Can you tell us about the origin of the band name, a history of the band and a little bit about the various members?

Hi, I’m Chemel Neme, vocalist for Kill City, thanks for the interview !

The name of the band is actually a reference to our city: Guayaquil, which in english would sound like “Why a kill”, thus Kill City. 

Luis (our drummer) and I, are brothers. I’ve been in music for almost 20 years now and Luis used to be in a band some 20 years ago. However curious it seems, this is the first time we are in the same band. Other two of the members, Juan and Xavier (guitars), were at different times on and off,  in a band with me as well for the past 20 years. Finally, Andres, our bass player, was friends with Xavier. He used to play with “Intrépidos” a very popular latin pop band in our country Ecuador. I’m not sure where he got his bass playing chops from, but he is great both playing and composing.

Are you all from the same area? How did you get together as a band?

Yes, everyone from Guayaquil, and long time friends. When I left my previous band, I wanted to try some different style of music, and called the best the musicians I could think of, that were also my friends. The first time we got together for playing it was amazing… 2 years later, we are already releasing our second album and a third one is already composed.

Who are your favourite artists/bands and how have they influenced your own sound?

In my case, I like very different styles of music. With the exception of Reggeton, I can appreciate all genres of music, my favorite being rock. My influences for singing would be Michael Kiske and Pavarotti, not that I want to sing opera style, but my training has always being Bel Canto.

Regarding bands, we all love all bands like Judas Priest, Helloween, AC/DC, The Cure, Def Leppard, Soda Stereo, Beatles, Bowie, Queen, America, Jim Croce, Megadeth, Dream Theater, Pink Floyd, Rammstein; Guitar players like Dave Mustaine, James Hetfield, David Gilmour, Adrian Smith, Gary Moore, Doug Aldrich and Classical Music as well … quite an Eclectic mix. Juan even has a knack for extreme kinds of metal.

All this very extensive taste for music, has influenced the way we composed our own stuff.

Did you always have the ambition to be a musician and in a band or did you originally have other plans?

I believe we all felt attracted to music in one way or another from early on in our life. I think when you have this love for some form of art, you end up related to it in one way or another. That’s what happened to all of us, each with their own different story.

What songs or albums are on your current playlist?

Too many to list! Apart from composing, playing, recording, I usually listen to music while driving. Since we play rock, try listening to something different in the car, some 70s music, some latin stuff. I always do listen to any new stuff from Rammstein or Helloween for example.

Do you sing in the shower?

I did before becoming a singer !!!

Do you have any plans for the band for this year and into next year?

For this year, releasing our second Album “Civilized to Death” on September 1st. At the same date, a video for one of our songs called “Mujer Vampiro”, directed by Marco Vera who also directed our video for “Another Fn Love Song” from this same album. He does an amazing job. We got a couple of live gigs here in our Country for this year, and probably some shows in Mexico next year, which are yet to be confirmed.

Do you currently have any new songs/albums ready to be released?

Yes, as mentioned before, our second album to be released September 1st 2022, which is called “Civilized to Death”.

If you could play at any venue in the world where would you choose?

Without any doubts, Wacken Open Air.

Do you have a favourite album? If so, what is it?

It changes with time; but there are several favorites. The Helloween Keepers, Judas Painkiller and Defenders of the Faith, Def Leppard Hysteria, Metallica Master of Puppets to name a few.

Do you have any guilty pleasure songs/albums?

Not really, I like all the music that I listen to and I’m shameless ahahahah. Juan Luis Guerra for example is Bachata, and I totally love his “Bachata Rosa” album.

If you were putting together the greatest show on earth, who would be playing?

That’s a hard question, and I do like so many different genres. Mercury would be there singing, as well as Michael Jackson and some Dio for bite, Ozzy too. Some Elvis too! I’d have Gilmour and Randy Rhoads. As a drummer, Neil Pert for a part of the show and Dave Porcaro for some others. Paul Mcartney would be playing Bass. I don’t know what would come out that crew !

Can you remember the first album you bought with your own money? What was it and do you still have it?

I think it was Poison Look what the cat dragged in. But I traded it later with a friend for a Maiden album. I did listen to a very large selection of music before that, composed of 70s stuff that my father had in LPs.

As your fans will be reading this, is there any message you would like to send out to them?

Thanks for listening  to our music ! The greatest pleasure for a musician is people listening to their work.

Finally, let us know all your social media sites so your fans, old and new, can find and follow/like you!

We are at Facebook as Killcity, Instagram as  @killcityecuador and Youtube as Kill City.

We, at The Metal Asylum, would like to thank you for your time. Is there is anything further that you would like to add?

Just to thank you and your readers for the opportunity to be in touch.

This interview is purely the property of The Metal Asylum