Interview with Ethereal Void

What got you into music, and if you had not gotten into music what would you be doing today?

• Music has always been the most important aspect of my life, I’m not sure why. I wanted to get into science but I have dyscalculia so even just learning to read music was a challenge.

What do you like to do when you are not playing music and how does that influence your creativity?

• The only other thing I do is read a lot. If something I read is particularly inspiring it might get a song based on it.

How long has your band been around?

• Ethereal Void was formed in 2019 under the name Hollow Again, but Logan and I have been making music since 2017

Where are you based out of and how did that influence your music?

• We are based in Southwestern Ontario, and truthfully it doesn’t affect the music whatsoever.

How did you come up with the name of your band and what does it mean to you?

• We went through a bunch of band names; all combinations of void/entropy/various esoteric words. We wanted the name Disciples of the Void, but it’s such a good name, it was taken. Ethereal Void has a good ring to it.  

Tell me about your most memorable shows.

• We aren’t interested in playing shows, so we can’t really say. Our band is focused on making a comprehensive and compelling album experience, but the nature of how the music is created means it’s not inherently live music.

What is your favorite venue to play at, and do you have any places you want to play that you have not already?

• Same answer, though I have always wanted to play at the Opera House in Toronto since I saw so many bands there when I was growing up.

If you could play any show with any lineup, who would be on the ticket?

• It would be pretty cool if The Design Abstract opened for Scar Symmetry, but I’m not sure which bands would work with Ethereal Void. Maybe Meshuggah.

What is some advice that you would give to someone who is just getting into playing in a band and some advice that you would give to your younger self?

• That would be the same advice!

  Don’t do it

• If you insist on doing it, just fucking DO it. If you want to learn an instrument, don’t second guess yourself and wait. I’ve always played catch-up with the musicians around me because I always had a late start due to lack of confidence. Just do the thing if you want to do the thing. Be bad until you’re good, it’s ok to suck. You HAVE to suck to get better.

If you could go back in time and give yourselves advice, what would it be?

• Don’t waste time with record labels. Start promoting sooner.

Of your songs which one means the most to you and why?

• Musically I think my favorite will always be Immaculate Destroyer from our previous release. From an emotional standpoint, definitely Through Sorrow, a song I wrote to cope with a close friend’s mother dying far too early.

Which songs are your favorite to play and which get requested the most?

• Ahh sorry, another non-applicable question. I can tell you numbers-wise it seems like Through Sorrow is one of our most popular.

What is the creative process for the band, and what inspires you to write your music?

• Logan will send me songs with all the guitars and drums. I will change the structures and sometimes riffs or transitions to fit the lyrics as I see fit. Once I lay down demo vocals, the track is off to Nemesis for leads. While that’s happening (or after) Logan and I will record the final rhythm guitars in-person at Abstrakted Records. I do the final vocals and bass myself. Everything else is done remotely!

• Inspiration-wise we wanted to create something distinct from The Design Abstract. More brutal, straightforward, and most importantly with a different vibe.

What kinds of messages do you like to get across in your music?

• Primarily we worship entropy: the death of all deaths. We write songs glorifying the end of not only civilizations and planets, but all existence itself. Sometimes we write about other things, but typically it’s simple reverence for the ending of all.

Do you ever have disagreements in your band, and how do you get past them?

• I think the main disagreements are caused by me and my wanting a specific direction for the band. In essence, I hate fun, and Logan likes fun. He will pitch me ideas that I think are just completely unfit for our style of death metal band, but Logan is just here to make music. I’m hard to work with.

What are your plans for the future, and do you have anything that you want to spotlight that is coming up?

• Our album Gods of a Dead World may or may not be out by the time you’re reading this. Otherwise, if you haven’t checked out The Design Abstract or any of the other bands on Abstrakted Records, they’re all projects that are me, Logan, or both of us. If you like EV you may like some of them as well!

Facebook.com/EtherealVoid | Design.bandcamp.com

Lyric Video - Seeds of Hatred -