It’s with a glorious screech of feedback and low hum of a de-tuned guitar that Crowgod take to the stage at the Green Door Store, and wow this is LOUD…
Alan the vocalist is oozing with confidence, hypnotically dancing as they break into the opening song Shepherd, an eerie, medieval tinged drone of a song that builds until it fills the entire venue with a huge wall of sound.
As they continue on, my personal favourite ‘Birdcage’ kicks in with sludgy riffs, distorted bass lines, smashing drums and death growls chanting the chorus “fly me away/break my cage” until your face has melted off.
The band go between slow, Sabbath-esque riffs and then break off into double-time fast-paced sections that are driven by drums, even louder guitars, and then explode into noisy and pleasing choruses.
The song-writing is solid, dirgy, sleazy and (not in a bad way) simple. It’s easy to get into and enjoy, and yet doesn’t get tired or feel done before.
If you didn’t know already, Crowgod are a sludgy doom-metal band hailing from Brighton and are just over one year old, and as they celebrate during this show, I feel like the band are only just getting started.
I was lucky enough to interview them this year so without further ado here is Mel, Matt, Alan & Tom.
1. Can you tell us a little bit about the story behind the song ‘Birdcage’?
Mel: Um, birds…
Matt: It was the first song Tom and I wrote together when we first met and started with the new line-up.
Alan: It’s the feeling of being trapped in a cage and feeling like you’ll never get out; that you’ll die in that cage but you want to be free.
Mel: It’s also really hard to play on bass. [Matt agrees]
Tom: It came together really naturally, which was a great sign of things to come. The opening groove is this weird, floaty snare displacement with some tricky ghost notes. It’s still one of my favourite parts!
2. How do you go about creating a new song and can you talk us through the artistic process?
Mel: Well, usually Matt writes everything – although our new song Patterns happened when I was messing around with some bass riffs and we all started jamming and it became a song very quickly. Tom came back with drums as soon as we sent it to him, it came together really fast.
Matt: I’m used to writing alone but after almost a year as a band I’ve found that jamming out together produces some really good music.
Alan: I play with the melodies after Matt has written them, and change the lyrics sometimes to be more streamlined. Matt was working on Crowgod’s back catalogue for two years before we all came together so a lot of material already existed.
Matt: Yeah, usually I start with a riff and we go from there.
Tom: We tend to jam a fair bit in our practice sessions as a reprieve from rehearsing the other tracks. Always record your practice – you never know when it might bear fruit!
3. What’s your favourite venue to play and why?
Matt: For me it’s Komedia – the sound is the best there. Hope & Ruin is good for that too.
Mel: Yeah Komedia is great, we got some great footage of a gig there so we can watch it back.
Alan: I like Green Door Store.
Matt: The vibe in The Pipeline is cool too, especially when we’re playing our more sludgy songs.
Tom: I think that I find myself leaning towards the gigs where things go wrong. It keeps you on your toes. So I would probably say the more hardcore venues, like our recent show at The Volks.
4. What’s different about Crowgod that sets you apart from other doom/metal bands?
All: [In unison] We’re progressive sludge!
Alan: And we’re gay as fuck, bitches!
Mel: Yeah, and Matt is gay by association.
Tom: I think we try to take a lot of the seriousness out of metal and to just have fun with it. Each member brings their own vibe to the performance and the music, which hopefully curates something that everyone can enjoy.
Matt: There aren’t a lot of sludge/doom non-binary fronted bands on the market which is cool.
The band then broke to have an intense discussion; they talked about whether the fact they have non-binary members is relevant and should be brought up in this context – they are proud to be a queer band but want to get ahead on pure merit and talent rather than their personal identities. It isn’t the fact that the bassist and singer are non-binary that makes the band interesting, it is the fact that they are a progressive sludge band making great music and drawing in enthusiastic crowds.
5. Tell us something we don’t know about the band, can be anything from silly to serious.
Alan: We have orgies all the time.
Mel: No we do not.
Mel: If you turn our logo upside down it says ‘Cobmold’.
Alan: We came together in weird ways.
Matt: Yeah, I met Tom because the old drummer stood me up and when I went to the studio Tom was there; we ended up jamming and he joined the band!
Tom: As Mat said, it very nearly didn’t happen! The stars truly aligned that day.
Alan: I met some guy at a gig when I was intoxicated and I kept boasting to him that I was a great vocalist, good at screaming, etc. – a few weeks later he hooked me up with Matt and we hit it off, I joined Crowgod right away.
Mel: I used to be a vocalist for a band in London and was looking online for a band to be a vocalist in. I found Crowgod and they only needed a bassist – the band was so sick I was down to play whatever they wanted me to. I went from hardly ever playing bass to playing bass two hours a day every day for two weeks to learn the first two songs we all played together. I got a cheap 5-string bass and now I’m a bassist! I love it – there’s so much wriggle room as a bassist, I just get to have so much fun on stage.
The band then discusses the gig they played to raise money for trans people struggling from the cost of living crisis, and how much fun it was. Alan chipped a tooth, everyone got very drunk, it sounds like a great night.
6. What’s next for Crowgod? Have you got plans to make an album or go on tour?
Matt: We have started recording and producing our first full-length album which will be out mid-next year. What else is next? Play a shit ton of gigs and expand outside of Brighton.
Mel: I’m so excited to record the album. Oh and to finally get merch – coming soon!
7. Where’s the best place for people to listen to your music and support the band? Also feel free to plug your next few shows and releases.
All: Come to our gigs!
Here are our upcoming shows for next few months where you can join us and have fun!
- Metal To The Masses Kent 2024 – Heat 2, Leo’s Red Lion, Gravesend – 26 January 2024
- PARADEATH: HYPERTHERMIA at Green Door Store, Brighton – 18 February 2024