“With ‘Corryvreckan‘ we were really focused on making sure we were tightening, building on and evolving the sound.”
Hand of Kalliach, a UK-based band, presents a distinctive fusion of melodic death metal intertwined with atmospheric Gaelic and Celtic influences, drawing inspiration from Scottish folk music. Their latest release, Corryvreckan, under Prosthetic Records, invites listeners on a journey through rich atmospheric melodies and powerful rhythms. In an interview with Sophie Fraser, the band’s bass player and vocalist, we gain insight into their music-making process and the creative journey behind the album.
Sophie Fraser discusses her choice of bass, an Ibanez SR305E, highlighting its contribution to the band’s sound: “I play an Ibanez SR305E, which has been my main bass for the past three years. It’s a 5-string, which lets us get to that very low, heavy sound we use to drive the death metal elements of our music, which contrasts the more airy vocals I do and the higher melodic elements we mix over the top. I tune to drop-A, which means I need to use a very chunky .145 gauge string just to keep the tension. It did require a little bit of filing on the nut, but the power from that low A is immense! I also use a set of custom pickups that were made specifically for our sound by US-based Elysian Pickups who endorse us; they really add some warmth and depth to the tone without losing clarity. I also just really love the colour and finish of my Ibanez; it’s a gorgeous Cerulean Aura Burst.”
When discussing the recording process for “Corryvreckan”, Fraser reveals a preference for simplicity in her setup. “I don’t actually use any pedals; I find a cleaner tone with a bit of amp shaping is all I need! At home, I just use a dinky Laney LX15B for practice and play, but the amp you hear on the album is an AMPEG SVT that our engineer Wynter Prior at Sphynx Studios used to reamp the raw DI output from the Ibanez. All it has on top of it in the record is a bit of limiting and saturation. The resulting fairly clean tone works well in our music to provide clarity to the low end of the mix while providing a level of contrast to my more floaty, ethereal vocals and instrumentation at the high end.”
The creative process behind Hand of Kalliach’s music involves a delicate balance between the rugged rhythms of the bass and the intricate melodies of the lead guitar: “We’ll generally start writing a track with the high melodies you mention on the lead guitar, which John plays higher up the neck to really capture that Celtic folk register and feel, adding a lot of colour at the higher frequencies. To counter this, when we’re writing the bass parts our focus is on creating really heavy, powerful rhythms that drive the energy in the tracks, and form the much more rugged foundations of our sound. In concert with the rhythm guitars, this helps us build out quite a dense but dynamic soundscape.”
Corryvreckan represents a significant milestone for Hand of Kalliach, building upon the foundation laid by their debut album, Samhainn. Fraser reflects on the evolution of their sound, noting a focused effort to refine and balance their musical elements more effectively. “When we wrote our debut album, Samhainn, it was all new ground for us and so we were experimenting more with combining our vocal styles and balancing the dominant melodeath sound with the more folky elements. We were pretty surprised when it got such a positive reception, but it meant with Corryvreckan we were really focused on making sure we were tightening, building on and evolving the sound. We feel like the new album is more consistent, with that heavier lower spectrum more finely balanced with the dueling melodies and the contrasting vocals. But of course, we hope our listeners find this also!”
With Corryvreckan, Hand of Kalliach invites fans and newcomers alike to experience the unique blend of melodic death metal and Celtic folklore that defines their music. The album is now available at this location.
The Ibanez SR305E is equipped with a 5-piece maple/walnut neck and a nyatoh body. It features a jatoba fretboard with white dot inlays and 24 medium frets. The bass uses an Accu-cast B125 bridge with 16.5mm string spacing and includes PowerSpan Dual Coil pickups in both neck and bridge positions. The electronics consist of an Ibanez Custom 3-band EQ with a 3-way Power Tap.