RHINO Interview with Javier Gálvez

Something incredibly heavy and ominous is happening in Spain. Something thunderous that’s ready to trample you to death. Something that wants to blow your ears out and show you that Spain has risen and is ready to conquer the world again. That something is called RHINO, a Stoner/Doom/Thrash band and they have released a mind-numbingly fantastic record on Arctic Music Group/7th Gate records, and they are ready for conquest.

Neutronium Core took some time with Javier “Javi” Gálvez, RHINO's lead singer/guitar player, to talk to us about the band’s latest album Dead Throne Monarch. We found out what got him playing in the first place and he even drops some knowledge on the next album.

The Core: How did RHINO come together?

Javi Gálvez: Our drummer Julen Gil and I had been trying to play together for a while. It finally happened in December of 2004, when we played our first rehearsal. It took so long because both of us were involved in other bands at the time. We released our demo Name the Horn Bearer in 2006 after playing our asses off in the live circuit of our area. Our bassist, Sergio Robles, came in right after we finished recording our first album Breed The Chosen One in 2007. Since then, we have played with a ton of bands, including Moho, Gorefest, Taint, One Man Army and the Undead Quartet, Warchetype, Hate and Entombed, to name a few. We ended up signing with Arctic Music Group and released our second LP Dead Throne Monarch.


The Core: What makes RHINO different than other bands coming out of Spain?

Javi: Well, I think that we are different from the rest because nobody does what we do, simple as that. We mix rock with death metal, grunge, thrash (at least that’s what people say ha ha!)…We like to play heavy and crushing music but it still has a melody with great vocal lines. Today, everybody is screaming, making noise, riff after riff or playing doom drone, making as much noise as possible. So we came in, started playing brutal rock with choruses and hooks…that really has people going “what the fuck!?!”


The Core: What is the scene like over in Spain? Is it different than other countries in Europe that you have played in?

Javi: On one side you have the underground doom scene I was talking about before; on the other, the same old rancid and boring heavy metal, with ridiculous bands, which usually sing in Spanish, and most of them are copycats of other international acts. Of course, there are plenty of underground Death Metal and Grindcore acts. I think it’s pretty much the same with other countries in Europe, on the surface you have a lot of crap but beneath all of that, there are some really great bands.


The Core: How do you get your chunky, in your face, want to rip your throat out tone?

Javi: We have no unique tricks or special effects or whatever the crap many of the other bands use. We tune in A and play with attitude, which is one of the most important ingredients that you have to have in your band if you don’t want to suck! We like to make it simple, direct, slow, sometimes not so slow, brutal and kill everybody with our music!


The Core: You have some pretty varied influences; we want to know who made you want to pick up a guitar and rock?

Javi: Since I was a little kid I was always playing rock and metal, thanks to my older brother, who also played guitar and bought records like AC/DC’s Let There Be Rock, KISS’ Rock and Roll Over, the first Van Halen and the first Black Sabbath records. When I got a little older, I discovered Thrash and went crazy with the Death Metal wave that came in the late 80s from Florida. Some of my all time favorite bands are Malevolent Creation, Death, Cannibal Corpse and Bolt Thrower.

Beyond that, the rest of the band and I listen to so many types of music to and don’t just stay in the extreme metal side of things; We like to listen to Glenn Hughes, Tom Petty, John Mellencamp, Glenn Danzig, Hall and Oates, Soundgarden. We don’t close doors to great music.


The Core: Will we ever get a chance to see RHINO in the states? Any plans to play outside of Spain at this point?

Javi: We would love to play in the States man! To be on an American label like Arctic Music Group is a total triumph for us, so playing there would be amazing. We’re just waiting for offers to play anywhere.

The Core: Will Dead Throne Monarch be available on vinyl?

Javi: We would like to see it released on double vinyl, because the fucker is 70 minutes long! But it seems like nobody cares or wants to put their money in that. Again, we’re waiting for offers, we have been approached by some labels but haven’t had the success we need to make it happen yet.


The Core: Anything else?

Javi: So far, our last record is having great reviews everywhere so we hope to make some new fans, both in the States and Europe, and get the band to the next level. Our third LP is almost written so we’re looking forward to recording it in late 2009/early 2010. It will terrorize the masses with crushing and apocalyptic funeral hymns!


Damn Javi, tell it like it is man! Thanks for rocking our world, we really appreciate your time and look forward to the new album!

Let’s see what we can do to get a label to make Javi (and our) dream of the double vinyl release of Dead Throne Monarch happen. Start yelling at whoever will listen, posting in forums, and dropping emails to your favorite record labels!

You can pick up Dead Throne Monarch here

And don’t forget to check out RHINO at their MySpace page here