Following our review of “Raining Fire,” the new Sons Of Ghidorah album out May 29 via Argonauta Records, we reached out to the band for a deeper conversation. From the origins of the project to the making of the record, from the Heavy Psych/Stoner/Doom landscape in the US to what’s coming next — here’s what they had to say.
Sons Of Ghidorah formed in 2014. For those approaching the band for the first time, how did the project come together, and what was the common ground that brought you all into the same room? The name Sons Of Ghidorah carries obvious monster movie connotations. How much does that imagery — the mythological, the cosmic, the larger-than-life — actually feed into the music and the identity of the band?
Mark:
Our first iteration of the band was with guitarist Carl Pace. Back in the day Carl played in the grindcore band Eternal Torment. His contributions to our sound were a far cry from grindcore but the sound was massive especially when combined with Mike Plewinski’s drumming. Conjuring the Kaiju name, King Ghidorah felt like it fit. Despite line up changes, the cosmic imagery has been a part of our lyrical influence and sound.
Your sound has been described as a blend of Stoner, Doom, Heavy Rock and Punk. How do you navigate between those worlds without losing a coherent identity? Is there a conscious process behind it, or does it come naturally?
Chris
You never know where a song idea comes from. I remember hearing that when Lenon and McCartney were kids they heard that some kid across town knew some new chords so they would go and learn them. Sometimes I find a strange chord and write a song based on that chord.
Mark:
I think every person that has been a part of Sons of Ghidorah has held a profound love of diverse music. It would not be unusual to find anything from Sabbath, Sleep, Monster Magnet, Type O and Kyuss to Tubeway Army or The Damned, The Clash and The Jam to David Bowie, Iggy and the Stooges and Alice Cooper to PJ Harvey and Joy Division to Elliott Smith and Jeff Buckley to Kings X and even Yes or King Crimson on any of our playlists. We play what we love and I hope it comes through in our music.
Who are the bands and artists that shaped the way Sons Of Ghidorah sounds? And are there any influences outside of music — film, literature, visual art — that leave a mark on what you do?
Chris
I’m a big fan of Sci Fi ( Isaac Asimov, Arthur C. Clarke , Robert a, Heinlein , H.G. Wells and Philip K. Dick ) . My musical foundation always starts with The Beatles but branches out to all genres of music.
Mark
Yeah, besides the bands I listed above, I think we all grew up on a steady diet of sci-fi, comic books and horror movies.
Looking at your evolution since 2014, where do you hear the most significant growth — in terms of songwriting, sound, or the dynamic between the members?
Mark
Everyone that has passed through and contributed to Sons of Ghidorah has had an impact on our sound. With Carl, it was more fuzz soaked with a sort of plodding Sleep, Deftones sound, enter Troy who brought more of a Melvins influenced sound. On the tracks that I have had more of a role in shaping musically, you will find lots of early Sabbath influences. Chris is the most adept and prolific music composer of all of us. His arrangements are the most developed and usually the most complex. I hold down the lyrics and melodies there.
Greg Fenlong and Lou Barrese joined the core lineup as the two guitar voices on this record. How did their arrival change the approach to songwriting and arrangement? What does having two guitars in the room open up that wasn’t there before?
Chris
Actually, I play the rhythm guitars and Lou plays all the solos and additional guitars except for Goodbye and Circus. Greg joined just after we recorded the album is now playing with us live.
“Raining Fire” is out May 29 via Argonauta Records. How did this record come together? Was there a clear direction from the start, or did it take shape progressively during the writing and recording process?
Chris
I let Mark choose which songs he would like to work on first. I give a large plate to choose from.
Mark
Yeah remember what I said about being a prolific composer? Between the years of the pandemic and Chris’s, I’m going to wake up and record a song today…I think we have at least another 2 albums of material to release. As we listen to the tracks, there are some songs that just seem to feel more natural together. We let the songs tell us the album story.
The album opens with the title track — raw, immediate, no buildup. Was that a deliberate choice to set the tone from the first second, or did “Raining Fire” simply end up as the natural opener?
Chris
When I started to write the music for RAINING FIRE the first song I had was Time and I remember playing it for Mark and saying I know it’s long but I know the right person to play the solos and that was Lou Barrese. I told Mark it’s the last song on the album and the first song will be Raining fire now I’m going to write the rest.
The record moves through Heavy Psych, Stoner and Doom with a strong sense of internal coherence across ten tracks. Was sequencing a significant part of the process? How did you decide the order of the tracks?
Chris
I look to see which song flows into the next best. How a story should be best told.
Mark
Yeah that is exactly what I meant when I said we let the songs tell the story.
“Dogs of War” and “Time” stand out as two of the most atmospheric and structurally developed tracks on the album — the first sitting at a precise intersection between Doom and Heavy Psych, the second stretching past seven minutes with an extended instrumental section. Were those tracks conceived differently from the rest, or did they evolve naturally out of the same writing sessions?
Chris
Sometimes a song starts out one way and totally changes when you’re done. sometime you make a mistake and that’s a happy accident which turns out to be just what the song needed. Mark brings the punk aspect and i bring the heavy psych.
Mark
Heavy pscyh…hmmm….you definitely have the more refined direction. Think of it this way, Chris brings the polished experimentation of Bowie while I kind of bring the Iggy Pop. If we each recorded a version of Neighborhood Threat or China Girl independent of each other, I know where along the continuum my version would fall and where Chris’s would fall for certain.
Christopher Konys‘ bass is central to how this record sounds — it carries harmonic weight, drives the groove, and occupies the low end with a presence that’s felt physically. How does the bass function in Sons Of Ghidorah‘s compositional process? Does it lead, or does it respond?
Chris
I would say a little of both. Sometimes I have a bass groove and sometimes I have a guitar groove I bounce between the two when writing a song.
“Circus” closes with what sounds like crowd applause. What’s behind that detail — is there a specific live moment connected to that track, or is it a broader statement about the band’s relationship with the stage?
Chris
When I played the track for Mark I told him that it was about a person on a ledge and the crowd below him half cheering for him to jump and the other half wanting him to be saved. a man’s life in a metaphor of a high wire at the circus.
Argonauta Records has built a strong catalog in the Heavy Psych and Doom space. How did the connection with the label come about, and what does working with them bring to the table beyond the release itself?
Mark
I will say that working with Argonauta Records is a breath of fresh air. The last label we were on, the owner was a good guy but he had a lot going on and really wasn’t in a position to promote or distribute the bands that were on his label properly. Not ill intended, just a lot happening. There is a more nefarious story behind all of that, which had nothing to do with the original label owner that I won’t get into here. I don’t want to throw any bad karma out there. I knew a number of acts that had worked with Argonauta and were really happy with their partnership so we reached out for the release of Hallowmas. We are stoked to have the opportunity to collaborate with everyone at Argonauta Records and Grand Sounds Promotion on the release of Raining Fire.
Sons Of Ghidorah has been active for over a decade. What does the live dimension mean to this band — is the stage where the music fully becomes itself?
Mark
It is always a privilege to stand in front of the warm buzz of amplifiers and thunder of drums and have everything shake inside your body when we bring the music to life.
Is there a live moment — a specific show, a specific night — that stays with you as a defining experience for the band?
Mark
We have been able to share the stage with some legendary people. When we played with the Obsessed and Wino grabbed me after our set and said “that was an awesome set man!” That was an amazing moment. Having someone that you have looked up to make that connection…I don’t have the words.
Are there live dates planned around the release of “Raining Fire“? What can audiences expect from the band on stage right now?
Mark
Right now our live crew is Chris, me, Greg and Michael. We intend on working some of the local festivals throughout the summer.
The Heavy Psych, Stoner and Doom scene in the US has shifted considerably over the past decade — new bands, new labels, new audiences. How do you read the current landscape from the inside? Is there a sense of community, or does it feel fragmented?
Mark
I think it will always feel a bit fragmented but there are coalitions of bands that work together to help each other and promote the scene in a very organic way. I would love to see the scene grow but I’m always skeptical when things get too big. I know it is self defeating and a bit selfish, but I want to say, “this is our thing, don’t come and try to make it something it isn’t, don’t fuck it up!”
What’s next for Sons Of Ghidorah beyond “Raining Fire“? Anything already in motion — new material, collaborations, plans you can share?
Chris
I write music all the time so much so Mark has asked me to slow down. Last summer I fell and fractured both my arms, that gave Mark a two month break lol.
Mark
100% true story.
We’d like to thank Sons Of Ghidorah for their time and for “Raining Fire” — a record that speaks for itself. The album is out May 29 via Argonauta Records. Full review available on PRJ.
Purchase “Raining Fire” here: https://shop.argonautarecords.com/
Read the Review of “Rining Fire” here: [Review] Sons Of Ghidorah – Raining Fire