Gear Review: Enthroned Bassist Phorgath on His Ernie Ball Music Man Classic StingRay 4 Bass

Released via Agonia Records on April 15, 2014, the 9-song skull-smasher of a disc entitled Sovereigns, is the latest and greatest from Brussels, Belgium-based black metal band, Enthroned. Loaded with jarring moments, we decided to toss some gear questions at bassist Phorgath who in turn hooked up some cool responses in order to help us all better understand the sound behind Sovereigns. Check it out.

What one piece of gear do you use to obtain your signature sound?
Phorgath: My Ernie Ball Music Man Classic StingRay 4 Bass.

What about it makes it so important to you?
Phorgath: This bass has a unique attack sound, and it’s a very versatile instrument.

How was this gear used during the recording of Sovereigns?

Phorgath: The role of the bass was to bring even more aggression to the violent mix we already had. I cut most of the low frequency from the instrument, set up brand new strings and played as hard as possible. We used one signal from the direct input, and another from the Neumann in front of a guitar setup; Mesa boogie dual rectifier, solo channel distortion on a Marshall 1960 cabinet. The whole Sovereigns album, except drums, was produced in our own studio, “Blackout” in Brussels, Belgium.

How do you recreate your album (bass) tones in your live set?

Phorgath: I always try to use the same equipment on stage that we use in studio. If it’s not possible, I bring my radial distortion pedal with me.

What are the major pros and cons?
Phorgath: It’s a reliable instrument with really solid hardware, easy to play and use. The 3 EQ are really precise, it has this cool vintage look and sound. Cons, there’s no visual EQ set.



Do you have a backup for this gear, if so, what?

Phorgath: No, I don’t. I’m a musician, I don’t have much money! Got a Ibanez in case of emergency – works good.


How long have you had it, how do you use it, would you ever change it?
Phorgath: I have it for 8 years, I use it in studio, on tours. And I don’t think I will change that soon.


Give us your best “gear goes wrong” story.
Phorgath: The strap of my bass broke on stage. Nobody was there to help me, so I had to run through the audience to pick up some tape at the merch section. It looks particularly stupid when you use corpse paint as we do with Enthroned…


Any final thoughts or comments on the gear?
Phorgath: Gear is not the priority; playing with your heart will always sounds good, even when you sound like shit. If you are curious to check some of my productions, check www.blackoutmultimedia.net.
 Thanks for the interview!

Check out the song “Of Feathers And Flames”