Interviews: GODS OF DECAY

We have had the opportunity to interview the Post-Grunge band GODS OF DECAY from Japan. Check out the interview and follow the band on their  FACEBOOK PAGE.

1.Where did you get the idea for the band name, you planned it or came out just like that?

Anna: The band name idea is a wordplay of a sort: the word "decay" is used ambiguously both in the sense of "decadence" and the decay, fade off of the sound. The concept of "gods" comes from the pagan images of the gods of the underworld where the decay is occurring. It was mostly me who came up with this band name as I wanted to create a dark band image.

2.Why did you want to play this genre?

Anna: Though I listen to such music myself sometimes, I am more into technical death metal and progressive or experimental metal as a listener. But as a performer I think it allows me to express myself in the best way possible and I always want to try something I never imagined myself doing before. It was a challenge and I took it.

Frost: Throughout my musical career I have been composing songs in a variety of styles and I finally decided that this is what I want to do most. Since the inception of Gods of Decay, Anna has proposed new ideas regarding sound and it was a challenge for me, but I feel that what we achieved is something new and original. 

Yorke: It was something I liked from the start.

3. Did you know each other before the band was formed?

Anna: No, Frost contacted me online and offered to have an audition with him. I thought why not.

Frost: I wanted to start a new band and was looking for a vocalist. This is how I found Anna. When I heard her sing at a rehearsal studio, I thought she had personality and power that would make the band a success.

4. Each band member's favorite band?

Anna: I have too many, they change depending on my mood and period in life. If I were to play a DJ right now I would put on a song by Morbid Angel called "I am Morbid".

Frost: My favorite bands are Creed, Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Stone Temple Pilots, Alice in Chains, so the music I make is strongly influenced by grunge and new metal. At the same time, as a composer, I get a lot of inspiration from pop songs that have beautiful melodies. I am quite confident that my forte is the composition of melodious songs.

Yorke: UK trip hop, I like modern music in general.

5. Who or what inspires you to write songs?

Anna: My lyrics and melodies are always born when I am in my lowest of moods. It's like a bunch of fragments of memories, impressions, and emotions suddenly knit together to create patterns and ornaments of words and sounds. So I would say, my own unconsciousness.

Frost: The riffs and melodies are born naturally inside me. I have a big stock of previously composed songs, however, since Anna joined Gods of Decay I decided to take the sound in a new direction that she proposed. This is how our first full-length album was planned and recorded and I think we did a great job with the new sound.

Yorke: It comes as an impulse, an impetus.

6. Where was your last gig?

Anna: March 2020, but we do lives in spirit all the time. Haha.

Frost: We played our most recent live show at a Tokyo live house called Shibuya Cyclone. It's a place where a lot of famous artists have performed.

Yorke: I don't remember.

7. Where would you like to act?

Anna: Wherever the creative itch takes me.

Frost: We are based in Japan, so naturally we are performing for our Japanese audience. However, as we have signed with Sliptrick Records, we have gained a perfect opportunity to make ourselves known to people around the world and we are very proud and happy we have the chance to do so.

Yorke: Somewhere, where it feels good.

8. Whom would you like to feature with?

Anna: That's a difficult one. Paradise Lost, maybe?

Frost: I would love to share a stage with all of the bands that have influenced me, but I think I would love to play with Korn the most. I was so impressed when I saw them play live here in Japan.

Yorke: I don't have any preferences.

9. Whom not?

Anna: I don't have a problem with anyone. Open-mindedness.

Frost: I would not mind playing with artists of any style and genre, because it is always a chance to polish my own skills by watching others.

10. Any of you has ever suffered from stage fright? Any tip for beginners on how to beat that?

Anna: I never did. I think in real life I act in a way that makes one think that I am acting and rightly so because I really do. The world is a stage. As for the tip for the beginners, I won't say stuff like "imagine everyone's naked or dressed funny" or anything like that. I guess find one person in the crowd and look them in the eye, establish a connection as if you are sharing a secret with a friend. Act as if you already are what you want to be.

Frost: I do feel nervous right before the life, but when I start performing the adrenaline rush takes all the nervousness away as Gods of Decay's live performances are quite aggressive.

Yorke: I don't think it needs to be beaten.

11. What bands have inspired you the most?

Anna: Classical guitar players who encouraged me to pick up guitar and return to music in general after I dropped piano upon graduating from musical school because I hated it so much, haha. Pantera, because it was the first metal band that made me want to play badass riffs and sing badass songs.

Frost: I am most influenced by Nirvana. I think Kurt Cobain is the best melody maker in history and I want to challenge myself to become as prominent as him. I would even say, I have the confidence that I can.

Yorke: Soft Ballet. (A Japanese synthpop group from 1980s)

12. What's the weirdest thing a fan has ever asked you for?

Anna: I can't think of anything weird.

Frost: Me neither.

13. What do you think of your fans?

Anna: I feel very thankful to them and I want them to get to know and understand Gods of Decay and me through our music.

Frost: I am really thankful to everyone who is supporting us both offline and online. And we want to also give support to our fans through our music. The reciprocal support is something that I value a lot.

Yorke: Always thank you so much.

14. What do you think of our site?

Anna: I saw you worked with Vader. I love and respect the band and trust their decision to work with you.

15. Something to add?

Anna: We sacrificed a very big part of our soul for our upcoming full-length album and hope to have a meeting of minds and souls with our listeners. To the Universe out there, make sure to give Collective Psychosis a listen!

Frost: We are finally able to release our LP this year. We made our fans wait for quite a while, but I think the fact that by signing a contract with Sliptrick Records we have got a perfect chance to make ourselves heard in the whole world. We want to thank Carlo Muselli and Edgars Abolins from Sliptrick Records that have given us this opportunity, and everyone who is supporting and encouraging us to move forward. Make sure to listen to Collective Psychosis!