As ever, we’re going to try and cover every single Jäger, New Blood and SOPHIE stage band before Bloodstock kicks off on August 9th. Your chance to check them out and start planning which bands to get there early for!
Trust us when we tell you that this is bound to result in some frustrating clashes because, as ever, there are some great bands on these three stages.
Our thanks to all the bands for taking the time out to answer our questions!
De Profundis – Sophie Lancaster Stage, Friday
Simple things first – where are you guys from?
[Paul Nazarkardeh – Guitars] De Profundis come from all different places and walks of life, both in and out of the UK. I’m the only member unfortunate enough to have lived in London my whole life, and that is where we are based.
How long have you been playing together as a band?
The first De Profundis album was released in 2007. In 2018 however, we are a totally different entity in of both style and personnel. This lineup dates back to 2014.
Where does the name of the band come from?
De Profundis translates from Latin to “From the Depths”. The coining of the name was from before my time but I think the name sums our ethos up well – De Profundis comes from the depths of the death metal underground. Pretentious trends and novelty gimmicks are the enemy of music!
Describe your music. What makes you unique?
Death metal! Too many ‘technical death metal’ bands are tighter than tight, but can’t write a decent riff if you put a gun to their head. We can do both. Our new album The Blinding Light of Faith takes this same approach, but with a specific target. It is about the three calamitous, depraved entities that we call the Abrahamic religions. Fittingly, our music has taken a heavier and more aggressive tone than ever before.
What’s your live show like? Why are people going to watch you instead of another band?
If we come offstage and we aren’t drenched in sweat, that show is a failure.
When I saw Anthrax at Bloodstock 2016, I was floored at how they could play so perfectly while putting on such an energetic show! No extravagant costumes, no bloated indulgence and definitely no cringeworthy stand up comedy routines. Just non-stop metal that I couldn’t turn away from. That sums up our live ethos – no one wants to see some dork stand still, shredding for an hour. Expect 40 minutes of intense death metal like you’ve never seen before!
Have you been to Bloodstock before? What did you think?
This summer marks 10 years since my first Bloodstock. I believe this will be my seventh time. Needless to say, I was impressed!
So how does it feel to be invited to play the one and only Bloodstock?
This will the third time De Profundis has played Bloodstock in ten years, so we are incredibly honoured that the Bloodstock team is welcoming us back once again! Though in some ways, it feels like a first. In more ways than one this is a very different band coming to Catton Hall…
What sort of setlist can we expect?
We got back from our tour of Europe with Belphegor and Melechesh yesterday, and we will be taking that setlist to Bloodstock. It is heavily based around The Blinding Light of Faith. We have honed this set to razor sharp precision and we cannot wait to let it loose at Bloodstock!
Which main stage band do you most hope you’re not squished up next to so you can see them play?
Hands down the greatest black metal band of all time, Emperor! A band that were never afraid to challenge the norms of their scene and in doing so redefined the genre. When we last played in 2014 we had to leave the next morning to begin our tour with Malevolent Creation, and so tragically we missed their last visit. At least now we have a second chance!
What are you working on at the moment?
Our new album The Blinding Light of Faith is out now through Transcending Obscurity Records. Next, we are Bringing the Light wherever we possibly can! The first focus is of course Bloodstock, and then after summer we have a few more festival appearances such as Fire and Forge Festival in Trowbridge and Iberian Warriors in Zaragoza, Spain. More to be confirmed.
What’s the wildest thing you’ve seen or done on tour?
Last week in Hungary we saw a drunk woman chase a topless man with dwarfism around a bus stop. At 1pm in the afternoon. I told the guys they would see some incredible sights in Budapest, but that’s really not the kind of thing I meant.
Jager, Hobgoblin Ale, Kraken, Kingstone Press Cider, Kaltenberg Beer or Bulleit Bourbon? And, yes, we’ll be counting all the votes!
After powering through 40 minutes of blasphemous death metal on a boiling hot day at Bloodstock Open Air? A cold one with the boys will always win there, so Kaltenberg it is!
De Profundis: official | facebook | twitter | youtube | bandcamp
