Gutslit Talk New Album ‘Carnal’ and Playing Outrage Festival in Delhi This Week

At their recent gig in Bengaluru as part of the inaugural edition of gig series Slaughterfest, Mumbai-based death metal band Gutslit were a juggernaut who got the crowd moving even though they were the final act on a lineup with five other acts. Snow cans, party-poppers and guttural grind/death were in full swing well past midnight, as Gutslit performed their new album Carnal.

Their third full-length, there’s yet another shift in personnel for Gutslit compared to when they put out Amputheatre back in 2017. Vocalist Aditya Barve is back in the fold (replacing Kaushal L.S.) and along with founder-bassist Gurdip Singh Narang and drummer/visual artist Aaron Pinto, forms the old guard of Gutslit. While guitarist Prateek Rajagopal was the composer behind Carnal, his work in Los Angeles has meant that Gutslit has now made touring guitarists Aditya Swaminathan (from thrash act Kill The King) and Ishwar Hariharan fulltime, permanent members. In between, guitarist Vigneshkumar Venkatraman (from prog-death band Orion and heavy metallers Albatross) also took over from Rajagopal, and he’s helmed lyrics on songs off Carnal.

Through it all, Narang has been happy to let the creativity flow unabated. “I’ve personally been very open with people taking charge of things they are good at,” the bassist says. Where Gutslit’s sound changed to have a more modern death metal edge on Carnal, with elements of industrial, electronic and even string sections coming in courtesy of Rajagopal, Narang is all praise for the changes. “Prateek is an excellent producer. He had the vision and it has translated into a beautiful album. Aaron on the other hand is a master of his craft. I let him take charge in all aspects visually. The album cover for Carnal is his work,” Narang says.

He adds that with the new material that will follow Carnal, their two new guitarists will take charge of the writing process. “The difference here is, Aaron and I are getting more involved in the writing process and this new album/EP/singles that come out will be quite different from what we’ve done. Let’s see how the new Gutslit sounds,” the bassist says.

Even with all the changes, Carnal is described as a “natural progression” for Gutslit by Narang. Even with music videos, they’ve shot two that capture the intensity of their storytelling, one that gets into the psyche of serial killers. “The Killing Joke,” directed by Avinash Jai Singh, features a figure that’s covered in a red sheet and tied up. Their next, “Altar of Putridity,” pushes the boundaries even further, according to the bassist. “This video is way too intense visually and involves blood, props and actors. The video is quite bold and plays with the mindset and emotions a killer goes through – from distress and fear after his first kill, to pleasure and mastering the art of killing. It’s borderline gore and we are excited to see how people react to it,” he adds.

Before they release a new visual side to them, Gutslit will perform in Gurugram on October 12th as part of the comeback edition of Outrage Festival. Performing alongside the likes of Mumbai metallers Bhayanak Maut and Midhaven, New Delhi’s Colossal Figures’ rare outing and a set by Capital Metal Party and Sikkim’s Konflicts, Narang aptly calls it “one big party.” He adds, “The old boys are all gathering and will be bringing their A-game to the show. I hope people carry helmets and body bags. Just don’t want Shashank [Bhatnagar, vocalist with Capital Metal Party] picking anyone up and throwing them in the pit.”

It wasn’t just India shows that were part of the Carnal launch plan, as Gutslit pulled off a rare feat of playing a one-off festival show at Obscene Extreme in Czech Republic. There were two shows and Narang says he wanted to “test the waters for a different concept” in terms of whether they can make it financially viable to do one-off festival appearances. All in all, hailing along merch and momentum from the release of Carnal, Narang says they were successful and credits Curby, the festival boss at Obscene Extreme for their success. “He made sure we got the numbers right and came back home with money in our pockets,” Narang says. They’re not out of the woods yet, however. “New problem to face now are the visa issues. The consulates are all so busy that it’s a new challenge all together now,” he adds.

Narang beckons on, regardless. He needs to catch up on sleep and “not do anything Gutslit” for a while. He adds, “But knowing me, I will be back in office at 9 am processing some order or writing to another festival.”

Gutslit performs at Outrage Festival on October 12th, at Imperfecto Patio Gurugram. Get tickets here.