New blood is boiling in the Austrian underground as dissonant / weight-of-the-ocean-heavy death metal band Guyođ introduce themselves with two tracks in their debut split release with Lehm, named Alluvial Soil. Drawing inspiration from the depths, initial listens evince a recipe of potent atmosphere, well-structured material and whole-hearted drive from people who take the project rather seriously. A small discussion between them and Arson Cafe reveals some of the band's background and intentions.
- Welcome, feel free to give a short introduction of your band.
We are GUYOĐ from Graz, Austria. We summon our subaqueous Death Metal from the wet, dark depths of the oceans, where no light, no color, no man resides.
- What is the meaning behind your name? You are probably correcting everyone who is trying to pronounce it...
We wanted to come up with a term which describes our music and our lyrical topic briefly and precisely. We stumbled over the word ‘guyot’, which stands for a dead underwater volcano, abraded to a table mount by the tides. We simply changed the spelling to make the band’s name stand out more and create further confusion. There is not even full consent within the band as to how to pronounce our name. Pick your favorite version.
- It seems Guyođ have lyrics mainly about aquatic subject matters. While a topic present in the underground metal scene (Ahab or Grond come to mind), it is still not one that tops popularity. What is your personal approach on this concept?
Our music is meant to evoke the feeling of being lost in the vastness of the great unknown and being subjected to powers beyond our imagination. Basically, that’s just what the oceans are, a terrifying, overwhelming ‘terra incognita’ – we know more about certain regions on the moon than about the deepest places in the oceans. It’s just an intriguing topic to delve into and deal with.
- Alluvial Soil, your first split release with compatriots Lehm, has been out for a few months now. How has the feedback been so far?
We got some very favorable comments on this our first output. Nevertheless, there’s still work to be done to spread the word further. After all, our two songs on the split are just precursors to the storm that is gathering on the horizon.
- There's a thick atmosphere and hints of more dissonant song writing in Guyođ. What are your musical influences?
Even though we do not sound much like most of the following bands, we get inspiration from the musical approaches and the atmosphere evoked by: Mayhem, Opeth, Marduk, Lvcifyre, Craft, Type O Negative, Immolation, Sulphur Aeon and many, many more.
- Is Vepar, a name featured in your first track "Into the Temple of Vepar", a reference to the demon from Ars Goetia? What would be some literature suggestions you would give to a fan of your music?
Yes, it is exactly THAT Vepar! The idea was actually given to us by the wonderful artist behind the jewelry label ‘Temple of Vepar’. Also, good question about literature. In order not to mention the usual suspects, try “Leviathan, or the Whale” by Philip Hoare, “House of Leaves” by Mark Z. Danielewski, “Les Chants de Maldoror” by Lautréamont or the poems of Charles Baudelaire.
- How does your material come together? Is it a linear procedure with equal contribution among all members, or you have a main composer?
Our guitarist Dohrn is the main songwriter who has been writing the basic ideas for all of our songs so far. He usually comes up with about 90%-finished songs, but in the rehearsal room we figure out collectively how these ideas work out in ‘real life’. Sometimes we change more, sometimes we change less, but the ultimate product is a collaborative one. Some of our lyrics so far have been written by Dohrn, others by our singer Ōjin. We also have some remnants from our early days, created by our former singer Miron.
- What is the current status of the band, are you putting any new material together, that you can share with us? Is there an EP or full length in the works?
We are currently finishing the writing process for our first album, so we are planning on starting recording later this year. Most of these songs are finished and we play some of the material live already.
- You have already taken part in some local shows in your hometown Graz in Austria. Are there any plans for further touring this year?
Meanwhile, we have played concerts in Vienna, Gleisdorf and Maribor, Slovenia - besides the mentioned ones in Graz, of course. Even though we are extremely hungry for the stage, we are currently focusing on getting the album to the finishing line. But reckon to hear from us in the near future…
- Thank you for your time. Close the interview as you wish!
We are very grateful for the opportunity to introduce ourselves to your readers and answer some questions. Those interested are recommended “enjoying” our eerie music videos created by Cartismandua on Youtube, or simply listening to our music on Bandcamp. While there, get a hold of our tapes, while we still got some.
