We were given the privilege to sit down with Swedish band BLODET backstage at Arctangent Festival. They merge different genres which are noisy and punk in nature, whilst following instrumental structures of modern experimental rock to create walls of sound whilst still creating an emotion that captivates you. I asked a few questions to get to know the band and their motivators for making music.
A: Have you played in the UK before?
B: No, we haven’t even played in the UK. Visited yes, played no. We hope, after that set we have just done, that we will be invited back to play.
A: And how did you find it on the stage with all those people?
B: Yes, it was amazing, It was our biggest fear that we would be playing to an empty crowd but to see people funnel in was such a great feeling… almost cult-like of people wanting to come and hear what we have to offer.
And we have to agree with that, being in the audience you could feel the buzz and energy that people were bringing towards the stage. Packing in, ears pricked the music lured you in, made you feel included and all-in-all was a performance. They effortlessly bring a grunge element which is soft and atmospheric, but also layer raw instrumentals which fill the space well, projecting a unique but memorable sound out to the audience.
A: when it comes to creating your music, do you have a specific way of producing the songs?
B: We start with the bass, coming up with the rhythm, we present it to the band then we layer different sounds, merging each of our musical influences together and then at the end we normally have something very different.
A: Do you have a particular vision when creating music, like a theme for example?
B: We wouldn’t say there’s a particular theme we have in our minds when creating music, we acknowledge that we like deep moods and suspense, we like to move with the organic flow of what we create and that’s normally heavy and atmospheric.
With the different elements of music they combine creates a sound that is unique and quirky, yet follows strong musical structures that we personally think they have sculpted well. They have a clear vision of what they like and what they don’t like and you have to be fair within a band, especially one that has more than 3 people, to sit down and agree on what they want to produce. We have to hand it to Blodet, that the time and effort they have put into their sound has been worthwhile, for their music has lingered in our minds since seeing them at Arctangent festival.
A: The majority of people that come to Arctangent are always on the lookout for new music and new bands, the people that came to see you play were open to what you had to offer, do you think you performed to your best ability and ethos?
B: Of course! We look to ourselves and ask, can we do this, can we make these sounds and does it work? We always come to the conclusion, of course we can! It doesn’t matter if it sounds different or unique because that's our band's sound.
A: If someone was to ask ‘what is your sound?’, we personally, would describe it as atmospheric Post-metal, is that fair?
B: I say that’s fair to an extent, we have been playing since a young age, playing music without vocals and putting a focus on instrumental elements, and as we have grown we do not want to be stuck in one particular genre, we enjoy merging different stylings together -we are inspired by our surroundings, open spaces and different moods, and this can fall into multiple genres, one of which is Post-Metal.
A: How did the band come about?
B: As we said, we started as an instrumental band, and we went into the creative process with no borders or limits, only improvisation to begin with. As time has passed we have crafted our music around more structure, especially since Hilda joined where we now have vocals, her voice complements our music well, the lyrics come as she listens to what we play and it works perfectly.
A: The music you create brings waves of deep emotion, following looping to techniques which seem to entrance your listeners as I saw when you played earlier, would you say that’s a fair representation of your music?
B: It was very emotional on stage, we want the audience to feel the music, to become the music. seeing the people fall into our sound was very moving for us and it seemed like the audience submitted themselves.
I really like the use of the drums in their set, the sounds create a dissonance which mimics the structure of post-rock which we personally love here at Acid rain, but they use a mixture of all different genres which gives them their uniqueness.
2019 is when Hilda Helier joined the band, bringing her deep, winding voice which is beautifully solemn. Seeing her sing live is very emotional, you are watching them feel the vibration that the music and lyrics bring. We wanted to know how the band has integrated vocals with their music, taking the focus off pure instrumentals like it was with their earlier albums like Kristallpalasett.
A: Why and how did Hilda join the band?
B: We saw her perform around 5/6 years ago, we weren’t looking for vocals at that point but decided if we were to ever have vocals, we would want her in the band.
H: and that was the same for me, I saw them perform on another occasion and fell in love with their sound and wanted to be a part of their band.
B: Fast forward a couple of years, we had just released Kristallpalaset, the drummer wanted to leave so we took a break. During this time we wanted to take the band to the next level and didn’t want to start repeating ourselves and Hilda was the only person in our mind to join us. So we DM’d her on Instagram and she responded with the hallelujah emoji and that was that.
A: so it was fate?
B: Yeah!
H: when I saw these guys playing live, I was taken aback, they are truly inspiring and I am glad they chose me.
Watching them play, they are naturals on stage. We are glad that they had a warm welcome at ATG festival and we hope to see them back again. Hopefully, with their new album out next year, they will do a tour in the UK as we thoroughly believe they are one to watch out for over here.
A: What’s next for the band then?
B: We have an album ready, and that will be out next year on Church Road Records sometime. Five new songs, 40 minutes of music; it is not an exact continuation of the Vision EP, but I mean, if you do like Vision, then you will like the new album.
So Visions - Three songs, half-hour - a journey of smooth, grungy experimental rock. slow-burning, perfect for people who like to feel the bass lying down but packs a punch that slaps a huge smile on your face. We particularly like 'The River', the first song off the album where Hilda voice transports us to another planet.
With Hilda Helier providing the lyrics, her voice is quite haunting (in a good way), giving early 90’s grunge, angsty and gothic, especially coupled with the music, it adds an edge to the sound which isn’t normally seen within the post-metal scene/ experimental. Taking one of their songs as an example, ’She remains’, it gives semi-industrial, in terms of the emotional tone, and mimics the energy and grit that we get from more mainstream bands like Korn and NIИ.
So are they worth listening to? Hell yeah, undoubtedly, you'll be silly not to. Follow them here on Instagram and make sure to look out for their new album out next year!
Tills nästa gång 💃
