Interview with death metal band from Germany - GOMORRHA.
Answered Peter König (bass, vocals), thank you!
Recenze/review - GOMORRHA - Straight into Beyond (2025):
Ave GOMORRAH! Greetings from the Death Metal battlefield in Germany. I'm listening to your new album "Straight into Beyond" right now and it's the second time it's literally pinned me to the wall! The last time was with your previous album "Doomed Mankind". How did this new album come about and where did you want to go after your last album?
Ave Jakub, the doomed greet you. We are glad that you like our new work. After our first album Doomed Mankind, our guitarist Steffen left the band for health reasons. He was the main songwriter with me and the loss hurt us. So I started writing new songs and lyrics right away and recording them with the guys. The result is Straight into Beyond, which we are all very proud of. We hope to move forward with the new album and play as many shows as possible to make the old school death metal maniacs happy with our sound.
You are one of those old bands that go back to 1986. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, you released three demo recordings, and then it was as if you had disappeared from the face of the earth. The rebirth did not come until 2018. What was the reason why you got back together? Could you please tell us something about the history of your band? What did your beginnings look like? Please reminisce about the good old days.
My best buddy Thomas (drums) and I (bass+vocals) made a hell of a noise in my parents' basement with self-made instruments before 1986. We were absolute metal freaks, as so many were in the mid-80s. The metal scene was in a spirit of optimism at that time, new sounds were emerging. Speed, Black and Thrash Metal were born, Death Metal was about to be born. Then we bought instruments in 1986, and Gomorrah was born. With Joerg we found our first guitarist. Then came the demos and the band dissolution in 1994. But we were still metalmaniacs with heart and soul. We went to concerts and festivals, we met regularly to listen to new and old metal music. As it happens when you have drunk a few too many beers, we decided in 2018 to bring Gomorrah back to life. I haven't regretted it at any time, in retrospect we should have done the reunion much earlier.
If I'm not mistaken, you originally played thrash metal. But now you're a real Death Metal band. Why the change? Or was it a natural development? I still hear that thrash metal rage in your music.
Absolutely, we have Thrash Metal elements in our songs, we can't deny our roots. I think that the debut of Death "Scream Bloody Gore" drove us to Death Metal. We went all out for the album, the riffs were absolutely evil and I've never heard anyone sing like that before. Young Chuck is my absolute idol. I've always admired the art of sounding so aggressive and evil.
Let's get to the new album "Straight into Beyond". How did you manage to achieve such an old-school sound? When I listen to the new album, I feel like I've been transported back to the nineties and have brought home a new album by MASSACRE or DEATH (I don't know why, but Symbolic keeps coming to mind). Where did you record the new album, who is responsible for the mixing and mastering?
We often hear that, especially after live performances, that metal fans at our age felt like they were in their youth, like in a time machine transported back to the glorious late 80s, early 90s. We owe this authentic old school sound to Dennis Hauk. He has recorded, mixed, mastered and produced all 3 works with us since the reunion. Dennis is a stroke of luck for us. While looking for a studio, we got a tip to knock on his door. He has set up a small studio in his home in our hometown of Frankenthal. We were a bit skeptical, because Dennis has nothing to do with metal music. We played him some old school death metal stuff, and told him that the sound should go in that direction and he just did it. We also call him our Rick Rubin.
The cover is also stylish. Who is the author? If I'm not mistaken, were you supported by artificial intelligence? Or not? What is the relationship between the motif and the music itself?
You are right. The cover was generated by me, from a free AI app. For us as a small band that finances everything ourselves and puts every euro back into the band, this is a blessing. I know the discussion about it, but without a label behind you, with a budget for a painted cover and contacts to good graphic designers, it's difficult to get good covers. In addition, the motif fits very well, which we want to express with our music. To pillory the senseless dying on so many fronts around the world is the goal of the cover.
As for the lyrics, you're dealing with war, violence, and death. These are classic Death Metal themes. Can you tell us where you got your inspiration from? Are they books, films? Personal experiences?
I try to convey a certain message with my lyrics. Inspiration comes from many directions. From old books that you often find at flea markets, from movies, I use one or the other quote. Of course, also from personal experiences. At the moment, all you have to do is turn on the TV and watch the news. You can't get more inspiration than that. But even in such seemingly meaningless lyrics as Slaughtered and Sausaged, there is a message. I deliberately leave it up to the listener in his imagination what is being slaughtered. I don't mention it with a syllable what's dangling on the hook.
You come from the small town of Frankenthal in Germany. Mannheim is not far from you. What does the death metal scene look like there? As a fan from the Czech Republic, I consider your country to be a metal paradise. I get a lot of promo material from old and new bands from there, so from the outside it looks like it's really alive. What is your opinion? How do you perceive your scene, fans, labels?
There are many bands of different metal styles in our region. The offer of concerts is also plentiful, so that you can really visit an event somewhere every weekend. This then also leads to a certain competitive pressure, and some concerts are not so well attended. The scene here is lively, and more and more young metalheads are coming to the events again. I'm happy about that, and it shows me that metal in its many styles and the metal scene will never die.
If I'm not mistaken, you've recently played in the Czech Republic and Slovakia. How did you like it here? What do you think of the Czech and Slovak fans?
Yes that's right. We played in Poprad, in Chodow and at the Ilfest. Every time it was wonderful, we can't say anything negative. We have always been welcomed with open arms by warm and very pleasant people who share our passion for metal music. This also applies to the Czech and Slovak fans. We have met great people who are metal fans with passion and heart and soul. We would love to come back.
What about concerts in general? Do you like to play live? I would be interested to know how you perceive the differences between today and the beginnings. The world has changed a lot since you've been on the scene; We have the internet, new technologies, sound. How have these changes affected you? Are you planning a longer tour for the new album?
We are a live band, we love to play live. We put on our studded bracelets and belts, go on stage and always give it our all. This is the old school spirit that catapults many a metalhead back into their youth. In the past there were fewer bands, but it was harder to get concerts, there weren't as many festivals and events as there are today. With the internet you have a medium today where you can present your band and reach many metalheads. In the past, you always sent copied band flyers in the letters with your promo demo tapes to get attention. The tape trader scene in the 80s/90s was legendary. The world has already changed a lot in the last 40 years. With AI, the next big change is in store for us, but AI will never be able to replace an honest, authentic live performance.
You've been playing metal for many years. What does music mean to you? As with anything you want to do well, it's about sacrifice, self-denial, work, and sometimes pain. What has music given you and what has taken away from you? Feel free to engage in light philosophical reflection.
I've been listening to metal since I was 13 years old, metal is more than music for me. It's a way of life. I see the metal scene as a second family that sticks together, where no one is excluded, where everyone is welcome and treated with respect. Sometimes you come to a metal concert as a stranger and leave as a friend. Playing in a metal band is almost like in a relationship, the chemistry between the band members has to be right, you have to trust each other and you have to be reliable, otherwise there will be problems like in real life. Until a new album is finished, from the first riff to the time when you have your new work in your hands is exhausting, time-consuming, there are some conflicts that have to be solved. But in the end, you're happy and just proud because you've created something that no one can take away.
You have two great albums under your belt. But are you also looking ahead? How far do you want to take GOMORRAH? Do you have a goal, something you want to achieve? Is it a good label, a festival you want to play at?
It's been 7 years since our reunion, and we've done 3 releases, we've done more concerts than I could have imagined 7 years ago. We have more than fulfilled the goals we had at the beginning. But now we have new goals, we want to make the leap to bigger festivals, present our music to a larger audience. It's hard without a label behind us, but we'll do everything we can to make it.
What does GOMORRAH have planned for the coming months? If you have something in mind that you want to say to your fans, promoters or labels, here's your chance...
The first reactions to our new album are consistently positive, we want to release "Straight into Beyond" on vinyl by the end of the year. I would like to thank the metalheads for their support, come to the underground concerts and support the small bands. Without you there is no underground and that is the foundation for the bands that are up in the sun. Organizers and promoters, if you have a slot available, contact us, you won't regret it.
I prepare the questions on Friday evening. I'm about to drink a beer and put on some music. Sure, not only today "Straight into Beyond" is a clear choice for me! Thank you very much for that and for this interview. I really appreciate that. Good luck, may you have a lot of inspiration for the future, and may everything be fine in your private life as well! I'm looking forward to seeing you at a concert somewhere. The beer is on me!
Hopefully that will be very soon. Thank you for the questions and the opportunity to present our band to the Czech fans. All the best to you from the Deadly Storm Zine.
Recenze/review - GOMORRHA - Straight into Beyond (2025):
Recenze/review - GOMORRHA - Doomed Mankind (2023):
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