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 Black Atlas who play the New Blood Stage on Saturday.
Simple things first – where are you guys from?
We all live in the Home Counties, a mix of Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire, UK. Although Wilson and Sam are both originally from Yorkshire.
How long have you been playing together as a band?
Black Atlas started back in 2015 and we released our debut album in 2018. The line up changed after that and Sam joined us in 2019. We only managed to get up to speed and back out playing when the pandemic and lockdown happened.
Where does the name of the band come from?
Honestly, there is no deep answer to this! We just stumbled upon it after having a discussion in practice one night! We through a few names around and this was the only one that we all didn’t dismiss.
Describe your music. What makes you unique?
What makes us unique is the range of influences from different genres to make something that has our own sound and feel. Combine this with a very analogue sound, cranked valve amps and plenty of fuzz, we do not sound like much out there at the moment.
What’s your live show like? Why are people going to watch you instead of another band?
Loud!! We are a live band, so it is a bit different every time. We like to jam on some sections, extend bits. Come see us if you want to your ears filled with big riffs that make you bang your head.
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Have you been to Bloodstock before? What did you think?
This is our first time as both performer and spectator! Every year we say we need to go to Bloodstock and watch some amazing bands but every time something gets in the way.
Which M2tM region did you win, or did you come through other channels?
We won the Hitchin region which is held at Club 85. We have entered into it the last couple of years with only one eye on the prize of winning. The other eye has always been on being able to play at one of our favourite local venues in front of a great local metal scene.
Can you put into 10 words or fewer how it felt when you realised you were heading to Bloodstock?
Utterly surreal and grateful for the opportunity
What sort of setlist can we expect?
We’re going to be playing a mixture of songs off our first album and new songs in the works for the next one. Put simply it will include plenty of big riffs – it will be a great time.
Which other bands do you most hope you’re not squished up next to so you can see them play?
Really looking forward to watching Mountain Caller. Also excited to checkout Conjurer, Elder Druid, Sylosis, Sound of Origin, Evile and Lowen. Hopefully we don’t clash!!
What are you working on at the moment?
We are currently working on our second album. Writing has taken a bit of time due to the obvious pandemic but were back on track now and we will record early next year, with the hope of releasing toward the end of 2022.
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What’s the wildest thing you’ve seen or done at a live show?
We’re not much of a wild band and tend to focus on a great set, that sounds awesome and get the crowd into it.
What drink do you throw back to get yourself fired up before going on stage?
We try not to drink too much before going on stage, we’ve all been in bands previously where this has happened and ended up not giving the best show that we can. We usually have a couple of beers and make sure we support whoever else is playing.
Black Atlas: facebook | twitter | bandcamp | youtube
