First of all congratulations on getting to the final, which this year is the biggest one yet!
1. You’re going to be a part of the inaugural Day of Wreckoning at The Patti Pavilion in Swansea. How does that feel?
It’s surreal. When everything else in the world feels like it’s crumbling, we’re suddenly within reaching distance of a big milestone for the band. We’re excited to showcase our art in front of a massive audience, on a bigger scale than ever before, and with maybe our most crushing sound yet.
It’s also a huge honour – being on an all-day line-up with legends like Raging Speedhorn and Discharge is a real privilege, and we’re proud to represent the Cardiff scene.
2. From what we’ve seen your campaign to get to Bloodstock has been very successful (obviously). How has the experience of this year’s M2TM been for you?
Being a part of this showdown for the very first time was a unique learning experience. It gave us something additional to strive for and united all of our friends and families to support us.
Personally, this has been a road to redemption for the band too, and strengthened our relationship. And sharing our music in a packed venue to appreciative crowds over the competition has been awesome.
3. M2TM is all about supporting your local scene. How important is the local scene to you as a band?
The South Wales scene has been incredibly welcoming over the past year (our first ever show as Thrakian was actually in Fuel last July). A local scene is extremely important to any new band, but we’ve still been absolutely humbled and flattered by the response and support.
We have to thank the many amazing bands – Lung, Froglord, Gévaudan, Phantom Droid, Pantheist, Ofnus and Root Zero (also in the final) – who have offered us a hand and spots on their shows over the last year.
Shout out to the great venues we’ve played in Cardiff, Newport, Swindon and Bristol, too, who support these underground gatherings.
One day we hope to return the favour to other bands who are trying to get exposure.
4. To add to that, how strong do you feel the scene is at the moment?
Despite the cost-of-living crisis and difficulties for independent music venues, the scene feels strong, and that’s down to the dedicated people on the ground making it happen. A strong and united local scene is essential for heavy underground music to thrive, so we’ve been really pleased to see how active and supportive South Wales bands are. We’ve also seen some great new bands with a lot of potential.
We think more and more people have started to realise that it is us, the underground bands, who offer a pure and passionate representation of current experience and life’s struggles and victories.
Over the next few years, we’d love to see the Cardiff metal audience come together to support all local bands and genres, and attend these shows as a unit.
5. What should people expect when you take to the stage at the Patti. It’s a pretty big stage so are there more nerves than playing say Fuel or The Bunkhouse?
Patti Pavilion will definitely be the biggest stage we’ve taken so far, but we’re excited rather than nervous.
We know our show offers something unique and powerful, inspired by and rooted in our Bulgarian ancestry – and we also know how hard we’re working to create something truly unmissable.
Playing such a big stage needs special preparation, especially to capture the raw aggression and energy we bring to smaller venues, but we’ve been doing our research, and focusing our rehearsals on how we will use that space to put on the best show possible.
People can expect huge slabs of filthy post-metal sludge and earth-shaking riffs. Bring ear protection for your ear protection.
We’ve wanted to play an iconic stage of this size for years, so honestly we can’t wait to take it all in. The crowd can look forward to seeing a more buffed-up, vicious and determined Thrakian warrior than ever before.
6. What other bands are you looking forward to seeing on the day?
We’ve played alongside Root Zero and Kill by Mouth before M2TM, so we’re really proud and excited to see them on the big stage. They deserve it.
And as the final is a celebration of the South Wales scene, we’re looking forward to seeing everyone putting on the show of their careers so far.
The line-up is wild, and playing on the same bill as Raging Speedhorn and Discharge is just unreal. We’ll be enjoying the day as music fans as much as competitors.
7. If you were to get to play Bloodstock on the New Blood Stage, how would that feel for you as a band?
It would be a dream coming to fruition after years of hard work. And as we’ve only been playing together in this current line-up for a year, it would be a huge confidence boost and validation of what we’ve created so far.
It would be another big challenge to rise to, but it’ll inspire us to push even further and aim even higher.
8. Would you recommend the M2TM initiative to any band looking to showcase themselves in their scene and further away?
Yes, 100%. The judges, organisers, as well as Musipedia Of Metal (Blushes - Ed), have been extremely supportive and given us lots of useful feedback and advice. Thrakian are a much better band as a result.
The M2TM initiative gives bands an opportunity to face their weaknesses and compete against talented peers for a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Beginner bands need to take any opportunity for exposure they can get, and it’d be hard to beat playing the New Blood Stage at Bloodstock. So even if you don't win, the competition will direct some eyeballs towards you, something we’ve been really grateful for.
We’ve watched our committed Thrakian army grow on our socials and at live shows this year, and that’s been massively boosted by the M2TM platform.
9. In addition to that question. What advice would you give them in order to get where you are?
Of course you need to practise consistently, work hard on your craft, and promote the hell out of each show, but it’s also important to approach the competition as professionals and not underestimate the task ahead.
If you put on a great show, are helpful, cooperative and easy to work with, then M2TM can be a great chance to win new fans, connect with other bands and people in the scene, as well as learning how the business side of things works.
It’s also really important to be analytical about your performances: watch videos back, study your heroes, seek feedback from the judges and friends, try things out in rehearsals and discuss what works and what doesn’t.
Aim to make each show better than the last.
Lastly, you will only stand out if you present something from yourself that is unique and genuine.
It’s also a huge honour – being on an all-day line-up with legends like Raging Speedhorn and Discharge is a real privilege, and we’re proud to represent the Cardiff scene.
2. From what we’ve seen your campaign to get to Bloodstock has been very successful (obviously). How has the experience of this year’s M2TM been for you?
Being a part of this showdown for the very first time was a unique learning experience. It gave us something additional to strive for and united all of our friends and families to support us.
Personally, this has been a road to redemption for the band too, and strengthened our relationship. And sharing our music in a packed venue to appreciative crowds over the competition has been awesome.
3. M2TM is all about supporting your local scene. How important is the local scene to you as a band?
The South Wales scene has been incredibly welcoming over the past year (our first ever show as Thrakian was actually in Fuel last July). A local scene is extremely important to any new band, but we’ve still been absolutely humbled and flattered by the response and support.
We have to thank the many amazing bands – Lung, Froglord, Gévaudan, Phantom Droid, Pantheist, Ofnus and Root Zero (also in the final) – who have offered us a hand and spots on their shows over the last year.
Shout out to the great venues we’ve played in Cardiff, Newport, Swindon and Bristol, too, who support these underground gatherings.
One day we hope to return the favour to other bands who are trying to get exposure.
4. To add to that, how strong do you feel the scene is at the moment?
Despite the cost-of-living crisis and difficulties for independent music venues, the scene feels strong, and that’s down to the dedicated people on the ground making it happen. A strong and united local scene is essential for heavy underground music to thrive, so we’ve been really pleased to see how active and supportive South Wales bands are. We’ve also seen some great new bands with a lot of potential.
We think more and more people have started to realise that it is us, the underground bands, who offer a pure and passionate representation of current experience and life’s struggles and victories.
Over the next few years, we’d love to see the Cardiff metal audience come together to support all local bands and genres, and attend these shows as a unit.
5. What should people expect when you take to the stage at the Patti. It’s a pretty big stage so are there more nerves than playing say Fuel or The Bunkhouse?
Patti Pavilion will definitely be the biggest stage we’ve taken so far, but we’re excited rather than nervous.
We know our show offers something unique and powerful, inspired by and rooted in our Bulgarian ancestry – and we also know how hard we’re working to create something truly unmissable.
Playing such a big stage needs special preparation, especially to capture the raw aggression and energy we bring to smaller venues, but we’ve been doing our research, and focusing our rehearsals on how we will use that space to put on the best show possible.
People can expect huge slabs of filthy post-metal sludge and earth-shaking riffs. Bring ear protection for your ear protection.
We’ve wanted to play an iconic stage of this size for years, so honestly we can’t wait to take it all in. The crowd can look forward to seeing a more buffed-up, vicious and determined Thrakian warrior than ever before.
6. What other bands are you looking forward to seeing on the day?
We’ve played alongside Root Zero and Kill by Mouth before M2TM, so we’re really proud and excited to see them on the big stage. They deserve it.
And as the final is a celebration of the South Wales scene, we’re looking forward to seeing everyone putting on the show of their careers so far.
The line-up is wild, and playing on the same bill as Raging Speedhorn and Discharge is just unreal. We’ll be enjoying the day as music fans as much as competitors.
7. If you were to get to play Bloodstock on the New Blood Stage, how would that feel for you as a band?
It would be a dream coming to fruition after years of hard work. And as we’ve only been playing together in this current line-up for a year, it would be a huge confidence boost and validation of what we’ve created so far.
It would be another big challenge to rise to, but it’ll inspire us to push even further and aim even higher.
8. Would you recommend the M2TM initiative to any band looking to showcase themselves in their scene and further away?
Yes, 100%. The judges, organisers, as well as Musipedia Of Metal (Blushes - Ed), have been extremely supportive and given us lots of useful feedback and advice. Thrakian are a much better band as a result.
The M2TM initiative gives bands an opportunity to face their weaknesses and compete against talented peers for a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Beginner bands need to take any opportunity for exposure they can get, and it’d be hard to beat playing the New Blood Stage at Bloodstock. So even if you don't win, the competition will direct some eyeballs towards you, something we’ve been really grateful for.
We’ve watched our committed Thrakian army grow on our socials and at live shows this year, and that’s been massively boosted by the M2TM platform.
9. In addition to that question. What advice would you give them in order to get where you are?
Of course you need to practise consistently, work hard on your craft, and promote the hell out of each show, but it’s also important to approach the competition as professionals and not underestimate the task ahead.
If you put on a great show, are helpful, cooperative and easy to work with, then M2TM can be a great chance to win new fans, connect with other bands and people in the scene, as well as learning how the business side of things works.
It’s also really important to be analytical about your performances: watch videos back, study your heroes, seek feedback from the judges and friends, try things out in rehearsals and discuss what works and what doesn’t.
Aim to make each show better than the last.
Lastly, you will only stand out if you present something from yourself that is unique and genuine.
* This last question was invented by Mr Paul Hutchings who sent the Heat interviews so it’s an homage*
10. As we are a Welsh publication and this is M2TM South Wales. The final question is: What is your favourite sheep?
Three-way tie: Dorset poll, Shetland, Portland Lamb.
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