天灵灵，地灵灵 - 香港Melodic Death/Black Metal乐队Evocation专访

9 hours ago12 min read

今天采访到的乐队是来自香港的Evocation乐队，Evocation乐队已经成立了将近23年了，也是香港最老的Black Metal乐队。乐队于2008年发行首张专辑"Take Your Soul"，之后又分别发行了"天灵灵地灵灵"、"奠"、"劫数"三张专辑。在今年2025年初乐队参与了香港为数不多的金属演出"往死里打"，这也是乐队在五年之后第一次重返舞台。在这五年时间里，Evocation乐队并没有停止创作和排练，乐队也一直在活动中。对于香港来说金属乐并不是一个很盛行的地方，金属乐队更是屈指可数。但就在这样的环境下，Evocation乐队坚持了23年并且逐步走向国际。本次我们联系到了乐队的主唱兼吉他手Tomy，给乐队做一次专访。

（V: 代表笔者 T: 代表Tomy）

The band I interviewed today is the Evocation from Hong Kong. Evocation has been established for about 23 years, and it is also the oldest black metal band in Hong Kong. The band released their debut album "Take Your Soul" in 2008. And now they has released three more albums, "天灵灵地灵灵”、”奠”、”劫数". In early 2025, the band participated in one of the few metal shows in Hong Kong, "往死里打", which was the first time the band returned to the stage in five years. During these five years, Evocation did not stop writing and rehearsing, and the band was always active. In the Hong Kong, metal is not very popular, and there are only a handful of metal bands. But in this environment, the Spirit band persisted for 23 years, and gradually went international. This time, we contacted Tomy, the singer and guitarist of the band, to do an interview with the band.

(V: for the author T: for Tomy)

采访对象：Tomy（Evocation乐队吉他 / 歌手）

采访时间：2025.01.26

V: 你好来自香港的朋友们，很高兴你们能接受我们的采访。Evocation可以说是香港最早的Black / Death Metal乐队了，成立于2002年那么这个乐队最早是谁组的呢，几个人又是如何走到一起的吗？

Hello, friends from Hong Kong.We are glad that you can accept this interview. Evocation is the earliest black metal band in Hong Kong, founded in 2002.Who formed this band, and how did you come together?

T: 乐队成立于2002年，这些年来成员经历了多次变动。当时我在出租排练房和教授电吉他，与亚太相遇时，他还是个小朋友，跟随我学习吉他。不久后他便迅速成为我们的吉他手。周聪之前的乐队也曾在我的排练房练习，随着时间的推移，我们成为了朋友，最终他也加入了Evocation。而魔仔则是最近加入的成员。在香港极端金属界最缺乏的便是鼓手，因此Evocation曾经停滞了五年没有演出。幸运的是约一年前我们找到了魔仔，他的加入让我们重新出发，继续追寻音乐的梦想。

The band was formed in 2002, and over the years, we've experienced multiple member changes. Back then, I was renting a rehearsal space and teaching electric guitar. When I met Fayledark, he was just a kid learning from me. Before long, he quickly became our guitarist. Chung's previous band also practiced in my rehearsal space, and as time went by, we became friends, eventually leading him to join Evocation. As for Kratos Mou, he is our most recent addition. In Hong Kong, the extreme metal scene has always struggled to find drummers, which is why 《Evocation 》had been on hiatus for five years without any performances. Fortunately, about a year ago, we found Kratos Mou ,and his addition has allowed us to set out again, continuing our pursuit of musical dreams.

V: 你们在2023年发布了新专辑"劫数"，能谈谈创作这张专辑最初的动机是什么吗,他的歌词讲了什么。除此之外这张专辑并没有电子版，能谈谈是为什么吗？

You released your new album "Kalpa" in 2023. Can you talk about your initial motivation for creating this album，and what are the lyric about? In addition, the album isn’t released in media.Could you talk about why?

T: "劫数"是我们对2019年至2023年间香港社会现状的深刻反思与纪录。这张专辑承载著我们的思考与情感，希望能引起所有经历这段艰辛时期听众们的共鸣。尽管面对现实的挑战，我们深信音乐拥有治愈与连结的力量，能为人心带来安慰。专辑中的第二、三、四首歌曲表达了我们对现世的愤怒与无奈，感受到深深的无力感，最终只能选择妥协。这些情感反映了我们在困境中挣扎的心声。第五首歌“十四日后”则深入描绘了当时疫情下无止境的14天隔离生活，歌词中流露出对现实的无奈与期待。最后一首歌“往生”的歌词基于梵文的"往生咒"，这是佛教淨土宗中的重要咒语。据说持诵"往生咒"可以获得阿弥陀佛的庇护，帮助人们脱离苦难、消除业障并在临终时得以前往淨土。因此"往生咒"不仅仅是对往生者的祝福，更是希望通过持诵这个咒语，来消业障并获得庇佑。这张专辑的每一首歌都蕴含著深刻的意义，期待能与听众分享我们的故事和情感。现在已经有电子版了！

"The album 'KAPAL' is a profound reflection and documentation of the social realities in Hong Kong from 2019 to 2023. It carries our thoughts and emotions, and we hope it resonates with all listeners who have experienced this challenging period. Despite the challenges we face, we firmly believe in the healing and connecting power of music, which can bring solace to the heart. The second, third, and fourth tracks express our anger and helplessness towards the present world, capturing a deep sense of powerlessness that ultimately leads to compromise. These emotions reflect our struggles in times of adversity. The fifth song, 'Fourteen Days Later,' delves into the endless 14 days of quarantine during the pandemic, revealing a sense of helplessness and anticipation in the lyrics. The final track, 'Rebirth,' draws its lyrics from the Sanskrit 'Rebirth Mantra,' an important chant in Pure Land Buddhism. It is said that reciting this mantra can grant protection from Amitabha Buddha, helping people escape suffering, eliminate karma, and attain rebirth in the Pure Land at the time of death. Thus, 'Rebirth Mantra' is not only a blessing for the deceased but also a means to eliminate karmic obstacles and seek protection. Each song on this album carries profound significance, and we look forward to sharing our stories and emotions with our listeners. The digital version is now available!

V: 你们的音乐融合了许多东方的元素，这让你们的音乐变得丰富并且十分耐听，能谈谈你们创作这张专辑的过程吗？我同时听说你们觉得现在的音乐制作相比以前更加方便，因此专辑的制作速度变快了。但你认为现在写歌的过程还会不会像以前那样有意思呢？

Your music incorporates a lot of Eastern elements, which makes your music rich and . Can you talk about the process of creating this album? I also heard that you think it is easier to make music now than it used to be, so albums were madefaster. But do you think the process of writing songs is still as fun as it used to be?

T: “这次"劫数"的录音制作过程中，由于我们当时尚未找到固定的鼓手，因此我们特别邀请了美国的金属鼓手Karl Williams来参与录制鼓的部分。至于其他乐器的录音，包括主唱、吉他、贝斯，以及二胡和尺八，则都是在我家进行的。在混音方面我们选择了挪威的混音师Nicholay Hovland来帮助我们，这次的混音效果让我们感到非常满意。随著科技的进步，音乐创作和录制变得相对简便和高效。这样的环境让我们能够更灵活地进行创作，无需占用彼此太多的时间。大家可以在家里随时创作，只要每个人都能把自己的部分练好，然后一个星期抽一天时间聚在一起练团，就能轻松完成了！

"During the recording process of 'KAPAL,' we hadn't yet found a permanent drummer, so we invited American metal drummer Karl Williams to record the drum parts. As for the other instruments—vocals, guitar, bass, as well as the erhu and shakuhachi—they were all recorded at my home. For mixing, we chose Norwegian engineer Nicholay Hovland to assist us, and we are very satisfied with the mixing results. With advancements in technology, music creation and recording have become relatively straightforward and efficient. This environment allows us to be more flexible in our creative process without taking up too much of each other's time. Everyone can create at home whenever they want, and as long as each person practices their parts well, we can easily come together for a rehearsal once a week!

V: 虽然Evocation对于香港甚至中国的金属乐都有很大的贡献，但是香港的金属乐的氛围一直都不太好，你们又对香港的金属乐的氛围有什么看法呢？

Although Evocation is a great contribution to metal music in Hong Kong and even China, the atmosphere of metal music in Hong Kong is not very good. What do you think of the atmosphere of metal music in Hong Kong?

T: 我认为香港是一个商业都市，却同时是一个艺术文化沙漠，对于极端金属乐队来说，这种情况更为明显，我们在这地方做了23年极端金属，观众群比以前还少，有很多已经移民离开香港了。极端金属乐队也开始断层，金属乐队乐手也开始断层。要想扩展香港的极端金属圈，我认为首先需要更多的极端金属乐队。然而考虑到香港的现实，年轻人面临著各种不同的兴趣选择。玩极端金属不仅需要投入大量的时间和精力，还要忍受观众少、表演回报低的现实，甚至可能会遭遇网络上的负面评价。在这样的环境下，对于许多乐队来说，这团火焰是非常容易熄灭的。因此我衷心希望大家能够珍惜目前仍在香港坚持玩极端金属的乐队，因为每一场极端金属的表演，都有可能是他们的最后一场演出。

I believe Hong Kong is a commercial city, yet at the same time, it is an artistic and cultural desert. This is especially evident for extreme metal bands. After 23 years of playing extreme metal here, our audience has dwindled, and many have emigrated from Hong Kong. There’s a growing gap among extreme metal bands, and promoters are also becoming scarce. To expand the extreme metal scene in Hong Kong, I think we first need more extreme metal bands. However, considering the current reality in Hong Kong, young people face a multitude of different interests. Playing extreme metal requires a significant investment of time and energy, and it comes with the harsh reality of a small audience and low returns for performances. There’s also the possibility of facing negative feedback online. In such an environment, it’s easy for many bands to let that flame extinguish. Therefore, I sincerely hope that everyone can cherish the bands that are still dedicated to playing extreme metal in Hong Kong, because every extreme metal performance could potentially be their last.

V: 你们最近参加了香港的演出"往死里打"，这是你们阔别舞台将近五年之后再次参加演出，这五年里招魂都经历了些什么呢？同时能描述一下重返舞台后是什么心情吗？

You recently participated in the Hong Kong production of "往死里打". This is your first performance after nearly five years away from the stage. What have Evocation been going through in these five years? Can you also describe how it feels to be back on stage?

T: 其实在这五年没有演出的期间，我们的经历和其他人类似。首先是经历了五大诉求事件，还有COVID-19疫情。特别是在疫情期间，由于我们没有接种疫苗，很多地方都无法前往，于是我们大部分时间都待在家里工作或是乐队排练室。这段时间，我几乎都是在专注于修改音乐。

当我们找到鼓手的时候，其实也在寻找场地，准备举办"劫数"的专场演出。不过当时香港的一个可容纳500人的场地Music Zoom已经结业了。我们找了很多场地，但都不太适合举办极端金属音乐，所以一度考虑放弃。直到香港一个新场地的诞生和"往死里打"的邀请，我们就在今年1月4号终于重返舞台！首先我要感谢他们的邀请！五年后重返舞台的感觉，真的是兴奋！还好舞台不会让人感到陌生！特别感谢那些专门前来支持Evocation的朋友们！

During the five years we weren't performing, our experiences were similar to others. We went through the five demands movement and the COVID-19 pandemic. Especially during the pandemic, since we weren't vaccinated, there were many places we couldn't go, so we spent most of our time either at home working or in the band rehearsal space. During that time, I focused almost entirely on honing my musical skills. When we finally found a drummer, we were also looking for a venue to prepare for a dedicated show for 《KALPA》However, at that time, a venue in Hong Kong that could hold 500 people, Music Zoom, had already closed down. We searched for many places, but none were really suitable for extreme metal, and we even considered giving up. It wasn't until a new venue opened in Hong Kong and we received an invitation from '往死裏打' that we finally returned to the stage on January 4th this year! First, I want to thank them for the invitation! The feeling of returning to the stage after five years is truly exciting! Thankfully, the stage didn't feel unfamiliar at all! I especially want to thank those friends who came specifically to support ‘Evocation '!

V: 有没有对你们影响很大的或者是自己很喜欢的乐队呢？

Are there any bands that have had a big influence on you or that you really like ?

T: 其实选择真的太多了！在之前的访问中我们也提过一些我们喜欢的外国乐队，但这次我想特别提到一些亚洲的金属乐队。首先是香港的Hyponic、Massacre Of Mothman 、Dismembered和Perish of Empyrean，这些乐队在本地极端金属圈中都有很大的影响力。然后是来自台湾的闪灵、幻日、Infernal Chaos和Beyond Cure，他们的音乐风格各具特色，让我们非常喜爱。日本的Defiled、兀突骨、Cohol和Chrystal Lake也是我们的心头好，无论是音乐还是现场表演都非常出色。在中国我们欣赏零壹、葬尸湖和九宝的作品，这些乐队都各有特色，展现了中国金属的多样性。至于泰国的Death Guys和韩国的Oathena，他们的音乐也让我们感到惊艳，真的是值得一听的好乐队！

There are actually so many choices! In previous interviews, we've mentioned some of our favorite foreign bands, but this time I want to highlight some metal bands from Asia. First, we have local Hong Kong bands like Hyponic, Massacre Of Mothman, Dismembered, and Perish of Empyrean, all of which have made a significant impact in the local extreme metal scene. Then, from Taiwan, there are bands like Chthonic, Anthelion, Infernal Chaos, and Beyond Cure, each with their own unique style that we really love. Japanese bands like Defiled, Gotsu-Totsu-Kotsu, Cohol, and Crystal Lake are also among our favorites; their music and live performances are outstanding. In China, we appreciate the works of ,Voodoo Kungfu , Zuriaake, and Nine Treasures, as these bands showcase the diversity of Chinese metal. And from Thailand, Death Guys and from Korea, Oathena, their music has truly impressed us—definitely bands worth listening to!

V: Evocation目前有什么新的计划可以透露的吗？比如参加演出之类的。

What new plans about Evocation can be revealed ? Like going to a show or something.

T: 目前的演出安排就随缘而定，但我们正在全力以赴制作新专辑，希望能在明年与大家见面。这是我们的一个重要目标，期待能把我们的音乐带给更多的朋友！

Our current performance schedule is pretty much up in the air, but we’re fully focused on producing a new album. We hope to share it with everyone next year. This is an important goal for us, and we look forward to bringing our music to more friends!

V: 你们是一支十分优秀的乐队，我也会持续关注你们乐队，那在这次采访结束之际，你们有什么想对中国的乐迷们说的吗？

You are a very good band, and I will continue to follow your band, so at the end of this interview, what would you like to say to Chinese music fans?

T: 中国有许多优秀的金属乐队，而整个亚洲的金属音乐圈也同样充满才华。我真心希望大家能够用心去感受这份音乐所带来的力量与激情。Evocation在这23年的金属岁月中，深知经营一支乐队的艰辛与挑战。每一次的创作和演出，都蕴含著我们的心血与梦想。因此，如果你们真心喜爱某支乐队，请务必与更多人分享这份热爱，让这股音乐的力量延续下去。在此，我衷心感谢每一位支持Evocation的乐迷，你们的支持是我们最大的动力。

China has many outstanding metal bands, and the entire Asian metal scene is equally filled with talent. I sincerely hope everyone can truly feel the power and passion that this music brings. Over the past 23 years of our journey with Evocation ; we’ve come to understand the hardships and challenges of running a band. Every creation and performance contains our hard work and dreams. Therefore, if you genuinely love a band, please share that passion with more people and let the power of this music continue to thrive. I want to express my heartfelt gratitude to every fan who supports Evocation ; your support is our greatest motivation.

P. S. 衷心感谢Black Whirlpool的访问，让我们有机会分享这份热情！

P.S. A special thanks to Black Whirlpool for the interview, giving us the opportunity to share this passion!"