GOZER: Wizards of the Riff
Share
Albany, New York’s GOZER has built its identity around a deceptively simple idea: heavy music does not need to stay inside one set of boundaries. Taking its name from the shape-shifting antagonist of Ghostbusters, the quartet moves freely through desert rock, stoner rock, doom and hard rock, tying its bulldozer riffs and groove-heavy songwriting to an increasingly elaborate world of fantasy imagery.
GOZER self-released its debut album, The Far Realm, in 2023, earning significant attention in the underground heavy-rock community and reaching No. 29 on the Doom Charts. The band continued building its reputation through a busy live schedule in New York’s Capital Region and beyond, sharing stages with acts including QUEENSRŸCHE, EYEHATEGOD and THE WELL.
A major shift came in 2025 with the arrival of veteran Upstate New York vocalist Jackson Tollerton of FROZEN SUN. Tollerton did more than give GOZER a new voice. His interest in fantasy storytelling meshed naturally with drummer Nick Massucci’s lifelong enthusiasm for Dungeons & Dragons, giving the band another dimension as it began developing new material.
That evolution can already be heard in “Monolith” and “Time Walk,” songs that nearly disappeared before Tollerton found a way into them vocally. Now, with a second album on the way through Argonauta Records/Octopus Rising Records, GOZER is pushing harder into what the band has begun calling “fantasy rock”: riffs, hooks, sword-and-sorcery imagery and enough low-end weight to keep the whole thing firmly planted in the dirt.
This Rocks!: First things first — what is a GOZER? Tell us the story behind the band’s name, how the band came together and the vision that has driven GOZER since day one.
GOZER: “The inspiration behind the name is the antagonist in Ghostbusters. Gozer was whatever it wanted to be. And that’s what Sean [Murphy, bass] and I wanted for this project,” guitarist Nick Kossor says. “We can do whatever we want to do. We can write whatever kind of music we want to write.”
“Our collective vision is to write music that is fun for us, and it’s a bonus if people dig it.”
This Rocks!: GOZER’s music sits somewhere between desert rock, stoner rock, doom and straight-ahead hard rock while still sounding distinctly your own. How would you describe the band’s identity to someone hearing you for the first time?
GOZER: We definitely move through that palette of genres, all steeped in fantasy lore. We like to be dynamically and creatively unpredictable, like our cinematic namesake. Riff-driven, fantasy-inspired — D&D, Magic, medieval, sci-fi and western — with emotional and energetic performances is the identity we’d like to align with.
This Rocks!: The Far Realm earned widespread praise and reached No. 29 on the Doom Charts. Looking back a couple of years later, what did that album accomplish for the band, and how do you view it today?
GOZER: That album served as a great launching point for us. We never anticipated getting as much traction as we got with it. There’s a lot of love for that album.
At the same time, we’ve done a lot of critical self-reflection since its release. Having gone through that process, we’ve been able to get better at songwriting and have gained a lot of confidence in the writing and recording process. Our ears are more developed, and we have a clearer definition of who we are and what we want to identify with sonically.
This Rocks!: Every great band evolves. In what ways has GOZER changed musically, creatively or personally between The Far Realm and the upcoming second album?
GOZER: On our new album, every track is bigger and sonically more complex than the tracks on The Far Realm. We also invested more into post-production mastering with the help of Alan Douches at West West Side Music.
This Rocks!: Your sophomore album will be released through Argonauta Records/Octopus Rising Records. What can fans expect, and where do you think this record pushes GOZER further than the debut?
GOZER: The second album will explore more fantasy themes than our first. The fantasy element comes across loud and clear in the lyrics to the band’s latest material, especially “Time Walk.” A longtime fan of spellcasters, Jackson Tollerton wove a story into the track about a wizard desperately trying to achieve immortality however possible.
“This wizard has spent hundreds and thousands of years searching throughout different dimensions, and books, tomes, scrolls and grimoires, looking for a way to live forever; trying to juice out every ounce of energy and magic into that pursuit,” Tollerton says. “At the end of the song, it kind of becomes the snake eating its tail. You’re chasing something that can’t ever actually be attained, and you sometimes destroy yourself trying to chase such unobtainable or greedy goals.
“That was one of the first times that the band really had a chance to see that I wasn’t just writing about fireballs and stuff. I like to put some messages in between the swords and sorcery, if I can.”
This Rocks!: Without spoiling too much, is there one song on the new record that best represents where GOZER is today? What makes it special?
GOZER: “Time Walk” and “Morningstar” are the core songs of the album. They champion GOZER’s fantasy-inspired lyrical themes, delivered through infectious, head-nodding grooves and driving energy.
“Morningstar,” in particular, highlights Jackson’s vocal ability. He transitions from growling, guttural vocals in the verse to a soaring, triumphant, ballad-like chorus. Both parts of the song express the emotions one would feel while charging toward your enemies on horseback wielding a morningstar, and also how it would feel relishing your victories in war with celestial approval.
“Time Walk” is about Wyndol the Wizard, who is traveling the multiverse in search of immortality and confronting the woes that befall him on the journey. The intro riff should please the ears of any stoner, doom or desert-rock enthusiast. The rest of the track offers epic vocal harmonies and classic Jon Lord, DEEP PURPLE-style keys delivered by Tim Lynch of The Recording Company.
This Rocks!: Bulldozer riffs have become part of your signature. Where do those riffs come from? Is songwriting a spontaneous process, or are you constantly refining ideas until they feel right?
GOZER: A combination of both. “Poisoned Crown” was written in a few days, while “Morningstar” took longer to marinate. After a few months of the demo being completed, we took a third-person view of the verse riff and completely rewrote it. Sometimes those perspective changes can really help our creative process.
This Rocks!: You’ve shared stages with QUEENSRŸCHE, EYEHATEGOD and THE WELL. What have those opportunities taught you about performing and surviving as a modern heavy band?
GOZER: Don’t ever stop. Stay consistent, stay professional and don’t be afraid to talk to people. People like to do things with people they know and like.
This Rocks!: Albany has quietly built a strong reputation for heavy music over the years. What makes the local scene unique, and how important has it been to GOZER’s development?
GOZER: The 518 scene has been incredibly important for our development. There are plenty of opportunities to play, sharpen our set, try out new material and try new things.
There are a few bigger venues in the area that attract larger acts for us to learn from and open for. Lastly, everyone is really supportive of one another. A rising tide helps all ships.
This Rocks!: Your music feels cinematic at times, almost like the soundtrack to an apocalyptic western or science-fiction film. Do movies, books, games or other forms of storytelling influence your songwriting?
GOZER: Nick Massucci and Jackson Tollerton shared an instant bond over the classic role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons, setting the stage for GOZER’s current thematic leanings.
“It’s nice to have Jackson in my corner with this. I definitely push the fantasy aspect of it,” Massucci says. “I personally love that. I’ve been playing D&D my whole life; my dad grew up playing it in the ’80s and raised me on it. So I love doing that. I think going forward, the ‘fantasy rock’ label is what we’re going for.”
This Rocks!: Gearheads always want to know: What guitars, amps, pedals, tunings or studio tricks are essential to creating the GOZER sound?
GOZER: Most of the second album is in drop B. Nick Kossor plays a Reverend Sensei RA through an Orange 4x12 stacked with Weber speakers. Nick plays through an Orange TH30 and utilizes Boss delay, phaser, fuzz and wah pedals, as well as a Boss PS-6 Harmonist.
This Rocks!: Heavy music has never been more crowded. What do you think separates GOZER from every other band fighting for listeners’ attention?
GOZER: GOZER has a clear identity, a clear vision and a clear brand that people can relate to. If you like THE SWORD, RED FANG, GREEN LUNG, D&D, fantasy and high-energy, headbanging performances, you might like us.
We don’t just want to play our music. We want to perform and emotionally connect with people.
This Rocks!: Looking at the current state of heavy music, what excites you the most, and what would you like to see change?
GOZER: Heavy music is thriving. We wouldn’t want anything to change.
This Rocks!: If someone has never heard GOZER before, which three songs should they listen to first, and why those three?
GOZER: “Time Walk” — the riff slaps and it’s heavy. “Morningstar” — it’s dynamic and fun. “Monolith” — it highlights our vocalist’s ability.
This Rocks!: Fast-forward five years. If everything goes according to plan, where do you hope GOZER will be?
GOZER: We’d love to be on a RippleFest or Desertfest bill — or both, haha. We’d like to be playing more regionally, five to eight hours from our base. We’d also like to meet and hang with new people who are into the same stuff as us.
This Rocks!: Finally, is there anything we didn’t ask that you’d like This Rocks! readers to know? Where can they follow GOZER, buy your music and catch you live?
GOZER: All of our socials — Facebook, Instagram and TikTok — are @gozer_music. We also have a big show Oct. 10 with HOWLING GIANT, HIGH DESERT QUEEN and INSOMNIAC in Saratoga Springs, New York.
This Rocks! thanks GOZER for taking the time to speak with us.
GOZER online