With a lineup of musicians who have also played in such bands as Intronaut, A Storm of Light, and Battle of Mice, one wouldn't be out of line to expect powerful results from Guiltless. One listen to the quartet's newly released debut album, Teeth to Sky, and those lofty expectations are satiated.
Guiltless have been described as a post-metal group, but to be clear, the average reader of this site who listens to more of the hardcore side of the sonic spectrum should also give Teeth to Sky a listen. It's a mean-sounding record that brings to mind the sludgier side of bands like Coalesce, Kiss It Goodbye, and Converge at times.
The pissed-off focus heard on "One Is Two" is a great example of the Guiltless sound:
No Echo bugged the band for a list of some the records that helped inform what they do in Guiltless. These Our Biggest Influences lists should serve as solid starting points for anyone looking to dig into sounds and styles they might not be all that familiar with.
Enjoy!
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Gorguts, Obscura (1998)
"This album has influenced almost every album I've been a part of, but feels even more influential as the years go on. The extremely deep discordant harmonies were always fascinating to me and I felt myself reaching for that kind of thing in the bass lines, ideally to add some extra dimension to the plodding and heavy guitar parts."
-Sacha Dunable (bass)
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Celtic Frost, Monotheist (2006)
"I was reminded of this album by some early demos from Josh and Dan, and it was a great reference point for music that's purposefully 'simple' yet engaging, which is a new approach for me to writing music."
-Sacha Dunable (bass)
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Godflesh, Streetcleaner (1989)
"Godflesh was never a huge band for me, although I love a ton of his [Justin Broadrick] other music. The bass tone on this and other Godflesh records was definitely the starting point I chose for this band."
-Sacha Dunable (bass)
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Discharge, Why (1981)
"This Discharge record was an early influence of mine and Josh's. It influenced the way I thought about writing for a lot of different styles of heavy music; adding tension, driving and to the point. Especially on 'Teeth to Sky,' I thought, what if we had a D-beat-style riff, but slowed it down... way down! I think that comes through on 'Into Dust Becoming' and a few other tracks on our latest release."
-Dan Hawkins (guitar)
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Bolt Thrower, The IVth Crusade (1992)
I got into Bolt Thrower in my mid-20s and was blown away by the massively heavy wall of sound that they produced with their guitar recordings, especially in a lot of their intros. The IVth Crusade is my fave that they did - it definitely inspired some ideas on 'Landscape of Thorns' and 'In Starless Reign.'"
-Dan Hawkins (guitar)
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Christian Death, Only Theater of Pain (1982)
"Rikk Agnew's riffs, be them in Christian Death or that first Adolescents record, were some of the first riffs I learned to play on guitar. This record became one that would influence almost everything I write to some degree. The maxed-out chorus freakouts on this record are just mind blowing and a lot of the phrases he chose to write are just damn perfectly creepy."
-Dan Hawkins (guitar)
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Kiss It Goodbye, She Loves Me, She Loves Me Not (1997)
"'Helvetica will always be a massive influence for me. Keith Huckins’ guitar playing in this, Rorschach and Deadguy have had a big effect on our playing for over 30 years (which is weird to say), embracing the full-on dissonance and a genuine emotional darkness. I come back to this record at least a few times a year and am always floored."
-Josh Graham (guitars/vocals)
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Meshuggah, obZen (2008)
"Meshuggah opened up my mind for sheer relentlessness - the complexity and power are unmatched in modern music. And as much appreciation as I have for it, the actually playing is over my head, so the influence works for me in the feeling it emotes, and then channeling through the more lo-tech guitar playing in Guiltless."
-Josh Graham (guitars/vocals)
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The Body, I Shall Die Here (2014)
"This collaboration between The Body and The Haxan Cloak is suffocating experiments in doom and textures. Kind of pushing past great records like Godflesh’s Selfless, Melvins’ Lysol and Swans’ Filth into some kind of contemporary soundtrack for hell on earth. These kinds of influences are buried in our music, but 100% there in atonal / minimalist aesthetic."
-Josh Graham (guitars/vocals)
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Teeth to Sky is out now on digital and Eco-mix black vinyl LP via Neurot Recordings.
Tour dates:
3/21/2025 Rickshaw Stop – San Francisco, CA w/ Coalesce, Kowloon Walled City
3/22/2025 Constellation Room – Santa Ana, CA w/ Coalesce, Kowloon Walled City
3/23/2025 Paramount – Los Angeles, CA w/ Coalesce, Kowloon Walled City
6/01/2025 Prepare The Ground – Toronto, ON [tickets]
Guiltless on social media: Facebook | Instagram
Tagged: guiltless, our biggest influences
