An Interview with
The Doom Metallers who headline the
'Mountains Of Metal' All-Dayer
on Saturday, July 20th 2024 @ Record Junkee, Sheffield
Tell us all about how your band came to be and what roles you all have?
Jonathan ‘Sealey’ Seale:
Iron Void was formed by myself and Guitarist, Andy Whittaker (ex-Solstice, ex-The Lamp of Thoth) way back in November 1998. Our original intention was to create an old-school Doom Metal band worshipping at the altar of doom legends such as Black Sabbath, Saint Vitus, Pentagram, Trouble, The Obsessed and Cathedral, etc.
We wanted to mix this with the feel of the first 2 Iron Maiden albums and we're big NWOBHM fans too and we also love all the Maryland (U.S.) doom bands, so that's where we're at musically and we describe our music as "True Doom Metal". We celebrated our 25th anniversary last year, marking the occasion by touring the UK with Orodruin (US Doom Metal) and we also played several international shows too.
I play bass and vocals and I also manage the band. Steve Wilson is the Guitarist and Vocalist and principal songwriter alongside myself and we've been jamming together for 17 years now! Scott Naylor is our drummer and he's been in the band for 6 years now. Scott is also involved in several other projects including Axegrinder, Reign of Erebus, Bardo Thodol and Eoten.
Jonathan ‘Sealey’ Seale:
I'm from Birmingham originally and the majority of my family still live there, my parents are both from Aston which is where Black Sabbath grew up. It's always been a family tradition to meet up on Boxing Day every year and see the family, have some drinks and eat lots of food. One year in the mid-nineties my Uncle Tony was a few ales deep and he started digging through his record collection showing me his original Sabbath, Led Zeppelin and Stevie Wonder vinyl.
He told me a story of when he went to Ozzy's house in Aston and scrawled on the wall was the name 'Iron Void'. I immediately thought this was an amazing name for a Heavy Metal band and thought maybe Sabbath might have toyed with the idea of calling themselves this. So, I used this name when we formed the band. Some people have suggested we just used the Sabbath song titles 'Iron Man' and 'Into The Void' and mixed them together but this isn't the case.
It wasn't until many years later when I was reading Ozzy's autobiography and there on page 64 Ozzy said;
"To cheer things up a bit, I went out one night with an aerosol can - I'd had a few beers - and did some 'decorating'. One of the things I graffitied on a wall by the roundabout was 'Iron Void'. F*ck knows what was going on in my head."
So there you have it, our band name was created by Ozzy and it was his graffiti tag!
(Photograph by Bruce Cowie)
Who would you say have been your main inspirations and influences and why either individually or as a band unit?
Jonathan ‘Sealey’ Seale:
Speaking for the band we're collectively influenced by Black Sabbath primarily and bands such as Saint Vitus, Pentagram, Trouble, The Obsessed, Cathedral and NWOBHM bands such as Iron Maiden, Venom, Witchfinder General, Pagan Altar, etc. Judas Priest and Motorhead and are also big influences. We are rooted in Classic Hard Rock and Heavy Metal and in my opinion Doom Metal is probably the purest form of Metal as Sabbath were not only the first true Heavy Metal band but also the first ever Doom Metal band too.
Individually speaking I'm very much influenced by Jimi Hendrix, he blew my mind when I first heard his music. Sabbath are my favourite band and I like a lot of classic late '80's / early 90's Death and Thrash Metal too. In terms of bass players my biggest influences are Geezer Butler, Jack Bruce, Cliff Burton, Steve Harris, Gene Simmons, Al Cisneros and Lemmy. All different styles of players but they have all influenced my playing in one way or another and all of them are / were primary songwriters in their respective bands.
(Photograph by Show Me Your Metal)
Steve Wilson:
Similar influences for me. I started off with Iron Maiden in the early ‘90’s. The mix of melody and powerful playing got me hooked. They are one of the bands that I always come back to, along with Priest and Sabbath. In the ‘90’s, I was looking for the heaviest bands I could find and by the tail end of the decade, I had realised that it didn’t necessarily mean those that played the fastest. Completely agree about Classic Rock. Old Deep Purple recordings have influenced my playing as much as any doom record.
(Photograph by Konstantinos Vlachos)
Scott Naylor:
Wouldn’t say I favour a distinct genre nor hold any particular musician as a primary influence, as all forms of music & those who craft it potentially have something to offer/impart to those with a willing ear.
In terms of my drumming, there is an undeniable influence of heavy/extreme metal, but to the same extent, there's also likely elements of punk, prog, funk & whatever else I may have previously been exposed to that make up a part of the subconscious composite while figuring patterns & structures for songs.
(Photograph by Show Me Your Metal)
How would you describe your band to somebody who had never heard you before that will be seeing you live on Saturday July 20th?
Jonathan 'Sealey' Seale:
Well, I'd be surprised if you haven't heard of us yet. We've been around for 26 years and counting! However, if you’ve been living under a rock I'd describe us as 'True Doom Metal'. We're essentially on old school Heavy Metal band with a penchant for doomy, heavy riffs topped off with clean vocals and an emphasis on melody and catchy hooks.
What Songs / Albums are you most proud of that you have released so far and for what reasons?
Jonathan ‘Sealey’ Seale:
This is really difficult as there’s so many songs to choose from, we’ve done x4 albums, an EP and a Live demo since we started the band. We try and play a variety of songs from each album when we play live but it gets harder to pick the set-lists as we accumulate more material over time. I’m really proud of 'The Devil’s Daughter' - that’s a song that’s stood the test of time and we still close our set with that to this day.
Our self-titled debut album was released 10 years ago this year, that was a major accomplishment for us at the time and it’s the first album of ours which was released on vinyl and it was re-pressed by Ledo Takas Records last year. A lot of fans say that’s their favourite album but I love them all, they’re all a reflection of us and the times in which they were created.
My personal favourite album is 'Excalibur'. I’ve been interested in Arthurian myths and legends since I was a child and I'm still obsessed with it as an adult. I spent 10 years reading and researching that album so it was definitely a labour of love on my part.
Steve Wilson:
‘Excalibur’ is definitely our most ambitious album. We had a lot of ideas and planned to collaborate with guest musicians – flute, percussion etc. In the end, we went with a sound that could be reproduced live, and didn’t bother with the guests beyond the spoken intro. I think ‘IV’ comes a close second, and is our most cohesive album, as it isn’t overly long, and all of the songs fit together musically.
Scott Naylor:
I was involved in the writing & recording of the most recent album ‘I.V’, having joined the band a while after the release of the conceptual 3rd album, ‘Excalibur’. So, by default, the former resonates with me the most.
What would you say have been the most stand-out moments/highlights in the bands career so far and why?
Jonathan ‘Sealey’ Seale:
Our first international show at Malta Doom Metal Festival in 2012 was a special occasion as it was the first time we’d played abroad. Hammer of Doom Festival 2016 was also a highlight as we played in front of an audience of a thousand doom die-hard fans, the only downside is Saint Vitus was supposed to headline but they missed their flight so had to cancel at the last minute. Supporting Pentagram at Barcelona City Hall in 2015 was also a dream come true for us, we had dinner with the band the night before the show, that was an amazing if slightly surreal experience!
Steve Wilson:
For me, being invited to Barcelona, Spain as special guests for Pentagram in 2015. We were looked after right from the moment we landed, and the show itself was great. Also, Malta in 2012 as it was our first overseas show and it wasn’t easy to get a full line-up there, but thanks to Sealey’s hard work and sacrifice, we made it.
Scott Naylor:
The release of ‘I.V’ in Jan 2023, after significant Covid-related Vinyl printing delays was an undeniable highlight. It was recorded in March/April of 2021 at Foel Studios in Wales & we can only hope we wont ever see similar global circumstances in our lifetimes again..
What have been the funniest, most Spinal Tap moments in the band?
Jonathan ‘Sealey’ Seale:
There’s been quite a few Spinal Tap moments over the years to be honest! Missing our connecting flight from Germany to Austria last year is the main one that springs to mind. We missed the flight due to be messed around with departure gate information in Frankfurt Airport. We still wanted to play the show so we looked at trains, that would have taken 8 hours to reach the venue so we decided to hire car which was a 5 hour drive. The only car they would let us hire was a Fiat Panda so we had to cram the 3 of us and all our gear and bags into this tiny car!
Scott had some previous experience driving on the other side of the road but I had never driven a car in Europe before. Scott drove for the first couple of hours but needed to sleep as he hadn’t slept the night before. So, I'm driving on the autobahn while Scott and Steve are asleep and I'm sh*tt*ng myself driving on the other side of the road. It wasn’t too bad once you got used to it but navigating roundabouts was a challenge!
Anyway, I’m driving up an incline on the road and the car is struggling so I'm having to change to a lower gear and I think to myself; “what the hell is this car going to be like once we reach the Alps?!”. We made it to the Alps and then the fuel light comes on. I found a petrol garage but it had just closed 10 minutes before as it was 10 o’clock at night and then the car wouldn’t start! Scott managed to get it working again and we started driving just hoping and praying a petrol garage would be open on our travels.
Fortunately, we found a garage that was open so we filled up and carried on as fast as we could. We arrived at the venue at 11pm, had a beer and went onstage and had an amazing show! The audience were really enthusiastic and it was a great atmosphere and a fantastic way to de-stress after the madness of the day.
Steve Wilson:
Probably equipment problems and trying to work out why I have silence on stage. I’ve given up on individual pedals for the time being to cut down on those types of issues. Missing our connecting flight from Germany to Austria last year springs to mind, but is it too soon to laugh about it?
Scott Naylor:
The mentioned Germany/Austria trip was a comedy (one of the “dark” ones; where noone laughs & the suicidal ideation of the characters increases as the mishaps rack up) of errors. Time is the eternal enemy...
What revs you up and gets you going before getting on stage?
Jonathan ‘Sealey’ Seale:
I live to play live, it’s literally my favourite thing to do! So, yeah, that’s what revs me up and gets me going. I do usually have a couple of beers before we hit the stage but when we’re on stage nowadays we usually just drink water. I love playing and performing for people, I wish I could do it for a living! Who knows? Maybe one day we’ll be able to do this, that would be awesome if we could.
Steve Wilson:
Nerves for me! As well as the determination to play my best. I might have a beer or two before we play, but I've cut this down, as you end up hyped up on adrenalin anyway, and may as well drink water, especially for a longer headline set.
Scott Naylor:
Prior to going on stage I’m usually idiot-checking my drumcam & gear in whatever shamelessly unsocial space I can find. Shortly following that I’ll be lurking stage-side laden with gear awaiting space behind the kit to set up. Here be no chill, or roadies...
What would you most like to fulfil as a band when it comes to the bucket-list?
Jonathan ‘Sealey’ Seale:
We’ve already fulfilled some bucket list moments in the past in my opinion, we’ve played live with some of our influences and favourite bands, namely Pentagram and Count Raven. That was a dream come true to play with those key bands who’ve been a lasting influence and inspiration to us.
We were on the same bill as Saint Vitus at Hammer of Doom Festival in Germany in 2016 but they missed their flight and didn’t end up making it to the festival. That was disappointing as they are literally one of my all-time favourite bands and I doubt we’ll get the opportunity to play with them again as they have pretty much split up which is a real shame. I would love to play live with The Obsessed, Trouble and Candlemass, they are definitely bucket-lists for me personally.
Steve Wilson:
Good question! My ambition when I first started playing in bands was to release an album on vinyl, which we’ve achieved, so it would have to be something live. I’ve always wanted to play a show or two in Japan.
Scott Naylor:
Runs of shows across Europe, Scandinavia, the US & Canada, South Korea/Japan/Australia. To put out further releases of challenging &/ engaging material with the established traditional Heavy/Doom metal foundation but never shying away from experimentation.
What does it mean to you to 'Headline' the 'Mountains Of Metal' All-Dayer alongside all the other bands on the bill?
Jonathan ‘Sealey’ Seale:
It’s an honour and a privilege to headline the festival! There are some great bands playing and it’s a very varied bill which will be interesting. We’ve been around a long time and we’ve played opening slots on fests like this in the past and worked our way up through the ranks to finally being a headline band. We’ve paid our dues and it’s a great feeling to headline any bill, we never take it for granted, that’s for sure. I’m really looking forward to seeing Toranaga UK as we played with them before in Wakefield in 2016 so it’s been a while since we last shared the stage together.
Scott Naylor: Love a varied bill & looking forward to seeing/hearing all the bands bringing their A-game to the stage! The Red Pen Promotions All-Dayer ‘Mountains of Metal’ will hopefully add to the local landscape & bring more underground metal acts & fans into the city.
What special message do you have to the folk who are coming to the show?
Jonathan ‘Sealey’ Seale:
We’d like to thank you in advance for attending Mountains Of Metal, it’s going to be a great day with some amazing bands and you’re going to have a fantastic time!
It’s going be a long day so make sure you stay hydrated in between the beers and get something to eat too. If you can purchase a ticket in advance it would be much appreciated and please spread the word, invite your friends and share the event page online. We’ll be bringing plenty of merch and I’m sure the other bands will too.
We look forward to playing for you and in the meantime, DOOM ON!!
Feel free to check out the links below:
Mountains Of Metal Events Page: https://www.facebook.com/events/748041807307168
Mountains Of Metal Events Ticket Link:
