Hello. How are you?
The doctor said I’ll live. (Adam)
What can you tell me about Hellblind and the story behind how they formed?
All the band members were connected before Hellblind, the pandemic helped us to connect the dots and make the band a reality. Let’s just say ‘the scars aligned’. Any new band has to live through making a lot of mistakes and dealing with a fuck ton of disappointments. We’ve all been around the block a few times, so thankfully we don’t have to live through any of that. (Mark)
The doctor said I’ll live. (Adam)
What can you tell me about Hellblind and the story behind how they formed?
All the band members were connected before Hellblind, the pandemic helped us to connect the dots and make the band a reality. Let’s just say ‘the scars aligned’. Any new band has to live through making a lot of mistakes and dealing with a fuck ton of disappointments. We’ve all been around the block a few times, so thankfully we don’t have to live through any of that. (Mark)
Hellblind is formed by former members of Pitchshifter, Romeo Must Die and, such as yourself. Stampin’Ground. How have you managed to combine those different sounds into Hellblind?
We all bring something different to the table, which is why the band as a whole work so well together when we’re songwriting. We wanted to do something completely different and challenging for ourselves and our fans. (Mark)
Hellblind have a new album out now called ‘A Plague On All Your Houses’, what can you tell me about it, and what listeners can expect?
It’s the first batch of songs we’ve worked on together so there is no comfy formula or regular habits that we’re reverting to. We wrote what we wanted to hear without regard for what anyone may want or expect from us - to my ears it fuckin slams, we wouldn’t have put it out if it didn’t deliver. (Adam)
We all bring something different to the table, which is why the band as a whole work so well together when we’re songwriting. We wanted to do something completely different and challenging for ourselves and our fans. (Mark)
Hellblind have a new album out now called ‘A Plague On All Your Houses’, what can you tell me about it, and what listeners can expect?
It’s the first batch of songs we’ve worked on together so there is no comfy formula or regular habits that we’re reverting to. We wrote what we wanted to hear without regard for what anyone may want or expect from us - to my ears it fuckin slams, we wouldn’t have put it out if it didn’t deliver. (Adam)
What is behind the title? It is an interesting name for an album
Let’s just say it’s a nod to Shakespeare, the bible, and the recent pandemic (Mark)
How would you describe the sound on the album?
I’m personally lobbying record shops to introduce a new section called ‘Unfinished Business Core’, but if that doesn't work out, we'll settle for Metalcore (Mark)
Hellblind recently released their debut single ‘Hitched’, What can you tell me about that, and how it contributes to the album?
'Hitched' has a different feel to anything I have previously been involved with, I’d say there are definitely elements of the song that we’ll be expanding on going forward in our quest for a definitive “Hellblind” sound. It’s definitely a ground shaker. (Adam)
What was the recording and writing process like in the build-up to the album being made?
The music was a group effort, myself, Charley and Mark came up with riffs and ideas. It was then over to Will; he's got a real talent for arrangement, and he hears the riffs very differently to how the rest of us do. Adam then writes all the lyrics and we then all throw in our ideas for vocal phrasing. So, between us, it works really well. We came up with a lot of the ideas for the songs when the rehearsal rooms and studios were closed during lockdown. And then we smashed it all together when we could all get into a room, legally of course! (Paul)
Scott Atkins, who has worked with Cradle of Filth and Venom Prison, produced this album. What role did he play on the band and the overall sound?
Paul has worked with Scott for many years and as the old saying goes. ‘if it’s not broke, don’t fix it’. There was no other choice for the sound that we had in our heads, it had to be Scott! (Mark)
Do you have any favourite track on the EP?
Strangely we all agreed straight away that 'Evileye' should open the record, and after that it was straight into the arguing about the next favourite song, don't even ask me how long it took us to agree on a band name! (Paul)
What was behind the idea to make your debut release an EP in contrast to a LP?
We wanted to go straight for the jugular, no fat, no half-arsed songs, no bullshit. (Mark)
Does the band intend to tour the new release in the future?
We wanna tour eventually but right now our focus is on writing another EP. Don’t get me wrong we’d love to jump on some shows and show what we got but with one EP released I think it will be just that - sporadic shows. I don’t wanna spend two months in a van to play 16 minutes a day. (Adam)
Do you see much difference performing with a band of musicians that have performed with other bands, in contrast to performing in your own band?
No, I think once you’ve been in a band for even a short period of time, you get to know each other really well, and you start to know what people will think and how they will feel and react to stuff. It’s kind of like telekinesis. It’s great because you save so much time and can just get on with it! (Mark)
And what are the aspirations for Hellblind?
I think we mean to maintain our present course, keep writing crushing tunes with no regard for what anyone else thinks. (Adam)
Let’s just say it’s a nod to Shakespeare, the bible, and the recent pandemic (Mark)
How would you describe the sound on the album?
I’m personally lobbying record shops to introduce a new section called ‘Unfinished Business Core’, but if that doesn't work out, we'll settle for Metalcore (Mark)
Hellblind recently released their debut single ‘Hitched’, What can you tell me about that, and how it contributes to the album?
'Hitched' has a different feel to anything I have previously been involved with, I’d say there are definitely elements of the song that we’ll be expanding on going forward in our quest for a definitive “Hellblind” sound. It’s definitely a ground shaker. (Adam)
What was the recording and writing process like in the build-up to the album being made?
The music was a group effort, myself, Charley and Mark came up with riffs and ideas. It was then over to Will; he's got a real talent for arrangement, and he hears the riffs very differently to how the rest of us do. Adam then writes all the lyrics and we then all throw in our ideas for vocal phrasing. So, between us, it works really well. We came up with a lot of the ideas for the songs when the rehearsal rooms and studios were closed during lockdown. And then we smashed it all together when we could all get into a room, legally of course! (Paul)
Scott Atkins, who has worked with Cradle of Filth and Venom Prison, produced this album. What role did he play on the band and the overall sound?
Paul has worked with Scott for many years and as the old saying goes. ‘if it’s not broke, don’t fix it’. There was no other choice for the sound that we had in our heads, it had to be Scott! (Mark)
Do you have any favourite track on the EP?
Strangely we all agreed straight away that 'Evileye' should open the record, and after that it was straight into the arguing about the next favourite song, don't even ask me how long it took us to agree on a band name! (Paul)
What was behind the idea to make your debut release an EP in contrast to a LP?
We wanted to go straight for the jugular, no fat, no half-arsed songs, no bullshit. (Mark)
Does the band intend to tour the new release in the future?
We wanna tour eventually but right now our focus is on writing another EP. Don’t get me wrong we’d love to jump on some shows and show what we got but with one EP released I think it will be just that - sporadic shows. I don’t wanna spend two months in a van to play 16 minutes a day. (Adam)
Do you see much difference performing with a band of musicians that have performed with other bands, in contrast to performing in your own band?
No, I think once you’ve been in a band for even a short period of time, you get to know each other really well, and you start to know what people will think and how they will feel and react to stuff. It’s kind of like telekinesis. It’s great because you save so much time and can just get on with it! (Mark)
And what are the aspirations for Hellblind?
I think we mean to maintain our present course, keep writing crushing tunes with no regard for what anyone else thinks. (Adam)
Interview conducted by Anselm Anderson
You can listen to 'A Plague on all Houses' via this link here. It is available now via all major streaming platforms.
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Social Media Accounts.
Website: https://hellblind.bandcamp.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hellblinduk
Twitter: https://twitter.com/hellblinduk
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hellblinduk/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hellblinduk
Twitter: https://twitter.com/hellblinduk
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hellblinduk/
Great interview! :)
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