The intense storm of vicious guitar attacks, frenzied vocals, hammering drums and frenetic bass guitar of The Gods Of Now live show and their debut album Broken has placed the Montreal-based quartet on the musical map as mad, genius and wonderful.
Released independently via guitarist/singer Schrecker’s own Moonbabe Records, the 13 tracks that comprise Broken prove that a whole can be equal to the sum of its parts. Raging non-stop through severe and sinister songs such as, “Skeeved,” “Wrong But In Throes,” “Lobotomatronic” and the title track, Broken finds this two year-old outfit of Schrecker, drummer/percussionist Zasta, lead guitarist Jon and bassist Alex J.D. at their most frantic and enlightened. Mastered by Mark Wilder (Lamb of God, KISS, Joe Satriani, Johnny Cash) at New York’s legendary Battery Studios with only two conditions (make it big and make it loud), Broken is a relentless onslaught of diverse technicality, spirituality, uncompromised passion and unadulterated heaviness.
And you should see the live show.
“Live is where nothing and everything makes sense,” notes Schrecker shamanistically. “That’s why it’s called ‘live’ – we live it in the moment. The record captures moments of intensity and creativity and spirituality. But when you are live – you capture nothing. On the contrary, you are wild! The whole thing is wild! Unpredictable, uncontrollable. The tidal wave takes you and you are swept to a new plain of existence.” Schrecker pauses and smiles, “… come and you’ll see…”
Initially, The Gods Of Now were formed by Schrecker and Zasta under the auspices of creating something striking, yet even they did not expect the prowess and power that would become The Gods Of Now. Upon uniting, the band quickly found themselves inspired by the commanding, intricate world of spiritual enlightenment. Pushing their then as-yet undecided sound into the dominant and aggressive style they currently embrace, over the course of two years The Gods Of Now honed their individual ideas and sentiments into the vicious albeit infectiously catchy tendencies of their first record Broken.
“We started with a big flux of philosophy, ” Schrecker reveals about the band’s humble beginnings. “Broken is the honeymoon of philosophies and musical ideas. My opinion was harsh at the time: that which cannot be said clearly must be passed over in silence. That was the starting point for The Gods Of Now. We’re doing away with what came before, including that very philosophy. There was so much to realize in creating Broken individually, collectively, spiritually, musically and philosophically. There were points where we were staring at each other wondering what next. So we waited because it had to happen organically. Through playing, talking and the catharsis of life, we discovered that life isn’t boring or predictable – neither is our music. A nice mirror.”
As creator and primary visionary for The Gods Of Now, Schrecker’s omniscient interpretations of life drive his song writing. These designs are then complimented and augmented by his cohorts’ talents. Throughout Broken, he worked closely with members to attain the utmost creativity and vitality to their performances. This, in turn, reasserts the overall The Gods Of Now philosophy. Lyrics, music and the encompassing visual painting generate a unified, impassioned standpoint for the band.
“I can't say enough how the writing process, themes and lyrical ideas were influenced by Zasta, Jon and Alex J.D,” admits Schrecker, speaking as the band’s conceptual director. “In this band, no one is more or less important...not after the process we went through. We are all The Gods Of Now.”
Uniting these diverse theories through the aforementioned barrage of hyperactive musicianship and girth-laden low-end, The Gods of Now maintain the constant theme of understanding the here and now throughout Broken. Conceived with a greater premise in mind yet arranged so that each track stands on its own merit, Schrecker notes that comprehending the message behind Broken is the responsibility of the individual.
“…and not everyone gets it… thankfully. If they did get it there would be nothing to get upset about. This album is a reflection of life. Spiritual, melodic, mad-sexy moments of intensity, reflection, perfection and ultimately fatal flaws – cuz we’re all humans and we are so fabulously flawed! ”
About the name: “We are all The Gods of Now, and I mean you and me” he commands. “We all create our own destinies these days. There are no old laws or divine myths that are as important as our own individual realities. That makes us our own Gods of the moment.” He shrugs and takes a puff of his Cuban cigar “But if people what to think that we’re pretentious I grant them that ability.”
Still, while Schrecker admits that TGON’s directness is severe, he is quick to point out that there are down right playful aspects to the band. Embracing the lighter side of life, he feels that The Gods Of Now balance the importance of spiritual awareness with the everyday joys of existence.
“While there are clearly intimidating elements to the band, we still love to rock. And we love the extreme aspects of rock ‘n’ roll. Sex, drugs, cars, money. It’s all part of the great thing we call life. And life is better when you rock loud and hard.”
The Gods Of Now and their next studio album:
“Survival is about evolution and people need to recognize we need to evolve with what goes on in the world,” he concludes, noting that overall The Gods Of Now is a calculated endeavour to disrupt status quo. “So our next record is in the works. Metamorphosis and love and separation and happiness and most of all rebellion. We can’t wait to upset people even more”.
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4 DAYS OF ROCK & ROLL MAYHEM! AUGUST CIVIC HOLIDAY LONG WEEKEND July 31 - Aug 3rd 86 Bands July 31st Gates open 9:30 AM Closing Ceremonies Aug.3 10:30 -11:00 PM Bands will perform from11:00 AM to 11:00 PM all 4 days
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