What does the title Golden Death represent to each of you, and has its meaning changed since you first began writing the EP?

ANDY: The original meaning came from some pretty nerdy circumstances, stemming from movies and video games; But as we were writing more introspective songs that had broader themes, we felt the original core identity wasn’t as prevalent. Miraculously, it so happened to fit even better with the songs in the EP as they stand now. … and so to me, it’s a representation of change through the most difficult experiences.

LUKE: As I have only recently joined the band, the meaning that Golden Death holds for me would be quite different from the rest of the members. To me, Golden death signifies the rediscovery of my passion for playing and creating music with my friends.

KIERAN: Originally, Golden Death came from an abstract, spiritual idea inspired more by video games and fantasy literature. Over time, it evolved into something much more personal. It represents the idea of a perfect ending, a final defining moment. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve realised things in life rarely end that way. More often, things simply fade, change, or grow with a gentle detachment over time, and that’s okay. To me it’s really more about accepting that it’s less about big dramatic moments and that the consistent smaller things can be just as if not more impactful.

LACHLAN: The Golden Death concept was really Andy’s thing but I think it speaks to something deeply familiar to most people – growth through profound change. A lot of people I know, myself included, have had a life altering set of events that have forced them to strip things back to basics and take in a new perspective to continue existing happily.

LUCAS: For me, past all its initial influences is definitely a cathartic body of work from coming together and releasing a set of songs that we can consider staples of collective influences and to always look back fondly on. Its meaning in a conceptual to live piece had changed over the course of starting and finishing it into something I feel had some of my most passionate writing and contributions put forward and validated.

There is a strong sense of transformation running through these songs. Was there a particular experience that inspired that theme, or did it develop naturally during the writing process?

ANDY: Definitely was inspired by real, in-life experiences. A lot of writing came from things that I was dealing with and ruminating on. So it was great to put pen to paper and map out those feelings of frustration of things that “weren’t going away” at the time. Thankfully, it’s been so long since we started writing it, that I feel I’ve gone through that “transformation” in part, myself.

KIERAN: It developed naturally because the EP was written over such a long period. Andreas and I started writing together in 2019, and both the band and our personal lives changed dramatically during that time. The music evolved from indie and punk influences into something much heavier as we embraced music that we genuinely connected with. At the same time, we’ve both experienced major life milestones, so the EP is literally a reflection of years of personal and creative growth rather than a snapshot of one moment.

Being based in Darwin, do you feel your surroundings have shaped KOH’s sound or perspective in ways that might be different from bands in larger Australian cities?

ANDY: I think it differs a lot. We have a much smaller community of heavy music in Darwin, so it almost makes the connection to that community a lot stronger. I can say that we have been very privileged to have the amount of support in our home town, and I think it’s fueled us to keep going and push harder to make KOH something bigger.

KIERAN: Being in Darwin means you have to work harder to find similarly minded people, music and build opportunities. Especially in heavier genres the scene is small but tight knit and incredibly supportive. There isn’t much rivalry because everyone wants each other to succeed. Being geographically isolated also means touring is much more difficult and expensive than it is for southern bands, but it’s simply another challenge we will have to learn to overcome.

Your music balances crushing intensity with emotional depth. How do you know when a song needs relentless energy and when it needs room to breathe?

ANDY: To me, writing to themes or prompts is important, and usually that will dictate when a song needs a breakdown here or a softer section there. I also try to write riffs and sections with a 60–70% intensity, so when a chorus comes along, or it’s near the end of the song, we can crank it 100% so it hits even harder; writing with dynamics in mind is key, in my opinion.

KIERAN: There’s no formula—it comes down to instinct and collaboration. We learned that songs become stronger when everyone contributes ideas rather than laying responsibility upon one person. We trust the collective judgment of the band. Usually, the best ideas naturally stand out, and the dynamics evolve from asking, “What does this song need next?” rather than following a rulebook.

LUCAS: When I put the production hat on for writing I try to look objectively from the outside to hold space for what the song already has going for it besides ‘riffs’, to then use that outsider freedom to put my own emotions and storytelling with the interpretation of the song, be it vinyl warped synth to encapsulate that feeling of longing in a chorus (e.g. ‘River Mirror’), which I like to think landed just about every time with everyone else.

When you listen back to your earliest material, what stands out as the biggest way KOH has grown both musically and personally?

ANDY: The earliest demos that have never seen the light of day are very fun to listen to, but lack a lot of the intent and songwriting that KOH tries to have in the songs we hear on ‘Golden Death’. I think as a collective, we make smarter choices on what parts go where, and how the main riff or identity of a song sits amongst the rest of the composition.

KIERAN: The biggest lesson was learning to simplify. Early on, we tried to fit too many ideas into every song because we wanted to showcase our range as musicians. Over time, we realised great songs are built on strong foundations, memorable rhythms and melodies, not complexity for its own sake. We stopped trying to be technical and overthink everything and started focusing on writing music that just feels impactful and heartfelt.

LACHLAN: I’ve become a huge fan of the blast beats on the second ‘Blasphemous’ chorus. This was initially a live accident but it ended up making it onto the record despite some back and forth in our group chat. I think it really adds a sense of desperation and tension to the track.

Every member brings different influences into the band. Were there any unexpected ideas that almost did not make the EP but ended up becoming some of its strongest moments?

ANDY: I’ll use ‘Lightless’ as an example, as that’s been around in the “writing room” for a long time. We felt it was a bit bland in its original state and I wasn’t sure if it was strong enough of a song to hang with the rest of them. But thankfully, Lucas, one of our guitarists and production guy, added so much life into it that stood as really strong by the end result. All the small things and ear candy you can hear are because of Lucas. That being said, he did a lot with all of the songs – but I think that ‘Lightless’ had the greatest improvement among the rest.

KIERAN: Absolutely. One of my favourite moments on the EP came from our bassist and vocalist, Lachy, who picked up a guitar during a writing session and introduced a riff that completely transformed a section of ‘Immolate’. We developed it together, and it ended up becoming one of the highlights of the EP. It’s a great example of how collaboration makes our music stronger.

LUCAS: Being able to come in for the production role and adding all the ‘sparkles’ gave freedom to not have ideas that wouldn’t make it, but instead let the members try something new or look at the song in a lens they may not have ever considered. With the title track ‘Golden Death’ I felt it would be strong in the final chorus to have some singing alongside the harsh vocals, so I tracked some synth MIDI notes and sent it to Andy who came back with something that while slightly different, blew us away and is something we now cannot imagine the song without. This backs onto the idea of how collaboration and really spearheading some ideas initially contained to one mind communicated to the rest really made this EP what it is.

What was the biggest challenge you faced while creating Golden Death, and when did you realise the record had become something you were truly proud of?

ANDY: One of the biggest challenges we dealt with was our original drummer, Nikos, moving back home to Greece. He was there from the start and had a hand in most of, if not, all of the writing. While we wish him well, it’s been great to have Luke in the fold on the back-end to support and help continue the journey; and I’ll say has been doing Nikos’ grooves a mighty justice – they are not easy hahaha. I think taking a step back and finally listening to our EP on a streaming service has put a lot of the experiences we had as a collective in perspective. It meant so much to realise that this is finally an entity that can be shared with anyone, and it’s made me really proud of everyone involved.

KIERAN: The hardest part wasn’t writing the songs, everyone in the band works super well together for songwriting. It was the production and mixing process that was the biggest hurdle. Early on, poor communication brought the process to a grinding halt because everyone had different ideas but no effective way to work through them. After the first few singles we developed a much healthier collaborative process that enables everyone to contribute constructively. When the first mixes came back under that new workflow, there was none of that frustration and emotional weight attached to it. I could just listen to the music and be proud of what we had created.

Your songs explore themes of struggle, growth and self reflection. Have any fan reactions or personal stories changed the way you see your own music?

ANDY: We have had a lot of support from the people that enjoy our music and come to our shows. To me, the small gestures matter a lot – and I found it was so cool to see the people that have supported us the whole way come to our shows and sing the songs, and mosh like crazy. Things like that really made me believe we had something cool going on.

KIERAN: Not really. I love hearing how other people interpret our songs because everyone connects with music differently. And while other people will interpret things their way, the meaning behind each song remains deeply personal to me and I don’t think anyone could change that. Every member has their own relationship with the music, and I think that’s one of the beautiful things about music, there doesn’t have to be one correct interpretation.

If someone was hearing KOH for the very first time, which track from Golden Death would you play them first, and what makes it the perfect introduction?

ANDY: Without a shadow of a doubt, the title track ‘Golden Death’ is the song that, in my opinion, encapsulates everything that KOH is. It has absolutely everything you could want in a KOH tune; it has the riffs, the huge heavy section, the big chorus, and absolute groove across the whole song. A personal favourite for sure.

LUKE: I would recommend ‘River Mirror’. This was my first proper introduction to KOH before I joined and I think it reflects the overall sound for KOH and ‘Golden Death’ (EP) at this point in time.

KIERAN: I’d choose ‘Blasphemous’. It was the first song where we felt we’d truly discovered the band’s identity, and it’s the only song that survived from our earliest demos. To me, it captures everything the band is about, it has dynamics, atmosphere, memorable melodies, huge riffs, and one of the heaviest moments on the record. It feels like the most complete representation of who we are.

LUCAS: Tough one, being cheeky but I’d pick one of two options in either ‘Blasphemous’ going into ‘River Mirror’ or ‘Follow Your Ghost’ going into ‘Golden Death’. I really enjoy where we ended up in having those songs transition back to back to one another, it just builds upon this whole ride we wanted to create and is something I always look to be impressed by in songwriting both thematically and sonically.

Now that your debut EP is out in the world, what is the next chapter for KOH, and where do you see the band heading from here?

ANDY: We want to break down the sound we have even more. I’d like to see us write more so with the live aspect in mind – and just keep getting heavier and groovier (hopefully).

KIERAN: The main goal is to keep moving forward. Golden Death took a long time to make, and we don’t want that gap between releases again. We’re already writing new music and will be getting back into the studio, playing more shows, and continuing to build on what we’ve started.