Coffee and Conversation: Hand of Kalliach
I had the opportunity to ask a few questions to husband and wife super duo HAND OF KALLIACH. Hailing from Edinburgh, Scotland, HAND OF KALLIACH forged a unique musical trail during the 2020 pandemic shutdown. Read on to learn more about this folk metal band.
Chel: Thank you for your time today. I am particularly excited to chat with you two because I find your music so mesmerizingly unique. A mix of Melodic Death Metal combined with Scottish Folk music is the twist I didn't know I needed! How did the band get its start? Who are your biggest musical influences? Do they help shape your sound?
Sophie: Thanks very much, we're stoked you're enjoying the sound! We started writing in summer 2020 during the COVID-19 lockdown in the UK - we're married, so we were stuck in the house together without much of an outlet. The restrictions at the time served as a good prompt to do something creative and positive whilst trying to get through the turmoil that was 2020. The project was something we had talked about doing for some time, to meld all our favourite elements of extreme metal with the passion and energy that is found in traditional Scottish folk music.
John: In contrast to perhaps more familiar folk metal, we try to make minimal use of traditional instruments and instead use the same notes and rhythms applied to standard metal instrumentation, like playing a typical Scottish folk violin melody on a distorted guitar. We're also influenced by a range of bands playing atmospheric metal, but we do try to make sure we end up with quite a different sound - so it's awesome to hear you describe it as unique!
Chel: I have recently stumbled upon several sub-genres of metal but folk metal is certainly a new one for me. Amazing! How do you come up with lyrics and melodies? Where do you draw your inspiration?
John: I'll typically start with a melody for the guitar that sounds like it could be for an accordion, violin, or even bagpipes, and I'll usually play that fairly high up the neck to get a similar pitch to where those instruments might sit. From there, we'll discuss rhythms for the other guitar and bass parts, and sketch out a drum beat, and develop the music from there - but it all stems from that initial melody.
Sophie: For the lyrics, we draw heavily on the mythology and landscapes of Scotland, particularly the western Scottish isles. There's an awful lot of mythology packed into our tracks if you want to dive into it, and we really enjoy reading it and pulling it all together ourselves.
Chel: I think I will be diving head first into it because I love learning about mythology. What message or feeling do you hope listeners take away from your music?
John: I guess with all the mythological and landscape themes, plus all the layers and atmosphere we try to put into the tracks, we'd hope that listeners really feel immersed and transported by the sound. It's been really positive to see some early reviews saying pretty much that, so hopefully it's something that the broader fanbase finds on release!
Sophie: Yeah, we've really tried to build out the atmospherics and tie the tracks together. Of course, they're still very much on the heavy side of things, but there's a fair few lighter moments scattered throughout that hopefully add dynamics, and give listeners that sense of contrast.
Chel: Your latest album Corryvreckan was released on February 23, 2024. I have read that the inspiration behind Corryvreckan is the legend of Cailleach, the ancient witch god of winter from Scottish Celtic mythology. How is Cailleach represented in Corryvreckan?
Sophie: Absolutely right - the band name itself is a play on the Cailleach, who has a lot of malign connotations in folklore; but is also represented as a nurturing creator deity, so the lyrics and music are centred around these dual concepts of benevolence and malevolence. One of the stories goes that she lives at the bottom of an enormous whirlpool, called Corryvreckan, hence the album name. It is the third largest whirlpool in the world, and lies between some of the western isles of Scotland, where John has a lot of family.
John: As the herald of winter, the Cailleach rises from the depths to wash her cloak in the waters of the Corryvreckan. Once washed, it is bright white and she casts it across the earth where it lands as snow. This is done at the start of Samhainn on the 31st October, which was the Celtic precursor to Halloween and the name of our debut album. Her reign ends as spring arrives with the festival of Bealltainn in May, and she turns to stone to await the next winter. Naming the album after the whirlpool, we wanted to thematically tie the tracks to that concept - a violent, churning, aggressive and dense piece, that still had moments of quieter reflection.
Chel: Has your sound evolved since your first album, Samhainn, was released in 2021? Are there any particular reasons behind the changes?
John: I'd say we've got a lot tighter on both our lyrical themes and the sound itself. With Samhainn, we were really going pretty wild with all sorts of influences from mythology, but this was a lot more focussed.
Sophie: Yeah, we've also just zeroed in on our target sound a lot more - we're still really pleased with Samhainn, but there was a bit of variation in different extreme metal influences we were drawing from, where as with Corryvreckan I think it's maybe a bit more aligned sonically.
Chel: Are there any artists or bands you'd love to collaborate with in the future?
Sophie: We've always toyed with the idea of getting some folk musicians to collaborate with on some tracks, and it may well be something we can do in the future, so long as we can get it to match our style and keep that edge to our sound without things getting too folk-y!
Or even hi-jacking a Gaelic psalms choir to do some choral work would be phenomenal - if you've never had a chance to hear one, look them up on YouTube or wherever, they are incredible and sound unlike anything else.
Chel: That would be amazing! I have already looked up Gaelic psalms choir and I agree that would be a very incredible collaboration!
Chel: What's next for the band? Any upcoming projects or goals you're excited about?
Sophie: Now that Corryvreckan is released, we're really focussed on getting up to standard for live shows!
John: Yeah, it's something that we've been working on for a while, and we've got a great drummer (Tom) and lead guitarist (DeHaan) onboard so we're definitely in sight of getting some gigs lined up.
Chel: Do you have any plans to tour? Would you be coming to California?
John: We'd absolutely love to! We have young kids, but we could chuck them in the back of the van with the gear, I'm sure they'd love a cheeky road trip.
Sophie: Yeah, no firm plans yet but some very kind invitations already that we'd love to take up once we're ready!
Chel: Well if you ever do make it out this way, I will be first in line for tickets!
Chel: What advice would you give to aspiring musicians?
Sophie: Well we honestly never thought a weird fusion of melodic death metal, folk music and ethereal vocals would work, but here we are, so we'd definitely suggest from personal experience that you give whatever crazy ideas you have a shot!
John: Absolutely! Don't be afraid to experiment with genres, styles or unconventional sounds; do what you think would sound interesting, you never know what you might stumble upon, and what might resonate with people.
Chel: I can’t thank you both enough for your time. I look forward to continue to enjoy your music!
If you want to purchase Corryvreckan, or purchase HAND OF KALLIACH merchandise, click HERE
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