Doomed Confessionary: Dohrn, Ōjin, Rehoboth & Daikakuji (Guyođ)
Photos by Susanne Mostögl
Guyođ is a four-piece blackened doom/death metal band from Graz, Austria.
Guyođ released their debut album »Heart Of Thy Abyss« on November 4th, 2023 in cooperation with Kvlt und Kaos Productions and Grazil Records. Featuring 9 tracks and a runtime of over an hour, including the single »Watcher In The Dark«, the album is a deep dive into the band’s dark, submarine-inspired sonic world.
Following the release, Guyođ supported the album with a tour that spanned 9 countries over the last two years, bringing their dense and evocative sound to stages across the metal community. Their music and visuals, rooted in a dark, submarine aesthetic, create an intense and immersive experience for their audience.
Can you say a few words about your band?
We are Guyođ. We summon our music from the bottomless depths of the oceans and have been flooding the scene with our blackened doom/death since MMXX. Guyođ consists of the following individuals: Dohrn (guitar), Ōjin (vocals), Rehoboth (drums), Daikakuji (bass).
Our sinister sounds have been captured on the split »Alluvial Soil« (MMXXII) and our debut album »Heart Of Thy Abyss« (MMXXIII). Our next output is in the making and can be reckoned with in MMXXV.
Lastly, we wish to express our gratitude for presenting us with the opportunity for this interview.
What was the biggest challenge for the band?
Most likely, recording our debut album and everything that came with it. Finishing writing the songs and lyrics, recording by ourselves, taking care of artwork, layout, photos, videos, mixing, mastering and getting the physical outputs produced, while not neglecting booking, was a rather challenging and complex enterprise. A very rewarding one, though.
What can you be most proud of so far?
Everything we achieved so far. As just mentioned, getting our album out, holding rituals in nine different countries so far, playing a midnight slot at Kaltenbach Open Air (probably the most important extreme metal festival in Austria), all of this are things we look back on with pride. However, we are now focussed on the future.
What was your biggest regret?
Very luckily, nothing comes to mind right now…
What was the best concert/tour so far and why?
That is a tough one… I mean, the show at Kaltenbach in the middle of the night was really special (we proudly released a live video of a song from that show, by the way). As for touring, our first longer tour with our friends in Nekrodeus in early 2024, taking us to Austria, Switzerland and Italy, was a great experience. (By the way, accompanied and captured by our trusted film maker Reviddy. All the mentioned videos can be found on our YouTube channel.)
What was the biggest surprise on the music scene for you?
Our first time playing in Croatia (in Koprivnica, in spring 2023, to be exact), we were really blown away by the energy of the crowd, and the amount of really young people in the scene. All shows we played in Croatia after that have strengthened this first impression.
What is currently in your heavy musical rotation?
Dohrn: Mord’A’Stigmata, Dream Theater, Dordeduh.
Ōjin: Korgonthurus, Dagorath, Wolvennest.
Rehoboth: Dead To A Dying World, Triptykon, All Them Witches.
Daikakuji: Reek Of Death, Abditory, King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard.
What was the best advice you’ve ever been given as a musician?
In a scene as sincere and interconnected as the metal scene, we feel like bands and musicians largely tend to help each other out – in deeds and in passing on experience. It is really hard to pick one advice because there have been many, small and large. This is just to say to keep this spirit up within the scene, everybody!
What are your guilty pleasures?
Drowning ourselves for music videos!
Can you say something more about current music scene in Graz?
The city of Graz, where we are based, has quite a thriving music scene with different D.I.Y. bands, organizers, venues, and even two labels focussed on metal and/or punk. We have been playing shows and touring with various bands from there, like Nekrodeus, Thosar, Saturnists, to name a few.
Where can we see you live this year (concerts/tours)?
We will venture forth to Croatia and Slovenia this spring (April 25th in Zagreb, April 26th in Maribor), apart from that we have much fewer live shows going on this year than the previous two. Gathering a bit of energy to then return with our new material…
What are your plans for the future as a band?
We are currently recording and putting the finishing touches on new material. That envolves anything around a new record, like shooting video material, new photos, artwork,… so we are pretty busy right now. We cannot tell for sure when the new stuff will come out, but it should be this year.
How can people best support your band?
Get in contact, share our materials to likeminded folks, go to our shows, buy our merch (we have especially beautiful vinyls of our album in stock!)
Do you have any message for your listeners?
Do not go gentle into that night! The depths are calling to embrace you!
Links:
Website | Facebook | Instagram | Bandcamp | Spotify | YouTube
Bojan Bidovc // music enthusiast, promoter, misanthrop and sometimes a journalist as well