ROX Alive: INCOMING! Gods of Decay

GODS OF DECAY Delve Deep Into Their ‘Collective Psychosis’

Collective Psychosis, the first full-length album by the Tokyo-based post-grunge/gothic metal band, Gods Of Decay is an eclectic interlacing of genres, styles, sounds, noises, images, ideas and words. As the guitarist and composer Frost explains, the band’s goal is doing something that no one has done before and he believes that Gods of Decay has managed to achieve individuality and originality the band has been striving for.

“When I’m writing songs, I always focus on the melody in the first place. I tried my best to make all the 13 songs on this album to be as different as possible, be it melody-, rhythm- or even noise-wise. The atmosphere of the album is dark and haunting, revealing the inner darkness of human beings,” – Frost says.

Frost’s heavy and aggressive guitar riffs and raw noise are intertwined with soft beautiful melody lines accompanied by the songs’ digital “heartbeats” which give them a sensuous edge, and an eerie sampling composed by bassist Yorke who joined the band recently. Yorke’s sampling stands out the most in Self-Castigation (SE), the album’s opening track, that unveils the dimension that Gods Of Decay create for themselves and for their listeners. Anna pays homage to her love for modernist literature by partially reciting Baudelaire’s poetry in Self-Castigation (SE) which sets the theme for the rest of the album’s lyrics: a thoughtful exploration of the flawed essence of human beings and the reality they create around them.

“My lyrics reflect the ugly things a human can do and the disgusting traits one can possess. They are a warning to myself: this is who I do not want to turn into, but at the same time I turn my lyrics into a safe haven for my psyche: it is here that I can safeguard my soul. But the lyrics aren’t directed entirely inward. They are very much directed outside, into the world. Above all, they are the critique of the crazy world and society we live in. I went all the way down into the pit of despair and came back seeing things for what they are and this is the story that I share with those who listen. Gods Of Decay’s lyrics are both our malediction and our benediction to the world,” – the vocalist Anna shares.

Gods Of Decay is a thoughtful band, it’s not only about the sound but also about the meaning they seek to convey. There is not a note, not a word in Collective Psychosis that’s there by chance.

“On this album we scattered a myriad of shards of meaningfulness lost in the abyss of absurdity of our day and age. We hid them with metaphors and double entendre and we hope that our listeners enjoy the “treasure hunt” on their journey through the mesmerizingly sinister spaces that make up the world of Gods Of Decay. Seek, and ye shall find.” – Anna invites.

Collective Psychosis | Released December 7th, 2021 via Sliptrick Records

All lyrics written by Anna, all music composed by Frost/Anna | Programming by Yorke
Artwork – Vera Ermak | Photographer – Chiroline Evil
Mastering – Ihito Harasawa | Mixing – Frost

Guest musicians:
KAOЯI (from PARADOXX / GEL) – Guitar on track 2
PePe (from ASURA) – Drums on tracks 2, 7
Kose (from AzabuSmith) – Guitar & Bass on track 7

Gods Of Decay are:
Anna – Vocals | Frost – Guitar | Yorke – Bass

Band links: Official Website | Facebook | Youtube | Instagram | On Sliptrick