Can you tell us about the origin of the band name, a history of the band and a little bit about the various members?
It all began when I was in school, my best friends and I decided to start a band in the styles of Dimmu Borgir, Old Man´s child, and Dissection, I was 15 and they were older than me 18, 20s, an old book was mentioning “Eshtadur” as the rebellion of angels, it was a Greek author who wrote a whole book about the kind of rebellions, in which “Eshtadur” was the one related to the rebellion of angels.
Are you all from the same area? How did you get together as a band?
We all lived in the same city, but then after the first EP, everyone got their own business and I started to play as a solo man project until the whole band was gathered finally after 2018, the first edition was “Andres” on the bass, at his 44 he was a witness of all the process and career involved in Eshtadur, as he was the owner of the local rehearsal rooms in our town and also founder member of his previous project “Souledge”. Very soon after that, we got the addition of “David” on the drums and “Johnatan” on the lead guitar.
Who are your favourite artists/bands and how have they influenced your own sound?
My favourite artists are Ihsahn and Peter Tägtgren for their minds on music production, I also enjoy a lot early Arch enemy, At the Gates, and Amon Amarth, I think the whole Swedish metal and Gothenburg style made us all in Pereira (our local town in Colombia) addicted to metal, all bands started to play this sound and this style, and it is something we want to bring in our music too, hopefully in our own Colombian style.
Did you always have the ambition to be a musician and in a band or did you originally have other plans?
Personally, I have always had the ambition to produce music in the best quality way possible, in a band and as a composer, since I was a kid I listened to music and I saw drums and electric guitar as the most incredible things in the world.
What songs or albums are on your current playlist?
I am currently listening to some collections of Glenn Gould, my current playlist says Abigail, Mastodon, Voyager, Joe Lynn Turner and Jorge Falcón. But there’s a collection in my smartphone that I have as a treasure file, it’s Adolfo Mejia’s best songs for guitar, tiple and piano.
Do you sing in the shower?
This makes me laugh, yes! Not always, but yeah, I used to sing when I was happy, I sing ballad songs in Spanish, usually Emmanuel, Jose Jose or Rafael hahaha, very powerful songs for a baritone.
Do you have any plans for the band for this year and into next year?
For now, we are all focused on finishing the recording of the new album, we already have 2 releases, and 2 singles for September and October during our North American tour, but we are planning on finishing the whole album, we would love also to tour somewhere on the first season of 2024, plus we have already some shows booked with Graveworm in a Latin American tour September 2024.
Do you currently have any new songs/albums ready to be released?
To talk about this in a deeper manner, Eshtadur now has 10 songs 2 of which are being released this same year, this is going to be part of a new album which already has the title on sketch “In Darkness All Shadows Gone”, there’s a high possibility of having more songs on this album, we are still deciding about it.
If you could play at any venue in the world where would you choose?
OH, I think I would choose Teatro Greco in Sicilia, that would be amazing, but not as a venue I also dream about playing the main stage in Wacken.
Do you have a favourite album? If so, what is it?
I don´t have an official list per se, but there´s an album I can´t live with: Rescue You by Joe Lynn Turner, this album is the best in my opinion, with amazing vocals, and production.
Do you have any guilty pleasure songs/albums?
OH yeah, definitely, I love all ballad songs of Latin American singers, Juan Gabriel, Rocio Durcal, Emmanuel, Rafael, Jose Jose, and Luis Miguel.
I think there´s no longer a singer that can perform such amazing melodrama musically speaking.
If you were putting together the greatest show on earth, who would be playing?
Metallica will be the great headliner of course; I will bring Megadeth (only for Kiko Loureiro), I would love to have Survivor, Aviator, Madison, Fortune and many AOR bands that we can no longer see.
Can you remember the first album you bought with your own money? What was it and do you still have it?
Absolutely, I still have it with me, I bought KRAKEN III, it´s a classic heavy metal band from Colombia, legendary heavy metal. The first record I had, it was Master of Puppets in tape edition, but it was a gift, I didn’t buy it myself.
As your fans will be reading this, is there any message you would like to send out to them?
I would like to thank them for their support and time, that we are always grateful with no possible words to explain, and also remember, don’t forget to get up from the ground when times are in a dirty mood.
Finally, let us know all your social media sites so your fans, old and new, can find and follow/like you!
We, at The Metal Asylum, would like to thank you for your time. Is there is anything further that you would like to add?
Thank you!!
Your work is much appreciated, all metal community, bloggers, photographers, designers, artists, press, media, producers, everyone, we respect you so much!!!
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