Interview with Lord Kaiju of Oxygen Destroyer

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Portland-based death thrashers Oxygen Destroyer are set to continue their skyscraper obliterating rampage later this summer with their second release, Sinister Monstrosities Spawned By the Unfathomable Ignorance of Humankind!!!! Now that you’ve caught your breath, Worship Metal has paid homage to this impending cornucopia of destruction by chatting with band leader Lord Kaiju, who was more than happy to school us on the best giant monster movies around (and a little talk about death metal)….. 

Worship Metal: With Kaiju movies being a tad topical right now (Godzilla vs. Kong was a sizeable hit despite Covid), what are some hidden gems that you’d recommend to new fans looking for something off the beaten path?

Lord Kaiju: I recommend checking out Whale God, The Magic Serpent, Attack of the Super Monsters, Mighty Peking Man, War God: The Great Calamity, Pulgasari, Orochi: The Eight Headed Dragon, and Howl From Beyond the Fog. These are some of the most obscure Giant Monster Movies I know and they’re a blast to watch. I also recommend Matango,and Zeiram. These aren’t full on Kaiju movies but they’re some of the best and most underrated Sci-Fi from Japan, Kaiju fans would totally love them. 

Worship Metal: Extreme metal is fertile soil as a foundation for the gargantuan and destructive rippers that Oxygen Destroyer crafts. Do y’all have any sort of musical and/or lyrical quirk to the songwriting process that you feel gives the end result that extra kick?

Lord Kaiju: I do have a very specific way of writing Oxygen Destroyer songs. Usually I’ll watch a handful of Giant Monster Movies and during the destruction scenes I’ll start jamming guitar, I use those moments to channel the might of the sacred beasts and the riffs start to come together, each one being summoned by myself and the monsters I’m paying tribute to. 

Worship Metal: Was there a “Eureka!!!” moment in the early days of your career?

Lord Kaiju: Coming up with the whole concept for Oxygen Destroyer was a Eureka moment itself lol. 2 years before I even started the band I jokingly said “ dude I should totally start a Kaiju themed death metal band someday”. Then one day I was jamming in my garage and thought “ Wait….what if I actually did just that” Then I saw that the name “ Oxygen Destroyer” hadn’t been taken yet and I realized this was my destiny, the thing I was born to do! 

Worship Metal: “The Plague Spreading Horror From 20,000 Fathoms” is based on the 1953 film The Beast From 20,000 Phantoms”, what are some of the other monsters that listeners should look out for when they hear Sinister Monstrosities Spawned By the Unfathomable Ignorance of Humankind?

Lord Kaiju: The new album is inspired by a handful of different monster movies from across the world. Godzilla, Mothra, King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All Out Attack, War of the Gargantuas, Gorgo, and The Giant Claw were the biggest influences. 

Worship Metal: Not all that long ago y’all signed to Redefining Darkness Records. How did that deal come about?

Lord Kaiju: We released our first album by ourselves in early 2018, about a Month later the label discovered it and contacted us, saying they wanted to give it an official release on CD, and they even gave it a Vinyl release a few months later! They’ve done a lot for us and have been great to work with! 

Worship Metal: How did the recording of Sinister Monstrosities Spawned By the Unfathomable Ignorance of Humankind differ from when Bestial Manifestations of Malevolence and Death was recorded?

Lord Kaiju: It went much smoother. Our debut was the first album we’ve ever recorded in our lives so it was a stressful experience, it ended up taking us like 6 months. We learned a lot from it though and our latest full length only took 2 weeks to record. 

Worship Metal: Throughout your time as a musician, have there been any responses to Oxygen Destroyer’s music from the far flung corners of the globe where you wouldn’t expect to have been heard? 

Lord Kaiju: We have fans in places like Iceland, Netherlands, Brazil, Japan, and countless other countries. It’s insane. This band was once just an idea I had, to see it come this far completely blows my mind and I’m excited to see what happens next. We have no plans to slow down and I’ll be writing Oxygen Destroyer songs until the day I die. HAIL THE KAIJU!!!!

Oxygen Destroyer‘s Sinister Monstrosities Spawned By the Unfathomable Ignorance of Humankind is due for release on August 27th.