Bloodstock Bound: Ofnus
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 Jägermeister stages at this years event.
Today we chat with Ofnus!
The Razor's Edge: Please introduce yourself and your band mates.
Ofnus:Hello The Razor’s Edge! We are Ofnus, a Black metal collective from South Wales. Specifically, Alyn Hunter on rhythm guitar (Agrona), James Ponsford on lead guitar (also from Blind Divide), Richard Rees handling the bass (ex-Democratus), Ethan Reed-Spargo on drums (Black Pyre) and William Philpot providing the vocals (also Black Pyre). So, whilst new as a completed band, there’s a wealth of experience unpinning the project that has meant that we can hopefully take the best parts of each to make a cohesive whole.
The Razor's Edge: How would you describe your style of metal?
Ofnus: Difficult one as we want to avoid too much pigeon-holing, but as it’s something of a necessity for various algorithms and ensuring people find your music, probably a hybrid of atmospheric and melodic black metal. There are undoubtedly strong black metal leanings as the basis of the overall sound, but any genre is fair game for what we pull from in terms of influence. There’s symphonic elements, some progressive nuances, nods to doom as well, but a description that we somewhat resonate with is that we have quite a cinematic sound. The ideal vision for us is creating a soundtrack rather than just an accumulation of songs.
The Razor's Edge: How did you land your spot on the Bloodstock bill?
Ofnus: We applied directly to Bloodstock via email for this one, sending them our full mastered album around the same time as we were approaching labels. Having already well-rehearsed the material, we were confident it would translate into a live setting well and didn’t feel put off by the fact that we had yet to perform a live show before submitting. There’s the extra merit that having members of three other bands that have played Bloodstock before probably brought to the table as well, as we understand that it could be a bit of a punt and that certainly mitigated that aspect. We were very fortunate and lucky that out of countless entries that we were chosen, and that definitely gave us some acknowledgement that our confidence in our creation was vindicated. It’s all on us to repay that show of faith now and we completely intend to do so!
The Razor's Edge: What does playing at Bloodstock mean to you?
Ofnus:Most of us are long-time attendees of the festival, so to be invited to perform so early in our band’s existence is big for us. Rich for example has been attending for over 15 years and it’ll be his first time - and he’s ecstatic, we all are really. It’s a sensation that sits neatly between acknowledgement of our journey and a privilege. Not only that but it’ll comfortably be the biggest show we’ve played to date and that’s hopefully something we can build on.
The Razor's Edge: For people who’ve never seen you live, what can they expect at Bloodstock?
Ofnus: A soundtrack to your neglected misery. Powerful anthemic refrains that’ll give you the urge to sink to your knees and claw at the sky. Hope and decay. An enveloping sound to encourage you to embrace and enjoy the parts of yourself that you suppress. As one of our first observers commented to us after our debut show - “Man, you took me on a *redacted* journey man”. All that being said though, we would definitely consider ourselves quite uniquely positioned stylistically in the line-up so far, so if you like things a healthy mixture of epic, sad and heavy, that’s our bread and butter!
The Razor's Edge: What day are you performing?
Ofnus: We will be hitting the stage on the Saturday, hopefully taking advantage of the weekend crowd. There’s some amazing bands performing on the same day, particularly ones that we’d love to see, so we are quietly hopeful that we don’t have too much of a clash.
The Razor's Edge: What other bands are you looking forward to watching at Bloodstock this year?
Ofnus:
Alyn: Abbath and Triptykon on the same day as us for sure. Olve is a riff machine, and the type of character that even when sober, you’re going to get a show and a half. The much lauded Celtic Frost Triptykon set will be something special too. Beyond that I’ll definitely be catching Gaerea, Lokust, OuterGods, Tribe of Ghosts & Tortured Demon, there’s a goldmine of talent on the stages this year if you take the time to listen to them.
Ethan: Helloween! Something about the idea of singing along to Mr Torture brings me an indescribable joy!
Will: I’m definitely looking forward to Triptykon performing Celtic Frost material live, Abbath, Tribulation, Candlemass, Gaerea, and Gutalax for the undoubted hilarity that will ensue.
James: I am most looking forward to seeing KSE and Abbath, though there is an absolute plethora of other bands that I'm excited to see, such as; Triptykon, Decapitated, Tribe of Ghosts and Tortured Demon to name only a few!
Rich: Megadeth, Sacred Reich, Abbath, Triptykon, Helloween, Candlemass, Gutalax.
The Razor's Edge: Playing the New Blood Stage is just the first stepping stone in a bands journey. What’s next in your plans for world domination?
Ofnus: We’ve just announced a show in Birmingham shortly after Bloodstock which promises to be an excellent showcase, and we have some Northern and Southern dates in the pipeline for October that we’re very keen to get announced. As firm believers of keeping the momentum going, we have also already gotten the ball rolling on our next release plans to get over that dreaded second record hurdle that becomes a stumbling block for so many bands, and are well on the way with that. This absolutely cannot be the peak, however as you rightly put it - it is an important stepping stone for us that we hope we can treat more as a slingshot.
The Razor's Edge: Are you camping with the fans? Which campsite are you heading for?
Ofnus: If it’s halfway as hot as it was last year, we’ll be camping with a lot of fans yes…
Poor jokes aside, a few of us are staying at a nearby AirBnB due to various aching limbs and joints. Our vocalist will be camping, likely in Midgard, so may require GPS tagging as we are all too familiar with that camp’s reputation. Our drummer has yet to decide on what his plans are but both options are open to him, depends on whether he also wants geo-tagging…
The Razor's Edge: You’ve gotta keep hydrated at Bloodstock, what is your drink of choice for the weekend?
Ofnus:
Alyn: Probably an ungodly concoction of most of the different flavours of Lilley’s cider combined into a diabetes-inducing soup.
Ethan: I have been informed by my fellow band mate Alyn that Lilley's Cider is available in the VIP area and if they have their peach cider on tap.. I'll be a very happy man!
Rich: Just give me the Jager.
James: I`ve no doubt that I will be perched in the Serpent's Lair tent sampling all of their fine wares. But Lilley's mango cider the entire weekend in truth.
Will: I’m also in the Lilley’s camp, although if it’s cold, I’m pretty happy.
The Razor's Edge: See you at Bloodstock in a few weeks!
Ofnus: To quote our now frequently-memed bassist, we absolutely cannot wait!
