Blodsrit is one of the hidden gems of Swedish Black Metal. I first ran into these guys several years ago back when mp3.com was king when it came to band promotion, and over the years it's always been by accident that I found out about new material from the band. Always below the radar, yet with nothing (else) to envy its peers, it's time the band finally got some recognition! Yxmarder (guitar) answers our questions...
Hails! Blodsrit has been in existence for 10 years already, yet it is not nearly as well known as many of the other Swedish Black Metal bands that have been around that long. Standard question - Could you introduce our readers to your band's early history - how it came to be etc...?
Once upon a time (you asked for it) when synthesizer and gothic influences began to take over the Black Metal scene, Naahz raised his spike-covered arm and spoke to all the worms and lower beings saying - this will be the day when I bring the necro back to the metal, I will bring home all the filth, disgust and blood drenched thoughts, letting them unite, having a baby, and I will call it Blodsrit.
To summon these elements he used a four channel analog recording station, also called "the stench" loosely translated. Must I say that all
Unfortunately they also let another deeply dysfunctional creature called Adipocere take part of its vomit like grandeur. And just as things got inspiring King Christian came and laid his smelly wet blanket over its mouth. He said - my Oaken Shield will guide you into the future and bring you lots of success - while chewing on a big smelly piece of cheese. Naahz didn't know that filth and disgust wasn't to trust, and therefore walked right into the kingdom of retardation to hand over his vision. He didn't even notice the wind of blood drenched thoughts screaming - look at him, this man can't even handle a hard on. Don't bring us to HIM, he is a black hole impersonated, he will swallow all your efforts taking your money and if you look straight I his face, you wont be able to eat for a month.
But Naahz signed a cursed paper and instantly noticed a difference in his work, like why the fuck is the cover green? How come you won't bring my worms to all the corners of the world? And it became even worse I can tell you. We all remember the day (yes I skipped the boring part of becoming a band) when King Christian said - let's come to France and record the next album - probably with a snail on the edge of his greedy lips while saying so. Of course we where easily seduced, we where still unknowing of the aggressive apathy that surrounded and still surrounds this horrible creature. But we where soon to find out, and if you who read this wants to get the damp feeling of Christians vision, you can lend your ears to "Ocularis Infernum". While wondering how it can be possible to get this kindergarten production you must try to visualize a heavy drug using once sound engineer guy who was directly signed to the project by this monster of snail and cheese.
This little story may give a lot of blame to the kingdom of retardation, but it might be as blameful as I make it. Since then we have been working under a spell of unfulfilled visions and drowning productions. And that, my brothers in Black Metal, might as well be the reason why Blodsrit still is the most famous unknown metal bands in the world.
This new collaboration with Unexploded has been our only healthy relation with a label ever. Sorry to say, we can't be entirely pleased with the way "Hinterland" turned out. It was recorded during a totally fucked up time in our lives. But still we see it as a beginning and the true return of all the lost filth and disgust. Our next release will also wear the Unexploded banner, and I tell you, this time we have money, ravishing ideas and the will to produce the vision we have had for a while now.
Are there plans to re-issue the albums that were released by Adipocere/Oaken Shield? I dragged my feet a little before buying Helveteshymner and had to look for a while before I found it at the time.
I just learned that it's a good idea to read all the questions before answering. But yes, all Adipocere records will be released again with updated covers and some unique bonus material. For instance we re-recorded the whole "Supreme misanthropy", turned out to be a real headbanger actually, and also some new written bonus material for "Helveteshymner". The "Ocularis" album will contain a promo that was recorded right after "Supreme", real cool piece of work including a cover of "Transylvanian hunger". The release date has been set to January -09. Be sure to check them out.
Was there any reason for you not working further with Miriquidi Productions? You only released one MCD with them.
We are underground and have always been and will surely always be so. Miriquidi on the other hand is not just underground, he is fucking undercover
Are there any tours planned? Any chance of you guys visiting North America any time soon?
We have been forced to turn down the majority of the offers we got during the years because of our instable drummer situation (our original drummer is constantly occupied with a number of useless activities which comes with having a family). Think we have had three our four different live drummers up to this day. And it has never worked out, and it's tiring as a motherfucker not having a stable beat in back while on stage. But this year it seems like Santa brought us a gift in the shape of a talented and motivated young light rapist who can beat as a bastard. If everything works out with him we will soon be back on the roads.
Actually there's a north American band called Vanguished who contacted me late this summer wanting us to join there release tour covering mainly the northern parts of your enormous country. I told him we would be glad to come if only Santa would bring us some competent battery man. So now it seems to be a possibility that we can meet in the land of the free some time soon. I surely hope so.
I discovered Blodsrit through mp3.com back in the early 2000's - I still think this is one of the best bands I found through that site. Back then you had for sale a "mp3.com CD" titled ...in Blood, which is obviously no longer available since mp3.com changed its vocation. Was the material from that CD ever made available in other formats (or are there plans for this...)? Somebody even wanted to buy my copy a while back! :)
Man, your're necro as hell!! I don't think there are a lot of people besides you who really remembers that one. We had nothing to do with that "release" it was just a product of the enthusiastic mp3.com era. So hold on to it, it's not over yet and we can still get "Dimmu Borgir famous", which would bring you some nice dollars for that product haha..
In the meaning of the word creation there is a destructive element. In the meaning that each time something new is being created, the old got to be destroyed. Else there is no creation, just a repetition or copy in some way. So I think if one should be able to grow you have to let go of the past and the rules that surrounded that time; to reinvent one self and constantly question the ideas of music and even life in general. Maybe that's not the best way to think if you want to make it big time and sell a lot of records, but it's a far more interesting way to live and to make music I think.
But still I think if we would find a sound that totally satisfied us we would most likely hold on to that, no matter all the talk of reinventing and questioning of ideas! It's nice to be an idealist, but it's hard work always questioning things and paving a new path for every occasion. It doesn't mean that everything has to get weirder by the way. For example we recorded some bonus songs for "Helveteshymner" which is more traditional in the arrangements, but at the same time a step forward for us in the search of the core of what we want to do.I also have to tell you once again that "Hinterland" was recorded during some truly weird circumstances which probably gave it its unusual colors. And I hope that I can appreciate that album some day, it really is a document of a certain time for me. But I think we have gotten our shit together for our next release, it will be fully understandable and filled with our early elements, the ones we like that is, matched with a sincerity that is hard to master before a certain age.
What is Blodsrit's songwriting process like? - i.e. do all members participate, what subjects and "outside music" influences the work, and do you ever "write in the studio" (a pretty expensive habit, so I would guess that's a no!)
For the recording of the bonus hymns we brought our ideas to the studio and finalized them there. It was inspiring and a way of working that I appreciate, and also possible because we been around for some time now and got to know a lot of people which makes a studio visit much less expensive. Otherwise we do it the traditional way of rehearsing and shaping the shit down in our dungeon. It has always been me (Yxmarder) or Naazh who writes the material, and I don't think that will change any time soon.
When it comes to inspiration I usually get attacked by ideas just by focusing on what I want to create, if I'm in to some epic, aggressive or dark state of mind it just develops from there. It can be a problem to translate it to guitar language though, but I always get something to work with, and that can be inspiring enough for me most of the time. If else, there are always drugs.When it comes to Naahz he still gets inspired by listening to some old true Black Metal at an insane volume, screaming and waving like a retard in the candy store, and that works for him. Just tuning the guitar and then we depart to the ghastly realms where Blodsrit means all.
Do you have a new album in the works already, and what can we expect - return to the old style, something in the style of Hinterland, or maybe some further experimentation?
Yes, there are some songs ready to be processed anyway. I don't know what to tell you. Sure we will bring on some elements from "Hinterland" but it will not be in the vein of that album. And returning to an earlier era is something that we never will do. And I don't know how much longer we will endure this constant struggle it is to play and perform Black Metal. This next album may be our last, and if that should be the case we really want to make this next one matter. It
I've noticed it's pretty common in Swedish and Norwegian bands for members to be involved in other bands and/or side projects. Is that the case for the members of Blodsrit?
That's in our past. Now days no one in the band has any time consuming projects anyway.
Since Blodsrit first came into being, the Black Metal genre has gone into several directions - from "more than raw" to extremely polished and weird, and that's not counting all the various lyrical inspirations. What are your thoughts on this? Do you see this as a good thing, or is it just plain out of control?
I appreciate everything that is sincere. When some real emotions is put into music and a genuine feeling is presented the music is allowed to be weird I think. There shouldn't be such thing as controlled Black Metal anyway; it seems to me that it would be a contradiction to the core of the absolute freedom from all authority that is a main point in Black Metal.
In some cases of the examples you brought up there is only a will to be different or to construct some new shit without any real thought behind it (Norwegian bands suffers from this complex more than the Swedish ones I think), and that is just unnecessary and boring. Give me pain, defeat or the most vindictive story backed up by some screaming guitars and I will salute you.
It just hit me that you maybe only speak about Blodsrit in the question and wants me to evaluate our strange journey!? In that case I can only tell you that we have been true to our ideals all along and couldn't have done anything in a different way. Sad but true, if I may quote a...
Beyond the music, how would you describe what Blodsrit represent? (lyrically/spiritually....)
We represent personal freedom and we do not need your acceptance. We represent life with a constant presence of death.
That's all for now, thank you very much for your time! The last words are yours...
I may seem to judge Blodsrit's previous work in a harsh manner, that doesn't mean I don't like it, it's more like a parent thing: you may love your children, but can never be really pleased with what they become.
And of course, thank you for recognizing us.
