The Moth and The Newt
Interview with Eveale | Music on Ampwall and Bandcamp
Tremelo guitar in the right speaker. Chug in the left. Blastbeats up the middle. Solid bass. Lots of blackened howls, but also something somewhat progressive. A hint of an allusion to more recent Mayhem and then we're on to something wide open. A lot of ambition packed into three minutes.
Eveale are hinting at what's up with a new single just out May 30, 2025. Had a chance to chat about recording the new material and what's next.
On Recording and Songwriting
Newt (North East Wizard Tyrant): We believe that Black Metal can attain an aggressive and powerful energy without leaning into a raw production style. Many artists thrive in that production style, and we believe it has a place artistically in the black metal sphere, but it did not feel like the right choice for us.
We had seen the work that Erik Peabody of Viking Guitar Productions had done with a large spread of bands including Witnesses, Acrid Tomb, Am I in Trouble?, Over Centuries, Ashenheart, Mega Beardo, and knew he would make an excellent production partner to achieve our vision.
To ensure the songs weren't excessively polished, we made a point of doing a very limited numbers of takes — and not being heavy-handed with editing and revisions. Fortunately our drummer, BAT (Basher At Things) is impeccable, and created a rock-solid foundation to build on top of.
In terms of the music end of the songwriting, I handle that. My goals were to have a limited number of guitar tracks — two on "Lament of the Dryads" and three on "The Enemy". This also allowed the bass to be more prominent and offer more melodic moments.
I wanted relatively short and concise song-lengths, and to stick to E-standard tuning as much as possible — though some of the rhythm guitar work on "Lament" is played on a 7-string guitar in standard tuning except for the lowest string, which was tuned to C.
I wished to write in a similar Black Metal realm as the mighty Nidingr. They had an incredible ability to traverse the full range of the guitar, from biting, ringing and bright barre chords, to roiling, chewy low riffs, and everything in between. They have melodic, up-front bass, and brilliant, dynamic drum compositions.
In terms of vocal production, we wanted to avoid the vocals being buried or hidden in the fog. MOTH delivered powerful performances, and they deserve to shine. He is also a brilliant lyricist and we wanted the lyrics to be comprehensible.
On Visuals
Moth (Monarch of the Hillside): We knew that if we were to proceed with the "anonymous band" way of doing things, we would need some striking visuals in order to draw people in. One of my favourite logos is that of the black metal band Belore. So, we sought out the very talented Moonroot who did their logo, and what they came up with was phenomenal.
It was very important to me, that the moth and newt were prominent on the logo — that is our whole identity as a band so it needed to be distinctive and unique. Beyond that, the layout of the EP cover, the color scheme, the overall feel, were all done in-house by myself with input from The Newt.
Any art used so far has been either photographs taken by ourselves or old public domain paintings. We would like it on record that Eveale is vehemently against the use of AI generative so-called-art, and you have our solemn promise that none has been, or will ever be used in any of our work.
On What's Next
Moth: We have begun to piece together the basic ideas for the album. Currently, both tracks from the teaser EP are included, so they will give you an idea as to the overall feel of the music — however we do hope to include a couple of perhaps, unexpected twists and turns.
At its heart though, it will be a Black Metal album. Lyrically, some of the tracks will be linked by the themes of the origins of the Moth and the Newt and the world of the woodland realm. But I wouldn't go as far as to say it will be a concept album.
Some of the tracks will be completely separate from this theme, as is "The Enemy" from the teaser EP — a track which touches on mental health, injustice, and how to make a positive difference in the world, because it's important to look at yourself and strive to be better too.
Newt: We hope to strike a balance between the raw, direct aggression that many pockets of Black Metal are known for, while also bringing something uniquely "Eveale" to the genre.
Moth: One thing we strongly believe in, is physical media. Whilst our music will be available on streaming services and to buy digitally, there's something very special about having a physical copy of the music. We will always strive to put out something physical for our releases.
