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 Adfeilion. This bunch play on the New Blood Stage on the Saturday.
Simple things first – where are you guys from?
We come from the seaside city of Swansea, South Wales. The city gets its name from the Viking King, Svein Forkbeard who established a trading post in the 10th century along the Welsh Coast. The history of the city, along with the wild nature and seas which surround it are a great source of inspiration to us.
How long have you been playing together as a band?
Our early roots formed around 3 years ago as a studio ambient project which slowly evolved into the sound you hear today; inspired by pagan folk metal, Celtic medieval melodies and experimental ambience. We played our first gig in January 2024 at the Gower Wassail Festival, which honoured the ancient Welsh Tradition of the Mari Llwyd and the waking of the orchards. The show began an incredible journey for us, as we won the Swansea Battle of the Bands later that year before winning the South Wales Metal to the Masses in 2025.
Where does the name of the band come from?
Adfeilion translates to ‘Ruins’ from Welsh. Ruins have always been evocative to us, particularly old castles reclaimed by nature and forest. Our music conjures ancient Celtic landscapes whose stories are held within such ruins. We like to imagine the vast empires of history that have attempted immortality, raising indomitable walls and spires that seek to conquer the sky. All of them are now a myriad stories of the human experience, buried in the nettle or sand and fated to be retold when the next stones are inevitably laid. And so, we are Adfeilion, capturing the hope of salvation from the throes of chaos; and the beauty that lays in the ruins of its doom.
Describe your music. What makes you unique?
We describe ourselves as ‘Post-Folk Metal’ as our sound takes inspiration primarily from the melodies, energy and power of Folk Metal and the instrumental, brooding soundscapes of Post Rock. We are also big fans of Electronic Ambience and Dungeon Synth, so you’ll hear a mixture of soaring Celtic melodies over crushing riffs, interspersed with ambient drones and synth fantasy atmospheres. Between each track, we incorporate spoken word, to weave a narrative through the set, taking you with us on a unique journey inspired by our ancient roots.
What’s your live show like? Why are people going to watch you instead of another band?
We love art to be immersive. The stage is adorned with vine leaves, candles, swords and shields. The sound of birds, fire and thunder fill the air. Ominous figures adorn themselves in shadow and robe, before unleashing a high energy, primordially charged set of light and darkness. After winning back-to-back competitions, the Swansea BOTB 2024 and South Wales M2TM 2025, we have built a fierce reputation as a ‘Wildcard Act’ that delivers an unforgettable live experience. Expect to dance and to stare.
Have you been to Bloodstock before? What did you think?
Our bass player, Thom, is a regular pilgrim to the hallowed grounds of Bloodstock and always speaks highly of his experiences at this legendary festival. As well as the incredible music and bands, he emphasises the strength and kindness of the community, making it a real dream to be a part of and to have the opportunity to write our own little story into the epic saga of Metal that is Bloodstock Open Air.
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Which M2tM region did you win, or did you come through other channels?
We are honoured to have won the South Wales Metal 2 the Masses and feel a great sense of responsibility for this opportunity. We competed against six other bands in the Grand Final (Karmen Field, Struggler, Exaust, Kill By Mouth, Akuma) and any one of them could easily have taken the crown. We are determined to bring their skill, passion and ferocity to Bloodstock with us, along with the Celtic Spirit of our storied homeland.
Can you put into 10 words or fewer how it felt when you realised you were heading to Bloodstock?
Absolutely surreal, a deep sense of honour and responsibility.
What sort of setlist can we expect?
Our setlist will play as a live concept album. It will feature four tracks, punctuated with narration, that combine to tell a unified narrative of a wanderer lured into the ruins of a lost city by the treachery of the Fey. The story begins as dusk falls beneath a midsummer’s moon and the wanderer is called to the edge of the old forest. In his hand, trembles an old scroll containing an incantation. The sorcerer at the tavern said it would awaken the fey at the Altar of the Oak, all he had to do was follow the nightjar’s song and stray not from the rooted path…
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?
So many! We’re really excited to see Thunarwulf, winners of the Sheffield M2tM competition, and LN, an incredible pagan folk metal band also from Sheffield. It’s especially meaningful for us to see more folk and pagan metal acts represented at Bloodstock this year—a genre that often feels under-represented yet speaks deeply to our influences such as Soar, Can bard and Heilung. There is also a strong contingent of Welsh bands, that we would love to catch and support, in Z machine, Rites to Ruin and Ofnus (who blew us away recently after sharing the stage with them).
What are you working on at the moment?
We are currently working on two music videos to accompany our upcoming studio recorded album, Rhyfelwyr, which will be released on August 1st, and a documentary showcasing our story so far from our first live gig in January 2024 to playing the legendary Bloodstock Open Air 2025. We are also just over halfway writing new material for our third album which we are looking to release in the Spring of 2026 and will be another evolution of our sound that we can’t wait to share!
What’s the wildest thing you’ve seen or done at a live show?
A good candidate for this would our most recent gig at the Metal to the Masses Grand Final. Fellow finalist, Karmen Field (incredible grungy, alt metal band) played a blistering set that saw frontwoman Molly feed squeezy jam to the baying fans at the barrier. Amidst this sticky, beautiful madness a local venue manager was crowd surfing on giant inflatable Strawberry.
What drink do you throw back to get yourself fired up before going on stage?
Mostly water, soda water if we’re feeling the need for that extra punch (though our bass player has monster energy running through his veins)! After the show, however, our drink of choice would be a tipple of golden mead.
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