Please tell us about the history of your band and its members.
Hello! We are a husband-and-wife two-piece playing atmospheric Celtic metal, hailing from Edinburgh, Scotland. We started writing in summer 2020 during the COVID-19 lockdown in the UK, the project had been something we had wanted to do for some time and the restrictions at the time served as a good prompt to do so.
How would you describe your style? Which bands influenced your music?
We call ourselves Celtic metal, but we've been labelled variously as melodic/death/atmospheric/folk/prog metal by reviewers and commenters! So, at least we know we’re metal… Our influences are very broad, which is probably reflected in the music - John is a tech/death metal fan, whereas Sophie is more into speed/folk metal and heavy rock.
Why should a metalhead buy your demos/albums?
It’s always a clichéd answer, but we do try very hard with our music to do something different, and do think we are writing in a space where there are not a lot of comparators – which we feel has been somewhat validated in the opinions of reviewers so far, and by the sheer number of sub-genres we’ve been tagged as!
What have you released so far and how were your releases received by the public/media?
We launched our debut EP, “Shade Beyond” in December 2020 and have had a really positive response so far, which to be honest took us a bit by surprise - this was a fairly ‘out-there’ project that we didn’t think would resonate with many people at all, however we’ve gained hundreds of followers already and some extremely encouraging reviews, which we’re really humbled by.
Do you play live as well? How's your live activity so far?
With the UK still in heavy COVID restrictions we have not been able to play live yet, however we have our sights firmly set on gigs this year and if you follow us on our social media/Spotify accounts you’ll be the first to know when we do!
What should labels/zines/promoters know about your band? Why should they be interested in it?
In addition to what we think is a pretty unique sound and a pretty unusual story, we have had a really strong reception so far. We were Band of the Month on Metal Meyhem Radio in the UK in January after one of the show hosts, Midnight Furie, found us on the Metal Archives, and have already had some very encouraging reviews from a number of underground bloggers and writers. We do feel like we’re doing something different in the genre, and hopefully that resonates with others too!
What plans do you have for the near future as a band?
We are already making the most of the response that we’ve had from Shade Beyond and are actively writing new material, which we will hopefully be dropping over the next couple of months! Other than that, we’ll be patiently waiting for venues to reopen so we can get back to shows and hopefully play some ourselves.
8. Where can we listen to your band and where can we buy your stuff?
You can find us on Spotify and all other streaming services, and on Bandcamp if you prefer digital copies - plus we’ve just got some new t-shirts on there!
January 2021