Bloodstock M2TM South Wales Interviews: Hateful Dread West Heat #4 The Bunkhouse, 08.03.26

 Interview With Hateful Dread West Heat #4 The Bunkhouse, 08.03.26

1. Please introduce yourself for anyone who may not know you. Tell us a little bit more about you as a band.

We are Hateful Dread, South Wales Doom at its finest. We have been together with our current lineup since October 2024 and have been making noise on the local scene ever since. We blend distorted sound with heavy metal and create what Google described as music for the end of the world. We are playing Hard Rock Hell Spring Break in March 2026 and cannot wait to share our music with a new crowd.

2. What made you want to participate in the Metal To The Masses South Wales 2026 campaign? Have you had previous experience? Or is this your first time?

We want the exposure that not only playing but winning will bring. We believe our heavy sound in perfect for Bloodstock having been a few times. We are new to the scene and M2TM is a great way to network with other bands some of which we have already played with.

3. M2TM is all about supporting your local scene. How important is the local scene to you as a band?

So far everything, people have given us opportunities and we have yet failed to disappoint. Supporting the other bands and them supporting us has helped us to no end.

4. We have a slightly different set up this year with Heats/Quarters/Semis taking place at Green Rooms/Bunkhouse. Have you played the venue before or is this your first time? Are you excited to get on those stages?

We played The Bunkhouse in September supporting Heavy On The Ride

5. What are your expectations from being a part of M2TM?

As a band we expect some stuff competition which will help us improve down the line. We would love the chance to play in front of a huge crowd at Bloodstock and even hopefully open up other opportunities across the UK.

6. What would getting to our Day Of Wreckoning final and the possibility of playing Bloodstock Festival 2026 mean to you?

Both would be fantastic experiences personally and professionally, it was one of my personal goals when joining Hateful Dread.

7. We encourage all the bands in M2TM to try and check out the other bands, who are you most looking forward to? Who should your fans also try to catch?

Pvriah are amazing we have played with them before also Mould are great the young singer has a great voice and the band have a heavy sound.

8. Tell us in five words why people should come and see your band.

Psychedelic Doom, steeped in Dread

Bloodstock M2TM South Wales Interviews: Risperidrone - East Heat #3 Green Rooms, 06.03.26

Interview With Risperidrone - East Heat #3 Green Rooms, 06.03.26



1. Please introduce yourself for anyone who may not know you. Tell us a little bit more about you as a band.

We are Risperidrone, a four-piece from Cardiff and we play doom metal with a touch of groove and a sprinkle of psychedelic/proggy elements. If we can get a few stank faces going in the audience then we know we’ve done our job.

We’ve been playing together for almost 3 years now in our current line up of Giacomo Fiderio on vocals, Wigg Grant on guitar, Tom Kirkby on the drums and Rob Edwards on bass.

2. What made you want to participate in the Metal To The Masses South Wales 2026 campaign? Have you had previous experience? Or is this your first time?

We've got a fair bit of experience now with M2TM, and there's a reason we keep coming back, it's always great fun and everyone brings their A game! We've participated in our current line up in 2024 and 2025, as well as in 2022 with our previous singer, and a couple of us have had some success in other bands, so by this point we're all pretty familiar with the competition!

3. M2TM is all about supporting your local scene. How important is the local scene to you as a band?

The local scene is really important to us, without it we wouldn't get to have fun doing what we do! We've discovered a lot of incredible bands through being part of the scene, and made a lot of friends too! It's always been very supportive to us, and M2TM always feels like a big event for the scene so it's great to take part

4. We have a slightly different set up this year with Heats/Quarters/Semis taking place at Bunkhouse/Green Rooms. Have you played the venue before or is this your first time? Are you excited to get on those stages?

We're fairly familiar with both of the venues that are involved this year, having played both Green Rooms and Bunkhouse a fair few times over the last couple of years.We've not been back to Green Rooms since the new stage has been put in, so we're excited to get up on there! And Bunkhouse is where we played our very first gig as a band and we always love going back there

5. What are your expectations from being a part of M2TM?

Based on our previous experience with M2TM, we're expecting that however far we make it, it will be a blast. High energy crowds, elevated performances from all of the bands, and despite the competitive element of the event, we've always experienced a really friendly atmosphere that feels more like the local scene coming together to celebrate how much talent there is! We're hoping to discover some new bands and make some connections that we can hopefully get gigging with in the future!

6. What would getting to our Day Of Wreckoning final and the possibility of playing Bloodstock Festival 2026 mean to you?

It would be absolutely awesome to make it to the Day of Wreckoning, a few of us have been in attendance at the finals for the last few years, and since the Day of Wreckoning has come into being, it's absolutely elevated the whole feel of the finals, it really feels like a step up and the chance to play on that bigger stage would be awesome!

And I think it goes without saying, we would all love to be able to play Bloodstock this year! Most of us have been several times to Bloodstock so we've all got a lot of love for it, and Rob, Wigg and Tom are all planning to be there either way, it would be all the sweeter if we were able to play there as well!

7. We encourage all the bands in M2TM to try and check out the other bands, who are you most looking forward to? Who should your fans also try to catch?

We've played with Mould a couple of times and they are seriously impressive, especially considering how recently they've started playing, they're like South Wales' very own Eyehategod! Pvriah are fantastic as well, and Manumit! In our heat as well, we're excited to see Exaust again, they were awesome at last years M2TM!

8. Tell us in five words why people should come and see your band?

Fuzz, swamp ape, more fuzz

Reviews: Weedpecker, Wille And The Bandits, Izzy And The Black Trees, Plagued (Rich Piva, Mark Young, Cherie Curtis & Matt Bladen)

Weedpecker - V (Heavy Psych Sounds) [Rich Piva]

There are not many bands out there where the name of the band does not match their music much more than Weedpecker. If you were unaware of the majestic beauty of their four records previous to their new one, aptly titled V, you would think they were another pot obsessed stoner band looking for new things to use as bongs and then write songs about the experience. Not that there’s anything wrong with that, some of my favourite songs are about the love of the magic plant. 

Weedpecker, however, are something completely different, and somewhat indescribable when trying to put their sound into words. Proggy, spacy, psych stoner rock with all sorts of stuff swirling around at any given time would be my elevator pitch if someone asked me what the band sounds like. That can mean a lot of different things to different people, but for the Polish band’s latest, let’s use words like epic, beautiful, and breath-taking and start from there.

The instrumental intro leads into Fading Whispers, which is pretty much what the song sounds like. A slow burn, atmospheric, Floyd inspired trip is what's going on here. At least until the track really kicks in and you are in outer space on a rocket blasting Hawkwind as loud as it can go. The Floyd thing still stands, but it is more like Floyd via Rush. Yes, the track is very synth heavy, but boy does it work. The vocals are amazing and the production is super clean, but not overdone or too shiny. The drum work on this song and all of V is excellent. This track is eleven minutes of perfection. 

 It is hard to follow up the opener, but they try with Ash. We are still on the Floyd path here, maybe even more so than on the last track, but then the riffs get chunky, and you can tell these guys still like to turn it up and bring the heavy. The guitar work stands out on this track for sure. Great stuff. There is so much going on in these compositions, as the dudes in Weedpecker are true masters of their craft, but it is never too much. 

In The Dark We Shine is like a psych whisper, with harmonized vocals that hypnotize and great acoustic guitar work. This one is for the shroom crowd for sure. As mentioned before, the band can still rock, which is what the proggy Mirrors brings. Synth driven but still the heaviest song on the record, this one is like a Yes and Rush combo project, but while all parties involved are tripping. Oh, and when the pace picks up at the end? Killer stuff. V closes with The Last Summer Of Youth, another song that sounds like its name. A gentle, harmonized, psych trip, it is the ultimate comedown track, a perfect way to close this mind bending experience out.

Some may say V is a bit too synth heavy. They may say the songs are too long. Or maybe they just don’t like beautiful, complex, epic compositions where you hear something new and amazing every time you listen to it. I can’t help those people, but I wish them the best, because the six tracks Weedpecker brings on V make up a new instant classic that should be experienced by all. 10/10

Wille And The Bandits - Salt Roots (Self-Released) [Mark Young]

When Joe Bonamassa drops praise on a band, especially one from the UK you tend to take notice. Whilst blues rock is not something that I would normally listen to; I’m trying to make a conscious effort to listen to music that sits outside the extreme genre and try to flex my musical tastes a bit.

More importantly, the album and associated UK tour is in partnership with Surfers Against Sewage.

Wheal Jane, the curtain raiser observes what I believe to be the standard form; quiet and restrained into loud chorus, and in that respect it doesn't disappoint. It has that feel to it, a sense of authenticity that it's presented from a place of honesty and so it shines through the material. The slide guitar is gorgeous (Well, Joe did say) and as a result it's a solid opener. They let loose a little on Trouble round the bend, which is all about getting you up and moving. Live, you can see these two as the opening 1-2, the latter’s choice of those chords setting it up in anthemic territory.

That sense of getting warmed up continues with King Kong, whose groove is as monstrous as the titular Ape himself. In some respects, it's like they have taken the handbrake off and started to enjoy the trip without moving too far away from blues rock umbrella. What doesn't disappoint is the voice of Wille, constantly delivering earnest and powerful vocals that never dominate the music on each track. The quality is consistent as we move into the closing stages; Know My Name keeps that swagger in place whilst Saul Away (The Mayflower) is this album’s ‘hold your phone up’ moment.

Alas, everything ends, and with Homeward Bound they close things out nicely. It's the pacing that works so well, because It's in balance with the rest of the album, it doesn't try to go down a different path or do something different. They are just good songs, written from an honest place and played with passion. I mentioned that my knowledge of UK blues-rock is limited, but I know who Joe Bonamassa is. And in his comments about this band, he’s 100% correct. 7/10

Izzy And The Black Trees – Kisses To Chaos (Antena Krzyku) [Cherie Curtis]

What sets Izzy And The Black Trees apart is their creative build on curated clashing. Throughout this album we have high frequency and sharp guitars needled in, its thin piercing and jittery which contrasts the vocals and slowly brings another level of atmosphere to what we initially hear. This contrast works as it keeps us on our toes as we can't comfortably settle; the vocals and lyrical theme are trying to frantically tell us one story while the instrumentals sell us another.

The vocals add an interesting layer. It’s the typical bold, clear and raw punk sound with lots of repetition and an emotive spoken word delivery that builds tension and energy in the way we expect from this genre by adding some emotional urgency which is enhanced by subtle complexities of the instrumentals. The vocals cut through the track like a knife, and the rest politely takes the back seat for this one.

Izzy And The Black Trees give a quiet seethe of contained anger and trades in aggressive eruptions of choruses and riff heavy breakdowns that we are used too, for highly concentrated layers of lead and backing vocals being the main source of energy and a blur of sounds of different pitches and paces coming from the instrumentals as an undercurrent which creates a disorienting slurry than an abrasive drop.

Marseille is a personal favourite of mine; it has a slow and alluring creep to it which is slightly different to what the other tracks in this album offers and I love a good set refresh. Its delivery is clear and repetitive with a sarcastic edge that feels smooth and hypnotic that swells like a breeze on a gloomy day, while being less energetic than the others, it still has an exciting build but it’s more patient.

Kisses Of Chaos is worth a listen. They are polished and deliberate and set in a style that's unique to them. They are paving their own way by toeing the line between predictable and experimental without it being obvious. At first i wasn’t sure if anything stuck out to me but as time went on i picked up the subtle intricacies that kept me interested.

Overall, it's a solid album - a great casual listen. It’s flashy but fundamentally simple and Izzy And The Black Trees wield that simplicity like a weapon, by stripping back the usual punk rock noise and prioritizing a creative vocal delivery over technical prowess we have a great indie rock / punk rock fusion album which gets you grooving. 7/10

Plagued - Rotting Dominions (Self Released) [Matt Bladen]

It's not often that band that are only a few years old manage to get the legend that is Dan Swanö to master their debut EP but that's exactly what East Anglian death metal unit Plagued have done. A good thing that their music is steeped in the gore-soaked Swedeath of Bloodbath, along with that modern old-school death of bands such as Gatecreeper and Creeping Death, adding all kinds of other audio nastiness across five tracks.

That Swanö master means that these chainsaw riffs feel like they're tearing at your flesh from the beginning of Boneshaper. Plagued are obsessed with the riff, all of their songs are anchored by them, one moment they are blasting away with ferocious speed, then in an instance it shifts into a heavy grind, as a stomp such as Sporebone can so easily segue into the modern hardcore influenced death of Malediction and beatdown heavy Fentylation.

Dragging you into these Rotting Dominions, Plagued make sure to soundtrack it with some old school death, vast landscapes of crumbling infrastructure, demolished by the crushing riffs and guttural vocals of this English death crew. 8/10

Reviews: Rob Zombie, Mývalyĭr, Templar, Philip Shouse (Rich Piva, Matt Bladen, Rick Eaglestone & Mark Young)

Rob Zombie - The Great Satan (Nuclear Blast Records) [Rich Piva]

White Zombie’s La Sexorcisto: Devil Music Volume One was a game changing record for this guy in 1992. The cover, the groove, the heavy, the videos…the whole thing was perfect and really opened up my eyes to new music. It has been, even after all these years, one of my favourite albums of all time (number 34 actually). 

Astrocreep was a fine follow up, and then after becoming a solo artist, I dug, in varying degrees, his stuff under just his name, which all certainly sounds like White Zombie. That’s the thing with Rob’s solo and new stuff. If you like it, you will like the new stuff, but it is almost too predictable. I can’t be the only one who gets confused on which solo record is which, even if I enjoy them all. There is a Rob Zombie formula, and it has worked, and it still works on “solo” record number eight, The Great Satan, and yeah, I dig it.

Could the song The Devilman be on any album he put out since 1992? Yes. Is that a bad thing? No. There is a notch up on the heaviness on The Great Satan, with songs like Punks And Demons and (I’m A Rock “N” Roller. There is a bit more of a rawness to the sound too, which I am certainly here for. The B movie clips live on, which if they didn’t you know you would miss. 

One is used on Sir Lord Acid Wolfman, which is my favourite title and maybe my favourite track on The Great Satan, as it is the one that strays from the formula the most, but never more than a couple steps off the path to hell. Other tracks I dig are the familiar but different Black Rat Coffin and the circus from hell little ripper, The Black Scorpion. Two minutes, super fast, and organ? Sign me up. Unclean Animals has a Zeppelin riff and satanic flower child vibe that I also dig.

There are no bad songs on The Great Satan. Rob Zombie keeps doing his thing, and his fans will eat it up. In the limited time I have had to listen, I could see it falling on the better half of his Rob stuff when it is all said and done. Another solid, but somewhat predictable record from Rob Zombie…but would you want anything else? 8/10

Mývalyĭr - The Past Tales (Independent Release) [Matt Bladen]

For many years Melodeath has been the reserve of Scandinavia, many bands draw heavily from the history of that area with many bands using the inspiration of paganism and Vikings in their music.

The concepts of resilience, tribe, crusade and adversity are all explored in the music of bands such as Amon Amarth, Wolfheart and Insomnium, these lyrical inspirations captures by the cinematic sound of the melodeath, the death metal aggression, doom metal groove and power metal melodies all combining, with razor sharp riffs, growled or clean vocals, blastbeats and symphonic compositions.

It's a genre that is easy to pick up but very hard to master, and UK act Mývalyĭr have managed to master it with their debut release. The Past Tales is inspired by these same stories of Scandinavian myth and legend, a debut record that is concept album that is about "eternal conflict, both within and without, that shapes us and runs through every aspect of our history and culture." These lessons from the past used to create the brilliant music on this debut album.

Formed in isolation during the pandemic, a group of musicians started exchanging ideas and with time and skill this record and this band came to life. A steady build begins the story and Recollection gets things off to a flying start with Joe Clayton ferocious rhythm guitars syncing with Dale Pountney's bold bass playing, locking into those melodeath riffs that attack like a rusty saw on Reign.

However it's a set of sharpened edges that have been augmented with keys/strings/traditional instruments from Natalie Fluess, and flurries of blastbeating from Stephen Wilkinson. These musical extras from Fluess mean that Mývalyĭr's music is complex and progressive. The title track for instance owes as much to Blind Guardian as it does Omnium Gatherum, a ten minute exploration of every facet of what Mývalyĭr do.

The rhythm section guiding the shifts in tone and pace while Kai Boyce's lead guitar explores the melodic and dramatic tones with virtuosity as ghostly female vocals ring out here in harmonic unison with throat shredding vocals from Kain. These becoming more pronounced on The Mighty Never Fall a proper melodeath rager that goes at full speed.

The production comes from the band with the mix and master from Janne Lunnas, combined with stellar performances makes this debut album from Mývalyĭr more than just a debut record, but a band establishing themselves in a very powerful way within what can be a crowded genre. Come and experience The Past Tales of Mývalyĭr. 9/10

Templar – Conquering Swords (Jawbreaker Records) [Rick Eaglestone]

Sweden's Templar haven’t just announced themselves with their debut full length album Conquering Swords – they’ve kicked the doors clean off the castle and planted their flag in the stone.

Opener Gates Of Angmar earns every second of 90 seconds It's cinematic, deliberate atmospheric and equally foreboding, it sets the stage like a drawbridge being slowly lowered before the charge. It also that a tinge of Barbarian on the C64 so well, I am already invested! the charge comes immediately blazing like clashing steel, full of intent, full of swagger, with vocals straight off a Mercyful Fate album Witchking is a certainly a strong start laden with 80’s style arrangements and solos galore.

Excalibur for me, this is the first genuine head-turning moment on the album The galloping rhythm, the soaring guitar harmony, Neffling locking in with the groove on bass while simultaneously carrying the vocal melody — it's the kind of riff that makes you want to dig out every patch you own and sew them all onto a denim jacket at once. If there is a single from this record that needs a video, it's Excalibur. Pure, unfiltered heavy metal glory.

Rainbow's End shows that Templar understand dynamics of making something sounds like early maiden but still have enough awareness to still put a modern flair on it. If you could bottle the feeling of standing on a moonlit battlefield with the wind at your back and your sword raised high, Exiled In Fire would be the label. 

It has that effortless anthemic quality that most bands spend entire careers chasing and never quite catch. The dual guitar work here is at its most exhilarating — harmonies that soar, a chorus that lodges itself in your brain and absolutely refuses to leave. If I were making a case for this band to someone who had never heard them, I would start here.

There is a touch of darkness threading through the melodic framework, of The Sorceress lurking underneath the heavy metal muscle. It is a wonderful palette cleanser and shows a range in Templar’s songwriting that you might not have expected this early in a debut record. It doesn't reinvent the wheel, but it steers in a slightly different direction, and the album is richer for it.

Trident absolutely refuses to let you sit still. If Headbangers Ball was still about this track would be on heavy rotation It is, in the very best sense of the phrase, completely shameless — anthemic, fist-raising, hook-laden heavy metal with no apologies This is the one you're going to be screaming along to at the barrier.

Shipwreck caught me off guard on first listen. And then again on second listen. There is a real sense of drama and storytelling here — the title does a lot of work in setting expectation, and the track delivers something more expansive, more cinematic than what has come before. It sits perfectly within the album's overarching world of high adventure and medieval grandeur while simultaneously feeling like its own distinct chapter within it. The more you listen to this album, the more you get from it, and Shipwreck is a large part of why.

Another standout and arguably the most immediate track in the back half of the record. White Wolf has a directness and a momentum that makes it feel almost like a second wind — the album could have coasted towards the finish line at this point, and nobody would have complained, but instead the band plant their feet and push forward.

The title track closes proceedings in the most fitting way imaginable. Conquering Swords the song is a triumph - an unashamed love letter to the genre that summarises everything this band does brilliantly across the album’s duration melody, power, passion, and a genuine sense that they mean every single note. There is a real emotional pull in hearing an album's title track as its closer when it's done right, and Templar do it right.

There is an overall warmth and authenticity, it has the type of production that never gets in the way of the songs, which gives each instrument space to breathe. Patrick W. Engel's mastering at Temple Of Disharmony puts the final polish on what is already a thunderous record, giving Conquering Swords a timeless, physical weight that sounds as good on vinyl as it does through headphones at two in the morning.

Templar carry the torch of true Heavy Metal with heart, honour, and hooks to spare. 7/10

Philip Shouse - Volume 1 (Wild Kingdom/Sound Pollution) [Mark Young]

Ok doke, Hands up if you have heard of Accept? Gene Simmons? John Corabi? So the aforementioned gentleman has played with some heavy hitters in rock and a member of Accept for a while now. Deciding to step out into the light for a while, Volume 1 represents his first EP.

Its material leans more into hard rock than anything else. Run Away From You sounds like traditional rock that became the staple of radio all through the 70’s. It smacks of the Rolling Stones, but I think that would be a lazy statement and wouldn’t do it justice. It has a wicked chord build that just burrows into your brain in a way that good songs do. Its not an out and out homage, rather it sounds like someone writing their own version of a Stones song, or the Faces.

The Naked Empress, well you could argue that it sounds like Blondie / Stones again with a simple set up that gives away his Nashville roots. Its meat and potatoes rock and roll, the sort of song you would hear as the hero roars up on his bike, just as he’s about to sort a few transgressions out in a small town.

It Gets Better shows off his command of knowing what makes a good song. The structure is one you have heard before – the quiet, clean guitar tone that runs into the overdriven. The lead break is mint, as you would expect, again the whole arrangement is top class. Won’t Let Go (Again) has Simon and Garfunkel vibes to it, especially that acoustic/vocal combination. As soon as you hear it you will know exactly what I mean by it. 

The song lands with me in a way I didn’t expect, with a late 60’s flavour to it, but recorded in a way that doesn’t sound like its out of time. And then suddenly we are at the end with Time Bomb, which rounds off the 5 tracks here in fine fashion. Like the others here, it uses a build rooted in that 70’s/80’s hard rock, with a focus on having just the right riffs in the right place. As an alternative to extreme metal, this is the kind of thing that would do that for you, at least for a short while.

I didn’t know what to expect with this, if it was going to be a vanity project or some overblown nonsense. I couldn’t be more wrong, as the songs here reference their / his influences without it being a straight facsimile of what came before. They sound natural, not forced and as a break from more extreme genres its worth a punt. 7/10

Bloodstock M2TM South Wales Interviews: Judasnail West Heat #4 The Bunkhouse, 08.03.26

Interview With Judasnail West Heat #4 The Bunkhouse, 08.03.26

1. Please introduce yourself for anyone who may not know you. Tell us a little bit more about you as a band.

We’re Judasnail, a Swansea-based four-piece metal band. If you like Machine Head, While She Sleeps, Arch Enemy, and Children of Bodom, then you're our target audience.

We’ve released two singles at the tail end of last year (available to stream or buy in all the usual places!), headlined a local festival, and been fortunate to have some radio airplay, along with fantastic support from local media.

We’ll been variously described as “heavy bruisers” (in a good way!), “brutal”, and having “groove-driven thrash with razor‑sharp riffs”, so we’ll be bringing all of that, and melody, all wrapped in down-tuned ferocious heaviness. Come and party with us and bang those heads.

2. What made you want to participate in the Metal To The Masses South Wales 2026 campaign? Have you had previous experience? Or is this your first time?

 
This is our first time as Judasnail, but Matt (vocals/guitar) has played in the Oxford M2TM in 2024 and 2025 with a different band. We wanted to play South Wales’ M2TM as it’s a massive opportunity for visibility and networking to get more gigs, everyone’s really supportive and wants you to do your best, and because it’ll get us in front of an audience that loves metal... the scene here’s alive and kicking and healthier than the detractors would have you believe. Oh, and The Bunkhouse is a lot easier to get to than Oxford! 

3. M2TM is all about supporting your local scene. How important is the local scene to you as a band?

We’re right at the start of our journey, but the local scene and support is super-important to us. As well as getting our songs in front of an audience (because that’s where they belong) we’re really looking forward to seeing all the other bands who are competing, and supporting them too. Metal’s all about community and looking out for each other, and we’re honoured to be playing alongside such other incredible original bands.

4. We have a slightly different set up this year with Heats/Quarters/Semis taking place at Bunkhouse/Green Rooms. Have you played the venue before or is this your first time? Are you excited to get on those stages?

Shameless plug, we know, but we’re playing the Bunkhouse in Heat 4 on March 8th along with our friends in White Leather, Hateful Dread, and Virology. We’ve not played there before, but the Bunkhouse is such an amazing grassroots venue and you can just feel the history when you walk in there. You just need to look at some of the other bands that have stopped off there on tour! We can’t wait. It’ll be incredible to stand on that stage and play our stuff for people who really get it.

5. What are your expectations from being a part of M2TM?

For us, it goes back to that previous question – it's about community. Obviously everyone’s in this to progress, but we’re really looking forward to meeting the other bands, meeting the audience, and making that human connection with like-minded people. Oh, and please feel free to come and talk to us on the night – we love making those connections.

It’s a great networking opportunity as well - if we get to play outside of M2TM with some of the other bands, that’d be awesome as there’s some fantastic talent involved this year, and we’re all in favour of mutually supporting each other.

6. What would getting to our Day Of Wreckoning final and the possibility of playing Bloodstock Festival 2026 mean to you?

It’s huge. Bloodstock is the only real, proper, major metal festival left in the UK now, and to play there would just be incredible. Getting as far as the Day of Wreckoning would be amazing – it would really validate all the work and effort that we’ve put in to get to this point.

7. We encourage all the bands in M2TM to try and check out the other bands, who are you most looking forward to? Who should your fans also try to catch?

 
We’re absolutely stoked at the other bands we’re playing alongside in our heat, we think we’ll really complement each other and are going to offer a fair amount of stylistic variety on the night... so go check them out! 

Again, that’s White Leather, Virology, and Hateful Dread. We'll be trying to get to as many of the West heats as we can as audience members as well to support everyone else - there's too many incredible bands over the other three weeks to name-check them all, but this year's looking awesome.

8. Tell us in five words why people should come and see your band?

Sore necks / heavy riffs guaranteed. ;-)

Links to our socials and music: https://linktr.ee/judasnail

Bloodstock M2TM South Wales Interviews: Paroxism - East Heat #3 Green Rooms, 06.03.26

Interview With Paroxism - East Heat #3 Green Rooms, 06.03.26



1. Please introduce yourself for anyone who may not know you. Tell us a little bit more about you as a band.

We’re Paroxism, a South Wales–based extreme metal band blending elements of death metal, thrash, black metal and groove into music we genuinely love to write and play. Everything we do is driven by energy, heaviness and having a good time on stage.

2. What made you want to participate in the Metal To The Masses South Wales 2026 campaign? Have you had previous experience? Or is this your first time?

This is our second time taking part. We did have a go previously, but the band was very much in a beta stage compared to where we are now, both in terms of lineup and sound. This time around we feel far more solid and ready to properly throw ourselves into it.

3. M2TM is all about supporting your local scene. How important is the local scene to you as a band?

The South Wales scene is hugely important to us. It’s how most of us met in the first place, and we’re all very active in supporting local bands and shows. We really hope the bands that have already made it through to Bloodstock, and those that will in the future, help shine a bigger spotlight on how strong this region actually is.

4. We have a slightly different set up this year with Heats/Quarters/Semis taking place at Green Rooms. Have you played the venue before or is this your first time? Are you excited to get on those stages?

We played Green Rooms last year and it was an incredible experience. The sound was great and the atmosphere was spot on, so we’re genuinely excited to be returning and getting back on that stage.

5. What are your expectations from being a part of M2TM?

Honestly, we’re going in pretty open-minded. Beyond playing the shows, it’s about meeting people, seeing great bands, and being part of the wider community that M2TM creates. Any connections or opportunities that come from it are a huge bonus.

6. What would getting to our Day Of Wreckoning final and the possibility of playing Bloodstock Festival 2026 mean to you?

It would mean the world to us. We’ve been attending the M2TM finals for years, spending countless evenings watching bands play from the crowd, so getting the chance to stand on that stage ourselves would be unreal. And playing Bloodstock… that really speaks for itself.

7. We encourage all the bands in M2TM to try and check out the other bands, who are you most looking forward to? Who should your fans also try to catch?

We’re especially looking forward to seeing Exaust, who we’re sharing a bill with. We’ve seen them once before and they absolutely rip, so we’d definitely encourage our fans to check them out as well.

8. Tell us in five words why people should come and see your band.

Heavy riffs, chaos, energy, intense

A View From The Back Of The Room: Sylosis (Jack Norris)

Sylosis, Revocation, Distant & Life Cycles,  O2 Ritz Manchester, 21.02.26

Manchester didn’t just host a metal show tonight. It survived one.

As Sylosis rolled into town, the venue was already buzzing before doors properly opened. You could feel it in the air. That low, electric tension that only comes before a heavy show where you know things are about to get out of control. And from the very first note, that tension exploded.

Life Cycles (8) kicked things off with zero hesitation. No slow build. No easing in. Just heavy, punishing riffs that instantly snapped the crowd into motion. From the first breakdown it was a sea of heads moving in unison, bodies crashing together as the pit formed almost immediately. 

The front filled with moshers within seconds, crowd surfers were already flying over the barrier, and somehow — unbelievably — a small kid throwing himself into the chaos proved this one was for the fearless. Their new song hit especially hard live, sounding bigger and nastier than it had any right to this early in the night. It was a proper statement opener and set the bar high.

Distant (10) took that already boiling energy and twisted it into something darker and more unhinged. The room shifted from hyped to outright feral. This was where things got wild. Kicks and fists were flying in every direction, massive circle pits swallowed half the floor, and there were two-steps happening at all angles. 

The breakdowns felt seismic, the kind that make the floor bounce and the walls shake. It was heavy, relentless, and borderline violent in the best possible way. Security barely had a second to breathe as surfer after surfer came crashing over the barrier.

Then came Revocation (7), and somehow the intensity climbed again. Easily one of the wildest crowds of the night, maybe the wildest overall. Crowd surfers poured forward one after another in a constant wave. Musically, they were razor sharp. 

Clean, cutting riffs sliced straight through the chaos, technical but never losing that raw aggression. Every transition was tight, every solo landed perfectly, and the crowd responded to every single shift. It was controlled precision on stage while the room completely erupted around them.

By the time Sylosis (10) hit the stage, Manchester was beyond ready. The lights dropped, the intro hit, and the place detonated. They didn’t just deliver. They dominated. 

The new album sounds insane live, somehow even heavier and more punishing than on record. The guitars felt thicker, the drums hit harder, and the vocals carried a commanding presence that controlled the chaos rather than getting lost in it. The pits were the biggest and craziest of the night, constant motion, constant bodies flying, no room to stand still even if you wanted to.

One of the standout moments came mid-set when the singer spotted a kid who’d been crowd surfing all night. Instead of brushing it off, he brought him up again and handed him a drumstick, a genuinely class moment in the middle of total carnage. It was chaotic, yes, but there was that sense of unity underneath it all. Everyone there understood the energy. It was aggressive, but it was shared.

Vocals were powerful and commanding throughout, cutting clean through the wall of sound. Meanwhile, the guitarist unleashed an unreal amount of headbanging that somehow matched the ferocity of the riffs without missing a single note. The whole band looked locked in tight, aggressive, and completely at home in the madness unfolding in front of them.

From start to finish, there was crowd surfing during almost every song. Not just the big ones, almost every track. It was relentless. Sweat dripping from the ceiling, barriers shaking, voices shredded from shouting every word back at the stage. The kind of night where you leave aching, exhausted, and grinning.

Loud. Brutal. Chaotic. Exactly what a metal show in Manchester should be!

Bloodstock M2TM South Wales Interviews: Exaust - East Heat #3 Green Rooms, 06.03.26

Interview With Exaust - East Heat #3 Green Rooms, 06.03.26



1. Please introduce yourself for anyone who may not know you. Tell us a little bit more about you as a band.

Hello, we are Exaust, a crossover thrash metal band from the south west of the UK.
We are a very energetic and passionate band excited to show everyone what we are about

2. What made you want to participate in the Metal To The Masses South Wales 2026 campaign? Have you had previous experience? Or is this your first time?

We have competed M2TM before (Last year) and we made it all the way to the final and lost by a hair. We want to compete again as we want to redeem what we could’ve done last year! We also played some of our favourite shows from the opening heats last years so looking to get those same memories and feelings back haha!

3. M2TM is all about supporting your local scene. How important is the local scene to you as a band?

The local scene is what makes us! We believe the local scene within the UK is more important than the major bands right now as venues are being closed all over and the chances of getting the opportunities are getting slimmer, We are always thankful to anyone and everyone who shows a face to local shows!!

4. We have a slightly different set up this year with Heats/Quarters/Semis taking place at Green Rooms. Have you played the venue before or is this your first time? Are you excited to get on those stages?

Yes we saw the venue change from last years Fuel Cardiff to Green Rooms, Tre forest! Honestly we love Fuel and were a little gutted as we are so comfortable at Fuel and love that stage! However Greenrooms stage is outstanding and we love the set up it has there. We actually played our 2nd ever show there back in 2023!!

5. What are your expectations from being a part of M2TM?

Honestly we just love to put on a great show to some dedicated fans of metal! It’s great to just see and compete with some awesome bands and to make some great friends along the way. Of course winning and playing Bloodstock is what everyone wants including us haha, but we just love showing what we have to new faces and to meet new bands and people!

6. What would getting to our Day Of Wreckoning final and the possibility of playing Bloodstock Festival 2026 mean to you?

Making it to the final again would feel unforgettable, the same as last year however we really want to seal it and win the whole thing this year, Lots of great bands playing this year and we are really excited to see some of the acts! If we win, playing bloodstock would be the whole bands bucket list show i think i can speak everyone when it comes to that!

7. We encourage all the bands in M2TM to try and check out the other bands, who are you most looking forward to? Who should your fans also try to catch?

We are really excited to see Paroxism as we know some of them and they have some great talent. We are very excited to check out Winter as our old bassist Matt is in that band and we wish him the best and nothing but the best for his future with them! Risperidrone are another band to keep your eyes on, we played against them last year and they were phenomenal, we expect nothing less than a hard challenge with them and they are just a bunch of lovely guys!! Virtue in vain are one we are over the moon to see, we have yet to catch them at a show however we know what they are about and am sure they will make it far!!

Lastly we are excited to see where White Leather will go, we played with them in Barry and they were an exciting band to see. we hope to see them make it far!!

8. Tell us in five words why people should come and see your band.

5 words why you should come see Exaust are..

Energetic
Young
HAIR
Thrash
Moshing

We cannot wait to see y'all at these heats!!!

https://open.spotify.com/album/7flBliLLiEoq3nB46xKu7j?si=_8c7S_fNS8KaMPGAmby63Q

https://www.instagram.com/exausthrash?igsh=OW5qdmE3YTM1aXpq&utm_source=qr

A View From The Back Of The Room: Smith/Kotzen (James Crisp)

Smith/Kotzen, O2 Academy, Bristol, 20.02.26



There is something quietly satisfying about seeing musicians best known for arenas and global tours step into a room where the walls feel closer. That was the mood as Smith/Kotzen arrived at O2 Academy Bristol.

The audience reflected the duo’s unusual musical crossroads. You had long-time followers of Adrian Smith swapping tour memories near the bar, guitar players analysing amp setups from the barrier, blues rock devotees ready for groove-heavy songwriting, and younger fans who’ve found the project organically online. It didn’t feel like a divided crowd, more like overlapping circles meeting in the same room.

When the band took the stage, the presentation was refreshingly stripped back. No crazy elaborate intro, no visual spectacle, just Bad Company blaring through the PA, instruments, amps, and a clear sense of purpose, that being, to melt faces with riffs and solos. The opening run of Life Unchained and Black Light delivered. The sound was warm, punchy, and lived-in, like a group that had spent serious time playing together. 

Julia Lage’s bass lines moved melodically, often acting as a second voice, while Bruno Valverde’s drumming balanced pure power with finesse, driving choruses forward but leaving airy space for quieter moments to breathe.

The setlist drew from across the duo’s catalogue, creating a sense of progression. Black Light and Wraith added early dynamic contrast, the former leaning more into mood and texture while the latter bounced with rhythmic swagger. 

Glory Road and Hate And Love proved early crowd favourites, the choruses echoing back with surprising volume for a room this size. Later, Darkside and Life Unchained deepened the groove-heavy atmosphere.

Mid-set highlights arrived with Blindsided, a moment where the room collectively leaned in and the fuzz-infused Taking My Chances, which loosened them shoulders and drew visible smiles across the floor. 

By the time Outlaw and Darkside came toward the latter half of the show, it felt the band was reading the room rather than following a plan.

Central to the performance was of course the interplay between Smith and Kotzen. Their appeal is not solely in technical accomplishment but in the evident absence of ego. 

Smith’s phrasing is delivered with clarity and weight, based classic blues-based rock tradition. Kotzen responds with fluid, soulful lines that expanded those ideas without competing for space.

During instrumental sections, particularly in Black Light and Outlaw, the two seemed to crossover musically. Trading phrases, echoing motifs, occasionally meeting in harmonised peaks, that all felt like two musicians in collaboration rather than competition. 

As the evening edged toward its finale, the encore felt less like an obligation and more like a final exhale. First came You Can't Save Me, a personal favourite of mine. A soulful cut from Richie Kotzen’s solo catalogue that brought a reflective warmth across the room. 

Then, with a knowing grin, the band slipped into Wasted Years by a little band called Iron Maiden, a playful yet heartfelt nod that instantly ignited the crowd. Voices rose, smiles spread, and for a few minutes the Academy became a shared singalong, the audience embracing the moment as enthusiastically as any highlight that came before it.

As the final notes rang out and the band waved their thanks, there was no grand finale, just lingering applause and the low hum of conversations restarting. People compared favourite moments, debated solos, and slowly filtered out with the satisfied air of having experienced something genuine.

Sometimes the most powerful live music moments happen not under giant stadium lights but in sweaty little rooms where the details can’t hide. Bristol was one of those nights. 8/10

A View From The Back Of The Room: Kataklysm (Nat Sabbath & Mike Chew)

Kataklysm, Vader & Blood Red Throne: KK’s Steel Mill, Wolverhampton, 20.02.26



There’s something reassuring about a proper death metal triple bill on a cold February night. No gimmicks, no posturing; just heavy riffs, ear-shattering volume and a room full of people who know exactly why they’re there. That’s exactly what we got at KK’s Steel Mill on Friday as Kataklysm rolled into Wolverhampton with Vader and Blood Red Throne on the Freedom or Death European & UK tour.

And from the outset, it was clear this was going to be a strong one.

Blood Red Throne (10) don’t make it over to the UK often, which made their opening slot feel like something of an event in itself. Judging by the crowd reaction, plenty of people had turned up specifically for them, and they absolutely delivered.

They wasted no time getting stuck in with Unleashing Hell and Beneath The Means, setting a ferocious tone early on. The set was tight but relentless: Every Silent Plea, Itika, and a crushing Vermicular Heresy all hit with dirty chunky riffs that weight in one. By the time they closed with Smite, the room was fully locked in.

What stood out wasn’t just the brutality, it was the energy. There was a real sense of appreciation from the crowd and a brilliant moment came when the crowd broke into an impromptu chorus of Happy Birthday for bassist Ivan Gujić after the set wrapped up, a genuinely warm, human moment that came out of a brutal set. Love was there, no matter what.

After their set, the merch stand was swarmed. I spoke to a few people who openly said they were there primarily for Blood Red Throne. That says a lot.

They were undoubtedly the surprise stars of the night. If the reception they received is anything to go by, hopefully it won’t be long before they’re back on UK soil.

Next up were the ever-reliable Vader (9). Death metal OG’s, and they always perform like a band that's having a party.

Their set leaned into both power and tightness. Opening with their mid 90’s Sothis and Fractal Light, they quickly reminded everyone why they’ve maintained such longevity. Wings, The One Made Of Dreams, and Reign Forever World showcased their trademark blend of aggression, speed and clarity.

Mid-set highlights included Cold Demons, This Is The War, and Lead Us!, with the latter sparking a particularly strong reaction from the front rows. The closing run of Triumph Of Death, Carnal, and GID sealed things with their death metal mortar

The Imperial March aside, Vader don’t need theatrics. They’re polished, professional and brutally consistent. Watching them live is like watching a masterclass in controlled chaos: tight, efficient and utterly commanding.

By the time Kataklysm (10) took the stage, the room was full of death metal energy. And to their credit, they met the moment.

They opened with Soul Destroyer, immediately setting the tempo high, before powering through Thy Serpents Tongue and Goliath. The sound was dirty and heavy, properly loud in the best possible way, but allowing their riffs to blanket you!

Tracks like Die As A King, Taking The World By Storm, and Blood On The Swans landed particularly well, while the drum solo midway through gave the crowd a brief moment to regroup before diving back into the chaos.

The latter half of the set, As I Slither, Bringer Of Vengeance, Crippled & Broken, Narcissist, and a closing Elevate, kept the energy high. The crowd response never dipped; there were plenty of grins in the pit and more than a few sore necks by the end of it.

Kataklysm played heavy. They played loud. They were engaging throughout. You could tell they were enjoying themselves, and that translated directly into the room.

All three bands brought something slightly different to the table, but together they made for a genuinely strong bill.

Blood Red Throne arguably stole the show, Vader reminded everyone why they’re legends, and Kataklysm delivered a powerful headline set that kept the room moving until the last note.

The crowd were in great spirits all night; loud, supportive and clearly having a fantastic time.

All in all, a brilliant night of uncompromising death metal in Wolverhampton. Exactly what a Friday night should be.