Baelfýr secured their ticket to Bloodstock 2025 by winning the Leicester final of Metal to the Masses. The Peterborough-based blackened death metal outfit give Emily Castles an insight as to what to expect when they play the Timothy Taylor New Blood Stage at Catton Park next month.
Many congratulations on winning Metal 2 the Masses at Firebug in Leicester – were you feeling confident on the night of the final?
Thank you, when you take to the stage at M2TM you have to believe, in that moment, that you’re going to win it and project that confidence for the audience and judges. That’s not to say that we were always supremely confident, we were in the nerve-racking position of being the final competing band and witnessing some really solid performances before us so yes we were confident in our ability but slightly shaken by the quality of the other bands.
What did you make of the M2TM process? What were the highlights?
The whole competition was great from start to finish. The organisation from Simon (Yarwood) and his team was fantastic, and we had amazing crowds and flawless sound at every show. Of course for us the big highlight is winning the competition, but we’re really pleased to have met some wonderful bands and people. We’ve made a home of sorts for ourselves in Leicester where we’ve gained a really dedicated fanbase.
You recently released your single ‘At the Mercy of a Vain God’, have you been pleased with how it’s been received?
The reception of the single has been amazing! We were actually shocked by how quickly it racked up views on YouTube, and other streaming services are following suit, we couldn’t be happier really.
It’s the first single from your upcoming EP ‘Empowered By Hatred’, due to be released on 8 August (the same day you’re playing Bloodstock!). What can we expect from the record?
It’s a fairly diverse release that showcases all the elements of our sound, you’ll hear songs that are predominantly black metal stylistically, followed by ones that are more death metal, with elements of other metal styles blended in. We’d like to think that no two songs sound alike, yet it’s still unmistakably Baelfýr.
How do you find the recording process generally?
Aside from playing live, recording is probably our favourite part of being a band. We make sure to go in to the studio with the songs well rehearsed, so we have as little reworking to do in the studio as possible. We’ve worked with Neil Hudson at Grindfarm Studios on this release as we did on our previous songs and he comes up with some great ideas that lift the songs up for maximum impact. This all comes together to make recording a relatively stress free and fulfilling experience.
Have you been to Bloodstock before? Are you fans?
Some of us have, for others it will be a first. Those of us that have been absolutely love the festival, the people and the bands. We can’t wait to be there, not only to play, but to be part of the Bloodstock community.
What can Bloodstock expect from a Baelfýr set?
We’re going to bring all our energy to that stage and do our best to make it memorable for everyone in attendance. Expect heavy mid-tempo headbanging riffs punctuated by moments of intensity and a palpable feeling of rage throughout.
Finally, are there any bands you’re specifically excited to catch during the weekend?
Almost all of them! It’s difficult to name just a few, of course we want to see all the mainstage headliners, it’s a really strong trio this year, Emperor of course, The Black Dahlia Murder, Obituary, we could continue running off band names until we’ve named the whole lineup.
Baelfýr play at The Metal Monocle in Leicester this Saturday, 5 July. Admission is free. Full details here.
- For all the latest Bloodstock line-up, ticket and travel news, click here.
