IMAGES OF EDEN: Soul Healing Metal

Images of Eden self-describe as “a fearless concept band that brings together familiar, well-loved elements of metal and rock combined with their own unique vision, message and clarity. The result is a distinct musical hybrid that speaks directly to the struggles and tribulations of the listener.” I couldn’t describe the band or their new release, Angel Born, any better.

The current line-up is Gordon Tittsworth (Vocals/rhythm guitar/producer), Steve Dorssom (drums/producer/film director), Dean Harris (keyboards), Eric Mulvaine (bass) and, since 2019, Victor Morrell (lead guitars). Although they have primarily been an underground progressive/power metal entity since Gordon started the band in 1998 – releasing three albums during those first two decades as a band – they didn’t really hit the radar until 2018’s powerful Soulrise was released on Pavement Entertainment.

Not only did Soulrise feature a mostly all-new line-up from 2011’s Rebuilding the Ruins, Gordon and newcomer (at the time) Steve Dorssom (Born of Fire) co-produced the release. Soulrise opened doors for more exposure through both distribution and live performances opening for The Iron Maidens, Geoff Tate, and Stryper in 2018 and a full U.S. tour with Metal Church and Doro Pesch in 2019.

Having lost little momentum since then, despite a very tumultuous two-year stretch, Images of Eden stand poised to release the follow-up, Angel Born, on Pavement Entertainment. Read on to find out what Gordon and Steve have to say about healing through writing music, being a vessel for God’s message of hope and love and what its like to be a dirt-covered, video prophet.

Chapters

Images of Eden has been around for some time but some of our readers may not be familiar with much of your back story or previous releases. Provide a brief synopsis of how it all came together for the band.

Gordon: Absolutely. This is a hard question to answer without writing a short story, LOL, but I’ll do my best. I had been in multiple bands over the years but in 1998, I had been getting “nudged” (lack of a better word) to finally start a project that was specific to the vision that I had. It was as if previous attempts had a “watered-down” version due to a lot of compromise. I finally had the opportunity to track my own album, so I grabbed a session drummer and we hit the studio to record Images of Eden’s self-titled album, later to be referred to as Chapter-I.

It was at this time where I was extremely glad that I put in so much time over the years learning all the instruments (guitar, bass, keys, vocals and working drum knowledge). Little did I know but this would become even more valuable in the upcoming years. So, after Chapter-I was out, I put together the first live lineup of Images of Eden. This is where the “movie” began.

Similarly, how has the band evolved from the original version both in terms of personnel and in the band’s vision/impact? (I know you have a new guitarist since Soulrise.)

Gordon: I will say that it has been a marathon trying to get the permanent, FT lineup together. Since IOE began, there have been 21 members of the band. I have always had issues with members being unreliable, having substance issues, egos, not seeing eye-to-eye, spouses that wanted to run things, or any combination of these. Because I write everything, the “bones” were always there from a vision perspective, but everyone always puts their own fingerprint on the recordings so this is where you will definitely hear an evolution.

I will say that the current lineup (now with Victor Morell on guitar) is exactly where we want to be. Victor is the most “metal” guitarist we have ever had and with our sound growing heavier as we evolve, this was a must have! I love jamming with Vic. He is so inspiring both on stage and in rehearsal. 

Victor Morell

Hope-Filled Chunking Metal

How would you describe your music to someone who has never heard any of the previous releases?

Gordon: This is hard to answer but musically, we have a very heavy/low-end chunking metal sound, but you will notice that there is a blanket positive vibe of hope, inspiration, strength that overlays it, both musically and lyrically. Also, the lyrics are written in a way that anyone can relate and identify with, regardless of what you believe. We also try to keep it heavy, which gives a great “contrast” when reading the lyrics and hearing the delivery.

Pavement Perks

Congratulations on the release of Angel Born – another amazing collection of songs. I understand you signed with Pavement Entertainment again for this release. How did that all come about and what impact, do you anticipate, will the signing have for Images of Eden going forward?

Gordon: Thank you, brother! After 20 years, we are finally exactly where we want to be. We first signed with Pavement for the release of Soulrise, but we started as an “artist partner” and not a full label artist, but rather a “developmental” or “probation” period so to speak. We needed to prove ourselves before we would become full Pavement artists. Well, I am extremely happy to say we DID prove ourselves, so Pavement made us full label artists with a priority release for Angel Born.

This also came with MANY more perks that only “major label” artists have access to. After having a long pre-launch conference call with Pavement to go through the list of what is going to take place, I feel very confident that if we ever had a chance to springboard levels higher, it will be with Angel Born. It is in God’s hands and we are just blessed to be strapped in for the ride!

Angel Born sounds amazing. I know you worked with Bill Metoyer on Soulrise. Did he work with you on this album as well or are you and Steve doing all the mixing/production sound at this point?

Gordon: Steve and I produced both Soulrise and Angel Born but Bill did the mixing/ mastering. We essentially guided him along the way. He did a phenomenal job on this album and we could not be happier! We also got our tracking process tweaked even further on this one. I learned a lot from Bill and actually plan to mix and master the follow up to Angel Born when the time comes. 

“Plandemic” Peace

What kinds of challenges have you encountered in creating and releasing a new album during the Covid-19 pandemic? Or did you have most of this finished prior to the onset of all the restrictions?

Gordon: Great question! The PLANdemic (spelled correctly) was difficult on us personally. We were in Phoenix filming “Autumn Is Burning” on the day that the country started shutting down (and you can see that the video mirrored what happened). Personally, I had an extremely difficult time accepting what was happening because I saw through the deception on day one. So, it took me months to really come to terms with everything and to “make lemonade” so to speak. Once that happened, I was at peace.

However, the massive government overreach and abuse of power allowed us with the luxury of time that we needed to finish tracking and to make sure we tweaked the album to where it needed to be. It also allowed us extra time to get all of our chess pieces in order to be ready for the release (video shoots, mixing, editing, all of the behind-the-scenes details). We really needed the time in retrospect because it made for a much better final product.

Images of Eden live
2018 Tempe, AZ

Angel Accord

Gordon, talk about your approach to songwriting. As a multi-instrumentalist it must be tough not to micro-manage all the elements of the songs. I know you write most of the lyrics too, so in what ways do the other guys contribute to the songwriting process?

Gordon: Ha! Yes, it is difficult sometimes (not to micromanage) BUT … I learned a LOT with Soulrise. It was the first IOE album with a totally different lineup (minus me and Dean Harris) – a new drummer, bass player and guitarist. It was also the first one where we all tracked our parts remotely and sent files back and forth. This was huge for us and in many ways – 1) I got to feel out everyone’s style and how it meshed with the songwriting on Soulrise, 2) I realized that there are some things I need to keep on my plate (certain guitar melodies, acoustic, etc.), 3) It helped us really tweak our recording process so that it was much easier to track Angel Born.

Also, because we had toured before we tracked Angel Born, I was able to tweak/tailor the arrangements/layering so that it would be easier to translate the songs from studio to a live setting. Now, that said, I didn’t even need to micromanage because all of us were on the exact same page.

Prophetic “Burning” Shoot

You guys have put out the video for “Autumn Is Burning” as a pre-release single, a great old-school action-style video with that “explosive” intro and the shocking climax. Talk about the making of this shoot. Looks like you had a great time out there rolling around in the dirt, LOL.

Steve: Gordon and I wrote the storyline to follow the lyrical content to a “T.” We had fun with this one and I felt we needed something different … a little out of our comfort zone. So, we got all dirty and grungy, found the perfect locations, did about 90 days of pre-production and filmed everything over a 3-day period. Funny enough, we had no idea the times we were about to face when putting this video together … as Gordon said the whole world shut down during the filming of this video … the guys were lucky to make their flights back home. But what a video for the times we are in.

Gordon: LOL! Filming this video was the most fun I have ever had on any video shoot! I was all bloody and dirty and was still picking pebbles out of my boots days later. The one ominous detail was that I was in the middle of filming my “desert-crawl” when Eric Mulvaine got a text from Dean Harris (who had to leave early to get home) that the world was shutting down (bars, restaurants, movie theaters, etc.). Made for a darker vibe when we finished filming.

“Channeled” Angel

Well let’s talk about the new album in more detail. Angel Born, to my ears, has an overall more melodic rock/metal appeal. The melodies really come to the forefront with more direct songs. Was this a purposeful approach or is that just where the songs and themes lead you?

Gordon: If there was ever an album that I felt was “channeled” it is Angel Born. Nine of the eleven songs FLOODED out in almost days from each other to the point to where I had full demos and official guitar tracked within 2 and ½ months. But when it came time to start tracking vocals, we had already been off tour from Soulrise and I felt a bit more “dialed-in” when it came to hooks, melodies, etc. Our tour with Metal Church and Doro was a massive education for me with regards to how I was going to arrange Angel Born. It was weird but it almost seemed like the hooks/melodies came out on “auto-pilot” more often than not.

One of the unique features of Soulrise was the lyrical structure – the spiritual dialog between God and human. I noticed that you have employed that once again on Angel Born. Talk some about the genesis of this unique approach – I have never heard another band that uses this approach so extensively and effectively – and the concept behind this release in general.

Gordon: So weird, but I never plan these things. They just sorta happen. I will never forget the day when I started writing lyrics to Soulrise (prob 2014), I felt a very real message that hit me like lightning. It said, “Write this album from my point of view and I will give you the words to say.” I knew the source so I simply said, “Yes Dad, will do … and thank you!” So, when I got to the point to where I started writing Angel Born, it was as if He wasn’t finished with what needed to be conveyed so I just listened closely and followed His lead.

This all being said, I know without a shadow of a doubt that God channeled the lyrics through me because a) a LOT of the phrasing, terminology used is not how I speak in everyday life, and b) I learned a LOT from the lyrics and was a “student” so to speak. I found myself reading the lyrics to Soulrise and taking things away that I never knew, which helped me grow.

Wow … that is so amazing! And that certainly comes through with great clarity if you really listen to the lyrics.

Eric Mulvaine

Healing Angel

Angel Born is an incredibly impactful album because it is so positive. During my second or third time through “Serenity Reign” it struck me: we spend so much time (especially during this past year) dwelling on the negatives in the world around us … too much time correcting/judging/self-punishing/doubting and trying so hard to be “in the right” that we miss all of God’s daily, manifested blessings. But this whole album is just so encouraging – its light in a dark world. Your thoughts on this?

Gordon: No avoiding the novel here, LOL. Just as I was starting to write for Angel Born, I dealt with the most painful loss I have ever had to deal with. I had to immediately stop my entire life and focus specifically on trying not to curl up and die in fetal position in the corner of my room. I even had to put the brakes on writing for a few weeks because I couldn’t even think straight! Once I got past the devastation and could actually function normally again, it was as if God just scooped me up, hugged me, promised me that He would restore me. Then, what happened from here was one of the most divine experiences for me to date… 

God actually healed me by writing Angel Born through me. (NOTE – I don’t care if I lose anyone with this statement. I know what happened and it was nothing short of supernatural). As I would write each new song, I felt another level/layer of healing come from it. At some point in most of the songs, I had an “experience” where I would just “loose it,” drop to the ground and start sobbing uncontrollably. I could literally feel God purging the pain out of me. This happened regularly during the writing and recording process. 

Now, keeping this in mind, I remembered how many testimonials we received from fans stating how Soulrise lifted them and/or healed them/gave them strength. I thought to myself, “If Angel Born is having this big of a healing effect on me just now by writing it, I can only imagine the healing potential it could have on others.” 

I would agree totally that this will be the case and thank you for sharing. Metal catharsis!

God actually healed me by writing Angel Born through me.

Pained Angel

That being the perspective/focus, let us move on to some of the songs in more detail. The title track is a great follow-up to the opener “Autumn Is Burning.” Not only is this another heavy, powerful tune, but after the stark “warning” in the opener “Angel Born” celebrates new birth in death. From a musical standpoint I love Eric’s bass line which really stands out in the mix. Your thoughts on this song?

Gordon: One of my all-time favorite IOE songs is the title track, “Angel Born” and you can hear the pain in my voice, specifically in verse 2. This song was very instrumental in my healing. It took a good bit of time to nail down that chorus though, LOL. I cannot wait to play this song live!

Steve Dorssom

Heart Drumming Dialogue

The dialogue in “My Promise” seems to shift between human and deceased child or loved one. On this album in general, and in this song particularly, I love how Steve is drumming with this almost melodic quality, using the toms as accents throughout the phrases and not just only during the normal fills – the finesse of Steve Smith (Journey) combined with the power and creativity of Scott Rockenfield.

Steve: Thank you for noticing and the compliment on the drums. Since I started writing and recording with Gordon, I have adjusted my drum style … even created a new one if you will. I am a vocal person by heart and love to channel my drums to speak along with Gordon’s vocals and the guitar arrangements as well, so it does create a cool vibe and structure to the drumbeats. I love both of those drummers you mentioned. For IOE, my rule for me is to connect my heart with the song, be percussive with the vocal lines and guitars and just let it come out the way it does, analyze and adjust until it’s just right.

Gordon: As always, your take on what is happening is very spot-on. Although I will say that with this song and “In Memory of Me” I had to word the conversation “correctly” because there is never a “conversation” between “human and deceased loved one” (lotsa quotes, I know). Instead, it is God who knows what we need and proceeds accordingly to comfort and heal us, so any messages and/or confirmation regarding deceased loves ones would come from Him (thus the insane punctuation sometimes). As you might notice with these two songs, we’re dealing with Him passing along a message.

Vessel Hero

“If?” is probably one of my favorites and one of the more epic and progressive tracks. The acoustical intro builds so perfectly into a nice melodic rock groove. The guitars, vocal melodies, drums and guitar solos are perfectly placed. This song really showcases how well you have all grown as musicians and how well you all put it together. But the message is equally impactful – such an important one for everyone to embrace – go be somebody’s hero. Interested in your thoughts on how this song came into life.

Gordon: This was the very first song I wrote off the album. I had a completely blank canvas and just took a deep breath and started playing that intro acoustic riff. From there, I just allowed everything to fall into place, layering things “brick by brick” so to speak. Lyrically, I remember not even thinking about this, just letting the words flow out with no effort (again, yet another song I learned from because I was merely the vessel and not the writer).

I will say that this song triggers a heavy emotional experience for me because when I listen to it, I get taken back to the time when it was being written, and it was a very grief-filled time. But at the end of this song, I realized how true the words in the line “Go be somebody’s hero…” ring with me because the loss I was dealing with at that time very much felt that way about me. Not sure how I will get through this song live. Really looking forward to finding out.

“Go be somebody’s hero”

Forgotten Love

“Killing God” is one of the more aggressive and angsty metal tunes here, one of my favorites from a purely musical standpoint (that solo section shreds). The edgy title will certainly grab the listener’s attention, so tell us more about the lyrical direction on this one which some folks might misinterpret.

Gordon: The title hit me like a Louisville Slugger in the face and I knew exactly what to do. The lyrics are written from God’s very loving point of view as a dad who wants only the best of everything for his children and is only asking for our love in return. It is a very real depiction of His sadness because so many of His kids want nothing to do with him. I truly hope people will read the lyrics and understand how He really feels!

If the world only knew how much He loves us all, I promise things would be far different. I also felt a very real feeling of sadness when writing this, almost as if He was indirectly “relying” (lack of a better word) on me to put His feeling out there for those who would refuse to give Him a chance.

Angel Triumph

I have always wondered why no Christian rock artist has previously covered Triumph’s incredibly relevant “Fight the Good Fight.” You guys nailed this! And it fits perfectly within the context of the record’s themes. So, the obvious question then, what made you choose to record this song here and now?

Steve: Yes, this idea came to me after we did the Soulrise record as I felt that it would be a perfect song for IOE to remake. It was fitting for us with the message we give, so we threw the idea out there to the band then we went on tour. I kept getting signs that this was the song to do. Someone in the media marketing business sent us a Christmas card and said, “your video rocks! and to keep fighting the good fight.” There was my final nod to take this on.

Now funny story, we were doing this strictly for fun and separate from our new album … we were not even planning to make a music video out of it. We recorded the song with the classic structure but IOE style. It wasn’t easy but the track came out great! The label demanded it go on the record, lol. So, it is, and we filmed such a cool music video for this song highlighting all the pains and struggles as a musician … the long road and thankless job it is … we captured these behind the scenes clips for this video. Its EPIC!

Gordon: I have to laugh because I almost threw in the towel with this song because EVERYTHING that could have possibly gone wrong, did. A few of us were even at each other’s throats a bit and that never happens. Getting this arranged and tracked was the most frustrating experience I had in a long time, so I am extremely glad it is done!

Visceral Room

“War Room” is another powerful track. Was this inspired in any way by the 2015 movie of same name?

Gordon: Not specifically, but the title seemed to fit because a “war room” is a place of prayer to “battle” against the enemy (among other things). Again, zero forethought on the lyrics. I just opened the channel of communication and God brought to mind a friend who was very “broken” due to being controlled and abused (physically and emotionally). This person has a very low self-esteem, and I could feel that the lyrics that flowed out were what God would say to this person … that we are loved unconditionally no matter what we think of ourselves and what we “think” we see in the mirror.

I don’t do well with people who abuse anyone in any way (human or animal), and it takes everything I have not to want to reach down their throats and rip their colons out through their mouths then hand them to the abuser. Sorry for the visual but this is a subject that tends to bring out the “human quality” in me.

Painless Reign

“Serenity Reign” is such a beautiful song. I previously alluded to the impact this had on me after several listens but was interested in your thoughts. In some ways this feels like it could be the central theme to Angel Born – new life to come so let serenity reign.

Gordon: I find it so amazing that the two songs written in my most emotionally painful state are some the most positive songs I have ever written (“Serenity Reign” and “If?”).  This is how I know I was healing through these writings. In my opinion, Dean’s keyboards are what push this song over the edge with me. Anytime I listen, everything negative just drops off, even for a moment.

I also had the absolute blessing to have already sung this for a live audience during our previous show in Phoenix back in October 2020. The last time I felt so amazing doing a song live was when I sang “Rebuilding the Ruins” at Hollowfest 2015 after thinking that I would never step on stage with IOE again (long story but over with now).

Gordon

Arch Van Fleet

“Animation in a Still World” is a fantastic song, one fans of Queensryche Empire era will love. This is a good point to ask, who would you list as your inspirations for musical styles? And do you do the narrations on this album? At some instances it sounds a bit like Lance King (your third release on Nightmare Records).

Gordon: Ah, yes! I generally do all narration on all IOE releases until I need a female narration which my wife, Dawn does. I also did the news reporter narration at the video intro version of “Autumn Is Burning” as well as the outro, then a short clip in “In Memory of Me.”

As for my influences, they have changed a lot over the years. Vocally, my #1 is John Arch (Fates Warning & Arch/Matheos) as well as Bruce Dickinson, Geoff Tate, Norman R. “Ski” Kiersznowski. On guitar, I really like Mark Tremonti and Adam D. from Killswitch Engage. I have most recently gotten heavily into Greta Van Fleet. Absolutely love everything about them. I would say that Josh Kitzka is probably my favorite vocalist nowadays. 

Yeah, I can hear the Arch influence – he has one of the most unique singing styles … the way he uses vocal phrasings and such. Cool.

Sun Resuscitation

“Marigold Sun” is simply magnificent! Cool keyboards, great guitar groove … and the song just flows so well even given its nearly 6-minute duration. I feel like we need this right now … for God to say, “Today I will stop the rain, and open the clouds for you/Shining my light, bringing you back to life.”

Gordon:  Yes, we do need this right now! This song was one of the latter songs written for the album and is very specifically about that “dark cloud” being lifted to where we can see the sun and blue sky again after being weighed down in a gloomy/depressed state for a very long time. 

Dean Harris

Vinyl Memory

No album would be complete without the epic song, right? Tell us about “In Memory of Me.” The piano/synth melodies are wonderful, and that middle heavier/faster section is rife with some very cool guitar/synth back-and-forth solos. The final cinematic sequence (reunited with family) seems to parallel what we heard at the end of Soulrise. Your thoughts?

Gordon: Of all the songs from all five albums, “In Memory of Me” is my absolute #1 favorite IOE song of all time and for many reasons. I cannot get into what specifically inspired it but let’s just say that it was yet another “supernatural” occurrence that dropped me to the ground and shook up my snow globe (in a good way). I received 100% confirmation from God that what He was healing me from had a very positive outcome (sorry but a bit cryptic, I know). He knew the question I needed an answer to and (as always) He provided.

When I started writing, I just had to relax and “let it happen.” I also knew this was the epic closer (which every IOE album has) so I was not concerned about song length and wanted to provide some really good real estate for Vic and Dean so they could shred back and forth.

Beyond this, you notice that both musically and lyrically, this song takes you through all the stages of grief. Then, at the end of the song, the character has now been “healed from what ailed him” and is able to “move on,” thus him pulling the needle off the vinyl before walking out the door.

 Did you also happen to notice how the album begins with the vinyl popping sound in “Autumn Is Burning” before the full audio kicks in, thus the album started with mono-sounding vinyl popping then ended the same way? This is not coincidence.

Yep, I did notice the vinyl cues. Brilliant.

As for the outro to this song, I cannot get into exactly what is happening because it can be interpreted several different ways, so I would just rather have the listener apply it to their lives because if it is healing someone even slightly, then there is no wrong answer.  As for paralleling Soulrise, it absolutely does, just from a very different angle.

Of Wolff And Family

Are there any guest performers on Angel Born?

Gordon: Yes, our big brother Michael Wolff. Mike is a very close brother to all of us and was our stage/road manager on tour. He identified with these songs and it only made sense to include him. He played acoustic guitar and did the outro lead guitar on “In Memory of Me.”

We also have some guest family members doing the voices at the outro of “In Memory of Me.” That was fun. I had to have people speak their parts (and multiple times) through Facebook Messenger and send to me as audio clips, then I plugged my phone into my recording app as a DI then nipped/tucked accordingly. Good stuff.

Ha. Those FM audio clips are actually good quality! I recently did an interview with Eric Clayton using FM where he spoke all his answers in one-minute clips! The vocal clarity was great!

Soul Impact

Well, prior to Covid-19, you guys had done a fair amount of touring. What kind of reception did you receive, and do you perceive that your fan base and exposure has increased as a result? More importantly, in what ways do you feel that Images of Eden has made an impact in this increasingly suffering world?

Gordon: Yes, it was crystal clear that we increased our fanbase in a big way and that this tour brought us to the next ladder wrung. Our label even received many positive testimonials from people who saw us somewhere and reported back to them. As far as our impact, this is something that I have a hard time quantifying and have resolved to the fact that I will never really know the full scope because it is something that I am not supposed to focus on.

To clarify, we have received a lot of testimonials from the tour and beyond, so we know the impact is there. However, while we were on tour, it was as if God was not allowing me to even think about this topic. It was as if He said, “You need to keep your head forward and press on. I cannot have you worry about or even being concerned with the impact you are making. It is not for you to think about right now because that is not your job. Your job is to plant seeds. I will send a water-bearer behind you so go forward.” 

Now, on the day I got home after the tour, I had (yet another) “experience” that dropped me to the ground to where I was bawling my eyes out hysterically as if what we just did helped many people. It was only at this time that God redeemed this for me. 

Transparent Angel

Gordon, what would you guys like to share with our readers that we have not already discussed?

I might be revealing way too much here but this is something that has been weighing on me and needs to be said so I really don’t care if I show myself too naked here. 

After finishing Angel Born, I had thought to myself, “I really don’t care if I ever release anything ever again. I mean, I hope this is not the last release but if it is, I am 100% content with this being my ‘swan song’ so to speak.” I cannot stress enough that Images of Eden’s Angel Born album is more personal and has more sentimental meaning to me than everything I have ever done combined (IOE or otherwise) and I don’t ever expect to experience anything that is even a fraction of what this album is to me.

It is almost as if no matter how good anything is after this, I will never have the ability of seeing it for what it is. Maybe things will change, and I will feel differently when we get closer to completing IOE #6, but this is where I am right now.

Thank you so much for taking the time to do this. Really appreciate your transparency.

Thank you so much, brother! I have to say that I thoroughly enjoy your reviews and your interview style. You do homework beyond most people and come to the table with extremely thought-provoking questions. 

Angel Born will be released on March 26th, 2021 via Pavement Entertainment. You can pre-order through iTunes or Amazon and receive “Fight the Good Fight” and “Where Dreams Begin.” Go to imagesofeden.com for more information.

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