Due to the huge number of bands playing at Bloodstock this year, and the fact that our two roving reporters will actually want to watch some of them, we’re doing a little round of pre-festival interviews this year. We’re focussing on the bands playing the Jagermeister and Hobgoblin New Blood Stages so they get a chance to convince you to go and watch them. , these guys and gals are the future of our musical world!
Simple things first – where are you guys from?
St Helens, near Liverpool.
How did you meet?
We met through a mutual love for metal music. Alistair and Matt (me) got the ball rolling after speaking about starting a Devildriver type band at a local metal night. Matt recruited Stew (Drummer) and finally we got little Tom (Bass) on board. Ironically, our Sound got described as ‘a barroom brawl between Devildriver and Syolsis’ by Burning Fist webzine.
How long have you been playing together as a band?
We have been playing as a band since December 2013, so just under 2 years. Our first gig was at the Lomax in Liverpool in May 2014, which has recently got reopened!
Where does the name of the band come from?
Our drummer Stew thought of it. It sounded cool and it means to rise and become a god.
There is another band from Greece who shares the same name. My dad keeps putting them on thinking it’s us, and now he’s hooked on them. I think he’s taking the piss.
What are your influences – individually or as a band?
We are influenced by a number of bands, especially Lamb of God and Sylosis. Personally, I’m influenced by Slipknot as they have so much stage presence, aggression and they think of their fans as family, which is something I respect. I also look up to Sylosis, as they are one of the best musically talented bands out there at the moment. They are extremely underrated too!
Describe your music. What makes you unique?
We try to include every metal element into our songs to allow the listeners to get the full metal experience. Our songs have elements of thrash, groove, along with a mix of our own sound. We basically love riffs. We are also nice guys ;)
What’s your live show like? How many shows have you played?
We have played around 29 shows now, and by September, we will have played around 38.
A number of people who have attended our gigs in the past have said they it was impossible to stand still during our sets. Our live show is energetic, heavy, and crowd attentive due to the connection Jamie has with the people. We never like a dull moment, so all of the set is played as energetic as possible. We are also tight, and strive to find the best guitar and bass tones to recreate an studio recording live.
Did you enter M2TM thinking you could win it?
We didn’t expect to win at all due to the amount of amazing bands who we participated with. The first heat came as a shock, but winning the last two was incredible. Every show we played was packed and the crowd were extremely ive. Nearly all the bands showed good showman ship as each band ed one another. Doc, the guy who hosted the shows, deserves a medal for putting on such a good competition.
What sort of setlist can we expect?
A kick in the face, followed by a good old head-bang, followed by a fast dance, finished off with another kick in the face. Our setlist is as follows: “Lo & Behold”, “Shitwreck”, “Betrayed”, “Wetwork”, “Ascend” & “Crest Fallen”.
Which main stage band do you most hope you’re not clashing with so you can see them play?
Rob Zombie and Flesh God Apocalypse. A few people were miffed when Zombie got announced, for some weird reason. He’s an icon and a rock legend.
What are you working on at the moment?
We are currently working on our debut album in our home recording studio, which should be out around October time. Our gigging schedule for August is packed too so we are looking forward to playing as many shows as we can! We are excite to play Tank bar in our hometown of St Helens, as its extremely small; you couldn’t even fit a Smart car in there!
What’s the wildest thing you’ve seen or done on tour?
Our drummer who I was in another band with at the time, used a toilet as a drum stool once. The place in Wigan was a dive, but it all added to the grittiness of the show.
What advice would you give to a young band just starting out today?
If you enjoy playing and writing music, keep at it! Get some cheap home recording software, build a riff bank, and construct songs in your own time and show them off at practice.
Play as many gigs as possible and focus on getting some music out there before you start gigging, as promoters will want to hear some stuff before they take you under their wing.
We need some advice ourselves to be honest!
If you could be part of any 3-band line-up who else would you have on the bill? One band above you and one below – a chance to plug a smaller, unsigned act!
I would love to see Lamb of God above us, and our bros Animus from St Helens. Animus have amazing stage presence and they have some real ion for their music.
Deified play the Hobgoblin New Blood Stage on the Saturday.
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https://youtu.be/7wfpHFD25vY
