Guyođ - Death Throes of a Drowning God (EP, 2026) Review

I came in contact with Guyođ from Austria quite abnormally a few years ago, around the time of their first split release with Lehm and before their debut album, Heart of Thy Abyss, was even on the horizon. The band hit the mark with that album of abyssal doom / death metal and left overall positive impressions to anyone who came across it, especially when convincingly communicating it live during their concerts. Latest effort, Death Throes of a Drowning God, extends the foundations of the debut and pushes its vision to darker, more introspective territories.

The EP consists of four main tracks, interspersed with short dark ambient / drone interludes, all titled “Signal” followed by specific numbers. While the structure may seem unconventional at first, for people who dwell within the discographies of bands like Teitanblood or Necros Christos, this is no mysterious domain. From the start, the record establishes a dense, claustrophobic sonic field nurtured by the drone waves of “Signal 00347”, and then the deathlike pressure exerted by the oppressive first full track “A Thousand Invisible Eyes”. 

Despite Guyođ’s dim lit setting and gritty sound, guitar melodies are discernible all along as riffs undulate between a variety of tempos from speedy considerably slow. Along them, the remarkable vocal performance often takes the lead and faithfully serves the needs the composition, be it growls, shrieks or hushed whispers. The band steps on the aggression in the following tracks, "Behind Walls of Ice" and "Vortex of Infinite Despair", which feature furious blast beats surfacing from the murk before tempos drop to depths, structurally providing distinct moments when the EP embraces its doom side, and when it moves in frenzy. 

For me, the last piece “Hestia Drowning” is to me the most complete compositional statement on Death Throes of a Drowning God and the most successful in suffocation. A church organ introduction (which can also be heard earlier, on “A Thousand Invisible Eyes”) and a series of inescapable guitar lines and agonizing vocals, continued by the last short distorted ambient outro, “Signal 79357”, finish the EP off in panegyric terms. A few efficient tracks connected with brief intrusions of oceanic static and drone to reset the atmosphere, Guyođ’s authentic presence on Death Throes of a Drowning God has enough to compel you. 

Release: January 23rd, 2026 | Grazil Records
Rating: 3.5 out of 5

Guyođ & Lehm - Alluvial Soil (Split, 2022) Review

There is a certain quite interesting nature in both newborn bands featured in Alluvial Soil, a split release directly from the Austrian underground, between obscure death metallers Guyođ and sludge / post-metal project Lehm. And while the latter has already released a full length three years ago, Guyođ's side stands as the very first material of the act and Alluvial Soil, practically being their debut release, stands as a bold and daring statement that reeks of potential. Each band contributes two tracks, and the duration and the split opens with Guyođ's murky, thick guitar sound, drawing inspiration from aquatic concepts with several references to the ocean and the depths, their music is mostly built on slow / middle paced patterns with some far-flung Ulcerate hints, an ounce of doom metal and wonderful and varied vocals. It is an extremely well articulated band in terms of lyrics as well, and both their tracks, clocking above seven minutes each, present enough compositional proficiency that makes the listener take notes to not forget this strangely named band and be alerted for when they put out a full length album. Lehm don't dare to play any faster, yet they move in more distinct sludgy / post-metal melodies and a fuzzy, painful guitar sound with subtle echo that makes you feel like you're listening to them live in a basement somewhere. Nice guitar work, with really solid riffing / soloing especially in "Weeping Willow", they deliver their part of the split constitute to a mini-album that has bands of different genres, but with very well clicking music that provides a seamless experience. I mostly went into Alluvial Soil by quite quickly being hooked to Guyođ's work, yet there is essence and quality scattered all over this little gem of a split. I bet these guys will make a louder impact when full releases are put out to the world, judging from this first, short taste. [3.5/5 - Great]

Origin: Austria / Austria

Label: Self-released

Release date: January 23rd, 2022

Listen: Bandcamp

Altars - Ascetic Reflection (2022) Review

This is not good. Nine years is a long time, and that's how long it took Altars to put a second album together, after the fairly successful and competent Paramnesia in 2013. The band's body of work is based on stomping death metal, with a lot of angular song writing that brings Portal to mind, with passages that also remind of something between Gorguts and distant Ulcerate, but the base constantly being Morbid Angel. If you liked Paramnesia, I bet you will like Ascetic Reflection too, yet for me both records feel the same: they tackle themselves right at the point when it is about to get enjoyable. First things first, don't get fooled by this unconventional songwriting, there is really nothing intrinsically special or unique in the music of Altars, and it doesn't even come close to the actual genius behind a band like Portal for example, with which I have seen several comparisons being drawn around. Altars hold back too much, the compositions often stall too long and parts of the record can become basically empty and uninspiring, and at these times it's when a listener who is not so familiar with death metal music, or tries to critique it, will think this band is amazing. But it's not. In tracks like "Luminous Jar", the self-titled piece, or "Perverse Entity", actually solid material is being presented. The sense of coherence is still not there between different ideas, and to just abruptly stop playing a part to move to the next doesn't make you a good composer, yet there is still an amount of good moments. On the other hand, "Inauspicious Prayer" or "Black Light Upon Us" contain musical notions that amount to naught, and in between all tracks, Ascetic Reflection really aches in terms of flow. I don't like to think that this band is compared to behemoths of this style, like the aforementioned bands of this text. You can find better music than this and don't be fooled by it. [2/5 - Below Average]

Origin: Australia

Label: Everlasting Spew Records

Release date: July 8th, 2022

Listen: Bandcamp

Vengeance sown - Interview with Guyođ

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.

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• 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.

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