| Carl McCoy | |
| Birth Name: | Carl Douglas McCoy[1] |
| Birth Date: | 15 January 1963[2] |
| Birth Place: | Lambeth, London, England[3] |
| Genre: | Gothic rock, gothic metal, death metal, industrial metal |
| Occupation: | Singer |
| Years Active: | 1984–present |
| Label: | Beggars Banquet, Jungle, Situation Two, Sacred Symphony |
| Associated Acts: | Fields of the Nephilim, Nefilim |
Carl Douglas McCoy (born 15 January 1963) is a British singer who is the frontman for the gothic rock band Fields of the Nephilim.
McCoy frequently uses mystical and occult references in his lyrics. Samples of Aleister Crowley's voice were featured on Elizium.
McCoy owns a graphics company, Sheerfaith, which has supplied art and design for all of his musical projects. Sheerfaith has also produced artwork for other projects, such as for the Storm Constantine book Hermetech and Andrew Collins' 21st Century Grail. He is a 3D artist, a longtime user of LightWave 3D.[4]
McCoy appeared as the nomad in the film Hardware (1990), directed by Richard Stanley,[5] who had previously directed a number of videos for Fields of the Nephilim.
McCoy comes from a religious background; he grew up in England with his mother, who was a devout member of the Jehovah's Witness. McCoy would later deal with this, often critically in many of his songs such as "Chord of Souls".[6] He has talked in interviews about his belief in paganism.[7]
McCoy's vocal style has been described as sounding like he 'gargles with gravel.'[8] He attributes this to a childhood laryngeal burn: "I only sang the way I sang because I burnt my throat when I was a kid. I got hot food stuck down there and my throat got singed. I couldn’t talk for four weeks, but the effects lasted forever!"[8]