James McIlroy

British/Belgian guitarist James McIlroy may not yet be a widely recognized guitar player. However, things will soon change. As a one-time member of dark metal unit CRADLE OF FILTH (2003-2005), he was the side stage headliner of Ozzfest 2003 and toured the world in promotion of Damnation and a Day and Nymphetamine. Since that time, he´s played with Matron and started his own band, Chaosanct, which also features former Akercocke guitarist Paul Scanlan. Last year, McIlroy joined NFD (Noise for Destruction), a goth/metal outfit formed by members of legendary goth-rock act Fields of the Nephilim. As he prepares to don the leather and corpsepaint for one more European run with CRADLE OF FILTH, Mr. No-Doz has found some time to chat with Examiner to catch us up on the frenzy that is his life.

How long have you been involved in the metal scene?

Involved? Well, that is a bit of a strong word really! I´ve been into the whole metal thing ever since I bought 3 Iron Maiden tapes when I was 11 because they looked cool. This was scarily two decades ago, when you could still buy tapes and before cds…hahahahaha! But, probably the better answer is that I got into the whole social aspect of it, and playing in bands around the age of 16. It then really developed when I moved to London two years later. One of those will be the answer!

Are you a classically-trained guitarist, or was it something you just picked up?

I am completely self-taught, although I have taken the odd lesson here and there. I´d always wanted to play guitar, but initially, being a 4 year old kind of meant that my parents thought that I thought it was a toy. And I do remember being quite annoyed at watching my mother get lessons while I didn´t. Out of petulance and frustration, I ended up killing the guitar they´d gotten me (a toy) a year or two later, as no one was teaching me how to play it. It actually took about 3 or 4 attempts after that until I finally dusted off my mother´s acoustic guitar (when I was about 15) and became determined to learn to play. I´d actually wanted to play bass like Steve Harris, as he wrote the majority of songs in IRON MAIDEN, and them being my favorite band, meant that being a bassist had to be good. Luckily/unluckily, a friend of mine was learning bass, so I decided to learn guitar instead as didn´t want to copy him, and went from there. I progressed from the acoustic to my first Squire Strat through an amazingly s*** amp (buzzsaw distortion doesn´t begin to describe it), and I then proceeded to terrorize people by making the guitar sound like a cat being wrung through a Mangler (I´d say some people may claim that this hasn´t stopped being the case). Eventually I got to grips with it and started to make sounds listenable and appealing to the human ear. So, apart from a few lessons when I was young, and a few here and there after that, I´ve just kind of figured it out myself.

How did Chaosanct come to be?

Chaosanct actually started a few months after I´d left Cradle. I´d been involved with a project we´d been calling Prey, which had Martin Powell (CRADLE OF FILTH/MY DYING BRIDE / ANATHEMA / CRYPTAL DARKNESS, etc.) and Matt Wicklund (ex-Himsa), but that ended up not working out. I found myself sitting there on a miserable December day with no band, and then just decided that I was going to put one together. Initially Duncan Wilkinson (Needleye at the time) started off with writing, and I then went through a load of guitarists, and ended up working with Andrew Ongley, and slowly built the band from there. We got Ray Holroyd onboard, who´d also been playing with NEEDLEYE, and though everything was going okay, until Duncan and Ray left.

From there, we set about finding new people, first of all getting a drummer in (John Rae) and then after trying a load of people out, I bumped into Dave Kuchta, who I´d known for ages, and remembered he´d sung in Ted Maul briefly when they were starting out. So I asked if he´d like to give it a go.

So, Dave came in, and blew us away with a scream that just never ended, and we knew we had our guy. Dave then recommended a childhood friend of his for bass, and thus we came upon Tilman Wolff.

Following this, we got Matt C in on drums to replace the departed John Rae, and then ended up recording the first EP, I of Goliath. Recently we got in Paul Scanlan as a new guitarist as well, about which we´re really excited!

Was there an initial sound or style that you guys had in mind?

Sound wise, it´s a hard one. I started out on 7 strings again, as I was having fun with them before Cradle, but had left them by the wayside. Picking up the old Ibanez universe I had one day led to a whole load of ideas, and really got me away from Cradle, forcing me to play differently again. From there it became a motto to just write whatever and to really have the sound of the band come from its members and diverse influences, rather than from a template. I think a lot of bands make the worst mistake by trying to sound like other bands, or what´s big at the moment, so I really wanted to just write and see what happened. Then when we added Dave´s vocals onto it all, it all fit into place, and produced what we sound like. It wasn´t a conscious decision, but more of a natural evolution.

How did you come to attract Paul Scanlan?

Well, a few of us knew Paul from seeing him and Akercocke around, and I´ve known him for a few years; funnily enough meeting him when Akercocke played with Cradle on my first tour with them.

We were looking for a new guitarist, and I´d actually never considered Paul, as I didn´t think he´d be into the music, but he surprised me by phoning up one day and asking if he could try out. We pitted him against some other excellent guitarists, and he just dazzled us with his razor tight playing and just fit straight in with the rest of us. I´ve really been amazed by his playing -- he can go from fusion/jazz and progressive stuff that makes my head swim and really challenges the ears all the way through. But his prog roots really do shine through, and as such he´s an amazing asset to the band. I am excited about getting new material written with him on board.

Has there been any label interest in Chaosanct? You have a distinctive sound that is both melodic and very brutal. I would think that labels would be lining up to sign you.

I have to admit that we haven´t actually touted it around yet surprisingly! There was always this little bit here and there that we weren´t quite happy with the last demo; it was quite rushed (put together in about 2 weeks), and setbacks like Andy leaving, gigging and such pushed everything back. Also, we really wanted to gig the band to get our live gears oiled, and when we lost Andy, we lost momentum and hence haven´t gotten to the stage of sending out the material. However, we´re pretty convinced that the new EP will provide a good idea of what we´re about, and the combination of the two will hopefully impress someone enough to sign us! I think it´s more that we´ve been bubbling away under the surface and are getting ready to rise up from beneath it. I have been hearing that people have started to murmur about the band, which can only be a good thing really.

Is Chaosanct lining up any tours or making plans to break into the American scene? You´d definitely go over well over here.

We´d love to go to the US, but unfortunately, any band in our current position without a label would find it hard, if not impossible, to venture that far. We´ve been doing the odd gig in Europe, which has been fun, and have some lined up for Holland at the end of May (Tsunami Fest) where we´re just all climbing into a van that may barely break the 55mph barrier (having trucks trying to run you off the road is an experience) and going off there and playing it, just like a lot of other bands do. If an offer came along though, I am sure we would try and find a way to do it if it was possible.

So, you´re from the UK, but grew up in Belgium, and then came back to the UK in 1996. How did that all happen?

My parents exported me from the UK when I was 3, my dad got told by his company to move, so he did, and thus I ended up in Belgium. When I finished school, I decided I wanted to go back to England to study, as I thought my roots lay there. I´ve since discovered that there´s more Belgian in me than English, or at least a half/half mix. It also taught me that what´s on your passport isn´t your national identity; it´s more where you grew up and how.

It´s actually kind of strange in Chaosanct. Dave is part German / part Hawaiian, Tilman is half German (both of them spent a long time in Portugal growing up), and I´m an Englishman that thinks he´s Belgian, so it´s a bit of a mix. It also means we do have a different view on the music we all grew up on, as different countries all have different scenes as it were.

On that token, what is the metal scene like in Belgium?

Well, there are a lot of bands, and a lot of them are really good. ABORTED is a Belgian band in origin. In-quest is another good death metal band, and AGATHOCOLES was spawned near where I grew up. They´ve also got an awesome little festival called Graspop, which is just metal through and through. It is a very small country, and to break out of there is really quite hard. But, you will find a lot of bands playing away in youth cafes, and music is very much alive there.

Switching gears a bit, how did you manage to hook up with the NFD guys?

Well, I randomly ran into Peter "Bob" White middle of last year, and he was trying to get me to be involved in one of his projects. I took the chance to work with him as he´s a talented guy, and also to broaden my horizons musically. Then, last autumn, one of NFD´s guitarists left, and I got asked to be his replacement in NFD.

Had you been a fan of the band´s work before joining them? They are considered legendary in some circles.

Yes, I am a fan! I´d actually, if I have to be honest, never heard of them until I met Bob, and since listening to them, I am a convert. Whereas a lot of metal these days is about technicality, it´s refreshing to be in a band where it is pure songwriting. Not that I am saying Chaosanct isn´t, but NFD has a totally different aura. It is good music, with good hooks and good atmosphere, and I love it.

Also, my first live gig with them is coming up at the Underworld on May 23, which should be a complete blast as they´ve organized it more as a "day out", with pre and post events happening for the fans to be able to hang out, have beers with all of us. I think the idea is really cool; it really does make it a more fan-centric band, and I really like that.

NFD is a bit of a departure from the extreme metal happiness with which you are typically associated. Is this just another side of you?

I´ve always liked the more goth music as well as metal, as my tastes go from extreme metal to doom, via TYPE O NEGATIVE, MY DYING BRIDE, KATATONIA, and the like. I am basically a music lover and love all kinds!

As to whether NFD is a different side, I´d say yes, it´s one I´ve always wanted to explore more, and have just never had the chance to, as I´ve always been busy with metal. I am relishing it now though, as it´s forcing my playing to evolve, as it always does when you learn someone else´s writing style.

What is it with British metal musicians being heavily into avant-garde and goth music anyway? It seems like all the metal folk over there are affected and influenced by it.

Hahahahaha! Yeah it does, doesn´t it? I think it´s the rich heritage, and just the UK having a large goth scene in it. You can´t get away from it, whether it be from the legacy of bands from the 80´s like the SISTERS OF MERCY, then The Fields of the Nephilim, and many more. There´s a rich tapestry of bands out there.

So, your Facebook pic has you illuminated by the green glow of a lightsaber. What is it with Cradle Of Filth guys and Star Wars anyway? Are you as obsessed as the other guys?

I am nowhere near as obsessed as Dave (Pybus) is, but it does form a huge part of my childhood. I saw the first one on TV when I was young, and it left a massive lasting impression. I still love watching them now, and also once dressed up as a T.I.E. Fighter pilot for a friend´s birthday. I mean, I wouldn´t go to a convention or anything, but I do really love the films (well, the old ones… the newer ones, well, if you´ve ever seen the cult series Spaced, you´d get my feelings on the first one).

I have no idea what the fascination in Cradle with Star Wars is; it just seems to be there. I think it has to do with growing up with it. The Star Wars films were huge, and affected a lot of people and have a lot of fond memories attached...which is why Lucas messing with them leaves such a sour taste sometimes.

I hear you are still tapped from time to time by Cradle Of Filth to tour with them. What is your relationship with the band?

I got asked end of last year to fill in for this tour, and thought about it for a while. I went with it, becauseI believe that if you feel you will regret not doing something, then you should do it. As far as I am aware, it´s just this tour, so it´s kind of nice to be able to put the makeup and stage clothes on one last time and bid it farewell in a proper manner.