"Power Metal Powerhouse" - An interview with Eli Santana of Holy Grail

By: Geoff Teach

Metal is unmatched among modern musical genres in that there are virtually no free rides. While regular schmoes are handed fame and recording contracts by fading abominations like American Idol and The Voice, management companies slap together boy bands and girl groups comprised of The Beautiful People, and major label conglomerates keep shoving an ever-expanding plethora of pop, pop-country, and hip-hop “artists” down the throats of the world, metal acts must grind hard for years, scratching and clawing for every ounce of recognition and revenue, even after signing to well-known metal labels. But despite an obvious industry-wide suppression by The Powers That Be, heavy metal is in many ways stronger than it has ever been; and although most of our beloved artists may not be a top priority to the industry bigwigs, the quality and quantity of the music that metal acts are producing these days is some of the finest sounding and most captivating metal ever laid down in its history. And recently, I had an opportunity to chat with a member of one of the strongest up-and-coming acts of them all: Eli Santana, guitarist of L.A.’s power metal powerhouse, Holy Grail.

“Knowing how volatile this industry is, the one thing we can control is how much we tour and play in front of people, so we’re trying to do that as much as we can handle, and if everything else falls into place, then it’s a bonus,” says the affable Santana, who spoke with me during a rare break between tours. He and his four bandmates (James-Paul Luna (vocals), Alex Lee (guitars), Tyler Meahl (drums), and Blake Mount (bass)) have been giving the metal business their all since their formation in 2009, touring and recording and touring again in a constant cyclical motion for seven years. “[It’s] crazy to think about, but the main reason we do it is to play in front of as many people as possible. We love playing shows and it’s an amazing thing to be able to play as many as we do. No matter how hard touring can be sometimes, I always get to play guitar that night, [and] I sometimes hate days off because I don’t get the chance to play better than the night before. I [also] love road trips, and this is the road trip that never ends.”

Holy Grail is (L to R): Tyler Meahl, Eli Santana, Blake Mount, James-Paul Luna, and Alex Lee.

However, what would touring so often really mean without great albums to support? Not much, that’s for sure, so Holy Grail has also made it a point to spend plenty of time in the studio during its existence, releasing two E.P.’s and three full-length albums over the last seven years, including 2016’s highly acclaimed Times of Pride and Peril on Prosthetic Records. “Pride and Peril is our best work [to date] because it represents exactly what Holy Grail is. In the beginning, we formed to create a band that had all of the [qualities] we loved from NWOBHM, but was also free to bring in other influences to make something that was uniquely ours. [On Pride and Peril], we made the choice to let the songs breathe and made sure there was plenty of room for James-Paul’s vocals to get the melody across to the listener,” explains Santana, referencing his vocalist’s stellar pipes (which are truly stunning to witness live, I might add) and the powerful punch they provide to Holy Grail’s latest work. Times of Pride and Peril is robust, addictive, and highly listenable from open to close, and Eli discloses his thoughts as to why by saying, “The main reasons our music is so appealing is because of our vocals, and [the fact that] we’re not afraid to mix in death metal or prog or hardcore so there’s still that element of surprise [to our power metal compositions]. Clean singing – and good clean singing, at that – is usually more listenable for most people, and thankfully that’s what we’ve got. And the same goes for guitars. There are plenty of players out there that can play circles around Alex and I, but we try to present our shredding in a melodic, focused package. We try not to attack our listeners with endless, fast licks because that’s not enjoyable for most people, myself included.”

Times of Pride and Peril was released in January of 2016 to much critical acclaim.

What is wholly enjoyable, though, is to take in Holy Grail’s music in its purest, rawest form: by getting out and witnessing their professionally presented badassery in person at one of their seemingly infinite live shows – and if you live in the States and have not yet done this, well my friends, you are in luck, for Holy Grail is hitting the road yet again this month to headline the Fellowship of the Strings tour with their fellow Prosthetic label-mates, Exmortus and Spellcaster. “We’ve been talking about [doing a tour run with] Exmortus for years now, and it finally worked out. We actually already played a show with both acts [not long ago] not realizing it was a taste of what was to come – and spoiler alert: it tastes delicious.” This will be another run as the headliners for Holy Grail, but Santana is quick to point out that there are advantages to doing supporting runs for larger, more well-established acts, also: “I actually really enjoy doing direct support slots, and this past tour we did with DevilDriver was no exception. We had so much fun touring with them and Incite, who are all just great dudes all-around. We got to play bigger places and play for people who had never heard us, giving us a chance to win them over. Also, playing supporting slots is fun because you have more time to party! It’s always a bummer to finish playing and you’ve already missed last call, but it’s a small gripe.” A small gripe indeed, especially when headlining slots being offered for full tours indicates that your act is growing enough to be able to draw well on a national scale – and draw well Holy Grail certainly has, as their energetic and true-to-the-album live performances are fast becoming some of the most respected in the business.

Consequently, the future for Holy Grail looks intensely bright, but Santana knows that they won’t reach the mountaintop of the metal industry by resting on their laurels. “After the Fellowship tour, we are looking to get down to South America for our first time and hopefully get back to Europe because it’s long overdue. In a couple years, I see Holy Grail finally becoming an overnight success - only nine years in the making - and in four years, I see people not being able to talk about metal without mentioning Holy Grail.” And if the past seven years’ worth of effort and dedication out of this act are any indicators, I’d have to say that I agree with Mr. Santana’s forecast for the future of his top-notch power metal quintet – and I’m also quite sure that their obvious passion for writing and performing metal will continue to motivate Holy Grail’s members to keep striving to become the best artists they can be, no matter the outcome; for it is this staunch dedication to staying the course and the firm commitment to integrity that sets metal apart from most other forms of music, and fittingly, these are also the same principles that place Holy Grail at the forefront of today’s metal resurgence. So get out and see this amazing quintet live if you get the chance, and don’t forget to pick up a copy of their latest work, Times of Pride and Peril. Your ears will thank me!