Leeds band Godeth combine vicious yet engaging vocals and intoxicating riffs in a powerful groove death metal sound that they describe as “infectious, crushing and somber.”
The quintet formed in 2018 when rhythm guitarist Dylan Walters responded to drummer Danny Campey’s Facebook post. They soon brought in lead guitarist Luke Dyde, added bassist Jimmy Johnstone in 2022 and completed the lineup with vocalist Miles Case-Watson in March 2023.
And on the sound they’ve crafted since, the band told us: “We present a visceral showcase of emotion through powerful, hard-hitting riffs and grooves. Vocals that are delivered with sheer tenacity and pain whilst carrying a strong melody underlined with thought-provoking lyrics.”
Our most recent taste of this is their super single Coup de Grâce, which was released in February. It opens up with a lively spinning riff with crashes of drums leading into a wild riff supported by driving drums. That drops into intense vocals and guitars that flow into a big chorus “Grave digger, snake charmer, I Am kept in situ, For the coup de grâce, Grave digger, snake charmer, I Believe it’s time, For the final curtain call” supported by a cool sweeping guitar lick.
A drawn-out riff comes in under big gruff vocals then chunky guitars alongside big growls and cries of “breathe.” The pace suddenly drops with a more melodic start to the chorus, which quickly intensifies again. Check it out in the video here:
That follows on from 2023 singles Solace, in which we especially love a delicious chugging riff and features a cheeky little guitar solo, and Scald and their debut EP Life To The Flame, which showcases the band’s ability to combine heavy black metal with engaging vocals and riffs and includes a personal favourite in the final track NIMBY. Check out the EP’s title track here:
We spoke to the band ahead of the release of their upcoming second EP The Path of Destruction, which will be released next month. On the EP, they told us: “We can’t wait for this to be heard, a lot of time, thought and determination went into creating something special. We feel as though we have achieved it to a high level.
“There’s something for everyone within the metal genre with this EP. We have taken elements of hardcore, black metal, metalcore, all the while maintaining a consistent sound that is unique to us.”
The Godeth members draw from a wide range of influences, with Miles shouting out Korn and Knocked Loose being “top.” Danny told us: “I’m heavily influenced by a variety of different drummers, namely Joey Jordison. When I first heard Slipknots Iowa I was around 10 years old, and it made me realise I wanted to play drums! Other big influences in my playing include the likes of Tommy Lee from Motley Crue because of his showmanship and also Kerim ‘Krimh’ Lechner for his speed and fluidity round the kit.”
Jimmy explained: “I take influence from the Hardcore genre, nu metal bands and classic rock songs alike, I’m all about the groove and the feel of songs. If it makes you knock your head about, you must be doing something right? Right?”
Dylan added: “Honestly I take inspiration from everything, My favourite genres are anything from death metal, to goth, to hardcore, to grunge and everything in between. But if I had to pick I would say Alice in Chains, Gojira, and Rammstein are my biggest influences at the minute.”
And Luke told us: “Synyster Gates, his lead style always managed to convey the right emotion for the song. I consider the Avenged Sevenfold self-titled album to be one of my most influential albums of all time and that’s mostly due to how the lead guitar complements the songwriting.”
And on what inspires them to write music, the band explained: “We speak about mental health in many forms, touching on depression/suicide in an honest way. The world’s inevitable decline in a society which is led by lunacy. We like to speak from the heart and make it resonant.”
Godeth’s second EP The Path of Destruction will be released next month and is available for pre-order here and they’ll also be back in the studio working on even more material. You can also see the band live across the UK throughout 2024 starting with a gig at Nightrain in Bradford on Sunday (31 March). They’ll also be in Rotherham and Sheffield in April and Bolton and Leicester in May with an EP release show scheduled on 11 May. They’re playing at Academy 3 in Manchester on 8 June before Mangata Festival in Nottingham on 13 July, Get Heavy Fest in Newcastle on 17 August and the Slammer show at Rebellion in Manchester on 12 October.
And the band add: “We are a sound bunch of lads with a passion for creating meaningful music with a bite. We hope we can connect with more people through our music and through conversations.”
You can follow Godeth on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and TikTok, and check out their music on Spotify, Bandcamp, Apple Music and YouTube.
GigRadar 