Gnash Interview

 

1. For those that have never heard of you before, can you tell us a little bit about the band?

Gnash is a 4 piece blackened sludge band out of Central Ohio featuring the Richter brothers of the band Bather.

2. Later in September you have an EP coming out, can you tell us a little bit more about the musical style that you went for on the recording?

Absolutely! Myself and Nicky are in several other bands together so with Gnash, we wanted to try something a little different but still in the realm of heavy music. We love the idea of slow and low riffing with groove pockets. When we went to record the vocals they originally were going to be all a lower “deathy” style but we played around with more of a Black Metal High vocal and noticed it cut straight through so it just made more sense to go that route. It complements the music very well and sits perfect with how deep everything else is around it, we think. What was just a playful, in-studio take ended up being the key to the entire vocal performance on the record.

3. The lyrics on the EP are also a concept album, can you tell us a little bit more about the story you have covered with release?

The concept of the record is a story about a set of conjoined twins and one of them dies, so the living twin must live the remainder of his life carrying around his dead sibling attached to him. I wanted to make a very dark and gruesome analogy of what it feels like to carry around the baggage that comes with mental illness and the toll it takes on someone and the ones they love.

4. What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Gnash'?

Gnash originally was going to be the title of the band's first record. The band was originally called Cast Iron Tongue and after thinking on it Gnash just sounded heavier and perfect for the style of music we ended up writing.

5. Can you tell us a little bit more about the artwork that is presented on the ep cover?

Yeah definitely, that was all Nicky’s idea haha! He was thinking that instead of having some artwork that would be subtle or have the meaning secretly placed in the artwork that we should go full on the nose with it and show conjoined twins being sewn together by the hands of a creator. He found the artist who was down to take it on and draw it and it came out great. I’m super happy with it.

6. Has the band done any live shows or are you open to the idea?

Not yet! But we 100% plan on it.

7. Currently, you are unsigned. Are you looking for a label or have received any interest?

Oh yeah, we are most definitely looking to get picked up if possible. We would love to push this record to a wider audience as well as get physical copies made. No bites yet but our fingers are crossed!

8. On a worldwide level, how has the reaction been to your music by fans of black, death and sludge metal?

So far just from the single and music video we have gotten a lot of awesome feedback. People seem to really dig the sound so we are very stoked to see what people think of the rest of the record.

9. When can we expect a full length and also where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?

Definitely wanna do a full length. I think the next record will be another EP, then we will crank out a full length. We want to push the extremes of the next EP even further than what we did for Shared Nightmare. Lower, slower, and throaty as all hell.

10. What are some of the bands or musical styles that have had an influence on your music and also what are you listening to nowadays?

The biggest inspiration musically for this band came from Nicky’s love for The Abominable Iron Sloth (if anyone remembers them). We both listened to them a ton back in the day and that band always came up when we would talk about projects. Nicky, for a short while, left Bather and wrote all the music for the soon to be Gnash record with that band and similar styles in mind so I’d say that is probably the biggest influence on the band. Nowadays we have been listening to a lot more sludge based bands and even some classic stoner bands.

11. What are some of your non musical interests?

I'm also a photographer and videographer as well as a podcaster (like most people haha). I'm a big fan of comedy so my podcasts are based mainly around laughing which seems to be a very big contrast in comparison to how dark and depressing my music projects usually end up being haha!

12. Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?

Thanks for everyone being stoked on the band and single and we hope you dig the full record. Follow us on all streaming platforms, and also on all social media, and let us know what you think! Also, keep your eyes open for possible shows and touring in the near future!

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/gnashmetal/
Twitter - https://twitter.com/gnashmetal
TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@gnashmetal
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/metalgnash