GODSLAVE

GODSLAVE may not be a household name (yet) but they are certainly on the right track.  Their newest self-titled release has all the hallmarks of a classic in the thrash world and I see nothing but good things on the horizon for these guys.  For those of you who don’t know the band, they are a German outfit that released their first album in 2008 called “Bound By Chains”.  They released a number of records and then in 2021 they put out their last record or original material (until this new one) and then nothing for half a decade other than a covers disk.  Well, the year 2026 sees them charge back with what could be a career defining record and hopefully some shows (more on that in the interview).  I was lucky enough to get guitarist Manni to fill me in on himself, the band, and plans moving forward.

WORMWOOD CHRONICLES:  Congrats on the release of your latest album.  It has been quite a number of years since you released an album of original material.  What was going on in that time?

MANNI:  Thank you! The circumstances under which "Positive Aggressive" was written and released certainly played a part in that. Written during the Covid-Pandemic in 2020, there was a lot of uncertainty as to how this situation would play out, if concerts would come back and all that. We've all lived through that. Then the concerts did return, the festivals returned and life went back to normal, but the shock kinda stayed with us. There was structural rearrangement in the band itself considering the different fields of work and on top of all that, the inspiration for new material just wasn't there. I personally was pretty burned out by the circumstances behind "Positive" and so were the other guys in our songwriting team (Mika, Bernie and myself) to an extent. We tried different approaches to get back in the saddle after a time and then decided to work on "Champions", our tribute record to get back into the process and to bridge the gap to the new material so to speak.

That's how “Champions” came about and the work on that took me about a year, re-writing, demoing, pre-production, recording and all. The focused songwriting for "GODSLAVE" started in early 2025 I think. We needed that time to sort things out, refocus and (to pull the heartstrings) fall in love with the act of creating art again. And that simply took its time.

WC:  Not since “End of History” have you put forth as long a song as “The Fire That Calls Me”.  At what point in the writing process do you realize a song is going to be a long one?   Is that something you know from the start, or does the song just keep unfolding until you realize it needs the extra space?

M:  Usually it's the other way around really.  If anything, the boys ask me to get my songs under the 5 minute mark, since a long song has less of a chance to make it into the setlist. But with "The Fire That Calls Me", Mika handed us this epic beast and we sat with it, arranged it together and there was nearly no fat left to trim, since it had its natural flow and taking stuff away wouldn’t do the song any good. It unfolds naturally and takes its time, so we left it this way. I personally do like longer songs, but I see the point in keeping the songs more condensed for accessibility and a potential slot in the live set. We usually try to keep them as straight and focused as possible because of that.

WC:  Many of the songs deal with positivity and looking forward which is unique in this current environment.  What motivates those lyrics?

M:  The need to write them motivates them in the first place. For me and Bernie it's a clear case of therapeutic writing. "Name it to tame it".

Venting in your lyrics is fine, but more often than not, it doesn’t solve the problem itself. And that's where we put our focus and ask the question "What can YOU do about this mess now? Where are the dials YOU can turn to better this situation and grow?".  And for me personally, I need to remind myself of such things from time to time. And putting them into lyrics clears the thoughts out of my system.

WC:  What does the writing process look like for GODSLAVE?

M:  That depends. For the most part each of us writers deliver a more or less fully structured song. My songs for example are basically finished on an instrumental level, drums programmed, rhythm guitars fleshed out, arrangements, suspension arcs and all that. Usually the other songwriters receive a demo once I’m happy with the arrangement and then the song is in the pool. For Bernie and Mika they either send me their demos to put further work into or “Mannify” them: re-recording their guitar takes, polishing the drums and arrangement, bringing each song to the same level of production. This time around we met up at my place and worked on the existing ideas together. We bounced ideas back and forth, tried stuff out and had another song or two per session to go into the pool. Then we decide on the songs for the record and go from there. Lyrics and guitar solos are the last things to get done. This time Bernie and me shared the load considering lyrics and vocal lines, since each of us had ideas for their “own” songs and felt comfortable working on them alone.

WC:  Are there any songs that didn’t make the record?

M:  Yes, there are. But that doesn’t mean you’ll never get to hear that stuff.  Sometimes there's an idea, a demo or even a completely structured song, that just doesn't take off for some reason. The groove section, chorus and the whole of the solo section for "Let the Fire Come" for example were part of a song with the same title from back in 2019. Didn't work out then because something was off with the song as a whole. Then Bernie came around with his lyrical idea for our "Fire Duo", we tried stuff out, wrote a new verse and riffs and the rest fell into place naturally. In my opinion one of the coolest tunes we've ever written. It just took its time. Also there is some material  in the pipeline for the next record and also some songs for special occasions.

WC:  Aside from “Champions”, there seems to be a theme running through all your record covers.  How do you go about picking the album artwork?

M:  Our mascot "Horst" traditionally represents the current state of the band in every album era so far and so he develops, as does the band. We try to represent that in the album artwork. We're working with an Ukrainian artist by the name of Seeming Watcher since 2018's "Reborn Again". Usually the band gets together at some point in the writing process and discusses ideas, visualizations and concepts until everyone is kind of on the same page. Then we (Bernie for the most part) gets in touch with Dmitry, conveys the ideas and after a while there's the final artwork. Then there's revisions and so on until the final, final artwork is finally ready and our designer Johannes Belach puts everything together and then it's off to the printing press.

WC:  Speaking of “Champions”, there is a very diverse selection of the bands that you covered.  How did you go about picking the songs?

M:  We basically showed each other some of the most defining and influential songs from our childhoods, formative years and some stuff that was dear to our hearts. We had a pool of about 40 songs and we whittled it down to 20 that made the record. We refused to go with obvious choices anyone would pick (Master of Puppets, Paranoid, Number of the Beast), instead opting for little gems not everybody would know and have some fun with the rest. The outcome was an interesting tribute to the heroes in the second row, that gave the old “Band covers bigger Band” shtick a twist.

WC:  Was there a defining moment that made you choose to go into music?

M:  More of a defining phase I think. I personally loved music from an early age but picked up an instrument rather late at the age of 12.  My father is a musician and I’ve seen him and his country band onstage regularly in my childhood, but never had the urge to do it myself until that moment. I got into Metal a year later and at around 16 I felt like I found my calling making music. Then life happened, one thing led to another and here we are doing weekend trips to festivals and clubs across Germany while working stable nine-to-five jobs in the meantime, because a roof above your head is also a rather nice thing to have.

WC:  Who are your main influences?

M:  For me personally that would be METALLICA, MEGADETH and BLIND GUARDIAN. Each in a different way. METALLICA for the immortal image it put into my mind on how cool metal could look and how awesome it could make you feel. MEGADETH for how complex and technical guitar parts could be and how powerful of a driving force spite and anger can be. BLIND GUARDIAN for the artistic vision, for how intricate and detailed arrangements can be, how to capture a listener and for showing me how much more goes into Metal apart from brute force, aggression and anger.

WC:  Are there any bands or artists that you are a fan of that would surprise your listeners?

M:  I’m into Irish Folk, Singer-Songwriter stuff and Country music, but that’s hardly surprising these days. I do have a soft spot for Russian Hardbass and Eurodance though. Fun stuff aside, Stephen Lynch, Wheeler Walker Jr., Johnny Cash and PLANXTY are regulars in my playlists.

WC:  Are there any plans to tour on this release?

M:  We’ve got some shows scheduled for the remainder of this year and there are festival shows coming for next year. As stated, “touring” for us means shows on weekends like festival slots and dedicated club shows since everyone has their day jobs. But I’d be open to do so if the occasion would arise in the future.

WC:  Any plans to tour the U.S.?

M:  Currently not, but I personally would love to do so at some point.

WC:  Who would you like to tour with?  What would be your dream concert line-up?

M:  I could see us opening up for EXODUS or one of the other Bay Area Thrashers. A literal dream line-up would be GODSLAVE, HEATHEN, TRIVIUM and EXODUS.

WC:  Have you had any Spinal Tap moments while on the road?

M:  Nothing fancy like a drummer spontaneously combusting or amps with dials up to eleven, but we had our bus break down on the way to festivals or on the way back home a few times. Also there were tree climbing mishaps caught on camera, pre-show workouts with Peavey amp-heads, first-row-fans igniting our pyrotechnics prematurely by pushing random buttons on-stage during change-over.

WC:  What was the last CD you purchased?

M:  Last physical CD would be “Blind Guardian - Somewhere Far Beyond Revisited Ltd. Edition” back in 2024. They re-recorded their classic for the 30 year anniversary. Beats any MANOWAR Re-Recording by far. The last actual album would be “Against Humanity” by THE SPIRIT. Limited Edition marble vinyl though.

WC:  What was the last concert you attended as a fan?

M:  THE SPIRIT in Saarbrücken last year, “Against Humanity Tour 2025”.

WC:  What’s next for GODSLAVE?

M:  We’re looking forward to playing the new songs on the upcoming dates. Other than that, there’s always a new record to make, new cities to play, things to improve on and bands to meet on the road. We’ll be around!

WC:  Any last words for your fans?

M:  Thanks for sticking around and waiting! I hope you enjoy the new record as thoroughly as I’ve enjoyed answering these questions! Hug your parents while you can, drink enough water and remember to also be kind to yourself from time to time! You matter and YOU are PART OF THE PACK and we would be nothing without you! So thank you!

GODSLAVE