Exclusive Interview: Edenfall talk “To Gaze Longer at the Earth”, My Dying Bride and 9 years between albums!

It’s been almost a decade since 2014’s “Under Sultry Moons and Velvet Skies“ was released so does the release of “To Gaze Longer at the Earth” feel like a weight off the collective shoulders? How long has the album been in the works?

Rob: “It actually feels quite surreal to finally get the album released after all that time! But yes, definitely feels like a big weight off our shoulders. And it has been an absolute pleasure to see it being so warmly received so far! To be honest, there were various factors that regretfully caused there to be such a long gap between our second and third album, including the band effectively being on an unofficial/unannounced/unintentional hiatus for some time, then what with the world basically being shut down for a couple of years, starting in 2020. But really, the songwriting process for this album actually started shortly after we dropped Under Sultry Moons and Velvet Skies, back in 2014! I remember the last couple of songs being written around 2019. We actually went into the studio and recorded drums in early 2020, just weeks before the first lockdown. So that did put a bit of a spanner in the works in terms of getting the rest of the album recorded, mixed and mastered, and gigging to promote it. But here we are; better late than never, right?”

Sean: “We had intended to out-do Guns ‘n Roses with their 13 year wait for their last album, but unfortunately Rob refused to get cornrows so we had to give up on that idea, but 9 years is a respectable attempt.”

What brought about the switch of Sean Brazil from bass to lead guitars? How did you find the recruitment of Promethean Reign bassist TJ Higgs as an additional member? What did he bring to the album?

Rob: “Whilst this isn’t a criticism of any of the other guitarists we had before Sean, I had always longed for a second guitarist who I really clicked with, who I could bounce ideas off of, and rely on to come up with their own great lead melodies, because my passion as a guitarist and songwriter lies more with writing killer riffs and rhythm playing – not so much writing leads. We had a series of second guitarists who didn’t really stick around for long, and when Sean was on bass, he played that thing more like a lead instrument anyway! And seeing as we go way back to our college days, and I knew I could count on the guy, it seemed like a no-brainer to ask him to hop to lead guitar, which he was more than happy to do! A decision I certainly do not regret, as he has really brought his own unique style of not just lead but also acoustic guitar playing into the music on this new album. As for TJ, he has proven to be a fantastic and reliable addition to the band, fits right into the family, and has been with us for over four years now! Not only is he a great bass player, but he has bought the addition of some fantastic clean vocals onto the album, giving a nice underlying texture to many of Clare’s vocal lines.”

Sean: “I had begun to feel constrained with bass guitar so during Edenfall’s hiatus I began branching out into keyboards (where I began composing ‘A Wistful Reverie’), a 5 string violin (gave this up as we already sound like we’re influence by My Dying Bride without adding in a violin as well!), before eventually settling on guitar, after that it was just natural to move to playing guitar in the band and search for a new bassist instead.”

The music you create is complex and refined; how did you go about striking the balance between the beautiful clean vocals from Clare Webster and the vicious uncleans from Rob George?

Rob: “Without wanting to sound cliché, I always loved what some might refer to as the “beauty and the beast” vocal combination; haunting, classical, mezzo-soprano singing (usually drenched in reverb), mixed with passages of beastly, undead-sounding growled vocals, to add a nice contrast, as well as invoking an atmosphere that just really hits the spot for me. This has always been a formula that is a key, distinctive component in what we do, and furthermore, it was always my goal to write music that has plenty of different dynamics to it, as well as (hopefully) achieving that happy medium between heavy and melodic.”

As an album “To Gaze Longer at the Earth” is a story driven concept record; what were your inspirations and influences for choosing that left hand path to make the record?

Clare: “One of the things I love most about music is that it is perfect for storytelling. This can be done by not just the music itself, but also the visuals, performances and everything else that comes with being a performer. I’m not sure if you’ve ever visited our part of the world, but within the British Isles there is a really old, rarely touched ancient magic that you often find deep in our forests, nestled among the moorland heathers, in ruined churches and abbeys, or in any of Tolkien’s works. We have such a rich history and an abundance of folklore that is often forgotten about and it’s this that we really wanted to tap into with this one. ‘To Gaze Longer at the Earth’, for us, was more than just a music project, but a chance to try and capture the atmosphere of Old England and share it through our music, visuals and performances to the best of our ability.”

What was it like working with a hero in Aaron Stainthorpe from My Dying Bride as a guest on “To Howl At An Orbless Sky“?

What’s next for Edenfall?

Rob: “We have a few shows lined up, in which we aim to promote the new album. There is a certain festival that we’re looking forward to playing next year in particular – but more on that soon! We might have another music video coming your way from this album too, and I can confirm we already have at least a couple of new songs written and being refined as we speak, so hopefully our next album will be ready a lot sooner than another nine years!”