Earl of Hell - Interview with Lewis Inglis and Dan Mitchell - 09.05.2025 by Gary L Taylor
Photos by Leon Barker
I was fortunate enough to sit down this past Friday (09.05.2025) with Lewis Inglis and Dan Mitchell, the guitar pairing from Edinburgh's Earl of Hell, prior to their show with the legendary Alain Johannes (where they function as both chief support and as Alain's band for a portion of his set) and was able to talk about a number of subjects from their new album, working with Alain Johannes, the influence of Mark Lanegan and their plans for the future.
Earl of Hell was possibly my favourite musical discovery of 2024, whom I'd caught at the same venue in the same role the previous year. This time around though, not only are they more honed from a busy touring schedule (especially over the past few months), but they are also just off the back of the release of their excellent, self-titled debut album, mixed and mastered by 'Uncle Alain' himself.
After congratulating them on the album, which I personally love, I asked how they've gauged the general feedback to its release, now that it's been out for a few weeks.
"It's been really positive" said Lewis, "There's been some good reviews, you said some very kind words about it yourself and there is another review (from the Outlaws of the Sun blog/page) which described it as like a greatest hits collection, and so it's always nice to hear things like that".
Dan then adds that "We got into the Doom Metal charts, which we always wanted to somehow get on there, and we have done that and you know everything has been so positive, it's almost to the point where you're almost waiting for the other shoe to drop, but so far everything in response to it has been great".
I add my own thoughts that one of the things I like about it is that with a runtime of under 40 minutes, it's a lean beast of an album with no filler at all, and each of those minutes give no let up and sort of make the most of the time.
"We did think that maybe we should have added a couple more, not filler, but perhaps slower tracks", responds Lewis. "Maybe let the listener get their breath back, but we think it works well. We were also aware that a lot of listeners may not wish to sit for too long with a new band, so that sort of runtime also means it can do its job without needing to hold the attention for an overly long time".
My own experience of feedback on both the album and the band themselves from music groups that I am part of online, as well as from fellow fans/friends at shows has been positive, with some making a point to ensure that they catch the band if in a supporting role, and I've seen recently fans enquiring from both Europe and as far afield as the USA if they would be heading there anytime soon. I ask if they have noticed this themselves and Lewis provides a response.
"Well, we've done a few tours now, but this is the first real, proper album and so it's really nice that, you know, we're just kind of getting our own following like this, sort of naturally, and with the stoner/desert/heavy rock scene especially in places like London there's a type of community as well. It's connected and is a good community. So, with things like that and the online stuff like you say, it's, a big thing, word of mouth and plays a good part in getting us a following".
Having said to the two guitarists that although modern methods of music consumption can be seen as detrimental, a possible positive of social media may be in helping that word of mouth spread faster and further than previously possibly.
"Yeah" says Lewis, "I wouldn't say we're overly social media heavy as a band. We give it a bit of an effort, but our content isn't being seen by thousands of people so the word of mouth in the communities is great and for people starting to connect with us from outside of that too, it's amazing".
"It's feels like the focus from that sort of side is a lot more on the music" adds Dan. "We're not trying to be influencers or saying watch this guitar solo or video on Instagram and it's not like we've got some sort of shtick that's really interesting for about 10 minutes with the music coming second".
"We also have that great Scottish banter onstage too, obviously when people can understand what I say", quips Lewis.
In terms of their efforts in establishing a fanbase Dan adds that with bands such as theirs, "trying to just be amongst the number of new bands is an effort, just looking at things like Spotify and the amount of how many streams there are per month and how many bands are putting songs out, it's insane to try and catch up and keep up with. So, you do rely on these communities and word of mouth to help spread the word and get a bit of a following".
I mentioned at this point how many established acts and classic or greatest hits albums still take up space in much of the album charts along with many of the biggest-selling modern popular acts quickly releasing 'new' versions of their albums with additional tracks or covers which their fanbases buy and maintain their positioning and wondered if that sort of thing also hinders an up-and-coming band.
"Good point" says Dan, "I was looking at a recent UK Rock Chart and about half of it was albums at least 10 years old. Seems a bit odd to us, but then also I think with making music today, in terms of people just putting stuff out there's not always as much control from labels and things on what gets released and when. Back in the day when bands were signed to labels it seemed that there was perhaps a lot more strategic releasing of material and specific schedules whereas now you can almost just record, mix and master something yourself and get it out there, so all those things can really make it a lot harder for a new band to find and gain a fanbase, so that word of mouth is a vital thing. You could probably put out an album has we have and pay for some expensive PR, but at the end of the day still get obliterated by a bigger established band"
Regarding the album release itself, Lewis adds that the band would have initially liked it to have been released a little earlier.
"It's actually taken a bit longer for us to release that we ideally would have liked. We had such a busy time following last year's tour, that it took us a longer time to actually get the tracks all recorded and down. We've had a busy start to the year too, we were supporting Brandt Bjork earlier this year, Masters of Reality last month and then we're out with Alain this month, and it was like that last year too, being out touring, getting our chops. It was just a bit hard finding the time to get the album written and recorded and to put it all together, so it was out a bit later than we wanted".
To my mind, the time taken was well spent though as the end-result is impressive. Lewis pointed out that the mixing and mastering by Alain Johannes took a comparatively speedy three and half days, which brought me onto asking how their relationship with the legendary 'maestro' came into being.
"Well, you might hear different things depending on who you speak to" says Dan, before continuing.
"We do this thing called Sunday Service, which we haven't done for a while actually, but it's basically just us chatting with musicians that we love and things like that and then when we were doing that, our singer Eric (Brock), on a whim, contacted Alain and said would you be up for this and from there they started chatting back and forth.
"Eric has this ethos where basically 'if you don't ask, you don't get' and he'd seen the stuff that Alain did with Iron Jinn performing with him and just messaged him saying look if you need a hand with a band and touring, let us know. Alain is such a nice, cool guy, that he just said 'yeah' and it then grew from there.
"The first tour we did together last year was so much fun and this one is just as fun, but it is different. We're more used to it I think and it's not so much that feeling of awe that were travelling and touring with a rock God, it's more like six, not peers, but like six bandmates together. He's just such a nice guy".
Lewis then follows up, " Alain has been in the music biz for so long, part of so many great bands, and being on the side of so many, great people as well and in production but it feels like he's never actually gotten the recognition that he deserves, with his own name and solo stuff, you know? If we can help him even a little with his solo work it would be great if he can get a bit more appreciation for that too, because it's incredible"
With a grin Dan adds that perhaps they could just ride his coattails, though then speaks of his own admiration for the man and his work.
"There's probably a lot of people that know him for his work with Josh Homme and Queens of the Stone Age but Alain actually contributes a lot to the writing and songs on some of their albums and the behind the scenes work, with Mark Lanegan for instance, he was an integral part of a lot of the stuff from Blues Funeral onwards and I'm not sure he fully gets all the credit he deserves for the behind the scenes stuff either and there are so many bands and people from Eleven, Chris Cornell and others where he is the one that just kept the cogs moving. That's why it's nice to celebrate all the different stuff he's done at shows like these".
Lewis then elaborated on the selflessness of Alain Johannes as well as his ability to quickly shift musical styles.
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"Years ago he was working on putting together and recording an album for Eleven to the point where it was almost ready for release and it had to be put on hold so that he could concentrate on writing and working on Chris Cornell's solo album as the label wanted to back and prioritise that one more, so he's had to go from recording one album completely stopping that and just switching gears and saying 'OK we're doing this one now'.
"A similar thing happened years later too where he had to temporarily stop the work that he was doing on an Eleven album to help Queens of the Stone Age with Songs For The Deaf.
"To switch from recording one thing and one style to immediately being able put that on hold and produce something completely different in such a short time shows that he has a lot in his wheelhouse".
At this point I remembered that I'm most likely to share this interview/chat with some online Mark Lanegan groups that I'm in, and so enquired as to whether as a band that identifies as being largely from the stoner/doom side of things, if there is a big Mark Lanegan influence anywhere in the band or if one has been more prominent since they have been working with Alain who was a great friend and collaborator of 'Dark Mark'.
"I think it's definitely grown from working with Alain" says Dan, "but there's always been a bit there. Eric, our singer is a die-hard Lanegan fan. I think he's the person he has seen live more than anyone else.
"I think I always sort of tangentially knew of Mark Lanegan, you know, from things like Queens of the Stone Age, and different stuff he's features on. He often used to pop up everywhere. So, I kind of knew of him. It wasn't until I first started hanging out with Eric that I started realising the genius of the man. Having that and then also getting to be hanging out with Alain Johannes has definitely contributed to that appreciation.
"I ended up, you know, loving Bubblegum, Blues Funeral and stuff, but it's not until you've got to maybe learn some parts from it and stuff. Oh, my God. It gives you a real respect for his music. Reading his book (Sing Backwards and Weep) you sort of think these are his words but are these stories true? Then when you speak to Alain and people who had a personal connection with him, it appears that he was totally genuine and what he writes is exactly who he was".
I mentioned my own thoughts that although his audience (especially in the UK and Europe) seemed to be growing as his career progressed that I felt he also suffered somewhat from his solo work possibly not being given the more widespread recognition that it deserved, similar to how they felt about Alain's solo work, although Lanegan had built up a decent sized, loyal following and one that is quite invested and protective of him.
Lewis adds, "I think what's interesting also, is that he's not just got a sort of overly male audience or anything, because it's actually, really mixed, as you can see from those fan groups.
"Especially with that voice, you know, I can see why it sings to so many men and women. You know, for someone to kind of spill their emotions as well, it's a healthy thing, sort of unheard, sometimes, to sing with, that raw, kind of tender emotion, with such a gruff voice and kind of natural kind of voice. It's like a putting his heart on his sleeve kind of thing that's really attractive.
"He's been involved with so many things too, and is so diverse, jumping from things like Queens of the Stone Age straight into something much more gentle with Isobel Campbell, which is amazing".
The guitarists did point out that their lead singer would probably be better placed to answer more thoroughly regarding Lanegan but I did ask (having seen a couple of Lanegan covers on setlists they had been performing with Alain) if they felt a pressure in performing songs which due to Lanegan's voice are very distinctive.
Dan said that Driving Death Valley Blues was a song that initially seemed simple to learn but with some unexpected chord changes and timings, which Alain Johannes explained was due-to-the-fact that when they recorded it he would be playing and Lanegan would give him cues to change simply by pointing at certain times.
"Even now we actually, can't just go ‘right, I know it’. I have to follow the vocal line. It's written like that. But you also, you sort of have to perform it like that.
Something like, like The Gravedigger's Song I found very nerve-wracking, it's such a beautiful song. It's arranged in such a strange way. It's not really like a four-piece band style. So, we're doing that sort of our own way, but we don't want to pull too far away from the original song.
"It was quite nerve wracking for the first couple of gigs, just to see how that song, would kind of float, but people were really receptive of it and Eric is very good on it vocally".
Lewis also had thoughts on performing The Gravedigger's Song; "Obviously, because he's (Lanegan) not here anymore as well, it, adds a little bit more pressure. You really need to get it right.
"You know you want to do it justice. You can't sort of do a tribute to someone and then totally fuck it up. It's a great song. I think once we kind of figure out all those subtle nuances, like how things should be layered and getting the atmosphere right for it as well, which is a big thing in that song, it becomes, actually a very enjoyable, comfortable song to play for me anyway. So, I can kind of relax into it and really enjoy it. And it is one of those songs that you do sit back and take it in, because you can be there and experience it"
I did briefly chat with Eric Brock after the show and he did say that he enjoyed singing the Lanegan songs but found The Gravedigger's Song more of a challenge than Driving Death Valley Blues, due it being lower than his natural range (having heard the set though, they were excellent renditions).
Lewis then elaborated on what's next for Earl of Hell, following this tour.
"To be honest, this we've had such a manic start to the year so far, really, with a lot of touring and the album release and stuff, so I think that we're trying to try and lighten it up for the last half of the year, just sort of write, with the idea to get another album out. Because the first one did take longer than we would have liked, we want to get some more stuff out, and we'll try and get something out early if we can but want to take that time just to work on that and do some writing for it".
Is there anything planned after that, any tours being thought about, either here in the UK or overseas. Europe perhaps?
Dan responds, "Everything is just in the talking stages at the moment. We're possibly looking at planning something in Europe next year, yeah, but it's the early stages of planning it. We're not 100 per cent sure or anything, but that's a possibility."
"We've been wanting to do that for ages. It just seemed seems like we would have been silly to have gone over there before the album and the other tours and not having built a bit of an audience" adds Lewis, before continuing.
"Yeah, yeah, next year, we'll save up for that and also our van has just been scrapped, there's things like that to consider, but you know, there's plenty of time to get it all. So we're not organizing any more really big tours this year, so as Dan said we will see what happens next year".
Would any such future tour next year, be it at home or abroad be just Earl of Hell or with again as a surrogate 'Alain Johannes Band'?
"He's Uncle Al" to us now laughs Lewis. That's not just an affectionate term. He's signed the paperwork and everything", he grins.
"Could be either. Not sure what the plans are on that front, but if he wants to tour and wants us again, we'll be there like a shot.
"We'll get this tour done first and then see from there probably. This tour seems to be going well", we love playing with Alain and just want to keep doing justice to the songs.
It's strange, you wouldn't necessarily think it would work perhaps, having us come on with that heavy kind of stoner or desert metal and rock sound and then Alain starting his set with that acoustic, beautiful heartfelt music, almost sometimes soothing like a lullaby as we watch on, before joining in and it all gets going in that loud desert style again, but it's been going down well and people seem to be taking to it so it's something we do really enjoy".
Sometimes they enjoy it too much jokes Dan as he cheekily adds that it's tempting to just turn their guitars down so they can sit back and listen to Alain at work.
As we note that time is ticking close to when doors open, I ask about the range of influences that the band have, as although they are viewed as stoner or desert rock, the music has guitar elements that remind me at times of artists from Jerry Cantrell to Metallica and Iron Maiden with a slight Alice in Chains vibe too in places, especially with vocal harmonies featuring prominently with the band's music.
Dan adds that he feels that "I think the stoner/desert rock thing is a style we all like and all fit under but there are lots of different influences. We're five guys that until forming the band, didn't really know each other that well. A couple were at the same school, although in different years, but there's a lot of different tastes and influences there.
"I think we all converge and align at that sort of stoner rock thing, but we all have different influences from country, jazz, funk, blues, all sorts".
Lewis adds "the dual guitars are what stand out for some people, sort of the Alice in Chains/Maiden reference. We have that, though any Jerry Cantrell-style stuff is all Dan. I think that influence probably comes from him and Eric.
"The whole vocal harmony thing is something I've always really wanted to do in a band. Have a focus on vocal harmonies, because I grew up with and love listening to The Beatles and all that kind of stuff. Constantly when I listen to music, I'm trying to sing the harmony and that comes through in the music I think".
I ask if it's natural to get as in tune as he seems with his own front man or if it's a case of hard work and practice and he affirms that it's the latter.
"It's really fun to do, but getting it down right is one of those things that is almost painful, it takes a while. One of those things that requires a bit of figuring out and a lot of choreography and practice, but yeah it is fun to do".
He then adds that perhaps the next album may feature more than two voices on harmonies.
"We actually probably have four singers within the band, so we'll have to see if anyone else steps up on the next album, but yeah, we could have a four-part on that one"
Barbershop? I suggest.
"Yep, all acapella" says Dan with a chuckle.
With that, it's apparent that the time for doors opening is imminent and so I thank them for their time. They go on to play a blistering couple of sets both on their own and with 'Uncle Alain'.
There are three more stops left on the current tour and if you're anywhere near them, I would highly recommend it:
Thu 15 May. Leeds, Lending Room.
Fri 16 May. Birkenhead, Future Yard.
Sat 17 May. Glasgow, Cat House.
Earl of Hell are:
Eric Brock - Lead vocals
Lewis Inglis - Guitar/backing vocals
Dan Mitchell - Guitar
Dean Gordon - Bass
Ryan Wilson - Drums
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