Bloodstock Bound: Sathamel
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 Sathamel
The Razor's Edge: Please introduce yourself and your band mates.
Sathamel: We are Sathamel – a blackened death metal band from Leeds, England. The line up consists of the two founding members, that is myself; Dan, the vocalist, and Nathan who plays guitar. Pat joined the band later to pick up the lead guitar duties along with Michael, who plays drums. The last member who joined was Dale, our bassist.
The Razor's Edge: How would you describe your sound?
Sathamel: Think of a sound you might get if you were inspired by bands such as Behemoth, Watain and Belphegor, then throw in modern sounds and dynamics into the mix. While we respect the conventions of black and death metal, we like to experiment with our sound as well, trying to make it unique for us.
The Razor's Edge: How did you land your spot on the Bloodstock bill?
Sathamel: We have applied via email, and we were lucky to be accepted. I think that having a professional music video to complement our single “Take The Rot” really helped our case. Shout out to Joey at JWA Creations for doing such a good job with the visuals and Sam from Ritual Sound for recording and mastering the track!
The Razor's Edge: What does playing at Bloodstock mean to you?
Sathamel: It is a big milestone for the band and all its members. I remember hearing about Bloodstock back in high school when friends would boast about going to this extreme metal festival during summer to watch all the bands whose posters were hanging on the walls in my bedroom. It is crazy to think that we will attend as performers this year. I think everyone who starts a metal band in the UK fantasises about playing Bloodstock at some point.
The Razor's Edge: For people who’ve never seen you live, what can they expect at Bloodstock?
Sathamel: Somebody who attended one of our most recent shows said that our performance made them feel alive, while they were dealing with a lot of stress and grief outside of the venue. This is it. We hope that our fans feel the same adrenaline as we do when we play.
The Razor's Edge: What day are you performing?
Sathamel: Sunday
The Razor's Edge: What other bands are you looking forward to watching at Bloodstock this year?
Sathamel: All the headliners would be the obvious answer! Bands like Opeth, Satyricon or Amon Amarth have been particularly important to us in our formative years. We will also be checking out Septic Flesh, Whitechapel, Deicide, Malevolance, Igorrr and Crypta, but there are so many other amazing bands on the bill too.
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?
Sathamel: This is the type of a question I have been preparing to answer for many years...
The first step will be taking over the international coffee industry. We have recently dipped our toes in coffee production in a collaboration with Black Coffee Worship, who have created our “The Rot Roast” coffee. Once we own every coffee bean circulating the planet, we will control the rest of the world soon after.
We are also preparing the release of our upcoming EP to solidify Sathamel’s current sound and vision sometime this year. That’s more exciting for us than world domination to be honest.
The Razor's Edge: Are you camping with the fans? Which campsite are you heading for?
Sathamel: We are all aligned with the Midgard site. However, we do like degeneracy, so we will venture into the Valhalla site from time to time.
The Razor's Edge: It’s festival weekend, what’s your food vendor of choice on site?
Sathamel: I vividly remember cuing up to The Wrap Shack each time I went to Bloodstock. Chicken shawarma is often my wrap of choice, but they also cater to my vegan and vegetarian friends, so it is a win for everyone.
