LIVING EVIL: Defiance, Devotion, and the Human Chaos
Canadian heavy metal force Living Evil erupt from the underground with a roar that’s equal parts rebellion, resilience, and raw humanity. In this unfiltered conversation, frontwoman Executioner tears through the walls that gatekept her for years, reclaiming power through riffs, rage, and radical honesty.
Their debut demo Curse the Cross isn’t just a musical statement—it’s a manifesto of DIY freedom, anti-capitalist art, and defiant imperfection. The interview dives into themes of gender exclusion in metal, mental health and autonomy, resistance to AI and corporate art, and the unapologetic embrace of flaws that make music alive.
Living Evil’s message is clear: metal is rebellion, and rebellion must remain human.
Thank you for taking the time to speak with us today. Curse the Cross marks your first demo—what does this release symbolize for Living Evil, both in terms of personal growth and the broader creative spirit behind the project?
To me this first Living Evil demo is a symbol of determination and devotion. I’ve always wanted my very own metal band. Unfortunately, just like most female musicians, I have been excluded many times. So finally just starting my own band and putting my wishes to action just makes sense.
I had a hard time getting a lineup together. It was incredibly discouraging and depressing. But I didn’t stop and I’m so glad I kept going. I couldn’t have done it without the support of my partner. He is also Living Evil’s drummer, Black Lung! He had been drumming for a few months when we started playing together.
You’ve stated that Living Evil’s name was borrowed from a classic Exciter song, and your lineup coalesced shortly before recording. Given that raw, organic genesis, how do you feel that urgency and DIY foundation shaped the raw intensity of Curse the Cross?
The lineup came together after recording actually! The demo is a joint effort of BLACKLUNG on drums and myself doing the rest. The prodigal sons ARGUS and ABRAXAS came on board just in time for a killer show opportunity. We got to open for WITCHKILLER! Not a bad first gig at all! They are writing new material with us. It’s awesome, and a dream come true having a full band.
There was no urgency other than I have been sitting on the song “Curse the Cross” for a few years and I felt very compelled to share it. I am led by my creativity. I think the rawness comes from how we recorded it—the drums and guitar live off the floor together.
The lyrics explode with apocalyptic and provocative religious symbolism—from “armageddon” to “ethnic cleanse.” How do you navigate using extreme imagery without glorifying it—should such language be interpreted metaphorically, or as an unflinching reflection of horror and hypocrisy?
To me it’s just metal—it’s extreme and outside of the normal, so nothing’s off the table. I write about what’s on my mind. I sum it up as: we write about the various evils of living. We don’t have any specific theme or ideology other than we are a heavy fucking metal band.
Some of the fun with art is, we have our own meanings and the audience will have theirs too.
The cover art (your own hands around a tombstone and the guitar) exudes stark intimacy and atmosphere. How does this aesthetic decision—so unpolished and literal—interact with your music’s themes of life, death, and chaos?
I just love shitty photos as album art. Paintings are great, but there’s just too much good stuff now, I’m tired of it. And it’s fun to use your imagination and just allow yourself to do something objectively bad.
The photo editor program Gimp is free and we all have cameras in our pockets. Go wild people!
You mentioned the DIY route allows you to progress at your own creative pace—and that a DIY label with “like-minded chillers” would be ideal. In an industry steeped in deadlines, how does resisting that model serve as a philosophical act of autonomy and nonconformity?
Yes exactly, but also a lazy cop-out of mine for my mental health and crap time management (hence me taking a while to get these questions to you, STEEL QUEEN).
We also have the like-minded chiller now, and he operates as the label WULFKULT RELIGION! He just put our demo out on tape.
I want to keep the door open to whatever may come Living Evil’s way.
You’ve voiced a strong rejection of AI in music—calling it “soul-sucking, stale, capitalist BS.” Could you dive deeper into how Living Evil’s creative process—filled with mistakes, frustrations, and laughter—embraces the human chaos that AI erases?
It’s Living Evil, not Robot Evil!
Extreme metal often thrives on imperfection—raw edges, flaws, and chaos that paradoxically make the music feel more alive. How do you view the role of imperfection and unpredictability in capturing the true essence of Living Evil?
Well I am absolutely not a very good guitar player at all, I have light years and heaps to go. But I am incredibly stubborn and determined, so that probably helps the “rawness.”
But I have been into metal for over half my life, so I have been cultivating my very own flavour of good/bad taste for a decent amount of time. I know for certain that does come through.
Metal is supposed to be rebellion and operates on rules in reverse to how the rest of the world does. THERE ARE NO RULES.
Curse the Cross evokes classic 80s metal and primal fury. Which underground scenes, communities, or ideologies shaped that aesthetic and ethos—and how do you see yourselves contributing something fresh and relevant to today’s metal underground?
Living Evil’s ethos can be summed up with Darkthrone lyrics: “I AM THE GRAVES OF THE 80s.”
I always wanted a thrash band when I was a teenager. Then as a young adult I wanted a blackened thrash band. Then that turned into wanting a trad metal band. Then one day I woke up in a band called Living Evil and I think we play something that contains all three?
I really like first wave black metal. It’s darker but more open to dynamics and is way less copy and paste or formulaic.
Mercyful Fate, Slayer, Bathory, KAT, Crowley, Running Wild, Heavy Load, Trance and Venom, of course, are major influences to name a few.
Aesthetically I love early Slayer with the death paint, as well as early Bathory-era Quorthon and WASP.
Your sacrifices—like selling a fest ticket to afford merch and shows—reflect the economic realities of being an independent band. In confronting those challenges, what role does solidarity (among peers, fans, and underground networks) play in sustaining creative freedom?
The greatest and most precious resource we can give to each other and ourselves is time.
Our music is free for download on our Bandcamp. If people want to simply check out Living Evil, then that is killer. The band is to be done purely out of love and devotion.
I think of it like having a child—“oh my kid needs x/y/z, well of course I can make that happen, it’s my precious baby Living Evil, she deserves the world!” Creative freedom because that’s how I want it to be, so I have carved my life so it will be that way.
Thank you again for your time and honesty. As Living Evil continues to carve its path, what can fans expect next—in terms of musical exploration, community engagement, or philosophical direction?
Thanks Steel Queen, it’s been fun! As of right now we have a split in the works, lots of songwriting, and some shows lined up in the new year. Stay tuned for more EVIL—it LIVES!
