Erik Rutan (born June 10, 1971) is an American heavy metal musician and producer from

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

. He is the guitarist and lead vocalist of

death metal Death metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal music. It typically employs heavily distorted and low-tuned guitars, played with techniques such as palm muting and tremolo picking; deep growling vocals; aggressive, powerful drumming, feat ...

band

Hate Eternal Hate Eternal is a death metal band from St. Petersburg, Florida. The band currently consists of founding guitarist/vocalist Erik Rutan and bassist J. J. Hrubovcak. To date, Hate Eternal has released seven studio albums: ''Conquering the Throne' ...

and lead guitarist for

Cannibal Corpse Cannibal Corpse is an American death metal band formed in Buffalo, New York in 1988, now based out of Tampa, Florida. The band has released fifteen studio albums, two box sets, four video albums, and two live albums. The band has had little radi ...

, who he fully joined in 2021 after acting as a fill-in guitarist during their 2019 tour. Rutan has also spent time with

Morbid Angel Morbid Angel is an American death metal Death metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal music. It typically employs heavily distorted and low-tuned guitars, played with techniques such as palm muting and tremolo picking; deep growling ...

(three different stints) and

Ripping Corpse Ripping Corpse was a death metal band formed in 1987 in Red Bank, New Jersey. History They released one album, ''Dreaming with the Dead'' (1991), and several highly regarded demos. Members included singer Scott Ruth, guitarist Shaune Kelley, ...

. When not performing, Rutan operates his own recording studio in Florida called Mana Recording Studios.

Recording

Rutan started his metal career with

, recording one album titled '' Dreaming with the Dead'' released in 1991. Around 1995, he left to join

, recording ''

Domination Domination or dominant may refer to: Society * World domination, which is mainly a conspiracy theory * Colonialism in which one group (usually a nation) invades another region for material gain or to eliminate competition * Chauvinism in which ...

'' (1995) before leaving in 1996 to found his own band,

, releasing their first album '' Conquering the Throne'' in 1999. Rutan then returned to Morbid Angel to record ''

Gateways to Annihilation ''Gateways to Annihilation'' is the sixth studio album by the death metal band Morbid Angel. This album saw a change in musical style as the speed-laden intensity of the previous album '' Formulas Fatal to the Flesh'' was abandoned for a slower ...

'', released in 2000. Rutan left Morbid Angel again to concentrate on Hate Eternal, releasing '' King of All Kings'' in 2002 and ''

I, Monarch ''I, Monarch'' is the third studio album by Florida technical death metal band Hate Eternal and it was released June 28, 2005 on Earache Records. Track listing All songs by Erik Rutan except when noted. # "Two Demons" – 03:55 # "Behold Judas ...

'' in 2005. He rejoined Morbid Angel once more for the band's 2006 summer tour of Europe, a move about which the other band members said, "This will certainly be an exciting event with the ''Domination'' lineup together for the first time in 10 years!" The tour included a stop at the

Wacken Open Air Wacken Open Air (, abbreviated as W:O:A) is a rock music, rock music festival, held annually since 1990 on the first weekend of August in the village of Wacken, Schleswig-Holstein, Wacken in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. Almost all styles and su ...

festival. Rutan has had a number of side projects that highlight different aspects of his playing. For example, he formed the group Alas with former the Therion vocalist Martina Astner, releasing the landmark progressive metal album ''Absolute Purity'' in 2001. Rutan is a guest vocalist on the track "Bone Crown" on Annotations of an Autopsy's second full-length album, ''II: The Reign of Darkness''. On January 18, 2019, it was announced that Rutan would fill in for

Pat O'Brien Pat O'Brien may refer to: Politicians * Pat O'Brien (Canadian politician) (born 1948), member of the Canadian House of Commons *Pat O'Brien (Irish politician) (c. 1847–1917), Irish Nationalist MP in the United Kingdom Parliament Others *Pat O'Br ...

for the remainder of their winter and spring tour dates. Rutan was officially announced as a permanent member of the band on February 2, 2021 and appears on their fifteenth studio album ''

Violence Unimagined ''Violence Unimagined'' is the fifteenth studio album by American death metal band Cannibal Corpse, released on April 16, 2021. It is the band's first album in nearly four years since ''Red Before Black'' (2017), the longest gap between two rec ...

''. Erik is a long time player of B.C. Rich guitars and has played various Ironbirds and V's with Dimarzio, EMG, Seymour Duncan, and (more recently) Fishman pickups. He has also played Ibanez guitars, mostly during his latter days with Morbid Angel and the early Hate Eternal days. During his time with Ripping Corpse, he played a Yamaha superstrat guitar (most likely an RGX model). For Morbid Angel, he used a Gibson Explorer outfitted with a

Floyd Rose The Floyd Rose Locking Tremolo, or simply Floyd Rose, is a type of locking vibrato arm for a guitar. Floyd D. Rose invented the locking vibrato in 1976, the first of its kind, and it is now manufactured by a company of the same name. The Floyd R ...

bridge and an Ibanez Universe guitar given to him by Trey Azagthoth. Recently, B.C. Rich created an Erik Rutan custom 7-string Ironbird with Fishman Fluence pickups and this is now his main guitar for Cannibal Corpse. Erik uses various amps from various companies including Marshall, ENGL, and Mesa Boogie. In 2021 Rutan got an endorsement with B.C. Rich, he now has his own signature 7 String Ironbird.

Production

Rutan has produced the following albums: *

Belphegor In Christian demonology, Belphegor (or Beelphegor, he, בַּעַל-פְּעוֹר ''Báʿal-pəʿór'' - Lord of the Gap) is a demon. In later Kabbalah Belphegor is a demon who helps people make discoveries. He seduces people by suggesting to ...

: ''

Conjuring the Dead ''Conjuring the Dead'' is the tenth studio album by the Austrian blackened death metal band Belphegor. It was released on 5 August 2014 through Nuclear Blast.

'' *

: ''

Kill Kill often refers to: *Homicide, one human killing another *cause death, to kill a living organism, to cause its death Kill may also refer to: Media *'' Kill!'', a 1968 film directed by Kihachi Okamoto * ''Kill'' (Cannibal Corpse album), 2006 * ...

'', ''

Evisceration Plague ''Evisceration Plague'' is the eleventh studio album by American death metal band Cannibal Corpse. The album was produced at Mana Recording Studios by Hate Eternal guitarist Erik Rutan. The album entered the US ''Billboard'' 200 at number 66, ...

'', ''

Torture Torture is the deliberate infliction of severe pain or suffering on a person for reasons such as punishment, extracting a confession, interrogation for information, or intimidating third parties. Some definitions are restricted to acts c ...

'', ''

Red Before Black ''Red Before Black'' is the fourteenth studio album by American death metal band Cannibal Corpse, released on November 3, 2017. This is the band's final album to feature guitarist Pat O'Brien before producer Erik Rutan officially replaced him i ...

'' *

Madball Madball is an American New York hardcore band formed in New York City, that originated in the late 1980s as a side project of Agnostic Front. The band developed after Agnostic Front's front man Roger Miret would let his younger half-brother Fr ...

: ''

Empire An empire is a "political unit" made up of several territories and peoples, "usually created by conquest, and divided between a dominant center and subordinate peripheries". The center of the empire (sometimes referred to as the metropole) ex ...

'' *

Agnostic Front Agnostic Front is an American hardcore punk band from New York City. Founded in 1980, the band is considered an important influence on the New York hardcore scene, as well as a pioneer of the crossover thrash genre. History First era (1980–19 ...

: '' My Life My Way'' * Six Feet Under: '' Commandment'' * Annotations of an Autopsy: ''II: The Reign of Darkness'' *

: ''

Illud Divinum Insanus ''Illud Divinum Insanus'' is the eighth studio album by American death metal band Morbid Angel. It was released on June 7, 2011, by independent French record label Season of Mist. It is Morbid Angel's first album since '' Heretic'' (2003), the ...

'' (drum production), '' Kingdoms Disdained'' *

Soilent Green Soilent Green is an American extreme metal band formed in 1988 in Chalmette/ Metairie on the suburbs of New Orleans, Louisiana. Described as a sludge metal and grindcore band, the group blends elements of death metal, black metal, hardcor ...

: '' Inevitable Collapse in the Presence of Conviction'', ''

Confrontation Confrontation is an element of conflict wherein parties confront one another, directly engaging one another in the course of a dispute between them. A confrontation can be at any scale, between any number of people, between entire nations or cult ...

'' *

Through the Eyes of the Dead Through the Eyes of the Dead is an American deathcore band from Florence, South Carolina, formed in 2003. They have released four full-length albums, one EP, and one split album with The Knife Trade. History The band was formed by Justin Longsh ...

: '' Malice'' *

Goatwhore Goatwhore is an American extreme metal band formed in New Orleans, Louisiana in 1997. Biography Goatwhore was formed by guitarist/backing vocalist Sammy Duet, who was previously the lead guitarist for Louisiana sludge metal band Acid Bath. The ...

: ''

A Haunting Curse ''A Haunting Curse'' is the third studio album by American extreme metal band Goatwhore Goatwhore is an American extreme metal band formed in New Orleans, Louisiana in 1997. Biography Goatwhore was formed by guitarist/backing vocalist Sam ...

'', ''

Carving Out The Eyes of God ''Carving Out the Eyes of God'' is the fourth studio album by American blackened death metal band Goatwhore Goatwhore is an American extreme metal band formed in New Orleans, Louisiana in 1997. Biography Goatwhore was formed by guitarist/ ...

'', ''

Blood for the Master ''Blood for the Master'' is the fifth studio album by American blackened death metal band Goatwhore. Track listing Personnel ;Goatwhore * Ben Falgoust – lead vocals * Sammy Duet – guitars, backing vocals * James Harvey – bass, ba ...

'', ''

Constricting Rage of the Merciless ''Constricting Rage of the Merciless'' is the sixth studio album by American blackened death metal band Goatwhore. Release The band announced the release of their album on March 26, 2014, during their Metal Alliance tour. To make all instruments ...

'' *

Vital Remains Vital Remains is an American death metal band from Providence, Rhode Island, formed in 1988. History Formation and early years Guitarist Paul Flynn formed Vital Remains in 1988. Vital Remains' first line-up included Paul Flynn on lead guitar, ...

: '' Icons of Evil'' *

Malevolent Creation Malevolent Creation is an American death metal band formed in Buffalo, New York in 1987 and later based in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The band's original members were rhythm guitarist Phil Fasciana, vocalist Brett Hoffmann, lead guitarist Jim ...

: '' Invidious Dominion'' (co-producer) *

Nile The Nile, , Bohairic , lg, Kiira , Nobiin language, Nobiin: Áman Dawū is a major north-flowing river in northeastern Africa. It flows into the Mediterranean Sea. The Nile is the longest river in Africa and has historically been considered ...

: ''

Those Whom the Gods Detest ''Those Whom the Gods Detest'' is the sixth studio album by American technical death metal band Nile. The album was released on November 3, 2009, in North America, and on November 6, 2009, in Europe through Nuclear Blast. It was produced and mix ...

'' (drum production) *

Krisiun Krisiun is a Brazilian death metal band, founded by brothers Alex Camargo (bass, vocals) (Born March 11, 1972), Moyses Kolesne (guitars) (Born August 11, 1973) and Max Kolesne (drums) (Born June 12, 1974). Since its formation in 1990, the gro ...

: ''

Conquerors of Armageddon ''Conquerors of Armageddon'' is the third album by Brazilian death metal band Krisiun and their first under the Century Media label. As such, this is considered the band's breakthrough release. Track listing Personnel * Moyses Kolesne – gu ...

'', '' Forged in Fury'' * Pessimist: ''Slaughtering The Faithful'' * Internal Suffering: ''Internal Suffering'', ''Awakening of the Rebel'' * Premonitions of War: ''Left In Kowloon'' *

Aeon The word aeon , also spelled eon (in American and Australian English), originally meant "life", "vital force" or "being", "generation" or "a period of time", though it tended to be translated as "age" in the sense of "ages", "forever", "timeles ...

: '' Path of Fire'' (mixing) *

In Battle In Battle is an extreme metal band from Sundsvall, Sweden. The main lyrical themes of the band focus on Norse mythology and war. History The original line-up consisted of John Frölén on guitar and bass, John Odhinn Sandin on vocals, Håkan Sj� ...

: Welcome to the Battlefield * The Absence: ''From Your Grave'' *

Pathology Pathology is the study of the causes and effects of disease or injury. The word ''pathology'' also refers to the study of disease in general, incorporating a wide range of biology research fields and medical practices. However, when used in ...

: ''Legacy of the Ancients'' *

Avulsed Avulsed is a Spanish death metal band, formed in August 1991 in Madrid by Dave Rotten (who also manages the Xtreem Music record label). Biography The band developed its musical style through various demos: ''Embalmed in Blood'' (1992), ''Def ...

: ''Gorespattered Suicide'' * Into The Moat: '' The Design'', '' The Campaign (album)'' *

Torture Killer Torture Killer is a Finnish death metal band from Turku, formed in 2002. The band consists of five members: guitarists Jari Laine and Tuomas Karppinen, bassist Kim Torniainen, drummer Tuomo Latvala and the current vocalist Pessi Haltsonen. T ...

: ''Swarm!'' (mixing) * Pain Principle: ''Waiting For The Flies'' * Covenance: ''Ravaging The Pristine'' *

Ophiolatry Snake worship is devotion to serpent deities. The tradition is present in several ancient cultures, particularly in religion and mythology, where snakes were seen as the holders of knowledge, strength, and renewal. Near East Ancient Mesopotam ...

: ''Anti-Evangelistic Process'' *

Devourment Devourment is an American death metal band from Dallas, Texas. Formed in 1995, the band has split up and reformed three times leaving Brad Fincher as the only original member. The current lineup is Ruben Rosas, Chris Andrews, Dave Spencer and B ...

: ''Conceived in Sewage'' *

The Mountain Goats The Mountain Goats are an American band formed in Claremont, California, by singer-songwriter John Darnielle. The band is currently based in Durham, North Carolina. For many years, the sole member of the Mountain Goats was Darnielle, despite the ...

: '' All Eternals Deck'' (four songs) * Masacre: ''Total Death'' *

Tombs A tomb ( grc-gre, τύμβος ''tumbos'') is a repository for the remains of the dead. It is generally any structurally enclosed interment space or burial chamber, of varying sizes. Placing a corpse into a tomb can be called ''immureme ...

: '' Savage Gold'' * Ephel Duath: Hemmed By Light, Shaped By Darkness, On Death and Cosmos *

Rivers of Nihil Rivers of Nihil is an American technical death metal band from Reading, Pennsylvania. They are currently signed to Metal Blade Records. To date the band has released two EPs and four studio albums. Their most recent release is 2021's '' The Wor ...

: The Conscious Seed of Light

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Rutan, Erik 1971 births Living people 21st-century American singers 21st-century American guitarists 21st-century American male singers American heavy metal singers American heavy metal guitarists American male guitarists Hate Eternal members Lead guitarists Morbid Angel members Record producers from New Jersey Singers from New Jersey