Here we go again… Last year we covered every band on the Hobgoblin New Blood and Jagermeister stages in the run-up to Bloodstock 2015. This year, we’re going one better and aim to have interviews from all the bands on those two stages as well as all of those on the SOPHIE stage prior to the event kicking off on August 11th. That’s almost 100 interviews to get online for you lucky people over the course of the next couple of weeks. I bloody love this job, but you lot owe me a beer at Catton Hall, right?
Thanks to all the bands who’ve taken the time to respond!
End of Salvation – Hobgoblin New Blood Stage, Friday
Guitarist Conor went through all these for us…
Simple things first – where are you guys from?
We’re from all over really; Berkshire, Hampshire, and Surrey.
How did you meet?
Alec and Brad were part of the previous lineup and have been with the band since it started back in January 2011. Frank was the next to the band after meeting Alec by chance at his workplace and ed the band in July 2013. Ryan was the next to follow in February 2014 before convincing a drunk guy in a pub (that would be me) to try out for guitars until he ed in January 2015.
Josh came a bit later after trying out for a temporary slot in May 2016 but he was basically a wizard so we didn’t want him to leave. Thus began a glorious 6-piece journey!
Where does the name of the band come from?
I’m pretty sure that Brad came up with the name some many aeons ago and I guess it stuck!
Describe your music. What makes you unique?
We’re basically the love child of the melodic nature of death metal, the crushing brutality of of deathcore, and and the stomp-stomp of hardcore.
When/how did you find out you’d been selected to play at Bloodstock?
We found out the night of Metal 2 The Masses in Reading. I was on a train and I received a very, very excited phone call from Ryan whilst Frank’s face got wet, Alec was over the moon and I’m pretty sure that Brad exploded.
We’re not sure what happened to Josh; he works in mysterious ways.
Which main stage band do you most hope you’re not clashing with so you can see them play?
We’re all looking forward to very similar bands, particularly the more black/death metal stuff like Satyricon and Goatwhore and Conor is pretty much wetting himself at GloryHammer and Symphony X.
We’ve also got a collective boner (think megazord but fleshier) for Gojira and Behemoth.
Frank in particular has his eye on Akercocke.
What are you working on at the moment?
We’re currently working on an entirely new sound to suit the guitar trio we now have after press-ganging Josh into the band in May.
We’re trying to move away from material that existed from the previous lineup and we’re focusing on creating a more melodic sound but still retaining the crushing sludgy breakdowns.
What’s the wildest thing you’ve seen or done on tour?
Brad headbutted a cake once.
What advice would you give to a young band just starting out today?
Just stick with it really. Be clear on what you want as a band, don’t be afraid to experiment with sounds and styles, accept that everyone will have different ideas so you might as well play around with them and find out if it works.
Play every gig that you can and treat every crowd, whether it’s four people or four hundred, as equally important. your local scene; bands, venues, promoters, the entire works, and do your bit for the metal community because without you, there isn’t one.
What stage / time are you playing at Bloodstock (if you have your slot yet!)
We’re playing at 16:30 in the New Blood Tent. Come down and say hello and get your stomp on!
