Interview to Tolga Otabatmaz of Forgotten

Interview by Luis Landeo 
Welcome Tolga to Arsenal Del Metalero, how goes the things in your city Ankara-Turkey, bro? Hi Luis thanks and you? 
Everything is good. It is a great honor for me to be part of your magazine's new issue. 

Let me say I like the sound of your band: Forgotten, but how start this project? and by the way now Forgotten is a one man band, why your project lost a lot members? why they left the band? and how result you work alone? 
First of all it is great to hear that you like my music. Thanks. The band started in 1995, I love heavy metal and folk music a lot and I wanted to mix them and play the folk melodies on electric guitar that I play on acoustic guitar and the band got started. I named the band as Forgotten, at that time my girlfriend left me and I was feeling myself very bad and forgotten, luckily I listened to the Satriani's song called "Forgotten" and said myself "This is the thing that I feel" and after that I decided to name the band as Forgotten. Yes you are right the Forgotten is an one man band, music was not important for the members and I decided to make music entirely on my own. The result is very good for me, I feel myself more comfortable, I do what I want, the only border is my imagination not the members' imagination. It is great to play as an one man band. 

We see in this days many one man bands are playing in stages, we see examples like Bloodsoaked and Putrid Pile, but those are death metal bands, but Forgotten is a Power Metal band are you thinking play alone in stages, or you will play with guest session members? 
I love both, to play live and to make recordings, studio atmosphere. But nowadays I prefer to be in the studio, I do not want to play live. But I know that one day I will want to play live and then I will work with guest musicians but not with real members. 

You told me Forgotten played in more of of 150 gigs but exist any chance to tour maybe middle east, and the rest of europe? 
No all we had not chance to play abroad all the gigs were in Turkiye. But they were all great 

You are very friend with the band Rotting Christ, how is your relationship with them? and do you have any possible future project with them? 
Yes they are really great guys, I love them a lot Rotting Christ is one of the band's that I am influenced from. For now there is no project but who knows may be there will be a project in the future. I die to make a project with them 

The cover of your full lenght: 13 Martyrs is a helenic warrior, but how influence you the hellenic culture in your works?, and we have to remember Turkey in ancient days was part of greek empire and the biggest stories: the illiad, the forgotten city of Troy-Turkey was scenary of this story 
The warrior on the cover is Amazon.Yes you can see these warriors in Greek mhytology but they are Scythian. They lived in Turkiye. Some historiographers place them in Ukraine, Libya etc. The artist who made the sculpture caharacterize the Amazon warriors as Greek.

In what are inspired the songs of this full lenght? and by the way are "Shaman" lyrics about the magic (occultism)? 
Especially heroism inspired me but I must say that the life also inspired me, because the life is a "war" itself and to fight to live is "heroism" itself I think. "Shaman" has no lyrics, it is only human voice without meaning.

How was work this full lenght? and who was the guest session members? and in what studio was recorded this full lenght? 
Of course the recording session and composing session were laborious because one brain had to think everything about the album. But the result is great Gökhan Bulut was on vocals as a guest musician and his brother Ufuk Bulut was on drums and on some acoustic guitars as another guest musician. 

Great interview bro, do you have any last words, to end this interview? 
Thanks a lot Luis for your support and hail to bros and sisters in South America. I hope one day I can play there. 

To know more about Forgotten: 
http://www.myspace.com/forgottenankara