Interview with AXEBLOOD

!!!BLACK METAL FROM THE USA!!!

Welcome to the FILTHY DOGS OF METAL Webzine.

Tell us a few things about AXEBLOOD (Members, Starting Year etc).
Axeblood started in 2018 as a weekend bender fueled by malt liquor and cheap bourbon. I am the sole member of the band. In the haitus of my main band Goat War, I decided to revive the name and make a serious effort with it this time.  There's a reason why the best war metal bands only have one or two albums, so i have since moved past that genre. Axeblood is now a dedicated band where I can focus all my songwriting ideas that don't fit anywhere else and are entirely my own.

You have recently released your EP ''Axblut''. What is the feedback from your audience as well as from the press?
Other than a few small YouTube channels this is the first press reception I've seen for it. All feedback has been overwhelming positive, I just need to get better at marketing.

Label or DIY and why?
I have always taken the DIY approach. Axblut was written, performed, recorded, mixed, and mastered entirely by me. The only contribution from another is the Axeblood logo done by the wonderful Warhead Art. Dick Nekrowulf, my compatriot in Goat War, and I have started a DIY tape label Patriarch of Nuclear Holocaust to release our various bands until Goat War can get back together.

Is there any funny or weird story from the recordings or from your live shows that you would like to share with us?
I couldn't decide which take to use on one of the solos on Acquiescence, and while listening back I accidentally left both takes unmuted. It sounded fantastic so I panned them hard left and right and kept it in. Definitely a big improvement.

Do you prefer Vinyl, Tape, CD or Digital Format and why is that?
Vinyl is my preferred listening format but tapes allow bands like Axeblood to release on a physical medium that the audience can still connect to on a realistic budget. Recording to tape also provides all the compression and mastering a black metal band needs.

Your music style is Black Metal. Which are your main influences (Favourite Artists / Bands etc.)
Axeblood was originally a drunken tribute to Blasphemy and Beherit but has since evolved.  The current sound is inspired by greats such as Absu, Destroyer 666, Spite Extreme Wing, Mortuary Drape, Darkened Nocturn Slaughtercult, Zemial, Ares Kingdom, and Order from Chaos, as well as Thin Lizzy, Angel Witch, Rory Gallagher,and Manilla Road amongst others. Axblut was also heavily inspired by the German painter Casper David Friedrich, minus the Christianity.

Which things do you think a band should sacrifice in order to succeed? Have you ever sacrificed anything in your life for a better future for your band?
Successful bands all need to choose to abandon something that regular folks take for granted, usually some sort of social norm. Either a career, relationships, friendships, etc. Although I have a steady career and relationship, whenever I began writing in preparation for the next release I have to abandon all extra activities and any form of a social life until it is complete.  This is especially true for bands like Axeblood where the entire process is done by one person. However, I think that isolation is a key aspect to the finished sound.

Describe your ideal live show as a performance band. Have you already experienced that?
A combination of total rock and roll like Midnight mixed with the ritual of someone like Watain.  Devil Master comes pretty close to an ideal show. Axeblood has no current plans to perform live but it's not totally off the table.

What attributes do you think that a new Black Metal Band should have in order to gain identity and be unique?
In regards to production and recording, the most important aspect is to buck modern trends and give up attempting to sound like anyone or anything else. If you're trying to sound like what social media tells you to sound like then you're missing the point(unless they're telling you to record analog!) In regards to songwriting, Black metal has more cookie cutter bullshit than most genres, but it also has more avant garde trash than most genres. I'd take a band that knows how to steal a riff over a band that has nothing but riffless wankery any day. To quote Fenriz "There's way too much black and there's too little metal".

Do you believe that Digital Platforms help the new Black Metal Bands? Which, do you think, is the ideal way for a band to promote its work?
Promotion is definitely my weak point but I think social media can be a good tool.  The problem is that most black metal bands are filled with members who have stunted social skills.

Do you see any differences between the US Metal Market & the EU Metal Market (Labels, Bands, Fans etc)?
The US has plenty of good underground metal(such as Iron Firmament and Mitternacht) but it seems like the scene relies much more on the Internet to stay together.  From what I've seen of the EU metal scene there appears to be a bigger focus on in person gatherings and general partying.

Tell us a few things about the New Underground Metal Scene in Rockford, Illinois (Bands, Fanzines, Webzines, Metal Clubs etc.)
Rockford, Illinois does not have much in the way of underground metal, most of the metal scene never rid itself of the -core cancer of the 2000s. It seems like it's slowing changing for the better however, but I'm not too involved in it.  The only decent metal club we had in nearby Belvidere collapsed on top of me at a Morbid Angel show in 2023, I guess they were too heavy for us.

Do you know anything about the Hellenic Metal Scene?
Hellenic metal is amazing! They really understand how to write a riff and have a solid rock and roll foundation.  Rotting Christ, Zemial, Varathron, all great.  I'm very excited about the recent reformation of Absu with Zemial, hoping to see both bands perform sometime soon. Greek metal is rivaled only by Italian metal in regards to originality.

In the last 4 years, worldwide in the world, we have faced many dark, strange, and new situations in our everyday lives (covid, lockdown, etc.). Did all of this affect you positively or negatively?
Mostly positive. I was lucky enough to keep slaving away during the pandemic so I did not have to sell off any of my cherished war gear. Rockford is not a very big place so social distancing and all of that did not affect too much. Touring bands skipped going to Chicago after lock downs because of their covid restrictions, and many elected to come out to nearby Belvidere (before a tornado took out the club).

What are your future plans?
Axeblood is planning on releasing a demo before the end of the year and is hoping to release a split sometime after. I have a few other bands in the works, hopefully we can keep the drummers from disappearing on us this time.  They'll be released on our DIY label Patriarch of Nuclear Holocaust.

Thank you very much for your time & keep up the good work! The closure is yours.
Thank you for the interview. Listen to Axblut on my Bandcamp page and send me a message on Instagram, links below.
https://axeblood.bandcamp.com/album/axblut
https://www.instagram.com/juliusbloodaxe/profilecard/?igsh=MWdsaTFwaGlicGxpMw==

By Steve the Filthy Dog.