Enochian Theory

UK progressive rock band Enochian Theory was determined to form their brand of creative music on their own terms.

Drummer Sam Street, bassist Shaun Rayment and guitarist Scott Ware evolved their distinctive sound in Portsmouth in 2004, shortly before adding vocalist/guitarist/keybordist Ben Harris-Hayes.

Inspired by such accomplished groups as Porcupine Tree, Rush and Tool, Enochian Theory's innovative, melodic and even aggressive approach melds a rich guitar tone with sharp vocals.

The band self-produced their first demo in 2005, "Our Lengthening Shadows," which was sold at shows and through their Web site, eventually hitting “sold-out” status.

Forming their own record label in 2006, Anomalousz Music Records Ltd., their self-financed second recording "A Monument to the Death of an Idea" was made available worldwide and garnered good coverage from well-respected publications.

In January 2008, Ware departed, leaving Enochian Theory to carry on as a three-piece.

In August, the band will officially release the full-length CD "Evolution: Creatio Ex Nihilio," followed by an extensive tour, including a prestigious co-headlining slot at the ProgPower Europe festival in the Netherlands in October.

Speaking from his home in Pompey by e-mail, Ben was gracious enough to talk about the band's undeterred will for creating magical music and future endeavors for the band.

Metal Mayhem: Can you describe the band's early beginnings, what Enochian Theory means, and your desire to create the type of powerful melodies that you do?
Ben: The band as it is now formed in September 2004 when I applied to be vocalist for the band. I remember getting a flyer from my sister that she'd found around town and thought I'd be up for trying. I was interested mainly because they had their own practice space and I was coming to the end of a musical cycle I was undertaking with an extreme metal band I was doing at the time. I wanted to explore more textures and soundscapes, they needed a driving force, someone with more experience and someone who could give it their all. The band truly became Enochian Theory when we all agreed that we could work together and we got a demo (for the song 'For Those With Conscience') down on the first day of me trying out. The guys loved what I did, I felt right at home with them and the rest is history. We had nothing to prove to one another and it just felt good to be able to relax together. As for the meaning of Enochian Theory ... well ... there is the literal sense and then there is what it means to the 3 members of the band now. The meanings are open to interpretation by other people; we know what it means to us ... but in summation ... it is an exploration of ourselves as humans, spiritually, scientifically and everything in between. We all question why we are here and what it is all about ... I believe that is some of the premise of the band. Wanting to better yourself and trying to learn from everything you touch, smell, see, hear and ... as we all know ... that's only a VERY small part of what it means to be human in this modern age. I know the other guys have their own personal idea of what it means to them, but we can all agree that Enochian Theory does mean to us 'a personal truth.' It's a vehicle to relate honesty through lyrics and music, nothing is forced from us and it'll always be that way. The acronym for the band offers another subtle hint as to other parts of our questions. There truly is so much we do not understand ... and that is absolutely fascinating and terrifying in equal measure. As for the music itself ... It comes from elsewhere, somewhere beyond our understanding ... we are merely the mouthpiece and transport for it.

MM: Did the band feel their sound was complete after you joined the band?
Ben: Enochian Theory was born when I joined the band and we wrote our first song together. There was no name before then, anything before was just messing about on both sides. We became a driven cohesive unit once we all settled into our respective roles and had a plan. I don't want to sound like a 'ringleader' or anything, but I'm a person who knows what they want and how to go about it. I wanted to evolve the band from our basic beginnings as a bad grunge/metal hybrid into something much better and thankfully I've had Shaun and Sam to help drive that vision along. Without them, this would be another solo ego massaging project I'd be doing ... they keep me in check when I'm being a dick and give me that boost when I'm in the pit. We worked on the 'Our Lengthening Shadows' home demo as a band, refining ideas and I knew we needed more for our next record, so I learned to play keyboards ... that pushed us on further and evolved our sound for the 'A Monument To The Death Of An Idea' EP and now, we've got The Lost Orchestra to expand our sound even more. I had a vision from day one that I needed to complete as I work in musical 'cycles.' I do not know what will happen when this current cycle is complete, but for now, that cycle seems to be expanding, as there is so much more we can do as a band. I was having a good laugh to myself the other day in fact, I took our new record and compared it to our original 7 track home demo ... It was irrefutable proof that we are on the right track and the evolution of the band is going very well ... and that my friends, is all I can ask for. We are very proud of what we've done off our own backs and will continue to push the band as far as we can ... until it stops being fun to do ... but it's only just getting warmed up ... believe us.