Interviews: Godless

On this new occasion, we have had the opportunity to interview the Death Metal band Godless from India. Check out the interview and follow the band on their FACEBOOK PAGE.

1. Where did the name GODLESS come from, and what does it represent for the band today?

We come from a strongly religious country, and religion dictates everything here. The name is about not looking outwards for a source of strength and being your own source of strength.

2. Looking back over ten years as a band, how would you describe your evolution from Centuries of Decadence to States of Chaos and now “Architect of Torment”?

Architect of Torment is the first time in the past decade that we have made such a move away from our sound. It really isn't a drastic move away, but we've stuck to our guns and just evolved our sound over the past 10 years as a band. The music sounds angrier and more pissed off than ever before, but with a layer of a more sinister atmosphere. “Architect of Torment” feels darker and more atmospheric than previous material.

3. What pushed you in that direction creatively?

I think this comes from our evolution in tastes as musicians. We've been gravitating towards a dissonant and dark, atmospheric sound as listeners and that seems to have made its way into our music as well. It wasn't a conscious decision but something that seems to have happened naturally.

4. What does the title “Architect of Torment” mean to you, and how does it fit into the band’s identity at this stage?

It's an evolution of Godless. We specifically wanted this to be released as a single because it is something new for the band. We wanted to see where we would head from this point, so we wanted this to be released before we work on our next full-length record.

5. How did it feel debuting the song live for the first time at the Wacken Open Air Pre-Party in Bangalore?

It was incredible. The response has been amazing. We're almost halfway through our India tour, and it's very noticeable how the audience reacts to the song, and it has a very dark atmosphere that seems to come out well live as well.

6. Was there any hesitation performing a brand new track live before it had been officially released, or was that part of the intent?

There actually was. We were contemplating whether we should play the song live before the release, and especially a new song in front of a sold-out crowd. We weren't sure how well the song would come out live and whether the same studio atmosphere could be reflected live. What pushed us was that we wanted to record the performance and release it as an official music video, and that made the decision easier for us.

7. The video captures a raw, unfiltered live performance. Why was it important for you to present the song this way instead of a studio-produced visual?

We are a band that tries to keep our studio and live performances raw and tries to capture the energy and intensity of our performances in each release. The raw and unfiltered live video seemed like the best approach for this song.

8. How do you approach writing music that balances tight technical precision with atmosphere and controlled chaos?

This isn't a conscious decision for us. Writing a good song is the primary goal, and we let things flow naturally. What we're listening to plays a bit of a role in that, and if it seems to be bringing a very strong influence into the music, we try to take a step back and work with what comes naturally.

9. What role does live energy play in shaping how GODLESS writes and arranges songs? 

This isn't something we really think about. Live performances are what we live for, but after releasing a bunch of music over a decade, we've realised that our focus is on writing a good song. Whether the song will fit into our set or not is not a concern while writing. If it doesn't, we simply focus on picking the songs that actually fit the live experience.

10. Which bands or scenes had the biggest influence on your sound when you first started, and who still influences you today?

The 80's thrash metal bands have had a major influence. Those are the bands where death and black metal came from. We draw heavily from those influences that shaped us as well. Apart from that, the early 90s death metal bands have had an influence on us as well. We try to blend those sounds with a sound that we feel is an evolution of that. Bands like Slayer, Morbid Angel, Carcass, Cannibal Corpse, along with some of the new bands such as Psycroptic, Misery Index, old Decapitated, etc. is where we find ourselves.

11. How has being part of the Indian extreme metal scene shaped your identity as a band?

It's been an adventure. We like to push the boundaries and push ourselves to go beyond the expected norm, and with the Indian scene being a few years behind the European/US scenes, we try to look outwards and learn and bring those standards to our performances. We keep trying to raise the bar for ourselves and push the standard of the scene here, too. You’ve played major festivals like Wacken Open Air and Obscene Extreme.

12. How have those experiences impacted your growth as musicians?

They've majorly impacted our growth. We don't get to watch too many international bands up close, and playing festivals like these inspires us to learn to grow as a band. We try to soak in as much as we can and learn while also consuming copious amounts of beer. It is difficult sometimes when you don't remember what happened the previous night, but we love festivals of this sort and discovering new bands and learning as well.

13. What was the most challenging part of creating or performing “Architect of Torment”? 

This time around, we polished up the song entirely in the studio by booking it a day before recording the final take. We usually leave a little room for experimentation and go into the studio with 90% of the song ready, but this time around, we really sat down and rehearsed the entire song and finalised our takes before hitting the studio. This experience felt a lot more solid and is the approach we want to be taking in the future, too.

14. How do you maintain intensity and focus after so many years of playing extreme metal at a high level?

We keep striving to be better and improve with each gig. It does get difficult at times when you suddenly find yourself getting into a comfort zone and slowing down, but we find the drive to keep pushing ourselves to be better each day and enhancing our performances each time.

15. Do you feel this track represents a new era for GODLESS, or more of a natural continuation of your sound?

Honestly, we don't know yet. It does look like a new era of GODLESS, but we have to decide where we want to head from here. For now, we're looking at wrapping up our upcoming shows and then coming home and working on the new music.

16. If this new direction continues, what kind of evolution can fans expect moving forward?

Just a really dark, sinister, atmospheric sound blending in with the aggressive thrash-influenced death metal of GODLESS.

17. What has been the most memorable reaction to your live performances internationally or in India?

Wacken was our first time playing on an international stage, and the crowd screaming for an encore at the end of our set was pretty epic.

18. Is there any direction in modern extreme metal you actively avoid or push against? 

We don't really dig the slam, deathcore side of things, so that's not a direction we see ourselves headed in.

19. What do you want listeners to take away from watching the live video of “Architect of Torment”?

Just got a glimpse of what it is like to experience the band live.

20. What’s next for GODLESS after this release?

We're currently in the middle of an India tour, wrap this up and head off for a 30-city Europe tour later this month. Post that, we will be working on our next album and aiming at releasing it sometime next year.

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