Baelfyr Interview 12/06/2025
MM:How does it feel to be playing at Bloodstock? What does this festival mean to you?
Playing at Bloodstock has been a dream for about as long as we've all been metal fans, it's the biggest metal gathering in the UK and being given the chance to showcase our music in front of one of the most dedicated audiences possible is a huge opportunity that we don't take lightly. We can't wait to get on the stage and feel the energy that the crowd gives off and feed that energy back in a big way.
MM:What can fans expect from your set—any surprises or special moments planned?
The best thing about our set is that there aren't any real surprises, we're a blackened death metal band and that's what you're going to get, half an hour of heavy tunes headbanging and moshpits with no pretentions or delusions of grandeur. However the special moment coinciding with our Bloodstock appearance is the release of our new EP "Empowered By Hatred" on the same day, so the fans can celebrate with us.
MM:How do you prepare for a festival performance compared to a club or tour show?
Preparations for Bloodstock are slightly different, when we play a club show there's, at most, 5 bands playing and we do our part to bring in the people we can. The difference with Bloodstock is, the event is already sold out, people will be there whether we're playing or not so our job now is to make people aware of who we are, where/when we're playing and why they should come and see us, so we're doing a lot of brainstorming as to how we can promote ourselves in a memorable way so that come Friday morning, people remember to come to the New Blood Stage.
Aside from that we're trying to not be overcome by the enormity of the situation we find ourselves in, we'll keep gigging, practicing, tightening everything up and making sure that our set up and breakdown times are on point.
MM:Are there any bands on the lineup you're excited to see or share the stage with?
This years lineup is incredible, there are so many bands playing over the weekend who have been big influences for us. We're playing on the Friday so we're really hoping we don't clash with Emperor at all, but we'll be done in time to see Trivium. Obituary and Kataklysm, both headlining separate nights on the Sophie Lancaster Stage, are big ones that we'll be wanting to catch, as well as The Black Dahlia Murder, Rivers of Nihil and of course Gojira.
As far as The New Blood Stage goes, we're looking forward to sharing the stage with The Machinist, who we'll have played with prior to Bloodstock as well as Vmbra and Thunarwulf. Of course with so many more bands to be announced, we'll be keeping our eyes open for more that we'd like to see.
MM:Can you tell us about your latest release and how it reflects your evolution as a band?
Our latest single "At the Mercy of a Vain God" is the opening track to our upcoming EP "Empowered By Hatred" which releases on the 8th of August, its an indictment of religious hypocrisy and a look at the condemnation of those who are genuinely good and well meaning but hold no belief in a higher power.
I wouldn't say there's been a conscious effort to evolve on this EP but more so to refine the sound that we'd already established in our previous two singles. We've also made an effort to not be tied down to a singular idea of what blackened death metal is, so you'll find that the EP is quite varied in terms of style.
MM:What themes or messages drive your songwriting?
Our lyrics strike a balance between personal and societal issues including mental health, abuse, the destruction of nature, we certainly try to maintain a focus on real world issues.
MM:How do you balance raw aggression with melody and atmosphere in your music?
It comes with what's right for the song and the message in the lyrics, our influences come pouring out from the Florida death metal scene, Scandinavian and European metal scenes and every iteration of heavy music from the UK, elements from all of those have taught us how to play, write and what we enjoy in music.
MM:Are there any influences outside of metal that shape your sound?
Only in as much as the influences you have when you first start forging your own musical listening journey, the songs that got you to first pick up the guitar, bas, drums or to start singing, The influence starts there but not necessarily shaping our sound as it is now. There's also the fact that most of us grew up in homes where our parents were rock and early metal fans, its only natural that we would then seek out more extreme forms of the music we grew up with.
MM:If you could collaborate with any artist—metal or otherwise—who would it be?
Collectively, we'd like to link up with one of the bands we've met as we've gigging, Sathamel spring to mind as a band that would work really well with our sound, Break Them could be a really interesting mix of sounds too and being another up and coming Peterborough band, this could be realistically achieved.
MM:What’s the wildest or most memorable moment you’ve had on stage?
Having a decent sized mosh pit and a Metal 2 the Masses win on the same say was pretty wild.
MM: If you could only listen to two albums for a year, which would you choose?
(Allan)
Harakiri For The Sky - Arson
Woods of Ypres - Woods 5: Grey Skies and Electric Light
(Harry)
Morbid Angel - Gateways to Annihilation
Iron Maiden - A Matter of Life and Death
(Lorraine)
Wintersun - The Forest of Seasons
Insomnium - Heart Like a Grave
(Tom)
Heart of a Coward - Severance
Wardruna - Yggdrasil
(Zak)
Pedro the Lion - Control
Vola - Inmazes
MM: First album you ever owned ?
(Allan) Paparoach - Infest
(Harry) Eminem - The Eminem Show
(Lorraine) Eminem - The Marshall Mathers LP
(Tom) Metallica - Ride the Lightning
(Zak) P.O.D - The Fundamental Elements of Southtown
MM: Last song you listened to today
(Allan) Nile - Hittite Dung Incantation
(Harry) Demigod - Slumber of Sullen Eyes
(Lorraine) Wintersun Eternal Darkness
(Tom) Gaerea - World Ablaze
(Zak) Malice Mizer - Au Revoir
MM:How do you see the future of extreme metal evolving, both in the UK and globally?
we're going to take the, perhaps unpopular, stance that metal needs to take a step back in many ways and rediscover its roots, so much of modern metal seems like a competition, who can play the fastest, heaviest, who can make the most insane vocal sound and so many bands are chasing that next viral moment, however while we've been gigging around the UK we've played with many bands who are pushing the genre forward in creative and often genre bending ways, we think that the future of metal perhaps lies in taking influences from outside the metal scene.
MM:Thanks for your time. Do you have any final words for your fans and our readers?
We'd just like to say a big thank you to anyone who's taken the time to listen to us, come and see us live, buy merch and generally support us on our journey and thank you all for supporting live music in local venues, you make the difference in keeping local venues open, so please do go and see small bands when they roll through your local venue, you never know who the next Bloodstock headliner will be, so don't miss the opportunity to see them on day one.
Baelfyr (@baelfyr_band) • Instagram photos and videos
