What inspired the name of the band? What are your influences and are they the same as when you started out?

The band name ELOAĦ was chosen as a representation of spiritual and creative exploration. The name itself reflects a broad spiritual context and connection to deeper, often mystical themes. Our band members come from diverse musical backgrounds, which influence their eclectic sound. Our influences range from hard rock and heavy metal bands like Savatage and Iron Maiden to classical and jazz influences. Additionally, I personally draw inspiration from composers of my favourite MSX computer games from the 80s and 90s, and classic chansonniers like Herman van Veen and Reinhard Mey.

How do you approach songwriting?

Songwriting in ELOAĦ is often an emotional and reflective process. I prefer to draw from personal experiences, using music as an artistic expression of emotions such as love, spirituality, and life’s challenges. Therefore, our themes often include love in various forms, romantic, universal, and spiritual, as well as introspective and philosophical reflections. As a band we also explores other themes, such as emotional pain (e.g., in our lates album The Book of Pain) and even whimsical or surreal ideas like the song Jabberwocky on the album Planet Zargo.

How do you approach songwriting?

Songwriting in ELOAĦ is often an emotional and reflective process. I prefer to draw from personal experiences, using music as an artistic expression of emotions such as love, spirituality, and life’s challenges. Therefore, our themes often include love in various forms, romantic, universal, and spiritual, as well as introspective and philosophical reflections. As a band we also explores other themes, such as emotional pain (e.g., in our lates album The Book of Pain) and even whimsical or surreal ideas like the song Jabberwocky on the album Planet Zargo.

Why do you write the sort of music that you do?

ELOAĦ writes music that reflects our multifaceted influences and emotional depth. The aim is not only to enjoy the process of creating music but also to provide a cathartic experience for the listeners. We believe in the transformative power of music to connect with and express complex emotions, such as pain, love, and hope. My songwriting often serves as a therapeutic outlet for myself and aims to resonate with listeners on a personal level.

live?

While ELOAĦ has not yet performed live with its current lineup, our band members’ approach to transposing our music into a live setting involves careful consideration of instrumentation and dynamics. Given the complexity of our compositions and the diverse instrumentation they use, we would likely focus on simpler arrangements that maintain the essence of our songs. For example, they have acknowledged that some tracks, like  Golden Summer (Girl to Adore), would be impossible to perform live due to missing elements like vocals from the late band member Jörg Horner.

live?

While ELOAĦ has not yet performed live with its current lineup, our band members’ approach to transposing our music into a live setting involves careful consideration of instrumentation and dynamics. Given the complexity of our compositions and the diverse instrumentation they use, we would likely focus on simpler arrangements that maintain the essence of our songs. For example, they have acknowledged that some tracks, like  Golden Summer (Girl to Adore), would be impossible to perform live due to missing elements like vocals from the late band member Jörg Horner.

What plans do you have for the future?

For 2024, ELOAĦ plans to complete and release our hard rock/heavy album The Book of Painm, which just appeared digitally and on CD, also as LP. We also have plans to continue recording and producing our next album which will mainly contain gospel-influenced hymns. Furthermore, we are exploring the possibility of performing live.