UNDERGROUND KVLT : EIHORT

EIHORT is a newly formed black metal duo based in London, United Kingdom.
The band is among the first names in the catalog of the new label UNDERGROUND KVLT RECORDS, a sublabel of Odium Records.
Their debut album, “Consuming The Light”, will be released in a few weeks.
Together with  A. and Hellishdust , we talked about the upcoming title  and other interesting topics.

EIHORT is a new black metal entity. Would you, please, tell me more about the members of the band, when and how it all began?

A: The band in its current form is a collaboration between two individuals – namely, myself on guitar, bass and taking on recording duties and Hellishdust on vocals, lyrics, graphic design,  etc.
We have worked together on music in various ways for over 4 years now and share many similar interests and musical tastes so the idea of forming a band together came up in early 2020 when we both had more spare time to start a new project.
Eihort essentially started as a tribute to the sort of music that has accompanied us since growing up and that has been engraved into our psyche in one way or another, so making this album felt like a natural thing to pursue.
The music was recorded between Spring 2020 and Summer 2021.
The drums were recorded by our mutual friend who’s a session drummer.
There are also guest musicians on this album, and we are currently in the process of putting together a full live line-up for upcoming shows.

Tell me more about your guests.

А: Both of the guest musicians are based here in London and I have personally worked with them on music before.
S.W. recorded a guitar solo in “Transmutation Of The Mind”, he has played in a number of black metal bands and he’s currently focusing on his project Fosforis.
The drums in “Oblivion” were recorded by B. Fusco, the founder and leader of the black metal/punk band called Final Dose.

The UK black metal scene is one of the interesting underground nests, have you ever been connected with some other bands or projects?

A: We have been involved in a few bands/projects in the UK and abroad for several years.
Though as we are focusing on this particular band and for the sake of not distracting from the music of Eihort, we’d rather avoid delving into the subject of other musical endeavours right now.

Eihort, The God of the Labyrinth, a Great Old One which features in the H.P. Lovecraft-inspired Cthulhu Mythos. How is The Pale Beast connected with the band?

Hellishdust: …through the dreams, of course. I’m the Keeper of Arcane Lore and a big fan of Call of Cthulhu Universe. Eihort is one of my favourites, so the choice was obvious. Evil, horror and fear inspire me a lot, and like H.P. Lovecraft once wrote: “The oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear, and the oldest and strongest kind of fear is fear of the unknown.” So I’m totaly in!

Now, about your upcoming debut album… Why did you choose the title “Consuming The Light”?

Hellishdust: Because we are the beast that consumes the light. Darkness is something that embraces our minds and flows through our music and lyrics, and it’s something that fills our dreams and poisons our thoughts.

Tell me more about the album lyrics. Who wrote them? Did you follow a certain concept, is there a story to unveil during the songs?

Hellishdust: All lyrics were written by me, and all music was composed by A. There is no specified concept behind the words. Every song touches a different subject. They’re mostly about ocultism, alchemy, dreams and mysticism.

What the black metal fans should expect from your first offering?

It’s a rather straightforward, very much 90s black metal inspired album, albeit with some additional, less usual for the genre touches here and there.
It was our intention to keep the writing process simple and honest, without overthinking and overcomplicating it.

Do you have a favorite song from the album?

A. :  “Dead Cold Eyes…” as it was the first track to be written and everything else gradually developed from it.

What was the most interesting moment from the creative process of the album?

A. : As much as I like making loud noise and writing with bands in a rehearsal room, on this occasion I very much enjoyed getting lost in the songwriting process on my own and writing most of the material in solitude, which went surprisingly smoothly.
I also enjoyed the recording/engineering process, experimenting with different sounds and textures (e.g. guitar effects, choice of recording equipment, microphone placement, samples, percussion instruments) and combining all sonic elements into a cohesive entity with its own character.
Another highlight was working with Haldor Grunberg of Satanic Audio (known for working with Blaze Of Perdition, Azarath, Behemoth etc), his excellent mixing skills, efficient workflow and refined taste gave this material a new life, without a doubt.

“Consuming The Light” is consisting of seven songs, including one Samael cover , “Blood Ritual”. Why did you choоse to cover this song?

Hellishdust: “Blood Ritual” is one of the greatest albums ever, and this song has been with me for over 20 years, so there was no other option. Besides, it fits our style perfectly.

Any other music influences?

A. : Absolutely, apart from the usual classic heavy metal, doom, thrash and OSDM, I’m very much into various forms of rock music (70s prog rock, krautrock, post-punk, punk etc), jazz, ambient, electronic, industrial,, folk etc.
Generally speaking, we are quite open-minded when it comes to discovering new music and we are both into collecting albums in physical formats.

What does the album artwork of “Consuming The Light” represents? I’d love to know more about it.

Hellishdust: The cover is symbolical, the spirit of Black Metal and connection with nature and death. The central character is Pesta (Norwegian word for the pandemic itself) from traditional Norwegian folklore as our tribute to the Northern scene and the great Theodor Kittelsen. There’s a little cementary there and a falling star as well. Stairs represents journey and growth, a steep road where you can meet death or sickness (graves and Pesta). This fantastic piece of art was made by Robert A. von Ritter, one of the greatest artists in the modern black metal scene (not only black). Check his other works, and You will become his fan straight away!

What do you want to achiеve with Eihort in the near future?

Hellishdust: More music to release, and get ready to play some gigs!

Thank you very much for your answers!
Let’s finish the interview with your favorite lyrics quote from the album.

Hellishdust:

“with the devil, we march together
for our souls to be damned
with raised heads,
we walk to face
overwhelming decomposition
everything is lost forever
only darkness left”

You can hear one of the songs from the upcoming album , “Through The Oil and Blood”:

Links:
Eihort BandCamp
BandCamp Odium Records
FACEBOOK
INSTAGRAM