It’s that time of year where we set out to interview as many of the Sophie, New Blood, and Jager bands as we can in the lead-up to one of the most anticipated festivals of the year, Bloodstock. Answering our questions here are Must Kill who play the New Blood Stage on the Sunday evening.
Simple things first – where are you guys from?
We say that we are from Luton because myself (Dan Pool, guitars/vocals) and James (Bell, drums) are from there but Daryl (Cooper, guitars) is from Northampton and Alex (Reeder, bass) is from Watford. I think very few bands ever have the luxury of finding the right musicians for their band in the same area.
How long have you been playing together as a band?
As Must Kill we have been playing together since 2018 but we pretty much didn’t play at all in 2020 for reasons I’m sure you can guess. James and I have been playing together since 2009 in a previous band so we bring a lot of experience and knowledge to the table which we feel will contribute to the success of this project.
Where does the name of the band come from?
Good question! Max Cavalera is one of my idols and I pretty much love everything that he has done, especially Cavalera Conspiracy. One day I was listening to their first album Inflikted and there is a song on the record called “Must Kill” and I thought, “this would actually be an awesome name for a band” so I decided that this is what this band would be called. It’s kind of like a tribute to Max as well because he influenced me a lot, especially with the early Sepultura stuff like Beneath the Remains.
Describe your music. What makes you unique?
I would describe our music as a blend of old school thrash and death metal. I think that as the years have progressed it is becoming more and more difficult to be unique but with this band we certainly do not want to copy what the previous thrash/death metal bands have released over the years because it has been done to death.
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The way in which we approach our song writing is that we want to make every song sound different and unique whilst using influences from all types of music, but sticking to those core thrash and death metal values. I think that this approach is what makes us unique and if you listen to our debut EP Ghost Malevolent you’ll hear that there are no two songs the same and there is something for everyone. We see this band as an entity which wants to grow and progress, we don’t want to spend the next 10 years writing the same music because this is boring for us.
What’s your live show like? Why are people going to watch you instead of another band?
With our live show you’re going to see a group of guys who are super ionate and show that they love what they do. We very much focus on trying to be as powerful and energetic as possible. Anyone who has heard our music or seen us live know that we love to emphasize the different stops and changes in our music in the tightest way possible which we feel adds more power to the set.
Have you been to Bloodstock before? What did you think?
Both Daryl and I have been attending Bloodstock since 2008. We absolutely love it and it’s amazing to see how much this festival has grown over the years into what it is today.
Which M2tM region did you win, or did you come through other channels?
We won the Hitchin M2TM this year.
Can you put into 10 words or fewer how it felt when you realised you were heading to Bloodstock?
We felt absolutely ecstatic! And still can’t quite believe it.
What sort of setlist can we expect?
Bloodstock can expect an energetic and powerful set which will get people banging their heads, tapping their feet and getting their goose necks on!
Which other bands do you most hope you’re not squished up next to so you can see them play?
Sylosis, Exodus, Testament, Behemoth, Jinger and Malevolence to name a few!
What are you working on at the moment?
We have just finished writing the material for our second EP which we will be recording towards the end of the year. We cannot wait for people to hear it.
What’s the wildest thing you’ve seen or done at a live show?
I wouldn’t say that its wild but in one of the M2TM heats, during one of the songs I stepped up onto the drum riser and jumped off. As I landed, I felt that I had split my jeans right down the middle and had to carry on the set with a huge hole in my jeans. I was mostly upset because I loved those jeans (R.I.P).
What drink do you throw back to get yourself fired up before going on stage?
To be honest, before hitting the stage I’m already fired up! But sometimes I’ll have a pint of Guinness beforehand.
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Header photo by Tom Adam Green.
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