Interview by Kris Peters
Mumbai-based extreme metal band Gutslit are renowned as India’s leading force in brutal death metal and grindcore. Formed in 2007, the quartet—comprising Gurdip Singh Narang (bass), Aaron Pinto (drums), Kaushal LS (vocals), and Prateek Rajagopal (guitar)—is celebrated for their relentless intensity, precise musicianship, and savage songwriting.
Their music blends grinding riffs, pummelling blast beats, vicious bass grooves, and chilling guttural vocals, establishing them as a critically acclaimed act in the global extreme metal scene. With a career spanning 18 years, Gutslit has toured extensively, performing in 25 countries, a record for Indian metal bands, including regular European festival runs and a recent Japan tour supporting Nile in October 2024.
Now, it's Australia's turn. Gutslit are set to embark on their first-ever Australian tour - titled the Party Down Under '25 tour - this August, marking a significant milestone as they bring their explosive live performances to six cities. Organized by Grindhead Productions, the tour kicks off on August 22, 2025, at The Back Room in Brisbane, featuring support from Australian brutal death metal band Gosika (Wollongong, NSW) and, for the Brisbane show, additional acts Snake Mountain and Nembutolik.
HEAVY caught up with Narang and Pinto to find out what we can expect.
"I formed the band 18 years ago," Narang began, giving us some incite into Gutslit, "with the whole idea of just playing music that we love the most. Back then we started off with brutal death metal and grind, and now we are slowly progressing into thicker versions of death metal and brutal death metal coming together."
"When Gutslit started, there was no band who was doing music like what we are doing." Pinto added. "So Gurdip and the previous iteration of Gutslit were the pioneers of brutal death metal and brutal death grind in India."
We mention Gutslit's reputation for their intense live shows and ask what we can expect.
"You have to come down and just throw it out there," Narang replied. "It's all about enjoying the music; it's all about enjoying the multiples. If you're into death metal or brutal death grind or brutal death metal or slam, you're going to get it all."
In the full interview, Gurdip and Aaron provided an overview of Gutslit's history, highlighting their influence in the brutal death metal scene in India since 2007 and their connection to Australia dating back to 2012. They detailed the tour's structure, which will feature a mix of songs from previous albums and potential covers, with an emphasis on creating an engaging atmosphere for fans.
The band expressed excitement about the local support acts in Brisbane and other cities, and the inclusion of Gosika as the national support act. We talk about touring a country for the first time and how much homework they do before coming, their difficulties in gaining global traction coming from India, new material and more.
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