Metal quartet shreds
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Immortal Guardian, a metal quartet with Valley roots, will play their farewell performance to the Valley in San Benito on Tuesday, this before they depart to San Antonio. (Staff photo by Michael Rodriguez)
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By SCARLET O'ROURKE
Special to the NEWS
With a name like Immortal Guardian, this metal quartet from the Valley better live up to its name.
Guitar thrashing, shredding, and melodic tunes are some of the characteristics one would expect to experience in their shows. With high energy and passion for their profession, these four guys are out to blow the roof off each of their performances. And their sound truly is immortal.
The band, made up of Wesley McCool on vocals (yes that is his real name), guitarist and keyboardist Gabriel Guardiola, bassist Foster Minor and drummer Cody Gilliland started out as two side projects that merged in April 2008 to form Immortal Guardian. They have since composed six complete songs as an original progressive metal project and have many more still in the notebooks waiting to be completed.
“The music was something that was in us. If we didn't put what we had into action, it would be a waste,” said McCool.
McCool is a personal trainer who prefers to go on stage with a microphone in his hands. “Everything feels so right when you are up there, like this is where I belong,” he said. “My vocals have changed quite a bit over time. It opened my eyes to the style I prefer.”
The band members all have a wide musical base and many influences under their belts ranging from Iron Maiden to classical music to blues to death metal. “We all have our individual influences,” said McCool.
Guardiola, a native of San Benito, said “My whole family was into music so I grew up with it.” He started out as a drummer and found his calling as a guitarist in 2002.
When asked what they hope for the future of Immortal Guardian, McCool said they want to get signed.
With that in mind, the band is taking a leap of faith and moving on to San Antonio to try to move one step closer to their end goal. They have played in San Antonio on many occasions and have connections up there, so they felt this was the next step on the ladder of fame. “There's a better metal community up there,” said Guardiola, “but I'm going to miss the simpler life in San Benito.”
They are slated to play their farewell to the Valley performance at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, July 27 at The V in San Benito. “We want to see as many people come out to the show as possible,” said McCool.
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