We recently down with Dan Elkin, the creative force behind Echoes of Gloom, to discuss his debut album, The Mind’s Eternal Storm. Known for its introspective black metal sound, this one-man project from Ipswich, Australia, delivers raw emotion, atmospheric riffs, and deeply personal storytelling.

In this exclusive interview, Dan shares his influences, production techniques, and the inspiration behind the haunting landscapes of The Mind’s Eternal Storm, while also offering insights into the underground Australian black metal scene and his future plans.

Who or What is Echos Of Gloom?!

My name is Dan Elkin and Echoes of Gloom is the second solo creative endeavour of mine. Debut album “The Mind’s Eternal Storm” was written in around March of this year and released in July after brainstorming names for a while. I would describe it as Introspective Black Metal.

What motivated you to create The Mind's Eternal Storm?

The Mind’s Eternal Storm was born from a need to release something after sitting on stuff for my other project Stellar Remains which I also play all the instruments in for so long. I tweak every fine little detail when it comes to Stellar songs and shell out studio time which can take so much time and money so it was incredibly rewarding to just go for it and not care as much.

One thing I find consistently funny is you can literally hear the metronome in the intro track just because I didn’t notice it until a few days later but I liked the take so much that I couldn’t be bothered re-recording it. I wrote/recorded the bulk of the instrumentals in 2/3 days so it was very much so just based on the feelings I was experiencing in a very small window of time and I hyper fixated on it so much it pretty much just wrote itself.

“The Mind’s Eternal Storm” flows like a continuous journey. How did you approach the album’s pacing and track sequencing?

I think since the album was written so quickly, everything flows together quite naturally and nothing feels out of place. I recorded the whole thing in one big Ableton project file so I was able to shuffle riffs that didn’t quite work with one song to another song super easily and play around with the track order.

You recorded, mixed, and mastered the entire album yourself. What did you rely on for that lush, atmospheric guitar tone?

I am a massive tube amp guy especially when it comes to live but for this one I honestly just recorded everything using a kemper profiler. I was really happy with the black metal type tones I was able to get out of it without needing to have it cranked to oblivion. Maybe for the next one I will use tube amps. I used pedals for a lot of the clean guitar effects namely an ehx canyon for delay, walrus audio slo for reverb and an mxr chorus.

What gear do you use (guitar, drums, mixing, etc)?

For the guitar I used a black Gibson SG tuned to B standard. It’s such an awesome tuning because you can basically treat it as E standard which is obviously the OG black metal tuning but you can also use the low B register for heavier sludgy sounding riffs so it gives me a lot of different range to work with. The drums are actually just programmed on superior drummer, lots of people think I played live drums but that is reserved for Stellar Remains.

The production emphasises both sparkle and rawness, how did you balance clarity and grit?

For me to be invested in an album for the long term, it needs to strike the right balance between being emotional and atmospheric as well as being varied and energetic. You don’t want to lean too much towards one way or the other because too much atmospherics and it becomes boring but on the other end of the spectrum, if it is too riffy and unemotional it leaves you wanting more.

Tracks like The Wandering Moon draw praise for their melodic depth. Who/what influenced that atmospheric layering?

I listen to a lot of non-metal music so I am inspired by music that constantly layers new elements and has a variety of timbres. I’m particularly inspired by post punky and shoegaze bands when it comes to atmosphere such as The Cure, Slowdive, The Chameleons etc I’m a big sucker for all the 80’s stuff. I’m also heavily inspired by ambient music such as dungeon synth or video game osts. You can’t really beat the Silent Hill ost’s when it comes to crushing atmosphere.

Can you tell us more about the artwork and its meaning?

The artwork was painted by Brazilian artist Marcio Blasphemator who has done dozens of other bands. The surreal hazy scenery paints a picture of a disorienting, incomprehensible storm (existence) while the less hazy clear figure of death at the forefront represents something that is tangible and understood by all, we all know how he is coming for us eventually whether we like it or not.

What personal or philosophical themes inspired Mind’s Eternal Storm?

The lyrics are inspired a lot by a few fantasy series I like to read, namely the Stormlight Archive but also as the album title suggest, Mental Health. The Mind's Eternal Storm is essentially an Allegory for the inner turmoil we all face, certain people more than others when it comes to battling inner demons and dealing with doubts and anxieties.

Things may seem calm on the outside but inside there is nothing but chaos. But in the end as fucked up as life can be, there are other beautiful amazing people in the world who make every second worth living. People who are willing to accept the truth as it is and not judge others so harshly. People who are willing to go through the eye of the storm and come out still walking.

As a one-man project in Ipswich, what are your top 5 bands that keep you going?

The two GOATS for me when it comes to one-man black metal are Ruins of Beverast(Rain Upon the Impure is probably the greatest BM record ever) and Jef Whitehead’s projects Leviathan and Lurker of Chalice which is equally as good. If I absolutely had to do a top 5 black metal bands list that inspired this project it would be in no particular order

Ruins of Beverast
Leviathan/Lurker of Chalice
Wolves in the Throne Room
Hulder
Drudkh

Speaking of Ipswich, any Aussie metal pubs or hangouts you’d recommend for us at the Heavy Metal Citadel?

Ipswich isn’t really known for it’s social scene. The only place is Banshees Bar but when I do go out to shows it is almost always in Brisbane 30 minutes away where there is plenty of good venues such as Soapbox, Crowbar and Black Bear Lodge.

Are there any underground Australian bands you’d urge listeners to check out?

We have a lot of great underground bands here the rest of the world probably knows next to nothing about. Once again in no particular order. This is just a few there are definitely plenty more!

Bands: Portal, Graveir, Hebephrenrique, Resin Tomb, Spire, Burden Man, Grotesque Bliss, Slowcut, Woewarden, Malignant Aura, Altars, Lo!.

One-man projects: Convulsing, Snorlax, Vixenta, Zkarv, Midnight Odyssey, Lautrec, Deciduous Forest, Kommodus, Cryptivore, Aglo.

Any other musical projects or collaborations in the works alongside EoG?

Like stated previously, Stellar Remains is my other project which is more in the realm of Progressive Death Metal. The full-length debut is done being recorded and now in the mixing stage. It should be coming out at some point next year.

Are you planning on any European live shows at any point, if you're in London we're buying you pints!

I would love to if I eventually got a band together for EOG. Definitely on the cards at some point for Stellar Remains! Touring Europe is the dream for pretty much every metal band.

If you could summon a storm to swallow one modern trend in metal or music as a whole, what would it be and why?

Heavily quantised drums man…. It’s ok to fuck up and make mistakes from time to time, little imperfections are what makes music sound like its actually done by humans.

Three things you can’t live without ?

My two cats Chuck and Flip Flop. Yes, he is named after Chuck Schuldiner.
My partner. She actually gives honest feedback on my music and will straight up tell me when something is shit and she is always right
RPG games. You can never play enough

You’re standing at the gates of an ancient fortress at the end of the world. One album plays as the skies (or ground, we don’t judge) crack open. What is it?

Conan – Monnos. Straight up world ending music that sounds like the entire planet is being swallowed whole.

Drink of choice, so fans can treat you at future shows?

Dark beer! Give me a pint of Guinness or something and I will never turn it down.

Any final words to your listeners before you go?

Thanks everybody for all the appreciation for the release, there will definitely be more Echoes of Gloom down the line. To all the aspiring musicians out there, stop giving a shit about what people think about you or your playing and just go for it. Stop comparing yourself harshly to others and go be your authentic self. Thanks for the interview!

Echoes of Gloom Talks The Mind’s Eternal Storm