a band.
What was the biggest surprise on the music scene for you?
We had the opportunity to be part of a compilation titled »In Colombia… Sometimes Doom Is Better«, released in a digipack format along with a physical zine of the same name, something rare these days. This project included interviews with all the participating bands and was managed by the Swiss label Leçons des Ténèbres in collaboration with Vestigio Records and Archetipe Producciones from Colombia.
It was a very meaningful experience for us, not only because it brought our music to an audience passionate about doom metal, but also because it allowed us to discover the many national bands that embrace the genre and its subgenres. The impact of the compilation has been so positive that it has already reached five editions, which makes us proud to have been part of this movement.
What is currently in your heavy musical rotation?
Our musical proposal has been shaped by a wide variety of sounds and bands that have deeply influenced our style and constantly feed our musical tastes. Among them are references such as October Tide, My Dying Bride, Be’lakor, Type O Negative, Anathema, Paradise Lost, Tiamat, Moonspell, Candlemass, and Therion, Also classical music, for example Chopin, Vivaldi, among many others. These influences, primarily from doom, death, and gothic metal, have been key in shaping our sound, both melodically and conceptually.
What was the best advice you’ve ever been given as a musician?
“Whatever you do or compose, do it with passion and dedication; only then will it have true meaning.”
What are your guilty pleasures?
In addition to metal, our musical tastes encompass a wide variety of genres that, while not directly related to our style, have influenced our artistic sensibility. We enjoy Spanish rock, glam, new wave, romantic Spanish music from the 80s and 90s, stoner, and others.
These influences, full of melody, nostalgia, and emotion, add a different dimension to our understanding of music, helping us enrich our compositions with elements that go beyond our genre.
Can you say something more about the current music scene in Bogotá / Colombia?
The music scene of our city, and in general that of our country, is extremely extensive and diverse. We have a wide variety of proposals and bands that cover all genres, which deeply enriches the Colombian musical panorama.
In the metal scene, we highlight Masacre, one of the most representative bands in the country. It’s also important to highlight those bands that have significantly contributed to strengthening Colombian doom metal, such as Nameless, Gaias Pendulum, Internal Torment, and Season Of Grief. These bands have not only contributed to the development and consolidation of the genre nationwide but have also served as inspiration for many emerging artists, including our own.
Where can we see you live this year (concerts/tours)?
We don’t have a tour schedule yet this year, as we’re fully focused on the final stages of writing, producing, and recording our second studio album. We’re working hard to deliver solid, honest work that reflects the band’s evolution.
What are your plans for the future as a band?
Our immediate future, as we mentioned before, is focused on the release of our second album, which we hope to release to our fans soon. At the same time, we’re searching for an international label that will allow us to produce and distribute our albums, with the goal of bringing our music to a wider audience and connecting with all those doom metal fans around the world.
How can people best support your band?
The best support we can receive from people is for them to purchase our physical material, both what we already have available and what’s coming soon. It’s also essential that they listen to us on digital platforms, subscribe to the band’s social media channels, and of course, support us by purchasing our official merchandise.
Additionally, sharing our music with those they know to help spread the word is a powerful way to help us reach more people and continue growing as a band.
Do you have any message for your listeners?
Thank you for all the support. We’re so grateful that you continue to enjoy our music, both physically and digitally. It motivates us deeply to keep moving forward, creating music with our soul and keeping our passion for it alive.
Bojan Bidovc // music enthusiast, promoter, misanthrop and sometimes a journalist as well