EMQ’s With Ancient Thrones
EMQ’s With Ancient Thrones
Hi everyone! Welcome to another EMQs, this time with Canadian Blackened Death Metallers Ancient Thrones. Huge thanks to their Drummer/ Vocalist, Sean Hickey, for taking part.
What is your name, what do you play and can you tell us a little bit about the history of the band?
My name is Sean Hickey, and I’m the drummer and vocalist for Ancient Thrones. I started the band in 2011, and we rebranded in 2018 when we moved from New Brunswick to Halifax, Nova Scotia.
How did you come up with your band name?
Our band name comes as a variation of our old band name (Abysseral Throne), and it’s a lyric in the closing lines of the song Astral Blood by Wolves in the Throne Room, from one of my favourite albums of all time, Celestial Lineage.
What Country / Region are you from and what is the Metal / Rock scene like there?
We’re from Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. The music scene here is incredible, with a totally dedicated scene for supporting extreme music.
What is your latest release? (Album, EP, Single, Video)
Our new album Melancholia, comes out September 19th.
Who have been your greatest influences?
As for bands, The Black Dahlia Murder, Skeletonwitch, Between the Buried and Me and Deafheaven come to mind. I’m also very inspired by filmmakers such as Gaspar Noé and David Lynch.
What first got you into music?
Probably my Dad is always playing guitar around the house. Music and Film were basically my entire life as a kid, and now I’m doing both.
If you could collaborate with a current band or musician who would it be?
I’d love to have a Chelsea Wolfe feature someday. Something totally ethereal like that.
If you could play any festival in the world, which would you choose and why?
Probably like Hellfest, Bloodstock or Wacken. I’d love to play in Europe.
What’s the weirdest gift you have ever received from a fan?
I don’t think it’s a weird gift, but someone once gave me a bunch of horror shirts at a show. That was cool!
If you had one message for your fans, what would it be?
We’re so incredibly stoked to put out “Melancholia” to the masses! I hope you love it, and I hope it fills you with dread and anxiety.
If you could bring one rock star back from the dead, who would it be?
Trevor Strnad from the Black Dahlia Murder. That guy was a hero of mine. I remember he gave me a hug on stage at my first ever 19+ show, before stagediving and breaking my toe in a mosh pit. That’s who inspires me lyrically, and who I took a lot of my vocal approach from. He deserved better.
What do you enjoy the most about being a musician? And what do you hate?
I love writing music, expressing myself as an artist and using this platform to speak unconscious truths of myself that I have to dig really deep to access. I absolutely hate setting up drums.
If you could change one thing about the music industry, what would it be?
More promotion and more money for bands from streaming services. The distribution of wealth is laughable when it comes to streaming services and record deal splits.
Name one of your all-time favourite albums?
Recently- “Stare into Death and Be Still” by Ulcerate. Absolutely devastating album.
What’s best? Vinyl, Cassettes, CDs, or Downloads?
It’s gotta be Vinyl hands down. I’ve never understood the appeal of cassettes, which is ironic since I’m an avid VHS collector.
What’s the best gig that you have played to date?
We opened for Beyond Creation, The Faceless, and Vital Remains. There’s been a lot of amazing shows.
If you weren’t a musician, what else would you be doing?
I work in Film and Television currently while being a musician. I literally can’t think of a single thing I’d rather do.
Which five people would you invite to a dinner party?
David Byrne (Talking Heads), Gaspar Noé (Filmmaker), John Baizley (Baroness), Matt Johnston (Filmmaker) and Tony Wolsey (The Armed). I think that would be a rollercoaster ride of a dinner party.
What’s next for the band?
Our new album is out September 19th, then we’ll play some release shows to support it this year and 2026. We’ve begun writing again on top of that, and we’ll see where that leads us.
What Social Media / Website links do you use to get your music out to people? Please include any links
We’re @ancientthrones on Instagram and Facebook.
Follow us on Spotify, Apple Music, Deezer, whatever else at Ancient Thrones.
Time for a very British question now. As an alternative to the humble sandwich, is the correct name for a round piece of bread common in the UK, either a Bap, a Barm (or Barm Cake), a Batch, a Bun, a Cob, a Muffin, a Roll, or a Tea Cake
I think it’s a bap! I’ve only been to the UK once, but it’s a beautiful place.
Thank you for your time. Is there anything else that you would like to add?
Thank you for your time, and I hope for my sister’s sake I got that last question right.
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