28th October, 2024
Nothing says “I play metal” more than a black, 5 string B.C. Rich Warlock. Any chance it will make it’s way back to the stage, or has it been retired from active duty?
Oh mate, I do really love that bass, plays amazingly, looks killer and sounds huge, but it simply isn’t built for touring, too big and awkward. I am very happy with my current LTD line up, I’ve always loved ESP/LTD guitars so the transition to their basses was a welcome change.
How would you personally describe The Gloom In The Corner to someone who hasn’t heard of them?
That’s a hard one… Deathcore-influenced metalcore, with a strong, cinematic songwriting approach. I guess we just call it, Cinemacore, or simply, Gloom.
How did you meet Mikey Arthur? What is your The Gloom In The Corner origin story?
I actually met Mikey in 2016 at Unify through mutual friends, when Gloom was just an ‘acoustic-electronic’ project. I was wearing a Glass Cloud windbreaker and the first thing Mikey said to me was “yooo, Glass Cloud!”, and that’s all it took. Fun fact, as an ode to that story, I wore that windbreaker in the ‘Survivors Guilt’ film clip.
photo : @shadesofbluemedia
Why heavy music? What is it about this style and sound that attracts you to it?
I’m a sucker for punishment – I’m drawn to the extremes, I guess. The filthier, more chaotic, and nastier, the better. In saying that, I genuinely just love music as a whole, I love Mallrat just as much as I love Meshuggah.
How did you first discover and get into metal?
When I started playing guitar at 14 I was drawn to classic rock. From there, I transitioned to the big 4; Metallica was what really drew me to heavier sounds, then Slayer just railed me and sent me spiralling into heavier and heavier music. Also, shout out Children Of Bodom for being the first band that got me into screaming.
Who were/ are your guitar heroes? Who inspired you to want to play metal?
Randy Rhoads was my first guitar idol, for sure, I still absolutely love his style. James Hetfield’s rhythm playing is a strong influence, but currently, anything that Meshuggah do is king – that band is untouchable. Bonus points for Michael Angelo Batio’s ‘Speed Kills’ video, if you know, you know.
Was there a defining moment that made you want to play guitar?
1000%… the first time I watched the film clip for ‘One’ by Metallica, there’s a close up shot of Kirk Hammett’s fingers as he taps the fretboard. After that it was like a switch flipped and I instantly thought ‘I wanna do that’.
Do you just play guitar, or dabble in other instruments as well?
Guitar, bass, drums, loosely vocals and very loosely have a crack at recording/mixing my own stuff.
How did you learn to play guitar? Formal lessons, self-taught, online?
Self taught and just many, many, many hours on the fretboard. I do not recommend this, I have so many bad techniques. Get lessons.
photo : @shadesofbluemedia
Were your parents supportive of your choice to play an instrument?
Absolutely. They aren’t musicians themselves but love music, so they seemed stoked and they were extremely patient having to hear me butcher Hammer Smashed Face for hours on end (sorry Mum).
How often do you get to practice guitar?
Rarely these days. My whole practice routine is either going over Gloom songs on bass, or just learning Meshuggah songs. I do spend a lot of time writing; I enjoy pushing my limits in that forum too.
You offered your songwriting services to bands last year. What was the inspiration behind that move?
I simply love song writing as a whole, and I also love working with younger musicians to help them create something special to them.
Do you record any songs for yourself? Are there any Paul Musolino solo tunes hidden away somewhere?
Yes I do, I’m a wanky artist about it all though, I’ll write and record a whole song, listen to it, think ‘hell yeah’ and then just delete it.
How much input does Gloom overlord, Mikey, let other members have in the recording process? Is he open to different perspectives and ideas?
Mikey is very collaborative when it comes to the song writing for Gloom, but honestly, his brain and intuition has the soul of Gloom’s sound in it. I like to sit back and let him get the core feel and structure of a song down, sometimes when he’s stuck he reaches out, but we come in when the song is like 75% done and throw our suggestions and takes on the demos.
What do you do for work when you aren’t touring/ recording with Gloom?
I work as a maintenance manager for an aviation company. Been in the aviation industry as a technician for about 13 years now. Good fun.
You worked as tour crew on the In Hearts Wake Incarnation tour. How did you get into that gig?
I did a tour and a couple shows with IHW’s tour manager Chucky Hope. I got along with him very well and he respected my work ethic on the road, the more we chatted, the more we got along and we both realised we’re both gear nerds. He reached out to me and asked if it would be something I’d be keen to do and I loved it. I have a lot of time and respect for Chucky, he’s a genuine legend in the Australian heavy scene.
Did you enjoy that experience, and is that something you would like to do more of in the future?
Oh 100%, it was a great tour, every show was brilliant and ran smoothly, all the support bands were great to work with, and IHW were legends as well. I’d love to do more stuff in the future, but for me to take balance this life with work, it’d have to be a tour I’d really want to be on.
What artists, old or new, are you listening to currently?
At the moment I’m loving Remi Wolf, Mallrat, The Acacia Strain, Uboa, Ethel Cain, King Woman, Primitive Man, Blind Girls, King810, Sia (specifically 1000 Forms of Fear), Creedence Clearwater Revival, a heeeeap of Meshuggah and heaps heaps more.
photo : Tom Drizners
Who would be your bucket-list artists to tour with?
Nickelback, The Acacia Strain, Meshuggah… if we’re getting crazy with it, I’d absolutely love to tour with 100 Gecs, Lorde, Taylor Swift, or Missy Higgins.
Favourite country you’ve toured, and why?
Hhmmm… favourite shows have to be Scotland. Glasgow goes hard, but as a city, I love Prague.
Which other guitarists in the Aussie or international scene do you admire?
In the Australian scene I really admire Nick Mclernon (Make Them Suffer).
What would be your perfect concert to see – headliner and supports?
Ok… Opener: Blind Girls, 2nd Support: Missy Higgins, 3rd Support: 45 minute Shane Gillis stand up set, Headliner: Meshuggah playing Chaosphere in full but in Ab standard.
photo : John Gyllhamn
Any pre-show rituals? Surely some stretching before attempting those high-kicks?
Thank our guitarist Jesse for this one, but yeah I go through a full warm up when I can – stretches, activate muscles, jump around and sing dumb songs, then I’ll grab my bass and just run scales and do some right hand picking exercises.
What’s the last show you saw that you weren’t playing at?
Aaaahhh damn, they all kinda blur into each other, but other than the In Hearts Wake shows, maybe Alpha Wolf at the forum. Great show.
What do you do in your free time? Any hobbies outside of music?
Yeah, I love mountain biking, drawing on my iPad, I just started playing chess online, and mowing my lawns.
What new artists should people check out that deserve some recognition?
Blind girls, Reliqa, Aurateque, Upsetter, Starve, Outsider and Terminal Sleep.
photo : Tom Drizners
Specifically, what gear do you play?
Oh the more I’ve toured the smaller it rig has gotten and I love it. My live chain is my LTD TA604FRX, into the Shure GLXD16+ wireless, into my Quad Cortex. My tone gets a bit technical but I’m gonna keep that stuff under wraps.
What would a Paul Musolino signature model guitar or bass look like?
Easy, let’s go guitar, Gloss Black ESP ‘84 Explorer, 7 string, 28 ⅝” scale, gold hardware, evertune, single Lungren M7 in the bridge, classic hockey stick headstock inline 7, no knobs just pickup straight to output jack. And for bass, the exact same but a 5 string 35” Scale, with EMG pickups.
Cats – lovable family members or Satan’s spawn?
100% Satan’s spawn, I have 3 cats and they’re the worst, I love them so much.
What does 2025 have in store for Paul Musolino, and The Gloom In The Corner?
New music, new sound, and more lawn care.
Paul Musolino : @paulfromgloom
The Gloom In The Corner : @thegloominthecornvr