Featured Band: Downfall of Gaia

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Dark sludge lords are tonight’s featured band

Downfall of Gaia is a dark wall, moving forward relentlessly, enveloping the listener, absorbing one’s spirit to take one into the realm of the band’s potent sound.

Founded in 2008 and having undergone several changes on drums, the quartet is now comprised of Dominik Goncalves dos Reis (guitar and vocals), Peter Wolff (guitar and vocals), Anton Lisovoj (bass and vocals) and Michael Kadnar (drums), who are respectively located in Berlin, Hamburg, and New York City. Although the group’s roots lie within the crust punk scene, they have become more closely associated with a sound that rather corresponds to the impact of an avalanche made from black earth, rock, and dirty sludge, while their lyrics poetically describe the dark side of living
In their early days, they released one demo, which was heavily influenced by d-beat, in addition to a split tape with French band Kazan in advance to a tour EP in 2009. Their debut album “Epos” followed in 2010, which was realized with the help of several DIY-labels.

The band’s connection to the DIY and punk scenes eventually led to a split LP with In The Hearts Of Emperors on Alerta Antifascista, one of the most important punk labels in Germany, as well as Moment Of Collapse and Shove Records.

The band never intended to stagnate, and naturally their sound underwent significant changes. Downfall of Gaia drifted away from fast crust punk, which influenced their early work, towards longer and much slower material that became the more massive and doom and sludge.

In 2012, this new sound was heard on their second album, their first for legendary label Metal Blade Records, titled “Suffocating In The Swarm Of Cranes,” which more than satisfied what fans of infinite heaviness longed for, and made its appearance in annual end-of-the-year and best-of lists among critics and editors.

When Downfall of Gaia were not rehearsing or recording, they love to go on tour ever, which is something they’ve done since their humble beginnings: often and anywhere. They have travelled through almost every European country and played in most US states in 2011, as well as in 2013. In 2012, they even went to Russia, enthusing fans in Moscow. In 2013 alone, the group performed more than 100 concerts. In 2014, they gigged with Toxic Holocaust, Black Tusk or Neurosis and appeared at cult open air Hellfest in France.

Now in the same year, their excessive touring came to a halt to make time for their second release via Metal Blade. The band entered ’79 Sound Studio in Cologne and started working on new material. The results were mixed at renowned Atomic Garden Studio in the San Francisco Bay Area and mastered in Portland, Oregon, at notorious Audiosiege Studio. Finally, the new masterpiece was completed and is ready to ravage eager listeners. Once again, the band has developed a concept. The album addresses mankind’s most powerful enemy: time, which passes without mercy. Downfall of Gaia refrain from any calm moments, let alone pauses, and go full throttle immediately on “Aeon Unveils The Thrones Of Decay,” which is set to be released on November 7th/10th, 2014 in Europe and November 11th, 2014 in North America.

“Men talk of killing time, while time quietly kills them” ~ Dion Boucicault

Dominik Goncalves dos Reis – vocals/guitar
Peter Wolff – vocals/guitar
Anton Lisovoj – vocals/bass
Michael Kadnar – drums

Discography:
Demo (2008)
Split tape w/ Kazan (2009)
Epos (2010)
Split LP w/ In the Hearts of Emperors (2011)
Suffocating in the Swarm (2012)

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