Flashes of light in the darkness

ENOCH: Lead singer of groove metal band Enoch, Lorraine Brodie is known for her aggressive-clean and screaming vocals, a sound that will rock Smash Palace next month as part of Enoch’s EP release tour. Picture by Matt Henry

On the phone, Enoch’s lead singer Lorraine Brodie sounds like a small girl but onstage she roars like a demon. Possibly not the smartest observation.

“We are Christians in a groove metal band,” she says after she takes in the demon gaff.

“Our riffs are based around bass riffs. That’s the most important part of the band’s sound. We write around that. The drumming is kind of tribal.”

Enoch’s sound is a melting pot of detuned metal, groove-based rhythms and tribal beats, topped off with aggressive clean and screaming female vocals, says the job description on the band’s Facebook page.

“The interesting backgrounds of Enoch’s members and our personal testimonies of wrecked lives saved by God, leaves its sound thick and heavy in spiritual impact.”

Godless journalists might overlook the Christian aspect in songs from the EP Enoch will showcase at Smash Palace next month. But mercurial glimpses of spirituality flash in the darkness, in the driving bass and in Brodie’s voice which can switch between the angelic and, well, demonic, in the same breath. Which is a bit spooky, to be honest.

“Our message is a personal one,” says Brodie from a safe distance.

“We’ve gone through some hurt, through things that the only way to express is through this kind of music. The message is too important not to be presented in an aggressive style.

We’re very honest, we give raw emotion.”

Enoch’s music touches on themes of uncaring, greed and alienation.

“Our greed has alienated us spiritually from ourselves and from God. A lot of our songs are a bit personal in testimony. It’s about breaking down society on a spiritual level because people are blind to that. We want to help people who are in bad situations. We like to talk to people after our shows.”

The voice . . . it’s natural distortion, says Brodie.

It comes from pure, raw, emotion “when you don’t put controls on it”.

The alternative metal, nu metal, groove metal, punk rock four-piece whose lead singer switches between clean vocals and a primal scream performs at Smash Palace on Saturday, September 8, at 8pm. Entry is $10.

For a taste of the Enoch sound, visit http://www.enoch-nz.bandcamp.com/album/wasted-ep