Carl Douglas McCoy (born 15 January 1963) is a British singer who is the frontman for the
gothic rock band
Fields of the Nephilim
Fields of the Nephilim are an English gothic rock band formed in Stevenage, Hertfordshire, in 1984. The band's name refers to a Biblical race of angel-human hybrids known as the Nephilim.
Career Early years (1984–1991)
Fields of the Nep ...
.
Biography
McCoy frequently uses mystical and
occult references in his lyrics. Samples of
Aleister Crowley
Aleister Crowley (; born Edward Alexander Crowley; 12 October 1875 – 1 December 1947) was an English occultist, ceremonial magician, poet, painter, novelist, and mountaineer. He founded the religion of Thelema, identifying himself as the pr ...
's voice were featured on ''Elizium''.
McCoy owns a graphics company, Sheerfaith, which has supplied art and design for all of his musical projects. Sheerfaith has also produced artwork for other projects, such as for the
Storm Constantine
Storm Constantine (12 October 1956 – 14 January 2021) was a British science fiction and fantasy author, primarily known for her Wraeththu series,Encyclopedia of Science Fictio"Constantine, Storm" Retrieved 2010-01-21. which began as one trilog ...
book ''Hermetech'' and Andrew Collins' ''21st Century Grail''. He is a 3D artist, a longtime user of
LightWave 3D
LightWave 3D is a 3D computer graphics program developed by NewTek. It has been used in films, television, motion graphics, digital matte painting, visual effects, video game development, product design, architectural visualizations, virt ...
.
McCoy appeared as the nomad in the film ''
Hardware'' (1990), directed by
Richard Stanley, who had previously directed a number of videos for Fields of the Nephilim.
Personal life
McCoy comes from a religious background; he grew up in England with his mother, who was deeply religious, a
Jehovah's Witness
Jehovah's Witnesses is a millenarian restorationist Christian denomination with nontrinitarian beliefs distinct from mainstream Christianity. The group reports a worldwide membership of approximately 8.7 million adherents involved in ...
.
McCoy later dealt with his relation to Christianity critically in some of his songs such as "Chord of Souls".
[Baddeley: Goth Chic. 2002] He has talked in interviews about his belief in
paganism.
He is married to Lynne (nee Stappard) and has two daughters.
Vocal style
McCoy's vocal style has been described as sounding like he 'gargles with gravel.'
He attributes this to a childhood laryngeal burn: "I only sang the way I sang because I burnt my throat when I was a kid. I got hot food stuck down there and my throat got singed. I couldn’t talk for four weeks, but the effects lasted forever!"
[
]
Discography
* Watain
Watain is a Swedish black metal band, formed in 1998.Eduardo Rivadavia: ''Watain Biography'' Allmusic, Macrovision Corporation. The band's name is taken from an early recording by the American black metal group Von.Ronald Ziegler''Merchandise w ...
– '' Lawless Darkness'' (2010, guest vocals)
References
Further reading
*Baddeley, Gavin: ''Goth Chic: A Connoisseur's Guide to Dark Culture'' (Plexus, 2002),
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:McCoy, Carl
Gothic rock musicians
1963 births
Living people
English male singers
English occultists
People from Lambeth
British modern pagans
English people of Scottish descent
Performers of modern pagan music