For fans of dark and powerful sounds, Nameless Gods is a name to watch closely. Though newly formed in 2022, this Brazilian band brings together seasoned musicians with roots in various metal scenes. Their debut album, And That Sigil Meant Death, is a deep dive into Death Doom, a genre that fuses the weight and slowness of Doom with the ferocity of Death Metal. In this interview, the band shares their origins, creative process, and the mystical themes that run through their first release.
Serial Metalbums: Could you introduce yourselves to those who may not know you yet? How did Nameless Gods come together? How would you describe your musical style?
Nameless Gods: Although the band is new, we've all been around the scene, as musicians, for a while. In mid-2022, Juan (bass) and Damien (guitar), who had previously played together in Corporate Death, started flirting with the idea of setting up a Death Doom project. From then on, the search began for people who would be interested in the proposal: Daniel (drums) plays with Juan in Akinetopsia, Isabela (guitar) we already knew because we had mutual friends and Malu (vocals) had been in other bands we knew. The synergy was practically immediate and the members' previous experience meant that Nameless Gods were able to produce a very robust and high-quality first album.
Our desire was to make something that was a little more focused on Doom Metal but adding the aggressiveness of Death Metal. As said, all the members of the band have experience in other styles, and some of them faster and more intense (from HC to Black Metal to Brutal Death) and the idea of a sound that was a little more paced seemed like an interesting challenge that everyone was excited to take on. So I think we would describe our sound like Death Doom despite the fact that we heard, on separate occasions, that we have too little Doom or too little Death.
Serial Metalbums: What are the defining characteristics of Nameless Gods' sound? What are your main musical influences? Are there any bands or artists that particularly inspired you in creating And That Sigil Meant Death?
Nameless Gods: The idea has always been to use the cadence of Doom together with the aggression of Death Metal and lyrics that focus on the occult, desolation and a little bit of cosmic horror. So we think it’s fair to say that our main characteristic is to be a Death Doom band with some catchy melodies here and there. The songwriting for And That Sigil Meant Death has been heavily influenced by classic Doom Metal bands such as Candlemass. From the current music scene, we think we're a bit along the lines of bands such as Temple of Void and Konvent.
Serial Metalbums: Can you tell us about the writing and recording process for And That Sigil Meant Death? How did the creation of this album unfold, from the initial idea to the final realization?
Nameless Gods: We worked on the album throughout 2023 and it was basically done remotely. We managed to develop a very efficient method of exchanging ideas and we would take it to rehearsals just to give each song that final polish. As we're from different cities, it was essential to do things this way. We also recorded it in different cities but aimed at a production that was clear without compromising the “heaviness” of the music. The goal was to produce a blend of Death and Doom metal that we believe would sit really well with the lovers of both genres and we are very happy with the results.
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Serial Metalbums: What are the main themes explored in this album? Is there a particular song on the album that holds a special place for you? If so, which one and why? How did you choose the album title And That Sigil Meant Death?
Nameless Gods: The themes are mainly about the inner fears and challenges faced by humankind but “enveloped” in an occult and supernatural aesthetics. We really like Sunken Horror, our first single, because it captures this melancholic blend of death/doom, dwells into the depths of the Lovecraftian cosmic horror and presents our interpretation of the sunken city of R’lyeh and its most famous inhabitant. As for the name of the album, And That Sigil Meant Death was the first song we’ve composed and we thought that its raw energy and crude lyric approach would be perfect to present the band.
Serial Metalbums: What are your upcoming plans? Do you already have ideas for new songs or plans for a tour to promote this album? How do you see the evolution of Nameless Gods in the coming years?
Nameless Gods: As the band is new and relatively unknown, the idea now is to focus on concerts to promote And that Sigil Meant Death. Since the logistics are a little bit tricky, we don’t have any plans for a tour yet. As for new material, we are always composing and exchanging ideas so, hopefully, we will start recording in 2025. Thanks!
