Continuing our run of letting you know a little more about as many of the bands on at Bloodstock 2025 as we possibly can before you get a chance to see them, we have Theocracide. This bunch play on the new Blood Stage on the Sunday.
Simple things first – where are you guys from?
We’re from Leeds, West Yorkshire. It’s a great city for metal with some sick bands/venues and one of the best Hardcore scenes in the UK right now.
How long have you been playing together as a band?
The band started gigging in 2023. We were originally a 3 piece but added Max as another guitarist in Jan 2024. Our original drummer, Terry, left shortly after to focus on other projects (he’s currently killing it with Crowquill) so we asked Fin to step in. Bena had played with him in hardcore bands so knew how insane he is on drums. Since then the line up’s been unchanged.
Where does the name of the band come from?
‘Theocracide’ is kind of a made up word, but it came from brainstorming ideas about anti-religious themes: theocracy, theocratic, etc…
Also, we figured that using something-cide as a band name would cue audience members to our style (e.g. Chemicide, Deicide, Cobracide, etc.) Something-icide is a classic name for thrash and death metal bands so it felt like a good fit.
Describe your music. What makes you unique?
We bring elements of thrash, hardcore and death metal together and try to combine them together in new ways. Trying to put the speed of thrash with the groove of hardcore and the heaviness of death metal is very fun and often brings out sounds that a lot of bands aren’t doing at the moment. It means we’ve had gigs with thrash bands where people are circle pitting for every song but other gigs with hardcore bands with 2-stepping and arm swinging. The ultimate aim is to make songs that we enjoy playing and we would enjoy listening to. We also try to mix up the musical vocab we use in our riffs, with Gojira being a big influence, which sets us apart from other thrash bands at the moment.
What’s your live show like? Why are people going to watch you instead of another band?
There’s always a circle pit which is Bloodstock through and through. Because we have so many cross genre influences, there’s kind of something for everyone if you’re into older styles of metal. It’s a properly intense experience so if that’s your thing then you’ll definitely enjoy our set.
If you like what we do, consider joining us on Patreon for as little as £1 per month!
Have you been to Bloodstock before? What did you think?
We haven’t been as a band before but Bena and Rosie both have been multiple times. It’s such an awesome place with a unique sense of community that you don’t get at other festivals. It’s so exciting just to be going back to Bloodstock as it’s the highlight of our year, making it more insane that we actually get to play.
Which M2tM region did you win, or did you come through other channels?
Leeds Leeds Leeds! There are some great bands in Leeds and it’s amazing to follow in the footsteps of Divided By Design, Godeth and Pariah (RIP).
Can you put into 10 words or fewer how it felt when you realised you were heading to Bloodstock?
Absolutely unreal, a dream come true
What sort of setlist can we expect?
Our Bloodstock setlist will include all our releases so far with some of our favourites as well. We’re definitely not going to hold back. It’ll be a fast one!
Stage times haven’t been announced yet, so which other band do you most hope you’re not clashing with so you can see them play?
We know we are on Sunday so hopefully we don’t clash with Black Dahlia Murder. Very glad that we know we’ll see Warbringer on Saturday.
What are you working on at the moment?
We’ll hopefully be dropping a new single before Bloodstock so stay tuned for that! We’re also working on a Crossover Split EP with Hatebomb from Sheffield which we’re hoping to get out soon. Other than that, we’re just working on new material to get into the set.
What’s the wildest thing you’ve seen or done at a live show?
At a gig in Sheffield, someone was hardcore dancing to our set and wacked their hand on a metal beam on the ceiling. He came back 20 minutes later with his hand in a sling. Luckily he found it very funny and was in good spirits.
What drink do you throw back to get yourself fired up before going on stage?
We’re a thrash band so drinking is almost compulsory. You can never go wrong with a few tinnies.
Don’t fancy Patreon? Buy us a one-off beverage!
Theocracide: facebook | instagram | spotify
