Hyderabad and technical death metal have been synonymous with GODLESS since some years now. Since their formation, they’ve toured with Psycroptic, smashed a set at Wacken Open Air, and carved a reputation for playing technical, no-bullshit death metal. After longtime frontman Kaushal LS stepped down, founding bassist Abbas Razvi is now the last man standing from the early days, and we have a fresh lineup. I was genuinely curious about what the next chapter would sound like. With Genesis of Decay, their latest EP, Godless answers that question with a clenched fist and a wall of sound.
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Clocking in at just under 16 minutes, Genesis of Decay (fittingly can be abbreviated to GOD) is short, mean, and straight to the point. Five tracks, zero filler. It’s a lean slab of technical death metal with just the right amount of thrash to keep things dangerously sharp. And yet, it never tries to be flashy or ‘modern’ for the sake of trendiness. There’s something very grounded about this EP, like the band knows exactly what they want to say and how to say it. Loudly, that is.
Vocalist Nangsan Lyngwa (also of Catatonic) steps in with a voice that feels made for this, ie, raw and commanding. Right from opener Amorphous Mass, you’re hit with that old-school precision riffwork by guitarist Moiz Mustafa that Godless is known for. The lyrics paint a dystopian transformation of mind and body, and the rhythm section just goes for the throat. Nikhil Rajkumar (also of Demonic Resurrection and Ksetravid) absolutely kills it on drums, being unrelenting and dynamic without ever distracting from the guitars. I remember Sahil Makhija once joked that Nikhil’s going to be in every band, and honestly, if he keeps playing like this, I wouldn’t mind.
Doctrine of Hate and Silent Oppression are thematically heavy and musically relentless. Both tracks rage against manipulation and systemic control, not in a ham-fisted way but through lyrics that feel poetic and pissed-off. Doctrine especially stands out with its solo and riff sections. Silent Oppression builds this creeping dread before launching into a full-scale assault. Prologue to Dissent is a brief instrumental that acts like a haunting palette cleanser, letting you breathe for just a moment, before Echoes of Collapse brings the storm right back. It’s a fitting closer, dark and apocalyptic lingering in your ears long after it ends.
Godless here run over the wheel with precision and purpose. Genesis of Decay is a refined and brutal release. It’s confident, tight, and doesn’t waste a second. For anyone who’s been craving no-nonsense technical death metal with thrash elements that bite hard, this EP is worth putting on repeat. Genesis of Decay doesn’t reinvent the genre, and thank god for that. It’s death metal done right. Furious, focused, and unrelenting. But with some polished production, to their credit. Whether you’re a longtime fan or just curious what the Indian extreme metal scene is up to, this one’s worth every spin.
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