Erik Rutan (born June 10, 1971) is an American heavy metal musician and record producer. He is the guitarist and lead vocalist of

death metal Death metal is an extreme metal, extreme subgenre of heavy metal music. It typically employs heavily distorted and low-tuned guitars, played with techniques such as palm muting and tremolo picking; deep death growl, growling vocals; aggressive ...

band

Hate Eternal Hate Eternal is a Florida death metal band from St. Petersburg, Florida. The band currently consists of founding guitarist/vocalist Erik Rutan and bassist J. J. Hrubovcak. To date, Hate Eternal has released seven studio albums: '' Conquerin ...

, as well as the lead guitarist for

Cannibal Corpse Cannibal Corpse is an American death metal band formed in Buffalo, New York, in 1988, now based in Tampa, Florida. The band has released sixteen studio albums, two box sets, four video albums, and two live albums. The band has had little radio ...

. Rutan has also played with

Morbid Angel Morbid Angel is an American death metal band based in Tampa, Florida, formed in 1983 by guitarist, primary composer and sole remaining original member Trey Azagthoth, vocalist and bassist Dallas Ward, and drummer Mike Browning. Widely considere ...

and Ripping Corpse. In addition, Rutan owns and operates Mana Recording Studios in Florida.

Early life

Rutan was born in

New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...

Career

Ripping Corpse

Rutan started his music career with Ripping Corpse, recording one album titled '' Dreaming with the Dead'' released in 1991.

Morbid Angel

Rutan left Ripping Corpse in 1993 to join

, recording '' Domination'' (1995) before leaving in 1996 to found his own band,

. He returned to Morbid Angel to record 2000's ''

Gateways to Annihilation ''Gateways to Annihilation'' is the sixth studio album by American death metal band Morbid Angel, released on October 17, 2000 by Earache Records. This album saw a change in musical style as the speed-laden intensity of the previous album '' Form ...

'' before leaving again to concentrate on Hate Eternal. He rejoined the band once more for the band's 2006 summer tour of

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

, which featured the band's ''Domination'' lineup. The tour included a stop at the

Wacken Open Air Wacken Open Air (, abbreviated as W:O:A) is a Heavy metal music, heavy metal music festival, held annually since 1990 on the first weekend of August in the village of Wacken, Schleswig-Holstein, Wacken in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. Almost all ...

festival.

Hate Eternal

released their debut album '' Conquering the Throne'' in 1999, followed by '' King of All Kings'' in 2002 and '' I, Monarch'' in 2005.

Cannibal Corpse

On January 18, 2019, it was announced that Rutan would fill in for Pat O'Brien of

for the remainder of their winter and spring tour dates. Rutan was later made the permanent lead guitarist of the band on February 2, 2021 and appears on their fifteenth studio album ''

Violence Unimagined ''Violence Unimagined'' is the fifteenth studio album by American death metal band Cannibal Corpse, released on April 16, 2021. It is the band's first album in nearly four years since ''Red Before Black'' (2017), the longest gap between two rec ...

''.

Other projects

Rutan has had a number of side projects that highlight different aspects of his playing. For example, he formed the group Alas with former Therion vocalist Martina Astner, releasing the landmark progressive metal album ''Absolute Purity'' in 2001. Rutan was also a guest vocalist on the track "Bone Crown" on

Annotations of an Autopsy Annotations of an Autopsy (often abbreviated to AOAA) are a British death metal band from Lowestoft, Suffolk, England. They formed in 2006 and released their debut EP, ''Welcome to Sludge City'', in 2007. After two studio albums, ''Before the Thron ...

's second full-length album, II: The Reign of Darkness.

Artistry

Axl Rosenberg of ''

MetalSucks MetalSucks is an American heavy metal music Heavy metal (or simply metal) is a Music genre, genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the United Kingdom and United States. With roots in blues rock ...

'' described Rutan's production style as sounding "cold
steely
and uninviting," and called it "the

aural Hearing, or auditory perception, is the ability to perceive sounds through an organ, such as an ear, by detecting vibrations as periodic changes in the pressure of a surrounding medium. The academic field concerned with hearing is auditory s ...

equivalent of the desaturated colors of modern torture porn flicks."

Equipment

Erik is a long time player of B.C. Rich guitars and has played various Ironbirds and V's with Dimarzio, EMG, Seymour Duncan, and (more recently) Fishman pickups. He has also played Ibanez guitars, mostly during his latter days with Morbid Angel and the early Hate Eternal days. During his time with Ripping Corpse, he played a Yamaha superstrat guitar (most likely an RGX model). For Morbid Angel, he used a Gibson Explorer outfitted with a

Floyd Rose The Floyd Rose Locking Tremolo, or simply Floyd Rose, is a type of locking Vibrato systems for guitar, vibrato arm for a guitar. Floyd D. Rose invented the locking vibrato in 1976, the first of its kind, and it is now manufactured by a company ...

bridge and an Ibanez Universe guitar given to him by Trey Azagthoth. Recently, B.C. Rich created an Erik Rutan custom 7-string Ironbird with Fishman Fluence pickups and this is now his main guitar for Cannibal Corpse. Erik uses various amps from various companies including Marshall, ENGL, and Mesa Boogie. In 2021 Rutan got an endorsement with B.C. Rich, he now has his own signature 7 String Ironbird.

Personal life

Rutan engages in

yoga Yoga (UK: , US: ; 'yoga' ; ) is a group of physical, mental, and spiritual practices or disciplines that originated with its own philosophy in ancient India, aimed at controlling body and mind to attain various salvation goals, as pra ...

stretches and

mediation Mediation is a structured, voluntary process for resolving disputes, facilitated by a neutral third party known as the mediator. It is a structured, interactive process where an independent third party, the mediator, assists disputing parties ...

prior to performing live. In 2024, Rutan lost 90% of everything he owned due to Hurricane Helene and Hurricane Milton, which required him to leave a European tour with Cannibal Corpse early. He said in a statement: "Ninety percent of everything we own including personal and family belongings, photos, things that can never be replaced as well as musical and studio gear was either severely damaged or completely destroyed. This experience has been difficult beyond words. Almost three weeks ago, I left the Cannibal Corpse tour to fly home to be with my wife, only to see our home and all our belongings in ruin. This has been one of the most difficult times of our lives. Right now, we, as well as many are suffering beyond measure. We worked so hard our entire lives to achieve what we have only to see it all taken away in a fleeting moment. I have no idea how we will overcome all of this, but anyone that knows us knows that we will fight our way back through sheer will and determination to hopefully one day reclaim some kind of normalcy. As we try to pick up the pieces of our lives, please send all the positive strength and energy you can. I will give further updates when time allows. Eternal Gratitude."

Production discography

Rutan has produced the following albums: *

Belphegor Belphegor (or Baal Peor, Hebrew: בַּעַל-פְּעוֹר baʿal-pəʿōr – “''Lord of the Gap''”) is, in Christianity, a demon associated with one of the seven deadly sins. According to religious tradition, he helps people make discov ...

: ''

Conjuring the Dead ''Conjuring the Dead'' is the tenth studio album by the Austrian blackened death metal band Belphegor (band), Belphegor. It was released on 5 August 2014 through Nuclear Blast.

'' *

: ''

Kill Kill often refers to: *Homicide, one human killing another *cause death, to kill a living organism, to cause its death Other common uses include: *Kill (body of water), a body of water, most commonly a creek *Kill (command), a computing command *K ...

'', '' Evisceration Plague'', ''

Torture Torture is the deliberate infliction of severe pain or suffering on a person for reasons including corporal punishment, punishment, forced confession, extracting a confession, interrogational torture, interrogation for information, or intimid ...

'', ''

Red Before Black ''Red Before Black'' is the fourteenth studio album by American death metal band Cannibal Corpse, released on November 3, 2017. This is the band's final album to feature guitarist Pat O'Brien before producer Erik Rutan officially replaced him ...

Chaos Horrific ''Chaos Horrific'' is the sixteenth studio album by American death metal band Cannibal Corpse, released on September 22, 2023, by Metal Blade. Background Material for the album was written shortly after the completion of their previous studio a ...

'' *

Madball Madball is an American New York hardcore band. Originated in the late 1980s as a side project of Agnostic Front, the band developed after Agnostic Front's vocalist Roger Miret would let his younger half-brother Freddy Cricien take the micro ...

: ''

Empire An empire is a political unit made up of several territories, military outpost (military), outposts, and peoples, "usually created by conquest, and divided between a hegemony, dominant center and subordinate peripheries". The center of the ...

'' *

Agnostic Front Agnostic Front is an American hardcore punk band from New York City. Founded in 1980, the band is considered an important influence on the New York hardcore scene, as well as a pioneer of the crossover thrash genre. History First era (1980– ...

: '' My Life My Way'' * Six Feet Under: ''

Commandment Commandment may refer to: * The Ten Commandments * One of the 613 mitzvot of Judaism * The Great Commandment * The New Commandment * Commandment (album), ''Commandment'' (album), a 2007 album by Six Feet Under * Commandments (film), ''Commandments' ...

'' *

: ''II: The Reign of Darkness'' *

: '' Illud Divinum Insanus'' (drum production), '' Kingdoms Disdained'' *

Soilent Green Soilent Green is an American grindcore/sludge metal band formed in 1988 in Chalmette/ Metairie on the suburbs of New Orleans, Louisiana. History Soilent Green was founded in 1988, but their debut album was not released until 1995, when '' Pu ...

: ''

Inevitable Collapse in the Presence of Conviction ''Inevitable Collapse in the Presence of Conviction'' is the fifth studio album by American extreme metal Extreme metal is a loosely defined umbrella term for a number of related heavy metal music subgenres that have developed since the earl ...

'', ''

Confrontation Confrontation is an element of conflict wherein parties confront one another, directly engaging one another in the course of a dispute between them. A confrontation can be at any scale, between any number of people, between entire nations or cu ...

'' * Through the Eyes of the Dead: '' Malice'' *

Goatwhore Goatwhore is an American extreme metal band formed in New Orleans, Louisiana in 1997. Biography Goatwhore was formed by guitarist/backing vocalist Sammy “Pierre” Duet, who was previously the lead guitarist for Louisiana sludge metal band ...

: '' A Haunting Curse'', '' Carving Out The Eyes of God'', '' Blood for the Master'', '' Constricting Rage of the Merciless'' * Vital Remains: '' Icons of Evil'' *

Malevolent Creation Malevolent Creation is an American death metal band formed in Buffalo, New York in 1986 and later based in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The band's original members were guitarists Phil Fasciana and Jim Nickles and vocalist Bret Hoffmann, who were ...

: '' Invidious Dominion'' (co-producer) *

Nile The Nile (also known as the Nile River or River Nile) is a major north-flowing river in northeastern Africa. It flows into the Mediterranean Sea. The Nile is the longest river in Africa. It has historically been considered the List of river sy ...

: '' Those Whom the Gods Detest'' (drum production) *

Krisiun Krisiun is a Brazilian death metal band, founded by brothers Alex Camargo (bass, vocals) (Born March 11, 1972), Moyses Kolesne (guitars) (Born August 11, 1973) and Max Kolesne (drums) (Born June 12, 1974). Since its formation in 1990, the gro ...

: ''

Conquerors of Armageddon ''Conquerors of Armageddon'' is the third album by Brazilian death metal band Krisiun and their first under the Century Media label. AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online m ...

'', ''

Forged in Fury ''Forged in Fury'' is the ninth studio album by Brazilian death metal band Krisiun. It was released on 7 August 2015 by Century Media Records Century Media Records is a German heavy metal record label with offices in Germany, the United State ...

'' * Pessimist: ''Slaughtering The Faithful'' * Internal Suffering: ''Internal Suffering'', ''Awakening of the Rebel'' * Premonitions of War: ''Left In Kowloon'' *

Aeon The word aeon , also spelled eon (in American and Australian English), originally meant "life", "vital force" or "being", "generation" or "a period of time", though it tended to be translated as "age" in the sense of "ages", "forever", "timele ...

: '' Path of Fire'' (mixing) * In Battle: Welcome to the Battlefield * The Absence: ''From Your Grave'' *

Pathology Pathology is the study of disease. The word ''pathology'' also refers to the study of disease in general, incorporating a wide range of biology research fields and medical practices. However, when used in the context of modern medical treatme ...

: ''Legacy of the Ancients'' * Avulsed: ''Gorespattered Suicide'' * Into the Moat: '' The Design'', '' The Campaign (album)'' * Torture Killer: ''Swarm!'' (mixing) * Pain Principle: ''Waiting For The Flies'' * Covenance: ''Ravaging The Pristine'' * Ophiolatry: ''Anti-Evangelistic Process'' * Devourment: ''Conceived in Sewage'' *

The Mountain Goats The Mountain Goats are a United States band formed in Claremont, California, Claremont, California, by singer-songwriter John Darnielle. The band is currently based in Durham, North Carolina, Durham, North Carolina. For many years, the sole me ...

: '' All Eternals Deck'' (four songs) * Masacre: ''Total Death'' *

Tombs A tomb ( ''tumbos'') or sepulchre () is a repository for the remains of the dead. It is generally any structurally enclosed interment space or burial chamber, of varying sizes. Placing a corpse into a tomb can be called ''immurement'', althou ...

: '' Savage Gold'' * Ephel Duath: Hemmed By Light, Shaped By Darkness, On Death and Cosmos * Rivers of Nihil: The Conscious Seed of Light

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Rutan, Erik 1971 births Living people 21st-century American singers 21st-century American guitarists 21st-century American male singers American heavy metal singers American heavy metal guitarists American male guitarists Hate Eternal members American lead guitarists Morbid Angel members Record producers from New Jersey Singers from New Jersey American death metal musicians Cannibal Corpse members