Lotus Eater
| Company type | Band |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music |
| Founded | 2014 in Glasgow, Scotland |
| Headquarters | Glasgow , Scotland, United Kingdom |
| Products | Music (EPs, singles, studio album) |
Lotus Eater—initially known as As Daylight Fades—was a heavy metal group originating from Glasgow, Scotland. Their signature style featured rhythm-centric, heavily downtuned riffs. Esteemed outlets such as NME and Metal Hammer acknowledged them as prominent figures in the resurgence of heavy music in the UK, alongside contemporaries like Loathe and Holding Absence.
History
On 17 February 2015, the band performed as the opening act for Incite in Glasgow. They unveiled the single "Novaturient" on 22 January 2016, accompanied by a music video, followed by their debut EP Love // Loss released on 27 May 2016. To promote the EP, they embarked on a UK tour spanning June through August.
The addition of Jamie McLees towards the end of 2016 marked a transition to a darker and more intense sound, leading to their rebranding as Lotus Eater. The single "Dead to Me" was issued on 26 February 2017, with their self-titled debut EP arriving on 24 March 2017. In July 2018, Lotus Eater secured a contract with Hopeless Records, becoming the first UK act on that label, coinciding with the release of "Break It". This was followed by singles "Branded" and "Crooked" later that month. In October 2018, they supported Neck Deep during a sold-out show in Manchester.
Throughout 2019, Lotus Eater maintained an active touring schedule: opening for Blood Youth in March, supporting Make Them Suffer in May, joining Modern Error on tour in June, playing at Bloodstock Festival in August, and opening for Issues during their European tour in October. On 29 October 2019, they released "Freaks," featuring rapper Freddie Sunshine. After Bloodstock 2020, founding guitarist Alan Ross departed and was replaced by Jack Dutton. The single "Second to None" came out on 20 November 2019. Additionally, they appeared on Bring Me the Horizon’s track "Underground Big {HEADFULOFHYENA}" from the Music to Listen To... album released in December 2019.
On 12 March 2020, the band released "Narco," accompanied by a music video. Subsequent lineup changes saw Park and Dutton leave; they were succeeded by Paul Collins and Aidan Cooper—both formerly of MTXS. Later, McCulloch and McLees also exited due to unrelated circumstances.
Lotus Eater introduced the single "Vermin" on 26 March 2021 featuring a revamped lineup with Humphrey as the only remaining founding member; Collins took over vocal duties while Cooper assumed guitar responsibilities. On 24 June, they released "Obliterate," which included guest vocals from Bring Me the Horizon’s Oliver Sykes. Alongside this release, they announced their debut full-length album Where the Body Goes, scheduled for release on 23 July.
However, just two weeks before the album's launch on 9 July 2021, Lotus Eater disbanded following social media allegations accusing frontman Paul Collins of sexual and physical abuse. Collins denied these accusations and intended to pursue legal action. Consequently, the band pulled back the album release; Humphrey declared that it "will never see the light of day."
In October 2021, Humphrey initiated a new musical venture named Love Is Noise as lead vocalist. Meanwhile, guitarist Aidan Cooper transitioned to front nu-core band Sunfall.
Musical style and influences
The band's sound is primarily classified within metalcore,[1] technical metal[2] and nu metal,[3] blending components of technical death metal, grindcore, and avant-garde influences.[4] They have described their own style as "gloom".[2] Their inspirations include acts such as Meshuggah, Linkin Park, and Korn.[4]
Lotus Eater’s instrumentation features groove-oriented percussion paired with down-tuned guitar work.[5] Their lyrics frequently explore themes of emotional hardship and mental health struggles.[2] Kerrang! characterized their sound as a fusion of anger, aggression, despair, violence, and primal rage—elements reflective of Glasgow's urban environment and street culture.[4] Meanwhile, Metal Hammer described their music as a blend of deathcore intensity, technical metal complexity, and raw aggression.[6]
During their earlier incarnation as As Daylight Fades, their style was identified with metalcore[7] and elements of post-rock,[2] incorporating technical metal and hardcore punk influences with an emphasis on melody and emotional expression.[8] Metal Hammer praised them as being "powerful, emotive and pure".[7]
Members
- Previous
- Jordan Barr – vocals, drums (2014–2016)
- Matty Clarke – vocals (2016–2017)
- Roland Walet – bass (2016–2017)
- Cameron Humphrey – drums, backing vocals (2016–2021)
- Jamie McLees – vocals (2017–2020)
- Douglas Park – guitar (2014–2020), bass (2014–2016, 2017–2018)
- Alan Ross – guitar (2014–2019), bass (2014–2016, 2017–2018)
- Craig McCulloch – bass (2018–2020)
- Jack Dutton – guitar (2019–2020, previously of Parting Gift)
- Paul Collins – vocals (2020–2021, formerly of MTXS)
- Aidan Cooper – guitar, bass (2020–2021, formerly of MTXS)
- Touring
- Adam Jones – bass (2021), associated with Gutter, formerly with Cutting Teeth
Studio albums
| Title | Information |
|---|---|
| Where the Body Goes |
|
Extended plays
| Title | Information |
|---|---|
| Love // Loss (under the name As Daylight Fades) |
|
| Lotus Eater |
|
| Social Hazard |
|
Singles
| Title | Year | Album |
|---|---|---|
| "Novaturient" | 2016 | Love // Loss |
| "Crooked" | 2016 | Lotus Eater |
| "Dead to Me" | 2017 | Lotus Eater |
| "Branded" | 2018 | Single (non-album) |
| "Break It" | 2018 | Single (non-album) |
| "The Fear" | 2018 | Social Hazard |
| "Mother" | 2019 | Social Hazard |
| "Freaks" (feat. Freddie Sunshine) | 2019 | Single (non-album) |
| "Second to None" | 2019 | Single (non-album) |
| "Narco" | 2020 | Where the Body Goes |
| "Vermin" | 2021 | Where the Body Goes |
| "Obliterate" (feat. Oliver Sykes) | 2021 | Where the Body Goes |
As featured artist
| Title | Primary Artist | Year |
|---|---|---|
| "Underground Big {HEADFULOFHYENA}" | Bring Me the Horizon featuring Bexey and Lotus Eater | 2019 |
- ↑ Matulaityte, Giedre (10 August 2020). "Here are the 15 best metalcore breakdowns of 2020 so far". Alternative Press. Retrieved 12 June 2021.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Leivers, Dannii (20 August 2018). "New Band Of The Week: Lotus Eater". Metal Hammer. Retrieved 12 June 2021.
- ↑ Williams, Martin. "Top 100 Tunes from Scotland in 2019 Part 2 (75-51)". The Herald. Retrieved 12 June 2021.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Law, Sam. "Lotus Eater: "People Say I Look Like I Want To Kill Somebody"". Kerrang!. Retrieved 12 June 2021.
- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedDom Vigil 2019 - ↑ "Bloodstock Open Air 2019: The Ultimate Review". Metal Hammer. 9 August 2019. Retrieved 12 June 2021.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Pearlman, Mischa (30 May 2016). "New Band Of The Week: As Daylight Fades". Metal Hammer. Retrieved 12 June 2021.
- ↑ "As Daylight Fades stream new EP Love//Loss". 20 May 2016. Retrieved 12 June 2021.