Belfast death metal stalwarts Overoth are celebrating their tenth anniversary as a band in style this year, winning the Belfast leg of Bloodstock’s Metal 2 the Masses competition amongst stiff competition, which garnered them a slot on the legendary Hobgoblin New Blood stage when the festival hits Derbyshire on the first weekend in August. Melanie Brehaut caught up with guitarists Dan and Andrew to discuss all things Bloodstock and what will be coming up for the band.
► First of all, congratulations on winning the Belfast Metal 2 the Masses! How did it feel when the band’s name was announced?
Dan: Thank you very much. We have played quite a few knockout style competitions over the years and we have a very good track record but you never know how these types of competitions are going to go. Metal 2 The Masses had the most stages of any competition we have played before and it really filtered the cream of the crop through to the final. I think any band in the final could have easily won it so we were extremely happy to hear our name called as the winners.
Andrew: Absolutely, any band could have had it from the final… I’d have been happy to see any of those bands go through, but as you could imagine, I’m over the moon it was us. It’s a privilege we’re very honoured to have, to go and play at Bloodstock and represent our corner of the world. We did it at Wacken a couple of years ago and now we get to do it at Bloodstock… another great opportunity for this band.
► And how does it feel knowing you will be playing the hallowed grounds of Bloodstock?
Dan: It feels good. It’s a great opportunity for us. Bloodstock is a festival that truly believes in the underground metal scene and it will be an honour to play there.
Andrew: I’ve been to Bloodstock many times and it’s a great festival… great vibe, great people, great lineup and great beers (of course). It’s a very cool feeling knowing that we’ll be playing there this year and as Dan said, they’re a festival that truly believes in the underground… they started off small and are growing and growing year on year… they understand things from the grass roots up and they’re not all about a quick buck. They’re in this for the long haul and they command a huge amount of respect for what they do for the underground.
►Will you be playing any new material or just sticking to your tried and tested songs?
Dan: I imagine a majority of the crowd will be unfamiliar with us. This gives us the opportunity to play the strongest set we can think up and for us this means there will be quite a few new songs unleashed for the occasion.
Andrew: Yeah, I think at home people are used to and have come to expect to hear certain songs in our set and we feel obligated to include them. Yes, we have been to the UK a number of times, but we’re still very much a new face over there, so we have a unique opportunity here to be able to piece together a very strong set, not worrying so much about ‘the classics’ or whatever you want to call them.
►Speaking of which, is there any sign of a follow up to Kingdom of Shadows yet?
Dan: There certainly is and it’s been a long time coming. We have been patiently crafting and evolving our sound over the past few years and have just put the finishing touches on a new album so it shouldn’t be too long now.
Andrew: There’s just a couple of additional bits and pieces we need to finish up and then we can start planning the release. It’s been a long time coming, but trust us, it’ll be worth the wait.
►What’s coming up for the band (new album, tour etc)?
Dan: Overoth are in a period of transformation at the moment. We are introducing new ideas to both the live performances and the music all the time. As I mentioned before, we have a new album on the way along with our first music video so hopefully we can get that out there soon enough for everyone to hear and see. And even though there’s an album complete, we are already back in intense writing mode at the moment and it is very exciting listening to the new songs take shape. It may not seem like it but behind the scenes, Overoth are more active than we have ever been.
Andrew: It’s weird actually, from the outside, the last thing people know of us is ‘Kingdom Of Shadows’ but behind the scenes there’s so much happening, we’ve a new album recorded, we’ve shot music videos, we’ve started writing another album… In terms of touring, we have no immediate plans. We haven’t toured properly in a couple of years actually, since we’ve been concentrating on other things… going through this period of transformation as Dan said. Personally I’d love to get back on the road though, we just have to focus for now on getting the new album ready for release, and no doubt when the end if in sight for that we’ll hit the dusty trail in support of it.
►Finally, is there anything you’d like to say to any readers considering coming to watch you at Bloodstock?
Andrew: There’s no considering it, just do it [laughs]. No really… if you’re into pop punk don’t bother [laughs]. Seriously, it’d be great to see as many local faces out there at the New Blood Stage supporting their own, not just us, but also By Any Means, and the folks south of the border such as Animator, Dead Label who’ll play on the Sophie Stage and Snowblind who’ll play on the Jager stage. We’ll be preparing a great show, we’re pulling all the stops out for this one so come along and revel in our chaos. Darkness will prevail!
Overoth’s most recent album ‘Kingdom of Shadows’ and other merchandise can be purchased at http://www.overoth.com/
