Doomed Confessionary: Giggi, Michi, Marco, Michi & Simon (Red Eyed Priest)
Red Eyed Priest is a five-piece psychedelic stoner/doom metal band from Regensburg, Germany.
As the Red Eyed Priest opened its lids in 2023, the world lay before it doomed and stoned. And as its fiery gaze lay upon the lands, the depths of night, horizon and brain opened to unfurl doom and stoner rock into the world, not to forget some psychedelic smoke of burseraceous blasphemy.
Thus, all became dance and echo of an ever-sceptic, ever-septic mind. To bring back such treacherous transcendency to space and time, the Red Eyed Priest was embodied by Giggi (vocals), Michi (guitar), Marco (guitar), Michi (bass) and Simon (drums).
Can you say a few words about your band?
We are a female fronted psychedelic stoner metal band from the south of Germany. We blend hazy 70s influences with heavy and crushing fuzz riffs. The influences you hear in our music range from the psychedelic side of early Pink Floyd, All Them Witches and Black Angels to the heavier stoner and doom side with bands like Windhand, Dopethrone and Monolord.
In 2018, we came together as friends for a jam project, but as a distinct style emerged, we decided it was time to give it a name.
What was the biggest challenge for the band?
The biggest challenge so far has been addressing the question of extending the band by adding a distinguished rhythm guitarist, to allow Giggi the freedom to fully focus on singing.
Given that all members had already cultivated a well-established, shared vision for the sound and vibe of Red Eyed Priest, introducing another member at this stage could significantly disrupt that dynamic. However, in November 2023, Marco joined the band, and it’s a decision we’ve never regretted, as his addition blends in perfectly well.
What can you be most proud of so far?
Besides how well this whole “playing live” thing started off: We released two singles that were completely DIY. Home recorded by all band members and engineered by our vocalist Giggi and our guitarist Michi, who conveniently are both audio engineers by profession. Our debut album will be released next year.
What was your biggest regret?
Since playing live shows was always a huge goal for us, you could say the fact that we didn’t do that earlier is something we regret. Then again we wanted to make sure the music hits the right level of quality, so we didn’t rush it and took the time to get it where we expected it to be.
Photo by David Erlmeier
What was the best concert/tour so far and why?
The Metal vs. Alternative gig in September was awesome. We were on fire and the crowd was just fantastic. What made it truly special is that the festival hosts a wide variety of rockand metal genres and we got a crazy amount of positive feedback, even from people who were not familiar with stoner metal at all.
What was the biggest surprise on the music scene for you?
How tightly being an artist is intertwined with being a content creator on social media.
What is currently in your heavy musical rotation?
Michi (Bass): Sleep, Belzebong, Dopethrone.
Giggi: Psychlona, Godsleep, Gnome.
Michi (Guitar): The Great Machine, Luna Sol, A Forest Mighty Black.
Marco: Slomosa, Borracho, Mountain Of Misery.
Simon: Triptykon, Wintersun, Brutus.
What was the best advice you’ve ever been given as a musician?
If you want to create music that people can lean into, stay authentic and make music for yourself before you do it for anybody else.
What are your guilty pleasures?
Using band practices as a social event and getting drunk and high with the homies while playing increasingly sloppy fuzz jams.
Can you say something more about the current music scene in Regensburg?
We are very happy with Regensburg’s heavy music scene! Despite our town being only an hour away from Munich and Nuremberg, genre titans like 1000mods, Mars Red Sky and Godsleep have been passing by recently.
Where can we see you live this year (concerts/tours)?
We only got one more concert left in 2024. But it’s a good one! December 6th at the “Alte Mälzerei” Club in Regensburg! We will be playing alongside Haunted, Endonomos, Tombgrown and Sauros. It’s a perfect wrap up to an exciting year, since it’s in our home town and the club is basically our second living room.
We will announce the gigs for next year in due time. Spoilers: We are going to play all over Germany. So follow us on socials for more info!
What are your plans for the future as a band?
We will release our debut album »Advanced Studies In Retro Psychedelia« in 2025, which we are currently working on. So stay tuned for that!
Since 2024 was a blast, we are honestly just excited to get to visit more cities next year and play for awesome stoner doom crowds in Germany and Austria.
How can people best support your band?
Listen, headbang and vibe to our music. Come to our concerts, since that’s when the Priestness (not an actual word lol.) is fully unleashed. Follow us on social media where we try to share a lot of impressions and news. We are likable weirdos, so there might be one or two laughs in it from time to time as well!
Do you have any message for your listeners?
Enjoy the journey we want to take you on with our music. Whether getting lost in the fuzz or floating through more spaced out moments, we want our music to make you have a good time and we hope to keep taking you deeper into that sonic world we’ve built.
And feel free to say “hi”, when you happen to be around at a gig! Stay heavy!
Bojan Bidovc // music enthusiast, promoter, misanthrop and sometimes a journalist as well