ROMAIN GOULON – Inspirert av sin søsters musikksmak

Denne trommisen er ukjent for de fleste her oppe i nord, men Romain er en franskmann som begynner å skaffe seg et navn som en habil trommis. Han spiller for tiden i band som Disavowed og Agressor, der i alle fall sistnevnte burde være velkjente nok for death metal fans. Uansett, Romain ble utfordret av Dave fra Psycroptic og her er hans bidrag til Blast Beast serien.

 

ET – When did you start to play the drums?

ROMAIN – I started playing the drums at 12.

 

ET – Why did you start playing drums?

ROMAIN – My sister was a fan of bands like Guns’n Roses, Nirvana and stuff like that so I was influenced by it , I still remember every time I heard this music all the time practising on my pillow with sticks (no drumkit yet !!) just like a crazy 12 years old teenager… I was kind of fascinated by the drums, then after watching some video clips or live tapes, I became decided to start …

 

ET – How old were you when you got your first drums/drum set?

ROMAIN – I got my first drumkit almost two years later, my parents bought me a cheap “avenger” drum set you know with crappy hi hat stand and crappy bass drum single pedal ! But I still thank them of course, because they could not have afforded more.

 

ET – How often do you practice?

ROMAIN – I try to play every day at least one hour , two hours , more when I feel like playing and it depends of my time left with my jobs, I split my time in two parts : The main part practising endurance with feet and hands, and the other one focused on groove, progressive, technical, sometimes jazz…

 

ET – Which drummer did you look up to when you were young and is there anyone today that you admire more than the rest?

ROMAIN – Well… I used to listen to many drummers. I was younger (13 years old) a fan of Lars Ulrich, then later and still a big fan of Vinnie Paul for his powerfull and creative drumming. Later, I began very interested by jazz, groove and progressive drummers…. and of course extreme drummers. Now, I admire so many drummers … I admire Derek Roddy, George Kollias, Dave Halley, John Longstreth and many more… I am a big fan of Virgil Donati, Dave Weckl …

 

ET – What kind of equipment do you use? Which equipment is in your ears the best?

ROMAIN – I play on different drumkits Tama or Pearl : two bass drums 22, toms 10,12,13,16 snare Tama starclassic maple 14, Paiste cymbals, Axis A longboards pedals, Roland Td6 trigger module with ddrum pro kick triggers. I think you don’t have to buy the more expensive equipment to sound great !!

 

ET – Which qualities do you think is most important to succeed as a drummer today?

ROMAIN – Try to play with your own approach, but also use your influences, be open minded, don’t focus only on one style, I think you have to be obscessed all the time by music anyway… be patient, it takes time !

 

ET – Have you ever played a solo during a gig?

ROMAIN – No, I don’t play in Judas Priest or Motorhead !! hahaha !

 

ET – If you haven’t become a drummer, what would you most likely been doing?

ROMAIN – mmm… Good question … still wondering…

 

ET – Do you workout a lot?

ROMAIN – Yes, I do, at least soon I get time and feel like playing.

 

ET – Do you have any special rituals you have to go through before you enter the stage?

ROMAIN – No, I just warm up during 30 min or one hour, playing on practising pads…

 

ET – Which releases have you been a part of so far? (Band name, title, release year)

ROMAIN –

Disavowed : upcoming release “Stagnated Existence” january 2007.
Imperial Sodomy : “Demolished” Diamond Productions 2004.
Agressor : “Deathreat” Season of Mist 2006
Unofficial : Disharmony (progressive instrumental metal) : “Reversed Involution” 2004

 

ET – Before we end this, you now have the opportunity to challenge another drummer to take part in this series. Pick a drummer and explain why?

ROMAIN – Well… I saw the Hate Eternal Dvd yesterday, and I must say I liked Reno’s drumming ! So let’s pick Reno !