Mad God build their doom metal around slow, heavy guitar riffs, psychedelic textures and reverb-soaked vocals. The Johannesburg trio draw from traditional doom and stoner metal, with sludge weight and atmospheric passages shaping their longer arrangements. Their music makes room for unconventional rhythms and progressive structures without abandoning its deliberate, riff-driven foundation. Horror, madness and dark fantasy run through their lyrics, giving the songs a narrative edge that has developed alongside the band's increasingly ambitious arrangements.
Band history
History
Mad God formed in Johannesburg, South Africa, in 2014, founded by guitarist and vocalist Tim Harbour, drummer Patrick Stephansen and original bassist Tim Harrison. Their early work included the 2015 split release Unholy Rituals with Goat Throne, followed by their debut full-length Tales of a Sightless City in 2017 and Grotesque and Inexorable in 2018. These recordings explored cosmic horror, madness and other dark themes through psychedelic doom metal. Danny Helsing later joined on bass. Their third studio album, An Age of Ash, arrived through Mongrel Records on March 27, 2026, expanding their music into a connected dark fantasy narrative. Mad God remain active on the South African live circuit, with a Johannesburg performance scheduled for November 6, 2026.
An Age of Ash is Mad God's third studio album, released on March 27, 2026 through Mongrel Records. The five-track concept album follows a dark fantasy story involving a collapsing kingdom, demonic betrayal, a young woman's search for absolution and a father's corrupted pursuit of redemption. Musically, the band push their traditional and stoner doom roots toward progressive arrangements, unusual rhythms and extended song structures. The core instrumentation was recorded live at Helsing Studios without a click track, with separate vocal sessions. Bassist Danny Helsing handled recording, mixing and mastering. Artwork was created by Nick Williams.
