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Yoth Iria’s explosion onto the extreme metal scene over the last few years has been impressive to witness. Only in existence since the turn of the decade, the Greek outfit have already released two highly acclaimed full-length albums and a mini-album, along with a live record and splits with fellow Greeks Kawir and Darkest Oath, and played numerous shows in Europe and the Americas.

Featuring bassist, songwriter and lyricist Jim Mutilator, best known for co-founding Rotting Christ and playing in Varathron, two of the three pillars of Greek black metal, the band debuted with none other than vocalist The Magus, co-founder of that third pillar, Necromantia. Even the band’s name is steeped in Greek black metal lore, being originally mentioned in the lyrics of the Mutilator-penned ‘The Fourth Knight of Revelation’ (“Yoth Iria - Prince of Fire”), the closing song from Rotting Christ’s classic debut, Thy Mighty Contract.

Despite such connections, the band’s success has undoubtedly had much to do with the freshness and originality of their sound. Though rooted in black metal – even Greek black metal, with parallels to the likes of Rotting Christ, Varathron and even Lucifer’s Child – the songwriting is admirably unchained, drawing from numerous forms of metal and beyond. The result is a growing collection of monumental and genuinely memorable songs utilising big riffs, superb lead guitars, occult lyrics, rich atmosphere, untempered aggression and a real sense of dynamics.

Cult Never Dies has had a close connection with Yoth Iria since the beginning – indeed, excluding the Moonspell CD we released as part of the book boxset, our first CD release was actually the debut mini-album Under His Sway, the band emerging not long after we had worked with Jim on the Non Serviam Rotting Christ biography. Thus, it seemed apt to invite the band to headline our 12th anniversary event this month in London, and to catch up with the group for a discussion before that.

Cult Never Dies: Let’s begin by going back just over a half-decade to the roots of Yoth Iria. How did the band form in the first place, and what were your aims with the project?

Jim Mutilator: “Yoth Iria officially formed in 2019. I actually started making tracks in the late 2000s, but it took me so long to enter the studio to start recording. Eventually, I was near finishing the first album, and I was not sure about how to name it. I was thinking of ‘God’s Sun Gate’ – and I would be happy to see any upcoming band using that name for themselves – but then a Greek friend of mine told me, ‘Hey Jim, what do you think about calling it Yoth Iria?’ That was a reference to ‘Yoth Iria’, my vision from the 90s, my own apocalyptic demon. My aims are to make more albums and play live shows, but the main thing is that Yoth Iria is a really important part of who I am. I’ve been into this kind of music since I can remember, so I’m thinking this is my way of life.” 

How was it to start from scratch with a new band, having previously been known for your role as a co-founder of the very successful Rotting Christ?

Jim Mutilator: “I wanted to have my own band and that’s all. I never thought of making a band for popularity. But I’m here for the sake of metal, like a dark warrior in the army of heavy metal. You know, I’m here from the beginning of black metal: Sakis [Tolis] and I started the Hellenic black metal sound (of course, Necromantia gave another interpretation of Hellenic black metal as well), and I created the first demo of Varathron (maybe the very first Hellenic black metal recording ever) with Stefan [Necroabyssious]. So I have the right to be here, don’t you think?”