Elantris will open for Epica in Philadelphia and New York.
They call themselves “Symphonic Metal.” But Elantris vocalist Tom Ullom says that one must see the band to get “the full effect of what they’re about.”
Currently on the road with a formidable lineup that includes Epica, Lacuna Coil and Insomnium on The Ultimate Principle Tour, the band is raring and ready to go and has been ever since they left their hometown of Lisbon, Ohio.
“This tour is going great,” says Ullom. “We’re not used to going on a big tour like this, it’s a lot different. So far the crowds have been really receptive. We had a couple of issues early on where a few places opened their doors a bit late and that didn’t help but the shows still went great. All of the bands seem to be getting along even though there was some disarray at first with the logistics of it all, but we’re all good now.”
Comprised of Ullom and vocalist Lindsay Ketchum as well as Erik Liber (drums), John Dobosh (bass), Mark Liber (keys) and Garrett Chetock (guitar), the group has always been a solid rockin’ unit but they’ve not always been Elantris.
“We used to be Blackthorne,” explained Ullom. “However, as we discovered, there were a few other bands with the same name and before we encountered any legal issues we decided to change it. We re-released our old CD under the new name and so far it’s been doing pretty well.”
The re-released material was done on their own, as is the case with this current tour (at the time of this interview, the band was still an unsigned commodity). Like all who perform, they want more but realize the importance of picking the right fit to help guide them and their career.
“We’re playing two songs which are brand new and not yet recorded on this tour, kind of testing them out, and so far the response has been pretty good,” says Ullom. “When the tour is over, we are going to go back in the studio or at least continue to work on a new record; it could be an EP or a full length, we’re not sure. Our first one took a year and a half to complete and then people go and download or only want one song.
“We aren’t sure what route we want to go yet but we are also kind of glad that we’re independent. Producers are going to tell you how to do the record or at least how you should do it, anyway. But we’ve been kind of lucky. The ones that we’ve worked with haven’t, and that’s because we go through our own label.”
Unfortunately, the closest the band will be coming to New Jersey are two consecutive dates on the Epica tour, Sept. 28 in Philadelphia at the Trocadero Theatre; and Sept. 29 in Manhattan at the PlayStation Theater. Ullom says that the fans coming to see them are in for a rockin’ good time no matter where they are seen.
“Expect a good energy show, a lot of crowd interaction and, as I said earlier, you’ll get the full effect of who we are.”
Oh, and in case you’re wondering about the name Elantris, it comes from the literary world. “Having time on the bus, a couple of our guys spend their time reading,” says Ullom. “Someone had a book and that’s the title, and they love the author’s work, so we named the band after the novel.”
For more about Elantris, visit facebook.com/ElantrisMusic.
