Bloodstock Bound: Root Zero
As Bloodstock gets closer, we delve deep into the line up to find out more about some of the bands playing the New Blood and EMP stages at this years event.
Today we chat with Root Zero
The Razor's Edge: Please introduce yourself and your band mates.
Root Zero: I'm Llyr, one of the guitarists, and also in the band are our lead vocalist Sasha, second vocalist and keyboardist Giacomo, second guitarist Wren, Rob on bass and our drummer Josh.
The Razor's Edge: How would you describe your sound?
Root Zero: With great difficulty haha. The simplest way I can put it is Anathema if they really really liked Karnivool but I'm sure the others would describe it by other influences like Type O Negative, Alcest, Opeth etc.
The Razor's Edge: How did you land your spot on the Bloodstock bill?
Root Zero: We were very fortunate to win the South Wales Metal to the Masses at the finals in Swansea's Patti Pavilion.
The Razor's Edge: How tough was this years M2TM competition?
Root Zero: Ridiculously tough honestly. There's so many powerhouse bands that not only got through to finals but throughout the competition. There's too many to name from Cardiff alone, and we're not too familiar with the Swansea heats but from the caliber of the bands that made it to the finals it was obviously tough as nails.
The Razor's Edge: What does playing at Bloodstock mean to you?
Root Zero: So much honestly. We entered Metal to the Masses for the first time two years ago as a very inexperienced band, and to be going through this year is just a payoff of how much we've been working to improve our performance over that time. It's been such a strong wave of emotions even in these few days after the result, and I can imagine the nerves are only going to build up from here. Regardless, it's going to be an amazing weekend.
The Razor's Edge: For people who’ve never seen you live, what can they expect at Bloodstock?
Root Zero: A lot of nervous energy being burned off. It always happens to us that we get really shaky before getting onstage but as soon as we're up and the sound is sorted, we can't help but just try and give the best we have in terms of energy. Also riffs. Lots of riffs.
The Razor's Edge: What day are you performing?
Root Zero: Unsure as of yet, we're just waiting for the advancing details to come through. The day and time will be on our socials as soon as we know, so for anyone interested, keep an eye out on our Facebook (RootZeroUK) and Instagram (rootzero_official)
The Razor's Edge: What other bands are you looking forward to watching at Bloodstock this year?
Root Zero: The undisputed #1 among the whole band is Green Lung, but we also really want to catch Opeth, Soen, Clutch, Igorrr, Enslaved, Sylosis and so many others.
The Razor's Edge: Playing the New Blood Stage is just the first steppingstone in a bands journey. What’s next in your plans for world domination?
Root Zero: We've got a full length album due to come out hopefully later in the year; not sure I can divulge the name yet, but we'll potentially be looking to do a short UK tour in support of that. Apart from that we're just hoping to meet loads of new people at the Bloodstock campsites and PR area to try to get the word out.
The Razor's Edge: Are you camping with the fans? Which campsite are you heading for?
Root Zero: Absolutely, we've got a bunch of mates that had planned to go to Bloodstock anyway so we'll be following wherever they go, which is likely to be wherever the party is haha.
The Razor's Edge: It’s festival weekend, what’s your food vendor of choice on site?
Root Zero: Perfect Pizza has caught my eye honestly, but most of us in the band are veggie and had great food at Bunnyman's Bunny Chow at last year's Arctangent fest!
