Goemagot is:
Cody McConnell - Bass, Vocals
Daniel Hemmerich - Drums
Matt Murphy – Guitars
Goemagot
(pronounced go-EHM-uh-got) are a brutal death metal band from Rochester, NY,
formed in 2011. In February 2013, they
released their first full-length CD, Eradication of Insignificant Beings, on
Sevared Records. I met up with Cody and
Daniel at “A Day of Death 2013” to discuss the successful underground reception
of Eradication…, their past spring tour, and to find out what’s coming up for
Goemagot in the near future.
HA: I recently moved back to Buffalo, NY after
living overseas for a few years
and was super excited when I heard about you guys, a slamming brutal death
metal band so close to Buffalo. At this point, it’s safe to say you guys are
pretty well known in the underground death metal scene but that didn’t come
without hard work. You guys have been actively playing gigs in the north-
east and throughout the United States since your demo, Parasitic
Incineration, was released in June last year.
and was super excited when I heard about you guys, a slamming brutal death
metal band so close to Buffalo. At this point, it’s safe to say you guys are
pretty well known in the underground death metal scene but that didn’t come
without hard work. You guys have been actively playing gigs in the north-
east and throughout the United States since your demo, Parasitic
Incineration, was released in June last year.
Cody: Yeah, pretty much. I’ve been
in bands since I was 17 and I’m going to be
turning 30 in February. I’ve been trying so hard to just even do anything,
even tour at all but I’ve never found people to do it with. This is my shit,
doing this type of thing. I’ve just pushed really hard and I just have a knack
for being able to set up tours. It just kind of fell into place. I found Dan and
I picked up Matt. Everyone’s brought their own influences to the table.
turning 30 in February. I’ve been trying so hard to just even do anything,
even tour at all but I’ve never found people to do it with. This is my shit,
doing this type of thing. I’ve just pushed really hard and I just have a knack
for being able to set up tours. It just kind of fell into place. I found Dan and
I picked up Matt. Everyone’s brought their own influences to the table.
Daniel: It just
took off and kept going. I didn’t expect
us to get as far as we did in such a short period of time. It’s very surreal kind of.
HA: You guys released your first full-length
album this year. It’s a nice blend of
slamming and technical guttural brutal death metal with lots of cool riffs and
great moments, making it a unique and original record. I think it was this
mix of styles that made Eradication… so well received in the underground
community. Also, I think this record leaves the territory open as far as where
your band is able to go next creatively.
slamming and technical guttural brutal death metal with lots of cool riffs and
great moments, making it a unique and original record. I think it was this
mix of styles that made Eradication… so well received in the underground
community. Also, I think this record leaves the territory open as far as where
your band is able to go next creatively.
Cody: Yeah, that’s one thing we’re kind of excited about. We’ve been kind of
behind the scenes writing some new stuff. It’s ridiculous. It’s hard to play,
it’s technical.
behind the scenes writing some new stuff. It’s ridiculous. It’s hard to play,
it’s technical.
Daniel: It’s stupid heavy.
Cody: It’s
pretty much everything that we loved about the album we put out but it’s
amplified. It’s way, way better.
Daniel: It’s a little more melodic. A
lot of off timing shit.
Cody: A lot
more technical but the slams are way heavier but they’re unique and they’re not
like...
Daniel: ...traditional slams. There’re some tech elements to them.
Daniel: ...traditional slams. There’re some tech elements to them.
Cody: Our time
together has been really short so we’ve been taking time to mold what we want
to be. In that short amount of time we’ve
kind of now realized what we want to do.
A lot of the stuff on Eradication of Insignificant Beings is material
that we wrote when we first got together.
A lot of it we don’t really dig.
It’s really simplistic. It doesn’t
really hit us like we’re really down with it.
Now, we’re taking so much time with every single riff and every single
piece of every song we’re going to put out, just to make sure it’s really
original and crafted really well.
Daniel: Yeah, I’m
really excited about the stuff we’ve been writing.
HA: You toured the U.S. this past spring with
Animals Killing People. You guys
ended up having some shitty luck with your van on the road. Also, Cody was
filling in on bass for Animals Killing People for these show dates. Can you
guys tell us a bit about the tour?
ended up having some shitty luck with your van on the road. Also, Cody was
filling in on bass for Animals Killing People for these show dates. Can you
guys tell us a bit about the tour?
Cody: The tour basically was like super long drives that were
terrible. We would
get like 2-4 hours of sleep a night.
get like 2-4 hours of sleep a night.
Daniel: Wake up, drive 9-10 hours, get to
the venue just before the show started.
Cody: Some of the shows, the dude didn’t
promote the show at all so there would be
like no one there at all. We would get paid squat. We paid out of our
pockets a lot until we got out to Las Vegas and then everything pretty much
got a lot better financially.
like no one there at all. We would get paid squat. We paid out of our
pockets a lot until we got out to Las Vegas and then everything pretty much
got a lot better financially.
Daniel: We blew
two tires out leaving Colorado. It was
pretty late in the day so the shop with the part that we needed was going to
close in like half an hour.
Cody: Yeah, everything was always last minute.
HA: What was it like playing with Animals Killing People?
Cody: It was really tough. I had
to learn all their songs from videos that they sent
me online so I just sat at the computer and watched them. We didn’t really
practice. I just learned them and then I got on stage and played them.
me online so I just sat at the computer and watched them. We didn’t really
practice. I just learned them and then I got on stage and played them.
HA: Did they even give you tabs or anything?
Cody: No
because I’m more of a visual person so I like to watch someone play and then see
what their fingers do and then I learn that way, but I learned it all. What was really tough, I
would have to play for Animals and then I would have to play for Goemagot. By the end of every night I was just so dead
and tired because I would put everything into both sets, back to back.
HA: I saw you mention something on Facebook a
few months back about Daniel
playing drums for Amputated Genitals. I’m a huge fan of Amputated
Genitals and am naturally excited to hear this. They were signed to Sevared
Records this year, indicating another album is on the way and they’re also
planning show dates in the US for 2014. More recently, they posted photos
on Facebook of themselves practicing with, who I presume is, a new
drummer. Daniel, are you still going to be involved with Amputated Genitals
for any of this or was it just a discussion with them earlier in the year?
playing drums for Amputated Genitals. I’m a huge fan of Amputated
Genitals and am naturally excited to hear this. They were signed to Sevared
Records this year, indicating another album is on the way and they’re also
planning show dates in the US for 2014. More recently, they posted photos
on Facebook of themselves practicing with, who I presume is, a new
drummer. Daniel, are you still going to be involved with Amputated Genitals
for any of this or was it just a discussion with them earlier in the year?
Daniel: When I
was at “Maryland Deathfest,” I met Danny Paz (guitarist/bassist from Amputated Genitals). We were talking and he brought up the whole
tour thing. I guess their drummer can’t
get into the country. Don’t quote me on
that. I added Danny on Facebook and we
were talking. I’m not going to do drumming
on the new full-length. I’m going to be
a fill-in drummer for their US tour.
HA: You’re working on a new promo release for
late 2013. You’ve also stated on
your Facebook that there will be less slam. What can we expect to hear on
the next release?
your Facebook that there will be less slam. What can we expect to hear on
the next release?
Daniel: Tech!
Cody: There will be tech but there will be slam. There will be lots of slam but it
will not be just masturbating the first three notes slam.
will not be just masturbating the first three notes slam.
Daniel: It’ll be slam with sweeps and polyrhythmic.
Cody: You hear a slam, you’ve heard all slams but we’re trying to change
that.
We’re trying to make them stand out and sound not the same as other slams
so we’re taking our time with everything that we do. We’re being very picky
with everything. We have a song now that Matt wrote and it’s severely
crushing and the slams are ridiculously heavy but it’s very different and
we’re really excited.
We’re trying to make them stand out and sound not the same as other slams
so we’re taking our time with everything that we do. We’re being very picky
with everything. We have a song now that Matt wrote and it’s severely
crushing and the slams are ridiculously heavy but it’s very different and
we’re really excited.
Daniel: Pretty much we’re just pushing our musical abilities to our
limits. I’ve never
heard or played anything like this and I’m excited but it’s different.
heard or played anything like this and I’m excited but it’s different.
Goemagot
will be performing at “Delaware Death Fest II” next weekend or you can catch
them in late October with Wormed, Infernal Revulsion, Condemned, and more in Montclair, New Jersey. Also, look out for their new promo release in
late 2013.
