Douglas Sherman — one of the two founding guitarists of Gozu, bar/restauranteur and co-owner of The Hollows in Boston (if you go, make sure you order a The Obelisk Dark & Stormy), horror aficionado and all around wonderful guy — is currently on tour supporting his band’s new album, VI (review here). Their third full-length to see issue through Metal Blade Records imprint Blacklight Media, it is also their first LP in 13 years to be helmed by producer Benny Grotto at Mad Oak Studios.

I don’t know if ‘Gozu x Mad Oak‘ counts as a reunion, or a reboot or what, but their return to those hallowed halls of Boston underground rock comes after a succession of three albums — 2016’s Revival (review here), 2018’s Equilibrium (review here) and 2023’s Remedy (review here) — with Dean Baltulonis at Wild Arctic Studio in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, who helped them bring out the sense of charge that typified their work during that time. Sherman, guitarist/vocalist/bringer-of-the-funk Marc Gaffney, bassist/roller-of-groove Joe Grotto and now-former drummer Seth Botos hitting Mad Oak is a noteworthy return, and the breadth of tone and overarching warmth throughout VI is a perfect demonstration of why the pairing worked so well on Gozu‘s first two LPs, 2010’s Locust Season (review here) and 2013’s The Fury of a Patient Man (review here).

Listening to the record, I was curious as to what prompted the return — spoiler alert: the operational convenience of not taking the band from Boston to Portsmouth was a factor — and as it had been a while, wanted to chat with Doug about its making and the band’s latest doings in general. Last year you might’ve seen them supporting Baroness or touring with The Obsessed and Howling Giant. In addition to the touring they’ll do throughout the second half of 2026, you might catch them next January at Planet Desert Rock Weekend VII in Las Vegas, as I also hope very much to do.

What follows was recorded just as the band was making ready to head out on the current run. Thanks for reading.

—

Gozu Interview with Douglas Sherman – May 22, 2026

How are you feeling about starting the work again of supporting a new record?

I feel great. I love the video. I love the new album. I’m pretty psyched about it. I think this is definitely, for me personally, one of my faves in terms of how it came about, in terms of what was going on in our lives to actually crank this out. It’s just a little bit more raw and aggressive, you know. Let’s say it again.

Tell me about that. What was going on?

Well, I think there’s a lot. Bands are are funny, funny organisms, and depending on what’s going on in everyone’s life is depends on what kind of album comes out. Nowadays, especially with everything outside of of our personal lives, how insane the world is, and just how everyone’s tried to navigate life in general, to try to find like little seeds of positivity to get through the day. At least on my end, it’s hard to get four people nowadays together — since Covid into this administration — to do something positive together, and those forces that are outside affect people that are in the band, and that affects what happens, when you try to write, or you try to do something creative, and we were just fortunate enough to kind of crank through all that.

We didn’t really overthink it too much, so I feel like it was a little bit easier than past, but also we just had a good, good crop of tunes, and I’m always writing, and Gaff is always writing, and so it wasn’t anything short of material, it was just what was, what was going to make sense for the, for this album in particular, to to showcase what was exactly going on, and then at that, at one point, while we were writing, I decided to, in this, in this economy, decided to become a partner in a restaurant, in a bar, and, and so, as I, yeah, so not only am I in a band that’s, not making money, I have a restaurant that’s, trying to make money right now, so it’s like two…

A litany of terrible fiscal decisions.

Yeah, so it’s it’s fun. So my whole life is pretty much I wake up and everything’s on fire and I’m trying to trying to figure out how to navigate it. But it is fun. I love jumping into this venture of owning a restaurant, but also it’s geared towards a lot of like stuff that we’re all into, like music, and so kind of like it coincides with everything, so just getting that rolling, and then getting the album together, was a lot of pressure. And then we, we went with Benny Grotto, who did, Locust Season, the first one, and I think half the second one, of Fury, and we wanted to get back to those roots, and to something familiar.

We weren’t going to something that was unknown. We just wanted everything to be comfortable when we went in there to record, and I think the product was good, also Seth, at that point, decided he was leaving the band on good terms. Everything was fine. It was personal stuff, and it’s tough being in a band. You know, it’s not easy. And so he was on his way out, but he wanted to do the album, which was awesome. And we love him to death. And it’s very commendable and honorable that, he did that and killed it. We had this limited timeline, a person leaving, personal stuff going on in my life, and Gaff’s life, and everyone else’s life, like anything.

And so, long story short, this is what came out of it, and I think it kind of represents everything. We still have those kind of like roots in desert rock/stoner rock stuff, but also we have a little bit more of a, I don’t know if it’s a harder edge, but just more, more aggressive, but also, focusing on melody, which is number one with us in choruses, and how to create courses, and like how to actually do that, because it’s hard, you know. We could sit around, just do whatever, and just kind of like come up with anything, but we’re still trying to figure out how to actually write a good pop tune, and it’s hard.

You mentioned starting being partner in a restaurant, starting The Hollows. I was going to ask if that’s going to change the being on tour for you, waking up and still having to put out those fires every day.

No, because I’m going partnered with my girlfriend and another partner, and so I’ll be connected to all of them, and plus I have security cameras where I can be yelling at bartenders over text: put that money back, stop drinking on the job, that kind of thing. But yeah, no, it’ll be the same. It’s a lot, and it’s a lot of work, that’s all I can say, and I have a lot of respect for people who do that kind of stuff, and now more than ever, but yeah, no, it’d be the same, and the beauty of technology is you can tour and work from the van, which is pretty much what everybody does right now. A lot of jobs are so easy, to have that luxury of getting in the van and during the day, do work, and then at night play and that’s kind of how it is.

What new songs are in the set?

Good question. We have six off the new one, so that “Corinthian Leatherface,” “They Did Know Karate,” “Midnight Express.” Fuck. The name situation is still — we’re still trying to remember the names, because they’ve changed so many times, and they’re all fucking all over the place. So, six of the newest ones, and then we have a bunch of old stuff, and it’s kind of cool, because I’m not used to at this point being like, oh shit, we’ve been doing this for a while now, but we have these kind of tunes that we haven’t played before that are cool but we’re not doing this time. I think the next run we’ll do a lot of like older stuff, and it’s kind of getting that weird point where it’s like, pull up the hits, or like, do stuff we haven’t done before and that kind of thing. So it’s kind of weird, but it’s an hour set we have geared for, so it kind of runs the gamut of everything, plus these new six songs. This will be the first time we’re touring and playing like the majority of the new album, so I’m really, really psyched about that, just to push it and stuff.

How did co-headlining with Restless Spirit come about?

I love them. I think this is a good pairing. When I was working at the Middle East bartending, I saw them play a bunch of times, and I’ve always talked to a them about potentially doing a tour, and like that kind of thing. It’s always been, yeah, we’ll get together, but their manager, if I remember correctly, is our manager as well. So it kind of lined up that they were putting out an album, and we were putting out an album literally at the same time. So I was like, hey, let’s do this, and it kind of worked out, and it’s a good fit, I think, and a good package, to run around the States, and make something happen.

Last year you were supporting The Obsessed. Is it a different mindset for you starting something like this than that? Do you think about these shows differently, as your shows?

Yeah, I mean, those tours are awesome. Every time we’ve headlined, it’s always been kind of weird, because we never really matched up too well with like an actual huge package tour, and so I think this one lines up well in terms of styles, and so it’s a lot easier. It also puts a lot of pressure on the band to do a lot of shit to make stuff happen, because when you’re supporting a band that’s legendary like The Obsessed or Baroness, it’s just easy to be like, yeah, we’ll run a set, and whatever happens, happens. Subconsciously it’s not on us. But when you’re in charge of it, or it falls on you, how the show goes, it puts a different mindset to it, and when you have a good band like Restless Spirit co-headlining, it makes it that much more stronger, and you feel confident about it. So, I feel confident about it, going into it. Whereas before, I would definitely be afraid, like, “Oh, is this going to happen?” Like, “How’s this going to end up?” and that kind of thing.

I was okay looking at the back of the record. What is “Holla if You Hear Me Records?”

Okay, it’s weird. Yeah, so this album, so confusing. The album’s out on Metal Blade/BlackLight Media, but we’re licensing it for the first time from Metal Blade, so we’re licensing the album from them.

What does that mean?

You’re paying for them to put it out. They’re letting us use the songs and we’re responsible for putting it out ourselves. That is the nutshell of it, and so, in order to do that, you have to kind of form your own little corporation to do it. That’s what that is. It’s weird. It was kind of thrown upon us. We didn’t really know how to navigate that. I’m still trying to figure it out, too. I’m not extremely well-versed in this area, but the short of it is, they’re still putting out the album and doing the big machine, press, and backing us on that end, but in terms of putting it out, they’re going to do digital, but we’re responsible for everything else, and if we wanted to do anything else, it’s on us. We’d have to buy it from them. So we buy the song, buy the licensing from them to do it.

That’s why we don’t have CDs right now, because, quite frankly, it’s fucking expensive. And so we choose between CDs and vinyl, you know? I just chose vinyl because I think vinyl is the way to go. It’s just more tangible, it has more of an appeal factor, and people that even don’t listen to vinyl will buy it. But also, a lot of people in our genre buy vinyl. That’s what they do. But a lot of people hit me up now for CDs, so it’s just this weird thing again, where I’m just trying to figure out, like, what a lot of people – it’s not even just like a couple people, it’s been a lot — and so we’re going to be doing that as well, just not right now. So it’s kind of.. it’s kind of piecemealing this out.

What that also means is distribution is kind of rough too, because now that we have the vinyl out, it’s like we’re our own company. Now we’re looking for distribution in Europe, right now, and some other places to get it out there, because right now we’re just primarily using Bandcamp to put the vinyl out, which has been fine. It’s been very interesting on that, and using Bandcamp is kind of our stable to put it out. It’s kind of a weird thing. It’s almost like we’re back to square one with a huge, company pushing the PR and everything else, behind us with full support.

From here, will you guys put out your own records? Is that the way you’re going?

I don’t know, I don’t know. I don’t know what’s going to happen next. When it comes time, yeah, I’m definitely ready. We have to figure out what that’s going to look like. I mean, we could. It’s hard because the thing is, right now, what pushes albums, unfortunately, is the PR machine, the algorithm machine, getting it. How you get seen by a lot of people is word of mouth, and that word of mouth has to come from social media, and how do you make that happen? You know, and it’s just what it is. It’s like chasing the dragon to kind of push this out. So, yeah, we’ll figure it out, you know. We’ve done this for a while, so hopefully, I think we can navigate this one. And I mean, couple years from now, who the hell knows what the situation is going to be? You could literally — and I think I’ve seen other bands do this too — they just form their own record labels, and they just put them out themselves. You can do it, it’s easy. It’s just more about, do you have the time to put the back end together to do that work.

In addition to all the other work.

Exactly, exactly. I think that’s part of it too. Technology, as much as it is good, it can be hard, but for the positive end it can make musicians independent and successful at the same time.

Talk to me about being at Mad Oak. How much was that a homecoming for you?

Yeah, it’s great. And they just moved that studio to another right across the street into an awesome, awesome room the across the way. That we were one of the last bands to record at the previous one was awesome. It was good being there. It was just good vibes, and Benny’s super-talented, and he delivered. It just felt easy. You know, we went in there, we did our thing, we gave him the songs beforehand, and hearing, he knew what he was going to do, and so it was seamless at that point. But it’s just good vibes in general. We did record the basics at the new one, the new Mad Oak, and it’s awesome, super-sleek, homey, and super-fun, and got to see [Craig] Riggs [owner of Mad Oak, vocalist in Kind, Sasquatch drummer, etc.], of course, and just it was good to hang with homies and make it happen. Yeah, good mojo.

Was there was there something about the songs that made you want to do that, take that route with them?

No, I think was that thing where we were talking about before, about just everything kind of being hectic in life, and just the way everything is, and we just didn’t want to think too much in terms of traveling somewhere or doing something with somebody. We wanted something that was like a short hit and a sure thing, and just to be familiar in the family end of having Benny there, and being comfortable, making this happen without thinking about, is this guy going to get it right, what’s this guy’s work ethic, and that kind of thing.

He knocked it out of the park, and he was great, which psyched for him, he’s got amazing ears for that kind of stuff, and he’s also grown when we worked with him in 2009 or ’10. I mean, we’re in ’26 right now, so he’s also come into his own as an amazing engineer and super-talented. As we all know, and he’s done awesome albums for everybody in bands that we know in our genre. It just became a thing where it was just easy to make it all happen, and but also make it happen in a way that was super-fast and not laborious, so low drama. Yeah, no drama at all. So it was great.

What are your plans for the rest of the year? When are you going to Europe?

Yeah, it’s a good question. We’re looking for Europe right now, so hopefully we can, make that happen this year. I don’t know what the plans are for that yet, but hopefully something soon. If not the fall, hopefully the winter, we can make something happen, but no plans right now. I know we have this tour, and we have something coming up in January, and other than that, nothing yet after this on the books yet. I’m sure something will come up.

—

GOZU remaining tour dates w/ Restless Spirit:
6/11/2026 Knucklehead – Los Angeles, CA
6/16/2026 The Lost Well – Austin, TX
6/17/2026 Siberia – New Orleans, LA
6/18/2026 Eastside Bowl – Nashville, TN
6/19/2026 Bogg’s Social & Supply – Atlanta, GA
6/20/2026 New Brookland Tavern – West Columbia, SC
6/21/2026 Chapel Of Bones – Raleigh, NC
6/23/2026 The Camel – Richmond, VA
6/24/2026 Metro Gallery – Baltimore, MD
6/25/2026 Gold Sounds – Brooklyn, NY
6/26/2026 Nikki Lopez – Philadelphia, PA
6/27/2026 Middle East Upstairs – Cambridge, MA

Gozu, VI (2026)

Gozu, “Banacek” official video

Gozu Linktr.ee

Gozu on Bandcamp

Gozu on Instagram

Gozu on Facebook

Blacklight Media website

Blacklight Media on Instagram

Blacklight Media on Facebook

On any level you’d like to consider, Gozu are a different band than they were 13 years ago when they last worked with Mad Oak Studios to produce an album. And 2013’s The Fury of a Patient Man (review here) was a monster, don’t get me wrong, but the Boston-based four-piece would go on to up the level of aggression and charge in their sound throughout the remainder of the 2010s and into the 2020s, with a succession of three rager LPs — just so they’re listed: 2016’s Revival (review here), 2018’s Equilibrium (review here) and 2023’s Remedy (review here) — all helmed by Dean Baltulonis. Not only that, but in that 13 years, the work of being a band they’ve done, the touring, the building of an identity in their sound, the refining of their craft, and in Gozu‘s case the solidification of their lineup with founding guitarists Marc Gaffney (also vocals) and Doug Sherman, bassist Joe Grotto (who joined after The Fury of a Patient Man was recorded) and drummer Seth Botos (who came aboard as the band reemerged from the pandemic four years ago).

That’s not to say change would or could never come to the band again, but that the Benny Grotto — yes, Joe‘s brother and a noted producer/engineer besides — recording job on VI finds Gozu utterly locked in and able to play to multiple sides of their sound like the veterans they’ve become. They know what they’re doing, in other words, and the eight-song/45-minute VI sets a high standard for itself immediately and lives up to it precisely through that diversity of approach. Gozu have never just done one thing or only been one kind of band — a genre tag like ‘heavy rock’ certainly applies, but hardly captures the totality of it or the soul in Gaffney‘s vocals — and VI celebrates the scope of their sound.

Benny Grotto and Mad Oak are known for tonal warmth and energy capture in performances. It’s what’s made the Craig Riggs-owned spot such a home for the Boston heavy underground over the years. VI benefits from both of these, of course, whether that’s happening in the spacious “Corner Lariot” or in the subsequent thrust of lead single “Banacek.” Gozu maintain a characteristic penchant for melody, and though it’s with a hearty dose of stank-fuzz on “Corinthian Leatherface” — get it? — that they lead off and begin to build the momentum that carries them through the bulk of side A, the vocal layering in the later hook, much like the more massive/slower-rolling “Midnight Express” that follows and builds to a crash-laden finish, demonstrate the band’s ongoing ability to embody different ideas at the same time.

Indeed, some 16 years after their acknowledged first full-length, 2010’s Small Stone-delivered Locust Season (discussed here; review here), their personality is defined by that ability, and it becomes the underpinning that draws the songs together and helps create the full-album flow in which one is immersed while listening. It’s not just about varying tempo, but that’s part of it, and Gozu revel in the back and forth with those first two tracks as a model for how much of VI converses with itself, how the songs interact. The chuggy charge of “Killer Khan” into the airier build of “Corner Lariot” — loaded with breadth and gorgeous — the payoff of which caps the first side of the LP, make for no less of a relevant example. It’s the pattern they set, and they set it like the professionals they are.

Side B continues the thread as the aforementioned “Banacek,” which to my ear is as fast as they get on VI, arrives paired with the 7:23 “They Did Know Karate,” which is denser and carries more weight accordingly than did “Corner Lariot,” but still slower and more spacious than direct, with a highlight wash in its chorus and later reaches. The gallop of “Banacek” and Botos‘ snare through that last chorus that pays off the start of the second half of the record don’t quite slam into a wall with the outset of “They Did Know Karate,” but it’s intended to be a stark moment and it is. Both are rich in terms of sound, and I suppose you could say the same of everything that surrounds them, but the two together emphasize what the band are trying to do at this stage, as well as their success at it.

It’s about being one thing while doing more. A unity through diversity, of charge, tempo, mood and melody. The album’s last couple breaks out of the pattern a bit, with “Gimme the Lute” picking up from the crescendo of “They Did Know Karate,” the residual rumble thereof, hitting fast and straight-ahead. It’s not as careening as “Banacek,” but feels like a piece that would’ve been totally alien to Gozu the last time they were at Mad Oak that now feels like a modus inherited from their last three records; evidence, therefore, of the growth in their style and approach over those years, not that such evidence was lacking.

The change comes as “Corvette Summer” (surely a golden memory for Mark Hamill) closes. It feels something like a bookend with “Corinthian Leatherface” for being midtempo and just over five minutes long, but its chugging central riff is entirely funkier and the way Gaffney meets that on vocals and Sherman‘s final twister solo make it a party and the roll from Grotto and Botos as they move scorchingly into the fadeout stand testament to the idea that the finale probably could’ve gone longer. One would not fault Gozu for efficiency when they’ve already got a couple longer tracks behind them; it’s a move you make with an editorial mindset, something emblematic of the band’s experience in the studio, and something that ultimately ends VI on a note of purpose.

I am a Gozu fan and have been for a long time, so I’m not going to pretend I wasn’t excited to hear where VI would take them, how it would relate to the five albums in their catalog before it and move forward from where they were on Remedy. The answer to that is that Gozu haven’t abandoned their on-the-beat force of delivery and for returning to Mad Oak as prodigal riffers, they unpretentiously let the grooves speak for themselves across the board. They’re not coming full circle, or not just doing so, anyhow, but continuing to find new avenues of expression and new ways of balancing the elements within their core approach. Six records deep, that feels pretty special to hear.

Gozu, VI (2026)

Gozu, “Banacek” official video

Gozu Linktr.ee

Gozu on Bandcamp

Gozu on Instagram

Gozu on Facebook

Blacklight Media website

Blacklight Media on Instagram

Blacklight Media on Facebook

Boston’s Gozu are set to take off in May on a month-long, coast-to-coast US tour to support ther new album, VI. They’ll be co-headlining with Restless Spirit as they make essentially a massive loop around the country. Restless Spirit also go supporting their new record, also out in May. So you might say it’s a good fit.

Last week, Gozu posted the video for “Banacek” as the first single from VI, as well as preorders and all that whatnot. If you haven’t checked out the song or watch the chicken have its sweet revenge for the proliferation of eating wings, or if you have, I can only recommend you partake down at the bottom of this post.

The announcement came down the PR wire:

GOZU To Join Restless Spirit For US Co-Headlining Tour; Tickets On Sale This Friday

Massachusetts stoner/fuzz rock outfit GOZU will join New York stoner/doom metallers Restless Spirit for a US co-headlining tour. The journey begins on May 24th in Providence, Rhode Island and runs through June 27th in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

GOZU vocalist/guitarist Marc Gaffney comments, “GOZU is incredibly excited to get back on the road and get it going. The new album [Gozu VI] will be prominent in the set, and we will be playing songs from all of our albums. So, get ready to shake your ass and top that glass. Eat a peach!”

Adds Restless Spirit vocalist/guitarist Paul Aloisio, “We are beyond excited to bring our new songs on the road after working so hard to create what we feel is our best album to date. [Restless Spirit is set for release May 8th]. We’ll be curating a setlist that will cater to fans of all eras of the band, both old and new. And by joining forces with GOZU, we know for a fact that there is going to be an abundance of heaviness each night. Don’t miss this tour!”

Tickets go on sale Friday, April 3rd at 10:00am local time. See all confirmed dates below.

GOZU w/ Restless Spirit:
5/24/2026 Alchemy – Providence, RI
5/26/2026 Photo City – Rochester, NY
5/27/2026 Centennial Hall – Erie, PA
5/29/2026 The Green Door – Lansing, MI
5/30/2026 Reggies Music Joint – Chicago, IL
5/31/2026 7th St Entry – Minneapolis, MN
6/02/2026 The Record Bar – Kansas City, MO
6/03/2026 HQ – Denver, CO
6/05/2026 The Shredder – Boise, ID
6/06/2026 The Funhouse – Seattle, WA
6/07/2026 High Water Mark – Portland, OR
6/09/2026 Cafe Colonial – Sacramento, CA
6/11/2026 Knucklehead – Los Angeles, CA
6/16/2026 The Lost Well – Austin, TX
6/17/2026 Siberia – New Orleans, LA
6/18/2026 Eastside Bowl – Nashville, TN
6/19/2026 Bogg’s Social & Supply – Atlanta, GA
6/20/2026 New Brookland Tavern – West Columbia, SC
6/21/2026 Chapel Of Bones – Raleigh, NC
6/23/2026 The Camel – Richmond, VA
6/24/2026 Metro Gallery – Baltimore, MD
6/25/2026 Gold Sounds – Brooklyn, NY
6/26/2026 Nikki Lopez – Philadelphia, PA
6/27/2026 Middle East Upstairs – Cambridge, MA

GOZU will be touring in support of their forthcoming new full-length, Gozu VI, set for release on May 15th through Blacklight Media/Metal Blade Records. Gozu VI will be released digitally. Find preorders at: blacklightmediarecords.com/gozu.

Gozu VI Track Listing:
1. Corinthian Leatherface
2. Midnight Express
3. Killer Khan
4. Corner Lariot
5. Banacek!
6. They Did Know Karate
7. Gimme The Lute
8. Corvette Summer

GOZU is:
Marc Gaffney – guitar and vocals
Joe Grotto – bass
Doug Sherman – lead guitar
Seth Botos – drums

https://linktr.ee/gozu_boston
http://gozu.bandcamp.com
instagram.com/gozu666
https://www.facebook.com/GOZU666

http://www.blacklightmediarecords.com/
https://www.instagram.com/blacklightmediaofficial/
https://www.facebook.com/BlacklightMediaOfficial/

Gozu, VI (2026)

Gozu, “Banacek” official video

Any way you want to slice it, new Gozu is good news, but part of what I find exciting about the prospect of Gozu VI — indeed the Boston four-piece’s sixth LP since 2010’s Locust Season (discussed here; review here) — is it marks a return to Mad Oak Studio after three records in a row produced by Dean Baltulonis at Wild Arctic Studios in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. No question Baltulonis fostered some of their most brash, most aggressive material across 2016’s Revival (review here), 2018’s Equilibrium (review here) and 2023’s Remedy (review here), but as heard on Locust Season and its follow-up, 2013’s The Fury of a Patient Man (review here), producer Benny Grotto brings a different kind of warmth out of their sound.

Before we go anhy further, the video for first-single “Banacek” is at the bottom of this post. Heads up on brilliant shenanigans.

And not that I’ve heard Gozu VI or anything — wink wink nudge nudge — but that warmth is suited to songs that are more midtempo or, at least more midtempo on balance as the slow march of second cut “Midnight Express” builds in speed across its second half. Gozu have never been either all-charge or all-nod, and that remains a strength here as they foster intense stretches marked, as ever, by the soulful melodies of Marc Gaffney‘s vocals, but the atmospheric roll of “Corner Lariot” and the massive stride of later highlight “They Did Know Karate” feel full in their impact and the sharper corners and thrust of the subsequent “Gimme the Lute” (no lute that I could hear, not that I’ve heard the song) still carry through as a purposeful shift in intent before “Corvette Summer” (they’ve always loved a cult classic) finishes with due swagger. One could go on, but I guess that’s what a review is for, and we’ll get there.

For now, the PR wire brought album art and info thusly:

GOZU: Boston Stoner/Fuzz Rock Outfit To Release Gozu VI On May 15th Through Blacklight Media/Metal Blade Records; New Video/Single Now Streaming + Preorders Available

Preorder link: https://blacklightmediarecords.com/gozu

Boston stoner/fuzz rock outfit GOZU will release their long-awaited new full-length, Gozu VI, on May 15th through Blacklight Media/Metal Blade Records.

“We wanted something that really moved and hit a nerve,” says GOZU singer/guitarist Marc Gaffney on composing the band’s sixth studio album. “I was pretty roughed up emotionally while writing. I played guitar more in the past two years than ever before. I would work, go to the gym, come home, eat and then play guitar until I went to bed.”

The end result is eight action-packed tracks, produced and mixed by Benny Grotto at Boston’s Mad Oak Studios. Emotion is writ loud and large for the band that’s been praised for their “deep grooves, thick riff mechanics, soulful melodies,” and for creating a “musical stew that intoxicates the listener, sweeping them into another aural universe.”

Gaffney has spoken about the band’s, “maturity mixed with a childlike enthusiasm to play music,” and Gozu VI’s songs are proof positive. “I think this is more of a soulful, straight forward, guitar-driven album. Lyrically, this took on a whole different feel, and it wrote itself.”

“[Lead guitarist] Doug [Sherman] and I are always sending each other phone recordings,” the singer furthers. “So, we had a bunch in the mix when we all got together. It’s usually Doug and I meeting, then [drummer] Seth [Botos] and [bassist] Joseph [Grotto] hop on board and we all hammer it out. Lyrics for these tunes were written way ahead as I was going through some shit. I would write at night in this crappy apartment I was living in so I would not be indulging in cocktails,” Gaffney says. “Sometimes you must have your own therapy sessions, and I had a fuck ton!”

The singular band’s last album, 2023’s Remedy, was reviewed as an “utter triumph” and praised for being
“never too testosteroney, even when the songs are at their heaviest.” Of GOZU’s writing approach, The Obelisk wrote, “This has been GOZU‘s method for seven years now, to take the tones, grooves and – particularly in the vocals of guitarist Marc ‘Gaff’ Gaffney, the soul of heavy rock – and recontextualize them with a force of impact born of heavy metal.”

With Gozu VI, the lineup’s melding of intense, fuzzy ‘70s-inspired riffs, rich, catchy, grunge-esque vocal melodies, and a touch of oldschool stoner psychedelia has reached a zenith. Categorize them how you will. “We don’t mind if people think we’re stoner, doom, heavy, easy listening with a touch of cayenne pepper. I feel we’re just a heavy soulful band,” Gaff says. “We play music that people can shake their ass to and lyrics that are honest and deal with human nature.”

In advance of the record’s release, today GOZU presents their first single, “Banacek.” Comments Gaffney, “Iron Maiden is a huge favorite for all of us and we wanted a tune with that Steve Harris gallop. Jellyfish has always been a band that has crippled me with their amazing vocal harmonies so intrinsically that’s how the vocals arrived!”

Gozu VI will be released digitally. Find preorders at: blacklightmediarecords.com/gozu.

Gozu VI Track Listing:
1. Corinthian Leatherface
2. Midnight Express
3. Killer Khan
4. Corner Lariot
5. Banacek!
6. They Did Know Karate
7. Gimme The Lute
8. Corvette Summer

GOZU is:
Marc Gaffney – guitar and vocals
Joe Grotto – bass
Doug Sherman – lead guitar
Seth Botos – drums

https://linktr.ee/gozu_boston
http://gozu.bandcamp.com
instagram.com/gozu666
https://www.facebook.com/GOZU666

http://www.blacklightmediarecords.com/
https://www.instagram.com/blacklightmediaofficial/
https://www.facebook.com/BlacklightMediaOfficial/

Gozu, VI (2026)

Gozu, “Banacek” official video

Boston’s Gozu have already had a pretty busy summer, touring around their stopthrough at Rhüne Mountain Festival and taking part in the band-affiliated hometown underground fest Grub, Sweat & Beers last month. This past weekend, though, the four-piece entered Mad Oak Studios to begin recording their sixth album and the follow-up to 2023’s Remedy (review here), which the band have spent much of the last two years supporting live.

If it feels like a quick turnaround, that’s probably because the crater from Remedy is still steaming, but Gozu aren’t ones to let momentum slip or miss a chance to move forward. It’s particularly interesting that they’ve returned to Mad Oak Studios to work with Benny Grotto. Gozu‘s last three full-lengths — Remedy, 2018’s Equilibrium (review here) and 2016’s Revival (review here) — were recorded by Dean Baltulonis at Wild Arctic Studios in Portsmouth, New Hampshire.

Grotto helmed the two prior, 2013’s The Fury of a Patient Man (review here), 2010’s Locust Season (discussed here; review here). Considering the hard-edged style they’ve taken on over the course of the last decade working with Baltulonis, and the warmth both of Gozu‘s earliest LPs and Mad Oak‘s output more generally, I’ll be looking forward to how this re-pairing between band and producer works out.

The band have been doing updates on the socialwebs. They finished drums on Saturday. I don’t know how long they’ll actually be in or what the timeline is on the release, but the process has started. Here’s what they had to say:

“We are very excited to get in the studio at Mad Oak with Benny Grotto to record 8 songs for Metal Blade / Blacklight Media. Heavy AF and catchy as leprosy—this batch is loaded with riffs that stick and grooves that crush. Let’s get weird.”

– First day conquered. 3 songs down. Tomorrow we ride.

– Drums complete and @sethdeebo absolutely destroyed it!

GOZU is:
Marc Gaffney – guitar and vocals
Joe Grotto – bass
Doug Sherman – lead guitar
Seth Botos – drums

https://linktr.ee/gozu_boston
http://gozu.bandcamp.com
instagram.com/gozu666
https://www.facebook.com/GOZU666

http://www.blacklightmediarecords.com/
https://www.instagram.com/blacklightmediaofficial/
https://www.facebook.com/BlacklightMediaOfficial/

Gozu, “CLDZ” live at the Stone Church

Just Gozu on fire, you know how it goes. I was fortunate enough to catch the Boston throttlers last Fall at Desertfest New York (review here), and golly, that was a pleasure. That performance was part of a Fall tour that itself was only a fragment of one of the busiest years Gozu have had as a band. Setting out to support their 2023 album, Remedy (review here), the four-piece hit the road about 13 months ago with The Obsessed and Howling Giant, and it’s from that Spring tour that this footage comes.

There’s more than just this, as I understand it, and watching “Tom Cruise Control,” I can’t help but feel like Gozu are readier to put out a live record than they’ve ever been. Guitarist Doug Sherman has backed guitarist/singer Marc Gaffney on vocals all along, but as “Tom Cruise Control” makes clear, the band are all the more able to bring the layering and character of their studio work to life with Seth Botos on drums. Botos, who resides in the rhythm section alongside the charming groove factory that is Joe Grotto, joined Gozu in 2021, and the hook of “Tom Cruise Control” tells the story. Gaff goes up for the falsetto, and Botos slides in to cover the lower vocal part, and all of a sudden, Gozu are more able to bring the studio version of that song to life. Sherman can focus on shred as his apparent preference would dictate — certainly if he had any real interest in singing more, some chances would’ve come up in the 18-or-so years of the band — and the dynamic gets stronger for their having the additional flexibility. In this way, an already awesome band is made better. Watching the video is cool, and I’m not telling you not to do that, but if you focus on listening, I think you’ll agree: a live record sooner rather than later would be the way to go.

Until I can start the billboard campaign along I-95 between here and Beantown, please feel welcome to check out “Tom Cruise Control” below, as recorded in Vermont a year ago. And heads up, if I see more of these coming out I’ll probably post them too. Gozu are ‘any excuse is enough to write about’ in my mind.

Dig:

Gozu, “Tom Cruise Control” live

GOZU UNLEASHES LIVE VIDEO FROM STONE CHURCH, VT FROM THE OBSESSED / HOWLING GIANT TOUR

Boston riff-masters GOZU have released a searing live video from their performance at The Stone Church in Brattleboro, VT, recorded during their run on The Obsessed / Howling Giant Tour. The video captures the band at full power, delivering their signature mix of bone-crushing grooves, soaring melodies, and psychedelic swagger.

Credits
Stone Church VT
Videography: Garth Dunkel & Ryan Campbell
Edit: Garth Dunkel
mixed: Ben Grotto

GOZU has also officially begun writing their next album, set for release through Blacklight Media/Metal Blade Records.

GOZU is:
Marc Gaffney – guitar and vocals
Joe Grotto – bass
Doug Sherman – lead guitar
Seth Botos – drums

Gozu, Remedy (2023)

Gozu on Facebook

Gozu on Bandcamp

Gozu on Instagram

Blacklight Media website

Blacklight Media on Facebook

Blacklight Media on Instagram

Metal Blade Records website

I guess I posted these dates already, except for the last two this Fall in Louisville, Kentucky, and Sacramento, California. To those I’ll also add spots at Desertfest New York 2024 the weekend of Sept. 12-14 and Ripplefest Texas Sept. 19-22, so it’s safe to assume that even after they wrap up the stint they’ll begin this week supporting Baroness, then head to Europe barely a week after they probably get back home from the last show in Des Moines, Boston’s Gozu still won’t be done putting in road time in support of their 2023 album, Remedy (review here). Recall they were out earlier this Spring with The Obsessed and Howling Giant as well.

Why hit it so hard? Well, for one thing they can, and ain’t none of us getting any younger — except perhaps that Joe Grotto on bass — but on the most basic level, they very obviously believe in what they’re doing or tours like this wouldn’t happen. I doubt they’re making bank, even if they’re breaking even, but 10 days on this part of this continent, another 10 over there for that part of that one, it adds up, and if you’re gonna do the thing, do it. If the last three (four? five?) Gozu LPs have taught us anything, isn’t it that Gozu aren’t screwing around? Well, here they are, more than 15 years after their debut, going for it.

So yeah, I posted the dates before. The run with Baroness starts Friday. I may yet put the dates up again before then, just to emphasize the point.

For now:

GOZU To Support Baroness On Select US Shows; Tickets On Sale Now

Boston rock outfit GOZU will support Baroness on select dates of the band’s upcoming US run. GOZU will appear on the tour from May 31st in Portland, Maine through June 10th in Des Moines, Iowa. The journey follows GOZU’s recent US Spring tour with The Obsessed and Howling Giant. Additionally, the band will appear on this year’s edition of Louder Than Life in September and Aftershock in October.

Comments vocalist/guitarist Marc Gaffney, “Just came off an amazing tour with Howling Giant and The Obsessed. Now, hitting the road with Baroness. GOZU would like to make a public announcement: Caress before you dress.”

Tickets are on sale now. See all confirmed dates below.

GOZU w/ Baroness
5/31/2024 The State Theatre – Portland, ME
6/01/2024 District Music Hall – Norwalk, CT
6/02/2024 Essex – Rochester, NY
6/04/2024 The Pyramid Scheme – Grand Rapids, MI
6/05/2024 The Vogue – Indianapolis, IN
6/07/2024 Majestic Theatre – Madison, WI
6/08/2024 Durty Nellie’s – Palatine, IL
6/09/2024 House Of Blues – Chicago, IL
6/10/2024 Wooly’s – Des Moines, IA
End Tour

GOZU Euro Tour 2024
TU. 18.06.24 IT BOLOGNA FREAKOUT
WE. 19.06.24 IT VERONA FINE DI MONDO
TH. 20.06.24 AT KUFSTEIN KULTURFABRIK
FR. 21.06.24 DE MÜNSTER RARE GUITAR
SA. 22.06.24 ***OPEN SLOT***
SU. 23.06.24 ***OPEN SLOT***
MO. 24.06.24 ***OPEN SLOT***
TU. 25.06.24 FR CHAMBERY BRIN DE ZINC
WE. 26.06.24 FR ***OPEN SLOT***
TH. 27.06.24 FR ***OPEN SLOT***
FR. 28.06.24 FR CLISSON HELLFEST

GOZU Fall Dates:
9/29/2024 Louder Than Life @ Highland Festival Grounds – Louisville, KY
10/13/2024 Aftershock @ Discovery Park – Sacramento, CA

GOZU is:
Marc Gaffney – guitar and vocals
Joe Grotto – bass
Doug Sherman – lead guitar
Seth Botos – drums

[Gozu photo by Ed Kost.]

https://www.facebook.com/GOZU666
http://gozu.bandcamp.com
instagram.com/gozu666

https://www.instagram.com/blacklightmediaofficial/
https://www.facebook.com/BlacklightMediaOfficial/
http://www.blacklightmediarecords.com/

Gozu, Remedy (2023)

Gozu, Live at Sonia, Boston, MA, 04.09.24

Fresh off their month-long stint in March and April supporting The Obsessed, Boston heavy soul pushers Gozu last week unveiled the thus-far confirmed European dates leading up to their appearance at Hellfest in France this June, and wouldn’t you know, before I even managed to get that posted here, they followed up this week by announcing they’ll join Baroness and Poison Ruin for the East Coast and Midwestern portion of their own summer tour before they go abroad. Hot damn, is the bottom line.

Gozu are no strangers to time on the road — they were last in Europe in 2022 by my count, but don’t quote me on that — but they do seem to have hit it with marked purpose since releasing their stunner of a fifth long-player, Remedy (review here) last Spring, and with no shortage of cause to do so in the intensity of that collection. So much the better for them to head over again, and of course, if you’re in a position to help them with the open slots listed below, I encourage you do do so both as part of a general ethic of supporting underground bands on the tour, and because it’s the kind of gig you’ll be proud to have been a part of afterward.

And as a word to the wise, they’re very likely not done. They’ve already been confirmed for Desertfest New York (Sept. 12-14) and Ripplefest Texas (Sept. 19-22), Louder Than Life in Kentucky (Sept. 26-29) and Aftershock in Sacramento, CA (Oct. 10-13). Don’t be surprised if and when a tour comes to cover at least part of the travel in that stretch. Did I already mention “hot damn?”

I may not get to a ton of shows these days, and I had pangs missing the NYC date that capped the tour they just ended, but it warms my heart to see these guys getting out and putting their music in people’s faces where it belongs.

The below is cobbled together from Heavy Psych Sounds (their Euro booker) on the PR wire, Gozu‘s social media, and Baroness‘ website:

Hey all, we are stoked to announce that our US heavy rockers GOZU will tour Europe this Summer !!!

STILL FEW OPEN SLOTS

BOOK YOUR SHOW – WRITE TO: info@heavypsychsounds.com

GOZU Euro Tour 2024
TU. 18.06.24 IT BOLOGNA FREAKOUT
WE. 19.06.24 IT VERONA FINE DI MONDO
TH. 20.06.24 AT KUFSTEIN KULTURFABRIK
FR. 21.06.24 DE MÜNSTER RARE GUITAR
SA. 22.06.24 ***OPEN SLOT***
SU. 23.06.24 ***OPEN SLOT***
MO. 24.06.24 ***OPEN SLOT***
TU. 25.06.24 FR CHAMBERY BRIN DE ZINC
WE. 26.06.24 FR ***OPEN SLOT***
TH. 27.06.24 FR ***OPEN SLOT***
FR. 28.06.24 FR CLISSON HELLFEST

Something wicked this way comes!!

GOZU w/ BARONESS & POISON RUIN:
May 31 | Portland, ME | State Theatre
Jun 01 | Norwalk, CT | District Music Hall
Jun 02 | Rochester, NY | Essex
Jun 04 | Grand Rapids, MI | Pyramid Scheme
Jun 05 | Indianapolis, IN | The Vogue
Jun 07 | Madison, WI | Majestic Theatre
Jun 08 | Palatine, IL | Durty Nellie’s
Jun 09 | Chicago, IL | House of Blues
Jun 10 | Des Moines, IA | Wooly’s

GOZU is:
Marc Gaffney – guitar and vocals
Joe Grotto – bass
Doug Sherman – lead guitar
Seth Botos – drums

[Gozu photo by Ed Kost.]

https://www.facebook.com/GOZU666
http://gozu.bandcamp.com
instagram.com/gozu666

https://www.instagram.com/blacklightmediaofficial/
https://www.facebook.com/BlacklightMediaOfficial/
http://www.blacklightmediarecords.com/

Gozu, Remedy (2023)

Gozu, Live at the Meadows, Brooklyn, NY, April 12, 2024