I made a mental note to hit the new album from Eveale as soon as it dropped… and then two weeks went by. So this is officially my queue to check out something that seems like it would be all the way up my alley. Nature, folklore, melodic black metal. Enter The Woodland Realm, the new album from the transcontinental duo, dropped on the first of the month through Hypaethral Records and Fiadh Productions and from everything I’ve seen and heard so far there is plenty to appreciate about it already. The Monarch Of The Hillside (MOTH) and The North East Wizard Tyrant (The NEWT) took the time to respond to our Profile questionnaire and introduce us further. Let’s take the opportunity to dive in together, shall we?

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How and when did you first get into playing music, or metal more specifically, and how did your band get its start? Any pushback from family/those close to you?

NEWT (Steve): I got into music at 13 after getting into punk. I got into metal after hearing Gorgoroth’s “Under the Sign of Hell” when I was about 17. Eveale began after MOTH (Alex) and I had been friends for a while and had worked together in other musical capacities in other bands we’re involved in. Eveale was our chance to do something together where we shared 50/50% creative control.

MOTH (Alex): I grew up around music. My dad was always playing Pink Floyd records and my mum Guns ‘n’ Roses, Bon Jovi and Meat Loaf. My interest stemmed from there. Eventually I branched out and developed my own taste. Being a child of the 90’s this started with Oasis, Nirvana and Green Day before I eventually got handed a CD-R copy of a System of a Down album by a friend at school. That was my introduction to the heavier stuff, and that’s when I sort of realised “holy shit I want to make this kind of noise”. My mum got me a guitar but I had neither the patience nor discipline to learn to play properly. It was only many years later (quite recently) that I decided to try my hand at screamed vocals and found I was pretty good at it.

The formation of Eveale was pretty organic. NEWT and I were already in Ashenheart together at that point, and he reached out to me to start a low-stakes project using some existing lyrics I had laying around. We originally planned to release a low-key EP or something, but things rapidly escalated beyond that initial plan, and here we are now!

How would you describe your band and what you play to someone who is completely in the dark?

NEWT: Eveale is a melodic black metal band at its core, focused on tight, catchy, and punchy songs with a focus on nature and fantasy folklore, and polished, upfront production.

MOTH: Yeah I don’t think we’re trying to reinvent the wheel here. But I think we’ve put enough of our personalities into this project to make it stand out from the crowd.

Is there anything about your latest album or about your band that no one will find in any interview or review that you care to divulge?

MOTH: On the first/intro track, you can hear bird noises. Those were recorded around my home in Hampshire UK and we credited the birds in the album liner notes. They deserve credit too!

NEWT: Most reviewers tend not to cover lyrics in their reviews, so I would compel folks to take that little extra time when listening, to listen to the lyrics – MOTH did a wonderful job on all of the songs.

Any funny stories from playing shows / tours / festivals, etc?

NEWT: Being an international band, and a relatively new band (we formed around February 2025) we haven’t played any shows. Hopefully there’s a “yet” to that sentence and we can find a way someday!

MOTH: Yeah I really hope that we can make that work someday. Even if just for a couple of one-off shows or something. Currently the logistics and expense of touring are too much of a barrier for us.

What do you see as some of the great things happening in and around the metal scene (yours or just in general) and what are some of the worst things happening right now?

NEWT: There are a lot of stupendous labels operating right now who are lifting up incredibly talented artists, who are all righteous and standing for tolerance, and against bigotry, hate, and violence. Hypaethral Records and Fiadh Productions are two of those labels, which is why we’re so thrilled they’re releasing “Enter the Woodland Realm”. On the flipside, the presence of nationalist-socialist and outright nazi bands, especially within black metal, is definitely one of the worst things in metal.

MOTH: The underground is RIFE with a diverse array of extremely talented people. The little online community that we exist within is testament to that. Every day I log in to Bluesky and see that one of my friends has put out a new, fantastic album or announced a cool show.

Obviously there’s not much worse than NSBM within metal as a whole, as NEWT said. There’s none of that within our small community. We strive for a space where everyone and their contributions are made to feel welcome. On top of the NSBM issue there’s also a worrying trend towards use of generative AI. Something that we are passionate about opposing. It is anti-art at best, and plagiarism coupled with being environmentally irresponsible at worst.

Most folks have passions for a cause or causes that are close to them. What, if any, are some of the most important issues (social/political/humorous/etc.) for you / your and and how do you insert those issues into your music?

NEWT: Eveale is a very nature-themed band. Fiadh Productions donates money to animal-focused organizations regularly, so we’re incredibly happy to be a part of that. We stand against fascism, bigotry, and believe in equal rights for all. Though most of our lyrics focus on fantasy and nature, you’ll see these beliefs reflected in songs such as “Our Flame”.

MOTH: Yes, we are a very socially-conscious band. NEWT touched on “Our Flame” there, which is probably the most obvious allusion to this within “Enter the Woodland Realm”. The album is not overtly political in nature, but some of the themes I explored in the lyrics of isolation, belonging and in a sense, community are very much present.

Do you have day jobs or hobbies you want to share?

NEWT: I work in landscaping as a day job. In terms of hobbies, I spend most of my free time with my wife and kids, but outside of that it’s all music, music, music. When I’m not working on Eveale, I’m working on any of the other six bands I’m in.

MOTH: I work as telephone customer service for a waste recycling company. That’s just a means to an end really. My main passion is and always has been music. It’s only been in the last couple of years that I’ve been able to be actively involved in creating it though. This is all quite new to me. I’m learning a lot and generally having a great time with it. Outside of that I spend the rest of my free time with my wife Jane and dog Gandalf.

What advice do you have for music critics and outlets out there? How can we all better serve the genre in the eyes of a hard-working musician?

NEWT: Black metal is a remarkably diverse genre, rife with subgenres and styles. I feel it’s too often reductively pigeonholed as “raw”, “messy”, “poor production” etc, but I would ask that critics and outlets avoid those words until they actual listen to a black metal album, since a tremendous number of albums in the genre for the past 2 decades are polished, carefully-crafted albums.

MOTH: Ditch the AI. Just don’t cover bands that use it. Whether that be for lyrics, artwork or worst of all the music itself. I want art to be art. I want to see and hear the feelings and the soul of the person who created it. That’s what art is. Not some cold, interpretation or amalgamation of what a computer has been trained to think it should be. Fuck that.

Any specific long term goal(s) in mind?

MOTH: Not really, we’re just going to take things as they come. We’ve already had a great response to Eveale and we’re definitely going to take it forward. What that looks like, kinda depends on the success of this album. I’d love to be able to play this stuff live, as previously mentioned, but the stars will really have to align to make that a reality.

NEWT: There is an element in the Eveale song “The Final Quest” that I would like us to explore more in future songs.

When you’re not obsessing over your own material, what are some of your favorite albums to listen to currently?

NEWT: “Still” by Scoured; “The Convalescence Agonies” by Weeping Sore; “The Yearning” by Hypomanic Daydream; “Banebdjed’s Path” by Ossomancer; “Season Cycle: Spring” by Ed Herbers; “A Body Is A Suggestion” by Melpomene; “The Sinking Isle” by Oromet; “Tales of Treachery” by Lammoth; “The Light at the End of Decay” by TV-MA; “Vermilion Pyre” by Lucerne Hammer.

MOTH: Some of my recent favourites have been: “Night Eternal” by Firienholt; “The Burden of I” by Alicia Cordisco; “Requiem” by Vanessa Funke; “When the Leaves Fall, I’ll be Near” by Harifa; “Knochengesänge” by Waldgeflüster; and most recently that new Hellripper album “Coronach”. I’m also big on my classics though. More often than not I’ll be listening to Judas Priest or Black Sabbath, and in terms of black metal, there’s hardly a day goes by where I don’t listen to Darkthrone in some capacity.

What is the near future outlook for you or your band? Any specific events on the horizon that the masses should be aware of?

NEWT: We’re going to take it easy for a bit and just enjoy “Enter the Woodland Realm’s” release. I’ll be heading to the UK to hang out with MOTH, which will be incredibly fun to spend some time together in person!

MOTH: Yes – we haven’t really discussed anything further than the release of this album at the moment. I’m sure during the brief period where we’re on the same side of the Atlantic, a few creative ideas will come out of the woodwork! Very much a “Watch this space” situation at present.

Summarize your band in one word.

NEWT: Woodland!

MOTH: Diverse!

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Many thanks to Newt and Moth for the time!

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Enter The Woodland Realm is out now through Hypaethral Records and Fiadh Productions. To keep in touch with Eveale, head over to their website.