We had the pleasure of catching up with Andy from deathcore heavy hitters, Osiah. We can't believe it's already been just over three years since our last interview with them back in 2021, shortly after the release of their album Loss. Since then, Osiah has kept the momentum going, delivering their fourth studio album, Kairos, which has been making waves in the deathcore scene for almost a year now.
We reconnected with Andy to tell us a bit more about the writing process behind Kairos, the band's recent UK tour, and what they're looking forward to in 2025.
It’s good to have you back for a catch up! Thanks for taking the time to do this. Since the last blog back in 2021, you guys have released another album, Kairos. It’s coming up on almost a year now since the release. How has it been, getting to perform some of the tracks live over the last year? Did you find that audiences responded differently to songs from Kairos compared to older material?
Hey there, Andy here from Osiah, thanks for having us back!
I think the last time we spoke, we had just released Loss. I didn’t realise it had been that long. It’s been great playing the Kairos songs live—many of them are going down really well with the audiences. It’s amazing to see people’s reactions during the final drop in “A Great Nothing” and “Seeds of Despair.”
But my all-time favourite moment has to be seeing the sheer panic on people’s faces when “Kardashev Denied” picks up pace in the middle section. We were playing a lot of new material from that album even before it was released, but with our recent shows, we’ve been trying to include tracks from all four albums. So, we’ve been putting together a setlist that featured something from each one.
Speaking of Kairos, can you tell us a bit about the writing process and creative direction for this album? Any specific lessons or takeaways from previous album releases that you took into the making of this album?
The writing process was the same as it’s always been. It’s mostly Chris Keepin and me writing all the music at home. We’d send ideas back and forth online to refine the sound of the tracks. Once the songs were finalised in demo form, Ricky would record his final vocals to those demos, although he sometimes makes adjustments depending on the feel or direction Danny takes with the drums. While Ricky is working on vocals, I usually arrange the recording process.
Since this is the third release, we’ve had Christian Donaldson (Cryptopsy guitarist, and known for working with Suffocation, Shadow of Intent, Despised Icon, and Beneath the Massacre) mix and master, I’ve gotten a good understanding of how he likes things tracked and recorded. Even so, I still spend a day on video calls with him to confirm everything. I usually record guitars and bass first, saving drums for last. But this time, we tracked drums first at In Heart Studios (where we also tracked the drums for Kingdom of Lies and Loss) and recorded guitars last at Chris’s house in London. Once everything was tracked, it was sent off to Christian to work his magic!
You’ve also recently come off the UK Deathcore Showcase in September – it looked like an incredible tour. What were some of your biggest highlights from the tour?
I think the biggest highlight was getting the chance to hang out and become friends with all the bands on the package. There was such an insane amount of talent from everyone, and I would urge anyone reading this to check out and support all of those bands.
Other highlights were the shows themselves, especially our hometown show. We always love playing in our hometown. We try not to do it too often, but every time we do, it reminds us why we should do it more. Guildford deserves a huge shoutout—that crowd was insanely loud! Hearing cheers mid-song over my in-ears was crazy. Normally, all I can hear is my guitar, the click track, and the drums, so hearing that was absolutely wild.
Norwich & Bournemouth was probably the most intense, though! We’ve got a bunch of footage from those shows, which we’re planning to release with desk audio. Keep an eye out for that! The crowd in front of us was basically a warzone—it was unreal!
How, in your opinion, has the UK deathcore scene evolved since the release of your very first album back in 2016? What have been some of your biggest learning curves over the last couple years?
Obviously, things have changed a lot since 2016. That’s the thing about deathcore— it’s always evolving. There have been some trends over the years that I didn’t like, but I feel like deathcore is in a healthy place right now, with a lot of variety.
Not every band sounds like the latest trending one, which makes the genre more appealing and opens doors for new fans. For example, some of my current favourites from the UK are Beyond Extinction, Godeater, Harbinger, To Obey a Tyrant, and Fracture.
You’ll be doing a Europe tour next Spring alongside Cytotoxin, Acranius and Necrotted. Any particular city you’re most excited to perform in, and why?
We’re just excited to be back in Germany, especially since so many of the dates are there. Personally, I’m thrilled because I was born there and still visit my family who live there. I absolutely love the place and everything about it. Paris should be great too—I’ve actually never seen the Eiffel Tower!
We’re also looking forward to playing shows with the guys in Gutalax and Acranius. But what we’re most excited about is being reunited with our German brothers, Necrotted and Cytotoxin. We love those guys so much! We had such a great time together last time, and we can’t wait to make more memories with them.
What’s one piece of advice you’d give to new deathcore bands looking to break it into the industry?
Just be yourselves. Know when to be professional and when not to be, but most importantly, always be kind. Treat others how you would want to be treated.
Finish the sentence:
a) When we’re not touring or recording, you can find us… Just being like everyone else—working our jobs, spending time with our partners, playing computer games, hanging out, and going to gigs. Just the usual.
b) A guilty pleasure album of ours would be… It’s usually what’s in rotation when we’re on tour—anything from Fleet Foxes, Fleetwood Mac, Pink Floyd (specifically the Echoes live album), DJ Blyatman, Future Islands… I could go on all day naming them. Technically, they’re not guilty pleasures, but it always surprises people that we listen to this kind of music, haha.
c) If we could collaborate on a track with any artist in the world, it would be… This is a tough one. I’d love to collaborate with Will Putney at least once in my lifetime. A collaboration I think would be hilarious is a remix by DJ Blyatman. And one I know will never happen is with David Gilmour, haha.
Besides the EU tour next year, any other exciting things in the pipeline that you can share with our readers?
Yes, we’ve got a tour in the works for next year in the UK—just a short one. Maybe it’ll be announced by the time this comes out.
We’re also currently working on music for our next release. It’s still in the very early stages, couple of riffs… no full songs yet. We’re also looking into releasing some live footage and audio from the UK Deathcore Showcase tour.
Listen to 'Kairos' on Spotify.
Follow Osiah for updates on new releases, shows and tours here.
Grab tickets to the CIRCLE PITOURNIUM TOUR 2025.
Live photos by Lucy Cheyne and Mariana S. Mayer.