Interviews About Albums: Gods & Punks - Death (2024)

In this new interview, we sat down with the Brazilian Stoner Rock/Doom Metal/Heavy Metal band Gods & Punks to ask questions about their album, "Death".

1. What inspired the title "Death"?

In 2021, I (Alexandre, vocals) had a pretty serious near-death experience, I ended up in a deep coma, had to go through 4 surgeries (one emergency surgery in the waiting room of the hospital), and was hospitalized for over a month before returning home. It's about that experience. The title comes from the Tarot card "Death", which, despite being called Death, and having the grim reaper as its symbol, actually means the end of a cycle and the beginning of another. I think it fits pretty well with the band's scenario at this point.

2. Can you tell us about the process of creating this album? How long did it take from start to finish?

I started writing it in 2022 and slowly wrote these up until a week before the recording of the album.

3. How does this album differ from your previous work?

All of our previous albums were part of a series of albums called the Voyage Series, in which, by rearranging the songs, they tell a story. This one is different. This one is about a true story, that has nothing to do with the one before. It also features a different line-up and is the first record we ever recorded without being in a room together.

4. What was it like working with Electric Valley Records for this release?

They were great. We wanted to release this on vinyl, and they made some pretty cool versions. We can't wait to see them in person.

5. How do you feel about the reception of the album so far?

The few people outside of the band that have listened to it have said it's really good, up there with our best work. I hope the public thinks the same thing about it.

6. Stoner Rock and Doom Metal often explore dark and heavy themes. Can you elaborate on the themes explored in "Death"?

It's all about the days before, during, and after my Near Death Experience in 2021. Each track talks about a different moment of the "story".

7. What was the inspiration behind the track titles?

Slowburner is about the steady process of worsening I was in, without realizing.

Loss of Reality talks about what I was starting to feel, little by little.

The Night of a Thousand Days talks about the night it all happened, and the series of decisions that saved my life.

Decerebration talks about the moment I got into decerebrate positioning, due to the damage my brain received.

The Space Between Spaces is about the deep coma I was in.

Archimedes' Screw talks about the emergency operation in the waiting room, in which they drilled my head open for the brain fluid to spew out.

Black Box is me reflecting on all that, and writing this album.

8. The album features a variety of track names like "Slowburner" and "Archimedes' Screw". What is the significance of these titles?

Slowburner is about the slow worsening of my health prior to the day it all happened, it's called that because as it was a really slow process, I didn't notice how bad I was until it was way too late. Archimedes' Screw is about the emergency surgery I had in the waiting room, as I got into decerebrate posturing. They drilled my head and the excess fluid in my head spewed out like a jetstream.

9. Can you discuss the story or concept that ties the album together?

It's about my near-death experience in 2021. Slowburner and Loss of Reality talk about the months and weeks before it, The Night of a Thousand Days, Decerebration, The Space Between Spaces, and Archimedes' Screw are about the night it all happened and Black Box is about the process of writing this album and opening this black box of thoughts and memories.

10. How do the different tracks contribute to the overarching theme of the album?

They tell the "story", in chronological order.

11. Can you describe your songwriting process for this album?

I wrote most of these songs and handed them to the band, at least their first versions. Slowburner was basically all written by me. Loss of Reality is based on a riff Pedro wrote years ago and has a solo Rodrigo wrote before recording it. Decerebration was written by me and Rodrigo over the phone, we were altering another song and it became a whole new one. The Space Between Spaces was almost all written by Rodrigo. The Night of a Thousand Days and Archimedes' Screw were two tracks I made at the last moment on an acoustic guitar, and the band added to that. Black Box was an idea I thought of one day, recorded it in my phone, and showed it to Rodrigo, who wrote the last part.

12. Were there any particular challenges you faced during the production?

The distance between the band members was the main difficult part. Rodrigo and Gabriel recorded their parts together in Rio, Pedro recorded the bass in Santos, and I recorded vocals in Paris.

13. How did you approach the recording and production of the album to achieve the desired sound?

I sent André and Kleber, who mixed and mastered the album, some references of how I wanted the album to sound, and they nailed it.

14. Which track was the most challenging to write and why?

I guess it was Black Box. It's the song that's furthest away from the style I'm used to composing, so it was a bit of a challenge for me.

15. Do you have a favorite track on the album? If so, why?

It's hard to choose. Some days it's Archimedes' Screw, some days it's Loss of Reality, others, Decerebration. I think all of them were, at some point, my favorite tracks.

16. How did the members of Gods & Punks collaborate on this project?

It was all mostly written by me but Rodrigo wrote the entirety of The Space Between Spaces, as well as some of the riffs on Decerebration and the last part of Black Box, Pedro wrote the main riff and idea for Loss of Reality, and Gabriel mainly stuck to writing his drum parts.

17. Did any particular artists or bands influence the sound of this album?

As always, it was mostly Black Sabbath and Rush, even though Loss of Reality and The Space Between Spaces have a lot of influence from Iron Maiden, and Black Box is a bit Gorillaz-sounding.

18. How do you balance individual creativity with the band’s collective vision?

For this album, I presented very basic versions of the songs on acoustic guitar so I knew that they would add to and improve what I had written, and I was open to their ideas.

19. Can you describe any unique techniques or instruments used in the album’s creation?

Pedro played bass on this one. The guitars were played by Rodrigo. Gabriel once again played drums and I did the vocals. We invited some musicians for additional instruments, such as the piano, melodica, and choir voices on Black Box, as well as the organs in Slowburner, The Night of a Thousand Days, and Archimedes' Screw.

20. How do you think your Brazilian heritage influences your music?

I draw my Brazilian influences mostly from MPB (música popular brasileira), and I think it's mostly present on Black Box at times. Also, I'm dying to, someday, make a bossa nova-style version for Decerebration.