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Interviews Icon of Sin

Interview with guitarist Marcelo Gelbcke

Interview conducted by Luxi Lahtinen

Date online: April 28, 2024


Brazilian Icon of Sin formed in 2020 and have recorded two highly acclaimed albums thus far, a self-titled debut, which came out in April 2021, and its follow-up album, Legends, a couple of years later in August 2023. Both have gained extra attention due to vocalist Raphael Mendes as he sounds like Mr. Bruce Dickinson. When you have such a strong voice, you should use it without hesitations. We really cannot blame Raphael for sounding the way he does: it's a gift to have such an impressive voice, right? Having two great albums thus far, one might think things would be happening around the band. Unfortunately, that's not the case as things are at a standstill at the moment.

We contacted the band's main songwriter and guitarist Marcelo Gelbcke, to find out the latest news regarding this much talked about band and he kindly shed some light on a few topics...

Hey, Marcelo! How's life in Brazil these days? Busy and hectic, but in a positive way?

Marcelo: Hi Luxi, thanks for the interview. Life is good, both family- and business-wise! I'm a fresh dad, my daughter just turned two months. It's been busy at home and at the studio. My studio has been the main business I make my living from for about 12 years now, lots of stuff happens there all the time. I don't only record albums for my bands, but I also have local bands recording or rehearsing there on a daily basis.

A BRIEF HISTORY OF ICON OF SIN

You guys have been around for about three years and, during that time, Icon of Sin have released two strong albums. I assume you weren't a part of the songwriting process of the band's self-titled debut album but took care of the production. How proud are you of your efforts on the band's debut? Did you face any technical challenges in the studio environment while working on the album?

Marcelo: Actually, I did write the band's debut album. Frontiers Records approached Sergio Mazul and I to form a band and write and record a heavy metal album featuring Raphael Mendes. It happened in 2020 during the pandemic.

I have a band on the same label called Landfall and Sergio has Semblant. The label approached us, we had a meeting and started writing the album, just myself and Sergio here at the studio. He would bring in lyrics, melodies, and themes for the songs, we would take a seat, talk about it, listen to some references, and started developing ideas while I was playing guitar, bass, and programmed drums. We wrote the whole first album this way and it took about a month to have all the lyrics and full songs in demo form. Then, we presented what we had and the other members of the band (including two guitar players), who we chose from local bands to the label.

I like the first Icon of Sin album. It was the first project we did with this lineup. We would probably make a much better album nowadays, but you know, the past is the past. Did I have technical challenges in the studio? Yes, I did! All I can say is that everything we did wrong on the first album was corrected on the follow-up album, titled Legends.

How big of an impact have those two albums had on the international metal scene, from your point of view? The band got a lot of attention specifically due to Raphael's voice often being compared to Bruce Dickinson, but I guess there's more to the band's sound than just him sounding like Mr. Dickinson...

Marcelo: We had a great reception: we got lots of views on our videos, lots of comments, even a famous magazine called Loudwire mentioned us. It was a great feeling for all of us. And, of course, there's more to the band's sound than just Raphael sounding like Bruce Dickinson! I wrote all the riffs and instrumental parts, and Iron Maiden is not even my favorite band. I remember reading a comment about a song called "Night Force" that's included on our follow-up album, Legends. This person was claiming the song sounds like Iron Maiden. Well, in fact, the song is mostly hard rock, almost like a Whitesnake song, and has a super progressive instrumental part in the middle that could have been on a Queensrÿche album.

But that made us realize how much a vocalist shapes the sound of the band. As Raphael sounds very similar to Bruce, people will kind of automatically relate us to Iron Maiden anyways.

How did you join the band?

Marcelo: Like I said in the previous question, we corrected some mistakes we made on the band's debut album, and one of them was not including me in the lineup. I had some problems with recording the guitars on the first album and did a lot of rework on it. The parts just didn't sound right to me, and I ended up re-recording all the rhythmic guitars myself. Then Sol Perez recorded all the guitar solos because the solos from the other guitar player didn't sound right to me either. This stressful period made me realize that I can't write and record music to a band I'm not a part of. It's something that simply won't work for me. Rule number one: If I'm writing, I will play guitar, too.

LEGENDS IN THE MAKING

The band's follow-up album, Legends, was released in August 2023, gaining a lot of positive reaction all around the world. Can you tell us a little bit about the making of this album?

Marcelo: The writing of the album was very similar to that of the band's debut album. Sergio and I wrote the whole album, and then presented to the rest of the band. Besides me, we also included Markos Franzmann on drums, a MONSTER of a drummer, who made my life super easy in the recording and editing process. I recorded all the guitar parts and Sol Perez recorded his solos at home. The whole process was smooth and happy overall. I delivered all the recorded tracks in a professional format to our friend Alessandro Del Vecchio, who then mixed and mastered the album for us. I'm more than happy with this album and it's much better than the band's debut album, in my opinion. I just couldn't be more proud of Legends.

What I really liked about this album is the fact Caio Vidal's bass parts are upfront in the mix, really adding more power and personality to the whole. Is this something he asked for, or did you feel it was the right way to get his bass mixed on the record, giving it some extra space to breathe and do its magic, so to speak?

Marcelo: Yes, this is something we wished for. Caio's bass parts are amazing, and I think the final mix of Legends does them justice. I agree that the first album should have had the bass recorded a bit louder and fatter. But like I said, the past is the past. Maybe we will have a chance of remixing it again in the future.

Do you feel that making Legends was more or less a team effort, in which each of you were open to contribute to the album's writing and recording process?

Marcelo: I would say that the first demos and ideas are controlled more by myself and Sergio and the pre-production and recording are more of a team effort. All the members had a say about ideas regarding the pre-production and song arrangements. We are always very open to different ideas. We include some bars here and there, change rhythmic or harmonic ideas. We, as producers, are always open to ideas from the other band members.

Which areas are you most proud of with this album?

Marcelo: Instrumentally, the album is much more complex and more advanced in its sound. All of us were more mature as musicians and made the album with much less pressure. I think the whole performance of the band is better, the mixing is better and there are better drum grooves as well as more power on the drums. I think the whole band sounds sharper and more powerful on Legends. Like you said yourself: our follow-up album is more of a tightly played, better delivered product than the debut.

How many songs did you write for Legends, and did you have to reject some material that didn't fit, style-wise?

Marcelo: I again wrote the whole album with Sergio Mazul, so nothing has changed in the songwriting process. Maybe there were one or two song ideas that didn't convince us that much. We were very confident while writing this one.

How do you guys make the tough decision of what material fits Icon of Sin?

Marcelo: Hmm, that's a good question because when we write, we already write with a bigger picture of the band's sound in mind. I think the band makes traditional and direct heavy metal, so anything, let's say, cute or lovely would not make it on to the record [*LOL*]. A powerful, guitar-driven band with not so much keyboard presence, tight drums and bass, big guitars, aggressive vocals with a melody to it. Cinematic lyrics about games, literature, comics, movies, geek content are welcome!

I am curious to know how much spontaneous material is on the record that you came up with in the studio?

Marcelo: Hmm, a little bit I would say. We did the pre-production with drums and bass, playing the songs and changing them a little bit here and there, but not that much after all compared to how we originally wrote the songs to be honest.

TOUGH YET REWARDING TIMES

What do you think you have given the band, and what the band has given back to you?

Marcelo: I gave both albums part of my life, literally. I spent a lot of hours alone here at the studio working on these albums and couldn't sleep well some days, anxiously waiting for the final version to be finished. I took part in the writing and arrangements, recorded the band here at the studio, engineered and edited everything. Sergio graciously takes care of all the lyrics, thankfully!

Literally the band has consumed months of my life. To be honest, I really feel that I did much more for the band than the band gave back to me. I mean, it was a LOT of work to get these two albums completely finished.

I'm proud of both albums and I think it really highlighted my work worldwide and opened a lot of doors. Obviously, I gained a lot of new clients because of these two records. People got interested in working with me. That's the kind of reward I received for working so hard for the band.

WHAT'S GOING ON WITH THE BAND?

I noticed it's been a while since you guys updated the band's official Facebook page. What's up with the band?

Marcelo: To be honest, nothing has happened recently. Raphael started touring with his Maiden tribute band, and the other members kept working with their other bands. Sadly, the band kind of stopped. I'm always busy working with Landfall and StormWarning, writing new albums, producing, and recording with other bands. Icon of Sin is just one of my activities as a professional musician. I do a lot of stuff simultaneously, too.

As you guys live in Brazil, of course, it's a bit more challenging to get out for a tour in Europe or in the States because of logistic costs and all that jazz. Has the thought ever crossed your mind that you might relocate, closer to bigger music markets?

Marcelo: We have done two shows so far. Two of them here in Brazil. We didn't receive more gig offers, unfortunately. As a family man now, I must be frank that I would move to another country to look for better comfort and conditions for my family. I'm not sure if I would move to another country because of a band nowadays, honestly.

What kind of plans do you have in the pipeline gigging-wise?

Marcelo: Unfortunately, nothing new to be revealed right now as I am writing this. I was the one who always pushed the band to rehearse and play more. Unfortunately, a band is a group of people and things don't happen unless everybody commits. Also, we don't have many offers for shows. It's sad, but it is what it is.

WHAT'S IN THE PIPELINE FOR 2024-2025

What else have you planned for this year, or even for 2025?

Marcelo: Well, a lot is planned! First and foremost, I'm currently recording guitars for the third album by my melodic rock band Landfall. It's going to be our best material thus far for sure and we will deliver the album to Frontiers in July 2024. Also, I'm currently writing two other albums with Sergio Mazul, the same way we did for Icon of Sin: the second Brother Against Brother album featuring Nando Fernandes and Renan Zonta and the second StormWarning album featuring Santiago Ramonda. These three albums I'm currently working on will be released by Frontiers Records. The plan is to get these three albums done, release them to the world and then hopefully watch when all the magic starts to happen... ;o)

Well, I believe I got everything covered so I would like to thank you, Marcelo, for your time to get this interview done and also wish you all the best with some upcoming happenings with the band. Any fitting closing words to wrap up this conversation properly enough?

Marcelo: Hey Luxi, thanks for having me! I felt very comfortable answering all the questions and being completely honest. I would like to thank all the Icon of Sin fans worldwide, I really put my heart into this band every single time. Let's see what the future holds for us! Fingers crossed!

Other information about Icon of Sin on this site
Review: Legends




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