Graveyard of the Gods

Graveyard of the Gods was commissioned in early 2024 by Dr. JD Handshoe, Assistant Professor of Low Brass at Angelo State University. Dr. Handshoe first reached out to me during the summer of 2023 about working on a project together for heavy metal band and bass trombone. We discovered that we had, essentially, the same taste in metal music and favored many of the same bands. This work aims to capture a few styles in modern metal, namely death metal and hardcore, with some old school thrash metal influences. Some bands that inspired me in this project were Boundaries, Knocked Loose, Sylosis, and ERRA. All of these groups perform with such sincere intensity and energy while maintaining a punishingly heavy aggression. This stylistic blend seemed to fit best with the sound of the bass trombone. The title "Graveyard of the Gods" is inspired by Death Valley. During my travels as a bassist with Pretty Woman: The Musical, I had the incredible experience of driving through the Valley and nearby desert areas all the way up to Reno, Nevada. At the time, the area had seen a lot of rain and was actually quite foggy and overcast. This was certainly a rare sight, as the area is known for being the hottest and driest in the country. The title is also a subtle reference to the Garden of the Gods park in Colorado Springs, Colorado, where I had recently been with the Pretty Woman tour before the trip up to Reno. This gloomy weather in the desert, and the largely desolate natural scenery, inspired mental images of a gargantuan graveyard holding the physical forms of the many gods which have been worshipped throughout human history. This piece aims to capture the intensity, grandeur, and power displayed by such gods in the myriad myths we have passed down through the ages.