Interviews About Albums: Reliquia - In Theory And Practice (2026)

In this new interview, we sat down with the English Gothic Metal band Reliquia to ask questions about their album, "In Theory And Practice".

1. What can you say about this new CD?

GN: “In Theory and Practice” represents the first full-length Reliquia release. It's the next level of the sound we've been building since we debuted and began releasing singles, a new sound built from the fusion of our extreme metal and doom influences with the post-punk and gothic rock roots of our sound.

2. What is the meaning of the CD name?

GN: The name of the album came from a few sources. Aleister Crowley wrote a book called “Magick in Theory and Practice”, an actionable guide to his approach to esoteric work. In addition to that, the legendary American sportsman Yogi Berra has a quote that I like a lot: “In theory, there is no difference between theory and practice. In practice, there is.”, an important reminder of the difference between concept and execution.

3. Which one is the composer of the CD?

GN: Each song has been a group effort. Gregg writes the bulk of the lyrics and sometimes the song structures. Tobias co-wrote the music on Temple Terrace, Bone and Shale, and Give. He also wrote the majority of the music on Caesar, Bejewelled. George wrote the music for "Crestfallen".

4. If you had to pick one song, which one would you pick?

GN: That one goes back and forth for me constantly. I think Give has the best chorus, but Bone and Shale might be the best overall songs.

5. Is there a special message on this CD? If there is what it is?

GN: The album contains a lot of the ideas I've been writing about for a long time. I suppose if you wanted one big, formulated idea to pull from it, it would be “The mundane can hold secrets you never imagined”. There's magic in the broken pavements of the cities we live in; every heartbreak can be a breakthrough, every tragedy is important, but to get through the darkness, you have to go into the darkness.

6. Are there some lyrics that you'd love to share?

GN: “Eyes are staring/Out to empty skies/The emptiness/Stares back Stars have burned to/Soft black shells/Mottled satellites/Of grief.”

7. Which inspirations have been important for this album? Like musically or friends, family, someone you'd love to thank especially?

GN: Musically, The Sisters of Mercy's “First and Last and Always”, Nick Cave's “Let Love In”, Scott Walker's “Tilt”, Interpol's “Turn on the Bright Lights”, My Dying Bride's “Turn Loose the Swans,” and The National's “High Violet” probably had the most influence on what I did on the album. It was also heavily influenced by the writers Thomas Ligotti, Aleister Crowley, Joan Didion, Wilfred Owen, Grant Morrison, and Antonin Artaud. I'd like to thank my partner, my bandmates, and my friends for all their support.

8. Something to add?

GN: Thank you for listening.

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