Horrorwish – Interview
Interview with Gio Smet of Horrorwish and Pete Devine of Pete’s Rock News and Views (http://petesrocknewsandviews.com)
PD: What type of artist are you?
Gio: “I am a Belgian hard rock/heavy metal guitarist/vocalist/songwriter and producer.”
PD: Tell us the brief history of yourself.
Gio: “In 2006, I formed my real first band called “Gitaron”. We made several albums and played many live shows. After Gitaron ended, in 2017 I created the fantasy rock/metal opera “Giotopia” and worked together with many musicians such as Fabio Lione (Rhapsody), Ralf Scheepers (Primal Fear), Herbie Langhans (Avantasia), Apollo Papathanasio (ex-Firewind),… The project remained a studio project and I released all songs over a two-part album. The two Giotopia albums were called ‘A Fantasy Tale On Music’ – Part I and II. In 2019, I started the studio project “Devil’s Desire”, together with the talented Brazilian vocalist Jeff Metal. The debut album for that project is set for 2020. I am also working together with the amazing vocalist/guitarist YGC from the French dark metal band “The Losts” on a ambient rock/metal project behind the scenes. That project will be called “Sons Of The Migrator”. In the autumn of 2019, I created “Horrowish” and released the debut album ‘No Place To Hide’ on April 3th, 2020. After many great responses and interest, I decided to form a live band for “Horrorwish”.”
PD: Who are your musical and non-musical influences?
Gio: “Thanks to my father, I grew up with the classic rock/metal bands such as Black Sabbath, Deep Purple, Led Zeppelin, Rainbow, Whitesnake, Queen, Malmsteen, Iron Maiden, Helloween,… So those bands/musicians influenced me a lot. Later I also started getting into bands like Manowar, Iced Earth, Gamma Ray, Primal Fear, Rhapsody,… As a musician, I think Arjen Anthony Lucassen, or also known as Ayreon, influenced me the most as a songwriter. Also, his sound and way of playing/composing to me is fantastic.”
PD: What are your dreams and goals?
Gio: “I always try my very best to achieve great and unique songs and play them really well on stage. I want the audience to enjoy our music and go home with a happy feeling. It would be awesome to play our songs also on big stages and reach more people. Festivals like Graspop, Alcatraz or even Wacken are dreams and goals. However, I also really can enjoy myself on smaller and more intimate stages, being closer to the audience. The most important thing is to make great albums and enjoy them with our fans.”
PD: Who writes your songs, what are they about?
Gio: “I wrote the songs for the “Horrorwish” debut album ‘No Place To Hide’. Each song is about a different horror story/concept. The horrors narrated in the album are of a psychological kind. Fear of darkness and the demons that may or may not lurk within, nightmares, mental breakdown, sadism, the ethereal world and other horror themes.”
PD: How do you promote your band and shows?
Gio: “We work together with Mike de Coene from “Hard Life Promotion”. He does an excellent job 
promoting the band and the debut album. As for the shows, we will promote and share them on social media and spread the word.”
PD: What do you think about downloading music online?
Gio: “Local bands like us work very hard on their music. Most of us do not have a big budget like other musicians. We are not financed by labels or other aspects in the music business. Therefore, I think it is important to support the local bands. Many are struggling to keep making music and investing in themselves. Go see your local bands on stage, buy their albums and keep the scene alive.”
PD: What song do you wish you’d written and why?
Gio: “Being a huge Iron Maiden fan, I would say “Fear Of The Dark” because it’s my favourite song of all time. Nevertheless, there are so many great songs from many amazing bands in the metal scene.”
PD: What are some of your pet peeves?
Gio: “I find it annoying when things don’t go as planned or when people do things to disrupt the work of many. It can also bother me when people just do not understand certain things.”
PD: What is your proudest moment in music?
Gio: “I take pride in everything I do. Being able to work closely with Fabio Lione was a fantastic experience. Fabio came to my studio in Belgium and we worked together on a song for “Giotopia”. It really was an exceptional day in the studio with such a talented and amazing person.”
PD: So what are you working on at the moment?
Gio: “At the moment, we are doing online auditions to form a live band for “Horrorwish”. We already found the perfect drummer, bass player and guitarist. In addition, we are still looking for one guitarist and a keyboard player, as I will focus on the vocals. After the corona crisis, we will start rehearsing and fire up the band to play live. I am already composing new songs for a second “Horrorwish” album. As I said earlier, I am also working on the epic/power metal project “Devil’s Desire”, together with Jeff Metal. And the songs with YGC for the ambient rock/metal project “Sons Of The Migrator” are in the works. Finally yet importantly, I can tell you that the idea for a third “Giotopia” album is also rising.”
PD: What music have you available online and where can we buy it from?
Gio: “The “Horrorwish” physical debut album ‘No Place To Hide’ can be purchased on our official website: www.horrorwish.com. The album can also be found on digital platforms such as Spotify, Bandcamp, iTunes, Deezer,… For people that are interested in “Giotopia”, those physical albums and cool merchandise can be found on www.giotopia.com and also on digital platforms.”
Horrorwish links:
Band/Artist location – Belgium
Website – Facebook – You Tube – Bandcamp – Merch –
Instagram – Apple – Amazon – Deezer – Google Play
Check our page for Horrorwish
