After a 17-year hiatus, Australian Gothic Doom band Elegeion returns with Plight of the Heretic and an epic new music video for "Sombre Skies." We spoke with Kwan and Kindah about their creative resurgence.
1. After
17 years, Elegeion made a triumphant return with Plight of the Heretic.
What inspired the band to come back after such a long hiatus, and how did it
feel to step back into the music scene?
Kwan: Our
last album before Plight was released in 2005, which was a 17 year gap between
albums, however I did release one other 15 minute single on January 1st 2011
called "Reignstorm", which was a small break in the silence. Other
than that, yes it was a long hiatus. I didn't do anything, though.
I was travelling the world, living and working in many different countries,
formulating ideas and actually recorded the darbuka and djembe traditional
drums that you hear on Plight of the Heretic way back in 2011 whilst living in
Morocco. Stepping back into the music scene with a band felt very
natural, and easy seeing I spent almost all my youth doing band stuff.
It’s really the advancement in technology, particularly for live shows, that
has been the steepest learning curve.
2. The
upcoming music video for "Sombre Skies" is an epic 14-minute journey
across nine locations. Can you walk us through the creative process and how you
chose these locations to represent the themes of the song?
Kindah: The
creative process began with two distinct visual ideas: Anthony's vision of the
woman in the snow and my concept of a little girl twirling in a tutu. From
there, with the invaluable input of our videographer, Richard Luke, we wove a
story that brought these ideas together.
The
snow-covered location was chosen to evoke feelings of isolation and being cast
out, symbolizing a sense of banishment and cold detachment. In contrast, the
child in the tutu, dancing in pristine gardens, represents innocence and
purity. The video explores a progression: from the innocence of childhood to
the corruption of adolescence, portrayed by the teenage ballet dancer facing a
dark figure—the embodiment of her inner critic—and finally to the brokenness of
adulthood shaped by oppression. Each location was chosen to mirror these
emotional and thematic transitions.
The video
captures a progression through life: from the innocence of childhood to the
internalized oppression of adolescence and, finally, the brokenness of
adulthood shaped by years of external and internal pressures.
3. Two
years is a long time to dedicate to a single video. What challenges did you
encounter during production, and how did you overcome them?
Kwan: The
biggest challenge was time. It takes time to scout locations, hire
venues, coordinate times where we all can be at the same place at the same
time, including the videographer, compounded by the fact we’re all incredibly
busy people outside the band too. However once the filming is done, it
takes a huge amount of time sifting through the footage, editing, effects,
colour corrections, etc, so 15 minutes, or actually a 855 second video has
literally hundreds of separate edits, sometimes 2 cuts per second, edited
together. Its crazy how involved these things are! I guess we didn't
anticipate how long something like this takes. It was a huge learning
curve.
4. Elegeion’s
sound is known for blending Gothic Doom, DSBM, and classical influences. How
has your musical style evolved from albums like Through the Eyes of Regret
and The Last Moment to Plight of the Heretic?
Kwan: The musical style hasn’t evolved a great deal. It still has all the elements we have had in our music since the demo days in 1996 - doom harmonies, the guitar strumming style that is now synonymous with DSBM, death and clean female vocals, a string section. Plus, some of the songs were written, at least in part, years ago. The Ending section of Sombre Skies was actually written back in 1995! The main evolution since then is incorporating other traditional instruments and the way we record things now. In the old days, I didn't really do pre-production demos. It was all planned and written in my head and then the ideas only materialised in the studio. Now with technology, I record pre-production demos for everything which allows a better planned album, as any issues are resolved in advance, not on the day of recording.
5. The
band supported acts like Sigh and Esoteric in 2023. How did performing live
again influence your approach to music and your connection with fans?
Kwan: It
was a great experience playing live and connecting with fans again. I
thought we may have been all but forgotten after all these years however it was
so flattering to have fans come up to us and say they were there just to see
us, or that they had been fans for decades. We have evolved in playing
live since the old days too, with the addition of backing tracks to really
bring the Elegeion feel - strings, backing vocals, etc - into the live
environment. We truly hope to play more, supporting more doom bands
across the globe. Its part of our long term plans.
6. The
premiere of "Sombre Skies" is described as a visual and auditory
journey. How do you see the relationship between your music and the visual
storytelling in your videos?
Kindah: The
opening scene of me in the snow aligns with the ominous and foreboding cello
drone and guitar lead, setting a mood of isolation and a story of personal
struggle. Early glimpses of the teenage ballet dancer introduce her character
with a sense of mystery, hinting at a storyline that gradually unfolds.
As the
music transitions into an acoustic guitar section, the visuals shift to the
child dancing in the forest, symbolizing innocence and freedom. This moment
serves as a poignant contrast to the teenage dancer’s later struggles, as the
narrative builds to her battle with an oppressive inner saboteur.
The outro’s reflective, folky tone ties the story together, with the band shown on a hill, lamenting a tale that is both deeply personal and universally relatable. For us, the music and visuals are inseparable, working together to draw the audience into the song’s layered and emotional narrative.
7. You’ve
worked with notable collaborators in the past, such as Travis Smith for
artwork. Are there any collaborations in the works for your upcoming album, and
can you share what fans can expect?
Kwan:
Future collaborations at this point include guest performances and co-writing a
track with Scott from one of the first Australian Black Metal bands,
Vahrzaw. I am also speaking with other musicians that i would like to
feature, however as its all still under discussion, I can’t announce anything
at this point. Artwork-wise, I have many artists that I admire and hope
to work with, however its still too early to mention any plans.
8. Given
the deeply melancholic and atmospheric nature of your music, how do you
approach songwriting and crafting themes that resonate so powerfully with your
audience?
Kwan: Elegeion from the outset was created as an outlet purely to, in Carl Jung’s terms, express the “shadow” side of one’s personality. The dark side of life, the often repressed, hidden side of the of the human condition. Musically, that is the style I am predispositioned to write, and find it difficult to write in other ways. It always needs to be slow, dark, somewhat monotonous, and endless..
9. The
Gothic Doom and DSBM scenes have grown and diversified over the years. How do
you see Elegeion's place in the current landscape of these genres?
Kwan: Haha,
I’m still trying to figure that out after all these years! We are a hard
band to put in a pigeon hole as we are so varied. Back in the day there
was no defined genre called DSBM, and Gothic doom had only a handful of
bands. I originally played in a black metal band, and Elegeion was
created by simply slowing down blast beats to doom beats and reducing my black
metal riffs to down strokes only, so I initially called it Black Doom, because
thats exactly how it all started - turning Black Metal into Doom Metal.
When it was marketed after being signed, it was given the Gothic Doom label,
which is fine, however personally in my heart, our place is anywhere within
Black / Doom.
10. Your
fans have been incredibly loyal throughout your journey, even during the years
of inactivity. How do you connect with them, and what has been the most
rewarding part of your return?
Kwan: For
many years I remained silent and distant, as I didn't have any material, I felt
I didn't have anything to say and therefore stayed away. I just did the
occasional interview for magazines or for Doom Metal books. However now
that we have something to show and talk about, and the band is active again, I
find myself going to as many doom gigs as possible, mingling with as many
musicians and metal heads as possible - something I didnt do much for so many
years. The rewarding thing is to be amongst creative people and
re-integrate with my kind of people again.
11. With
the new album on the horizon and the release of "Sombre Skies,"
what’s next for Elegeion in terms of creative projects, live performances, or
long-term goals?
Kwan: We are currently putting the final touches on the pre-production for the new album, planning the rehearsals so we can enter the studio as soon as possible. Writing, rehearsing and the studio is absolutely my priority at the moment, maybe another music video if time permits then long term after that is touring to support the latest albums.
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