GATES OF HELL FEATURE ARTIST: LN

Who are you?

We are a Pagan-Norse metal band from Newcastle. We fuse witchy lyrics and vibes with Viking aesthetic and a heavy-ass metal sound. It just makes sense! LN is something completely new and definitely something that people have not seen before and a sound that has the capability to go a hell of a long way in the metal genre! 

Roll Call? 

LN is made up of 5 members. LN herself, born and bred in a small village outside of Newcastle called Burnopfield; a Paramedic by trade and a proud Geordie, alongside co-writer Gwaether Bloom (Gwae for short), born and bred in a small area called Whickham, also just outside Newcastle. 

LN and Gwaether have been friends for years and have seen each other at gigs regularly throughout the years, but it wasn’t until after lockdown, after rebranding herself, when Gwae reached out to LN and asked if she wanted to join forces to allow her vision of LN, to become a reality…and of course LN said ‘f*** yes!’. 

It wasn’t long until Dan joined the band as co-lead/rhythm guitarist. Dan and Gwae had previously been in a band together, they knew how each other worked and the trust was already there, making it a no-brainer for Dan to become part of LN. Immediately the spark was there and a mutual understanding and motivation made the merge so much more exciting. 

James was next! He had seen and responded to an advert LN had put out online and from the get-go had displayed enthusiasm and understanding of the ‘vision’. Like Dan, James fit right in and got started on learning the existing songs. It became apparent that this was going to turn into something special.

It took a while to find a drummer…but we all know this is always a challenge! LN again put an advert out, to which Andy replied. Turns out LN and Andy had already met at a mutual friend’s wedding the previous year, at which LN had played an acoustic covers set. Andy had already learnt A.S.Y.L.U.M. and Hangman’s Son, so all that was left was to have a practice and see how it went! You guessed it…practice was amazing and as they say, the rest is history! 

Hailing from? 

The whole idea of LN was to fuse genres that may not have been thought of before. LN, as a self-proclaimed witch and spiritual satanist has always been interested in the paranormal and what others may think is the ‘dark side’ of life, alongside being a history nerd and being fascinated with the Viking era, Norse mythology, and aesthetic – fusing the two together just made sense. 

During this time LN had also started to practice and evolve her vocals, introducing growls and screaming into the mix added another element to the songs and allowed her to emphasize lyrics and aspects of her music that she wasn’t able to do before. Fusing strong, hard metal with witchy-pagan lyrics as well as a melodic folk sound create an entirely new genre that is interesting to listen to and difficult to forget. 

Journey so far? 

As we have only been a full band for a short time, we tend not to dwell on what we have or haven’t done so far, our minds are focused on the future and what we want to achieve. We know we have a different look and a different sound to anyone we’ve heard or seen, and we pride ourselves on that fact that every song we produce is completely different to the last. The future is extremely bright for LN, and we will stop at nothing to make our dreams a reality. From the beginning we have been set on ‘the vision’ and how far we want to go. At the end of the day, we want to be rockstars and we won’t stop until that dream is a reality and we truly believe that we have the dedication, motivation, and passion to get there. 

Influences/sound?

I (LN) have a lot of musical influences that have shaped my writing and aesthetic over the years. Ghost being the main one. Their sound and overall stage performance is something else; it’s a complete show, you’re not just there to hear music, you can feast your eyes on the costumes, the acting, the changes in characters and that’s only naming a few. I knew that going into this, I wanted LN (the band) to have lots of energy on stage and to be able to provide a show that has something for everyone and elements that keep the audience guessing to keep them captivated and engaged. 

More influences include Hayley Williams – her songwriting is out of this world, and she will forever be my girl crush. She is a total inspiration and such a cool, bad ass woman that has gone through tough times and come out the other side and still has the power to amaze people with her musical skills. 

I am all for female empowerment, so bands such as Spiritbox, The Pretty Reckless, Heilung, Skald and Eivor hold a special place in my heart. Their ferocity and non-apologetic attitude has allowed me to accept myself and my music for what they are and grow in myself as well as my music. 

Courtney (from spiritbox) has been a huge inspiration for me with my extreme vocals. Once I initially heard her band I Wrestled A Bear Once, I knew that I needed to learn how to scream and FAST! Hearing spiritbox and her INSANE vocals encouraged me to learn and allow myself to bring power, strength, dominance, and a brutality to LN that I never thought I could and inevitably has made me feel like ‘I should be heard’ and ‘I have a voice’ in a male dominated genre. 

Biggest gig/proudest moment to date?

It may not be the ‘biggest’ gig so far, but supporting Cam Cole in November 2022 was definitely one to remember. This was at Think Tank in Newcastle, and it did not disappoint. As well as meeting and sharing the stage with the insanely talented Cam, we got to meet lots of new fans and by doing the gig acoustically, it allowed people to hear our raw sound and it definitely changed a lot of people’s perspectives on metal as a whole. 

Recently we also played Anarchy Brewery in Newcastle supporting Crowley UK, which was our first actual gig as a full band…to say nerves were high is an understatement! But it turns out, all the nerves were for nothing, the gig was INSANE, an amazing crowd, cool venue, good beer and the most fun we all had on stage in a very long time. We knew we wanted to leave everything on the stage and that is exactly what we did. Afterwards we were absolutely shattered, but it was worth every single second, the buzz, the feedback, the beautiful fans we gained…it was worth it.  

What does the future hold for LN?

We can’t even begin to describe how excited we are for the future. LN’s (band) future is bright, and we are so proud of everything we have achieved so far, as an independent band. Everything we do, we do it to the best of our ability, we don’t do half measures, it’s everything or nothing. 

Recently we teamed up with our now manager, Adam Kennedy who has known LN since lockdown and has completed some incredible photoshoots in some incredible places with incredible people. It made sense for him to join the team as he believes in the vision and believes we have the ability to ‘go big’ with our sound and aesthetic. This year is going to be super exciting and to see what opportunities are open to us now we have Adam and his expertise backing us all the way. 

Currently in the mix we have an EP that we are hoping to launch very soon – the trilogy we like to call it. This is the 3rd chapter after Hangman’s Son and A.S.Y.L.U.M. and concludes the story of female empowerment and finding your strength in tough times or stressful/abusive situations; knowing your self worth, knowing you have the power to change your frame of mind and it’s never too late to get yourself out. The Slaughter is the finale. Kill the person you have outgrown and flourish into the powerful human you are destined to be. The best version of yourself. Beautiful you. 

After the EP we plan to record an album and go on tour around the country and beyond, spreading the word of LN; not only cool as f*** songs and an interesting aesthetic, but the importance of inclusivity and accepting one another for who we are, no matter age, size, race, gender, or interests. EVERYONE is welcome with LN. EVERYONE belongs. 

Interview Conducted by Viki Ridley

Photos by Adam Kennedy