A Conversation with Earl of Hell

It’s that time again: another conversation with a cool band! This time I’ll be chatting with the boys from Earl of Hell, a Scotland-based stoner/fuzz rock quartet and discussing their six-song EP, Get Smoked, which will be released on Slightly Fuzzed Records this coming April 29. I recently reviewed Get Smoked here.

Harbinger of D.O.O.M.: Hey guys, glad to you have you on here! Congrats on a stellar EP! How long did it take you to put Get Smoked together, from start to finish, and how did you decide on making a concept album of sorts with songs focusing on death and vengeance?

Earl of Hell: “Get Smoked” is our debut release so it features a mix of songs from when we first started playing in 2020 and some newer ones written at the end of 2021. We recorded and mixed the EP in 5 days and we’re really pleased with the result. Evidently, we’ve uncovered a secret fetish for murder! The concept wasn’t intentional to begin with, it only became apparent when thinking of a title to suit and we realised all the songs were linked by the theme of death. This macabre feel combined with our dark, satirical humour birthed the name “Get Smoked” meaning to be killed.

Harbinger of D.O.O.M.: Earl of Hell has a polished sound that usually comes from years of a band playing together, yet the band is about two years old. How did you achieve this or is it just that you guys are that damn good to have crafted such a tight-sounding EP in a short span of time?

Earl of Hell: There must be some truth in the latter. We started playing together in 2020 once the lockdown restrictions began to ease off and we rented out a private rehearsal room. Unable to socialise outside of the room, we just put all our efforts into playing and writing new songs. It was only when we eventually started gigging that we were able to finally meet and have a drink together outside of that room because up until then it was all about practise. If it hadn’t been for lockdown, we probably wouldn’t be as well rehearsed.

Harbinger of D.O.O.M.: Scotland has had a burgeoning stoner/doom music scene in recent years. What’s different compared to say, ten years ago, and how has it impacted you as a band?

Earl of Hell: It’s great to see a scene starting to develop in certain parts of Scotland and there is undoubtedly some great talent emerging from the local rock clubs which needs to be supported. The music scene in Edinburgh seems to be getting more stripped back whereas Glasgow has a lot more to offer up and coming bands. Personally, we can’t compare it to ten years ago as we haven’t been involved in the stoner / doom scene for that long, but we can see that Covid has left a huge hole where live music used to be and we’re prepared to fill it up with loud, evil guitar riffs and ominous lyrics about vengeance and death.

Harbinger of D.O.O.M.: You have some upcoming tour dates in the UK. Is there a chance we’ll see Earl of Hell in North America in the near future, at a festival or special event? What are your touring plans for the next year as things slowly start to reopen?

Earl of Hell: We’re excited to be playing across the UK with some top bands, developing our live act and showcasing our new EP. We’re eager to get over to Europe at some point in the next year and get involved in the bustling stoner scene over there and of course we’d love to visit North America in the future too, especially now that we have the connection with Slightly Fuzzed. We have our hopes set high!

Harbinger of D.O.O.M.: Thank you so much for your time and for answering my questions. I wish you much success with Get Smoked and on the road. You guys rock!

Earl of Hell: Thanks for taking an interest in us and we’re really glad you loved the EP as much as you did!

Watch the video for the EP’s lead single “Hang ‘em High” on YouTube

Earl of Hell’s Official Website

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Earl of Hell on YouTube