Graveyard of the Gods

Graveyard of the Gods, by Evan Zegiel (2024)for solo bass trombone or tuba and heavy metal band (fixed media) 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 b