Henry Derek Elis (born Henry Derek Bonner; March 8, 1978) is an American musician. He is the lead vocalist for the extreme metal band Act of Defiance from Los Angeles[1] and is also active as a solo country music artist.
Early life
Henry Derek Elis (née Bonner) was born in Milledgeville, Georgia on March 8, 1978. Raised by his grandmother, Henry Derek grew up next to Central State Hospital, Georgia's state mental asylum.[2] His music career began in 1995 when he relocated to Atlanta, Georgia and formed the black gothic metal band Lilitu.[3] Henry Derek later joined the Sweet Meat Love & Holy Cult folk collective, releasing acoustic-based folk music under the moniker To The Boy Elis before moving to Los Angeles, California.[4]
On July 14, 2019, it was announced that Henry Derek Elis was playing lead guitar in a new Los Angeles based Doom band Qaalm. Qaalm made a stream of their demo available on Bandcamp and consists of Pete Majors Ex Harassor – Lead Vocals, Henry Derek Elis – Lead Guitar, Christopher Jon Ex I, Parasite- Keys & Samples, Brock Elmore – Guitar & Backing Vocals, David Huet – Bass and Etay Levy – Drums.
Solo career
Henry Derek Elis released his EP, Don't Look, on September 14, 2018, followed by his debut solo album, The Devil Is My Friend, on October 26, 2018.[2] Elis sings, plays banjo, mandolin, bass, organ, dobro, classical, baritone, acoustic and electric guitars. The album also includes contributions from Aubrey Richmond & John Schreffler Jr. (Shooter Jennings), Jarboe (Swans), Tara Vanflower (Lycia), Neal Tiemann (DevilDriver), and Sera Timms (Black Mare).[4] On October 12, 2018, reporter Robert Crawford included Henry Derek's song, "What's Left of Us", in Rolling Stone's 10 Best Country and Americana Songs of the Week writing, "Elis delivers this haunting, minor-key barn-burner like a carnival barker who's gone hoarse, framing his Tom Waits-ish growl with swirls of fiddle and pedal steel. A Southern gothic standout from his new release, The Devil Is My Friend, "What's Left of Us" is gravely and graveyard-worthy — the perfect soundtrack for mid-October."[12]
