In this interview, I was able to catch up with guitarist-Erick Estrada & drummer-Samuel Estrada
of the México-Brasileña based band 'King of Salem' to ask them a few questions about their album 'Sovereign'.
(Jacob) It's so good to finally be having this interview with your band.
(Samuel Estrada) Thank you for your interest in the band and our debut album. We are happy to
answer a few questions about us.
(Jacob) So, can you give us some insight into what got you involved in the music industry and what
is the ultimate purpose of the band?
(Erick Estrada) Well, from a very young age my brother Samuel and I were taught and introduced to
the music industry by our father, who is also a musician. In these years we have gone through different
stages in music, different styles and different purposes, but we have never been far from music.
The purpose of the band is to enjoy the music we love so much, but also to use it to give the message
of faith in God. We believe that in the midst of everything the world is going through right now, it would
be nice if people had a message of hope and strength.
(Jacob) Who was the founding member(s) and when did the band officially form?
(Erick Estrada) the band started in 2019, when Samuel and I invited Lean, we sent him a demo and
he accepted, only Samuel, Lean and I started the band
(Jacob) Can you shed some light on where your band's name came from and what is the meaning
behind it?
(Samuel Estrada) We chose the name King of Salem because of its biblical meaning which is "King of
Peace". King Melchizedek, which means "righteous king", was a priest of God, similar to the priesthood
of Jesus Christ.
(Jacob) What brand of instruments do you all use and why do you prefer that specific brand over
another?
(Erick Estrada) Right now I'm using music man, specifically the sterling JP157, which is a John Petrucci
model, I think it's an amazing guitar and it's also designed by my hero.
(Samuel Estrada) I have used Mapex for many years, I have always had the sound that I like in these
drums, they are of excellent quality, their structure and aesthetics are good, and I really do not like to
change the instrument many times.
(Jacob) Do you all have any hobbies outside of music that help to rejuvenate or inspire creativity
within your music?
(Erick Estrada) In particular, I don't have hobbies that inspire me in music more than the music itself or
listening to my favorite bands. What inspires me in the letters that I have written in the bible, my faith in
general inspires me to write.
(Samuel Estrada) I think like Erick, the same music is a source of inspiration. All music in its different
genres
(Jacob) Are there any artists that have played a part in influencing the members of your band along
with your band's sound?
(Samuel Estrada) I think King of Salem's sound is a mix of many influences, we can't say that he is just
an artist, however, Erick has a preference for more technical and melodic Progressive Metal. I prefer
harder, heavier Progressive Metal.
Our favorite classical bands are Dream Theater, DGM, Empyrios, Adagio, Symphony X, Myrath, among
others.
On the other hand, Lean also has many different influences. He is a very versatile vocalist and capable
of many different vocal styles, but he was a great fit for our musical composition and did an excellent
job.
(Jacob) What is the biggest problem that you have had to overcome as a band?
(Erick Estrada) One of the most complicated situations we have been through is communicating at a
distance and speaking different languages. While we were recording and composing Lean was in
Brazil, and that was complicated, we had communication problems, however, we managed to make a
record that we all liked.
(Jacob) Can you go into some detail about the musical direction on your latest release 'Sovereign'?
(Samuel Estrada) Basically, Erick is the initiator of most of the songs, he made the base of the songs, I
did the production work, structure, arrangement and the feeling of the songs. Lean brought all his
experience in melodies and made the musical work more appreciable.
(Jacob) Do you feel like you achieved what you set out to accomplish on your latest project?
(Erick Estrada) I think we did an excellent job considering the resources and conditions we were in as
a band. I think we can improve in some aspects, but for now we are very satisfied with the result we
have obtained.
(Jacob) What is your favorite song to perform, whether live or in studio, and why?
(Samuel Estrada) It is very difficult to choose a favorite song because there is more than one, but one
of my favorites is "Your Name", because it has a very hard sound and very good lyrics.
(Jacob) Were there any special or funny moments during the recording process of the album?
(Samuel Estrada) There were two difficult moments, they are not funny, but they were things that
marked this production. The first unfortunate situation was the Covid 19 pandemic, it was exactly in the
middle of production, we had to stop production for almost 6 months because of this, there were some
health problems during this time. The second situation was that we had to change the computer
equipment, it also caused us a lot of problems to resume the recordings.
(Jacob) At this time, are you planning to keep moving forward as a band and are there any plans for
future projects in the works?
(Erick Estrada) For now we plan to continue promoting this release and tour America. We want to
continue working with King of Salem.
(Jacob) Thank you for your time and thoughtful responses to each and every question. I am excited
about your latest release and am looking forward to hearing more from the band in the future.
(Erick Estrada) Thank you for considering us for this interview, it was a pleasure talking with you, we
hope to have the opportunity to continue this conversation again soon. Greetings from the whole band.
of the México-Brasileña based band 'King of Salem' to ask them a few questions about their album 'Sovereign'.
(Jacob) It's so good to finally be having this interview with your band.
(Samuel Estrada) Thank you for your interest in the band and our debut album. We are happy to
answer a few questions about us.
(Jacob) So, can you give us some insight into what got you involved in the music industry and what
is the ultimate purpose of the band?
(Erick Estrada) Well, from a very young age my brother Samuel and I were taught and introduced to
the music industry by our father, who is also a musician. In these years we have gone through different
stages in music, different styles and different purposes, but we have never been far from music.
The purpose of the band is to enjoy the music we love so much, but also to use it to give the message
of faith in God. We believe that in the midst of everything the world is going through right now, it would
be nice if people had a message of hope and strength.
(Jacob) Who was the founding member(s) and when did the band officially form?
(Erick Estrada) the band started in 2019, when Samuel and I invited Lean, we sent him a demo and
he accepted, only Samuel, Lean and I started the band
(Jacob) Can you shed some light on where your band's name came from and what is the meaning
behind it?
(Samuel Estrada) We chose the name King of Salem because of its biblical meaning which is "King of
Peace". King Melchizedek, which means "righteous king", was a priest of God, similar to the priesthood
of Jesus Christ.
(Jacob) What brand of instruments do you all use and why do you prefer that specific brand over
another?
(Erick Estrada) Right now I'm using music man, specifically the sterling JP157, which is a John Petrucci
model, I think it's an amazing guitar and it's also designed by my hero.
(Samuel Estrada) I have used Mapex for many years, I have always had the sound that I like in these
drums, they are of excellent quality, their structure and aesthetics are good, and I really do not like to
change the instrument many times.
(Jacob) Do you all have any hobbies outside of music that help to rejuvenate or inspire creativity
within your music?
(Erick Estrada) In particular, I don't have hobbies that inspire me in music more than the music itself or
listening to my favorite bands. What inspires me in the letters that I have written in the bible, my faith in
general inspires me to write.
(Samuel Estrada) I think like Erick, the same music is a source of inspiration. All music in its different
genres
(Jacob) Are there any artists that have played a part in influencing the members of your band along
with your band's sound?
(Samuel Estrada) I think King of Salem's sound is a mix of many influences, we can't say that he is just
an artist, however, Erick has a preference for more technical and melodic Progressive Metal. I prefer
harder, heavier Progressive Metal.
Our favorite classical bands are Dream Theater, DGM, Empyrios, Adagio, Symphony X, Myrath, among
others.
On the other hand, Lean also has many different influences. He is a very versatile vocalist and capable
of many different vocal styles, but he was a great fit for our musical composition and did an excellent
job.
(Jacob) What is the biggest problem that you have had to overcome as a band?
(Erick Estrada) One of the most complicated situations we have been through is communicating at a
distance and speaking different languages. While we were recording and composing Lean was in
Brazil, and that was complicated, we had communication problems, however, we managed to make a
record that we all liked.
(Jacob) Can you go into some detail about the musical direction on your latest release 'Sovereign'?
(Samuel Estrada) Basically, Erick is the initiator of most of the songs, he made the base of the songs, I
did the production work, structure, arrangement and the feeling of the songs. Lean brought all his
experience in melodies and made the musical work more appreciable.
(Jacob) Do you feel like you achieved what you set out to accomplish on your latest project?
(Erick Estrada) I think we did an excellent job considering the resources and conditions we were in as
a band. I think we can improve in some aspects, but for now we are very satisfied with the result we
have obtained.
(Jacob) What is your favorite song to perform, whether live or in studio, and why?
(Samuel Estrada) It is very difficult to choose a favorite song because there is more than one, but one
of my favorites is "Your Name", because it has a very hard sound and very good lyrics.
(Jacob) Were there any special or funny moments during the recording process of the album?
(Samuel Estrada) There were two difficult moments, they are not funny, but they were things that
marked this production. The first unfortunate situation was the Covid 19 pandemic, it was exactly in the
middle of production, we had to stop production for almost 6 months because of this, there were some
health problems during this time. The second situation was that we had to change the computer
equipment, it also caused us a lot of problems to resume the recordings.
(Jacob) At this time, are you planning to keep moving forward as a band and are there any plans for
future projects in the works?
(Erick Estrada) For now we plan to continue promoting this release and tour America. We want to
continue working with King of Salem.
(Jacob) Thank you for your time and thoughtful responses to each and every question. I am excited
about your latest release and am looking forward to hearing more from the band in the future.
(Erick Estrada) Thank you for considering us for this interview, it was a pleasure talking with you, we
hope to have the opportunity to continue this conversation again soon. Greetings from the whole band.