Wanna know a bit about the guy who runs Cool Gool Music?

Here you may find info about bands I have been in, other musical activities I was involved in (like event organization, journalism & DJing), and pics of me with artists I have met!

Firstly, the bands I have at one point or other contributed to. Click the banners/band names for the respective websites!

Sceptocrypt (1992 – 99; 2014-date)

A band I co-founded in 1992 with the vision to create a varied death metal unrestricted by the style’s own boundaries. Clicking the banner above takes you to sounds & reviews, & includes our debut CD released 15 years after it was recorded (in 2014), also to co-incide with Sceptocrypt’s resurgance, since August 2014 in London, and with a different experimental sound being tagged as “extreme music research”. Since then the band disbanded again, to resurface in 2023. 2 singles (late 2023 & early 2024) have been released so far.

 

Ethnamorte (2007-2017)

Formed in 2007 after moving to multi-cultural London, the sound of EthnaMorte owes itself to the balance of life and death, light and darkness, borrowing from a myriad of world music sonorities, from sweet bossa nova to hybrid avant-garde to fury-filled flamenco to dark overtones, the very death of musical boundaries. Visit the link for soundclips and news. EthnaMorte have released 2 CDs and was recording a 3rd (of which a song is online) before going on hiatus.

 

Unus Quod Insane (2011)

A project I dabbled with throughout 2011! A journey centred around sounds that influence but are not directly explored within the EthnaMorte platform, bringing to the fore instruments used by EthnaMorte more in the studio than live and merging them with drony vocal whispers, and tribal beats with a distinctive industrial music backbone. Visit the link for recordings.

 

Wound (since Feb 02)

A project started in 2002 and put on hold some years later. Sirene slow-tempo classical and jazz harmonies mixed with some electronic pulses & rock pulses, which we coined as “trip-hop doom rock”. The members are Pope Crool (keyboardist from LITHOMANCY), Sean Pollacco (my replacement on bass with WEEPING SILENCE), Dino Mifsud on vocals & drums (ex-WEEPING SILENCE vocalist, LITHOMANCY & VICTIMS OF CREATION drummer, DELUGE OF SORROW percussionist) and myself (guitars). Hopefully one day we will finish a recording we had started!!

 

Dysmenorrhea (Autumn 99 – June 01)

After accepting an offer from Conrad (SCEPTOCRYPT’s ex-vocalist) to keep playing some metal together, DYSMENORRHEA was born. Put together more as a project band intentioned to disband, while musically we delivered in your face thrash/death/grind, lyrically we held a funny approach, at times somewhat stupid may I say 🙂 In the short time we were together, we managed to record a 9- song promo. Discover our jolly sides at the URL…

 

Achiral (Summer 99)

Soon after SCEPTOCRYPT’s demise in 1999 I helped my friends ACHIRAL for a short while. They play thrash/ death/ black metal and in the short time I was with them, we managed to perform one live show together. Since then they released their debut miniCD “Wander Ignite” and became one of Malta’s leading live metal acts. Check them out…

 

Weeping Silence (Feb 01 – June 01)

Intrigued by playing bass guitar in a time when my friends could for a good while not find a replacement for their bassist who had departed after their debut miniCD “Deprived from Romance”, I joined WEEPING SILENCE as session player.

Definitely one of the most emotional bands in Malta, unfortunately we never got to perform live together as I moved to Germany. Luckily for them they have since not only found a bass player, but also label & touring support, so follow them for their morosely romantic tunes.

Besides performing, throughout the years I have been involved with other activities within the music spectrum, such as event organization, journalism & DJing

Bisoul Promotions was an alternative events organization from 1999-2009 merging art with darkness! Diversity between events was a prerogative, different themed nights included classical music, holographic presentations, middle-age fashion shows and dark forms of underground music. Attendees knew know there was more than this and my nom de plume at this camp was DJ NecroGool! Check my playlists.

Journalism

Rancid Soup Productions was a metal organization through which

• I released two editions of Rancid Soup Zine
• presented Rancid Soup Radio Show as DJ NecroGool
• organized some music events, the pinnacle of which was Anathema Live in Malta (1995).
  You can follow the zine on Facebook or click the banner for samples of its pages the old school way!

Brutalism.com
I occasionally contribute reviews for the ever-expanding metal web resource that is Brutalism. Support the page and the radio podcast.

Rock City
I used to contribute with reviews in German to this mag. The English translation of same reviews appeared on the Maltese based now defunct Solemn web-zine by Maltese label Solemn Music.

Black Death Fanzine
an A5 purely underground metal zine from Sydney, Australia to which I contribute with festival reviews, scene reports, and the occasional review.

Click the logos to check samples of my work! Enjoy the tour!

In closing, enjoy many a pic of varied musicians/ musical figures I met over the years- from legendary rock & jazz icons to my own tutors & other renowned guitar educators and/or manufacturers!

Interested in lessons?