First could you introduce yourself and tell us a little about Hecate Enthroned and your other projects?
Well, I’m Elliot. I’m 23. I’m not nearly as clever as I think I am and occasionally I sing in extreme metal bands. Hecate Enthroned have been around a long time and I am their vocalist as of last year. Personally, I’ve been singing for 8 years and am in a number of projects – primarily Ereskigal, with a number of old friends, and Karnayn (where I write everything). Expect to hear releases from both in early 2015.
What has it been like to join and tour with an internationally famous metal band?
It’s not all that different from being in any other band really, besides the recognition you get and the size of the shows. It’s been great to meet so many Hecate fans that like what I’ve done with them, and it’s humbling being able to contribute to a project that has a longstanding history and an established fanbase. The practical aspects of being in the band are identical to any other – you still go to practices regularly, demo material, bounce ideas off each other, see where the music goes and hopefully play some shows. Obviously, every band has its own unique dynamic, but this has been good for me to work with new people.
Hecate Enthroned released a new album, Virulent Rapture, earlier this year. What were your main influences for this album? Do you feel it builds on the overall sound of previous releases, or breaks away from it?
Each of us has our own influences that we draw own, but ultimately I think the biggest influence on the writing of VR was the drive of the band to come into its own and find a coherence. In terms of the actual music, I hear a lot of classic Emperor and Deicide in it, with occasional hints of progression from some of the proggier stuff Nige is into. I think the album fits into the discography quite nicely as a musical step forward whilst still being fundamentally Hecate at the core. It’s definitely more guitar driven than Redimus, and there’s a very different approach to the structuring of the vocals, but I think you can still tell it’s the same band that wrote it. Just a little older and wiser.
You’ve provided vocals for a number of extreme metal projects over the years- are there any vocalists or bands that you are particularly influenced by?
The two big ones would be Nergal (Behemoth) and Corpsegrinder (Cannibal Corpse). I love Nergal’s holistic approach and dedication to his art, and I’m kicking myself that I didn’t think of putting blood in a painting sooner. Everything Behemoth have ever done has resonated with me, and their road warrior to indomitable rockstar transformation over the last 3 years has been incredible to watch. That being said, I can’t deny Corpsegrinder’s influence on me. Nobody controls a stage like him and besides the way he sounds, I love that he can pull off really complex vocal patterns that he didn’t write himself.
What are your main lyrical inspirations?
I’m fairly eclectic in terms of where I draw inspiration but the vast majority of what I do lyrically is directly influenced by either classic literature, poetry, the occult or other musicians’ work. Whilst I was writing Virulent Rapture’s lyrics, I was revisiting a lot of William Blake’s more visionary and abstract poetry and watching the BBC’s Hollow Crown trilogy of Shakespeare adaptations. I think it shows in the songs a little more than it should. There’s a lot of Jon Nodtveidt’s creative DNA in my lyrics, and the occult references are there for those that understand them.
Any final words for your fans?
Thanks for reading this. Come to a show, grab a beer and I’ll see you stage-side!
Hecate Enthroned will be playing at the RocSoc Halloween event at Yorkshire House on Thursday evening, week 4. For more information including where to book tickets, visit the Facebook event.
