Here we go again… Last year we covered every band on the Hobgoblin New Blood and Jagermeister stages in the run-up to Bloodstock 2015. This year, we’re going one better and aim to have interviews from all the bands on those two stages as well as all of those on the SOPHIE stage prior to the event kicking off on August 11th. That’s almost 100 interviews to get online for you lucky people over the course of the next couple of weeks. I bloody love this job, but you lot owe me a beer at Catton Hall, right?
Thanks to all the bands who’ve taken the time to respond!
Art of Deception – Hobgoblin New Blood stage, Sunday
Simple things first – where are you guys from?
We’re from the south west coast of Norway.
How did you meet?
Some of us knew each other from school, but our band formed through a mutual friend who wanted to start a band and we became really good friends. After he quit we just continued playing with each other and it developed into today’s Art of Deception!
How long have you been playing together as a band?
As Art of Deception we’ve been playing since autumn ’12. We’ve had some small lineup changes, but we’ve had this one since autumn ’13.
Where does the name of the band come from?
The name of the band actually came from a song title from a band who at the time had the same band name as us.
What are your influences – individually or as a band?
As a band we draw influences from a lot of different stuff. We all have some similar influences like Mastodon, Gojira and Kvelertak. Individually some of us have different influences, for example some of us are really into Baroness, while some of us are really into Finnish folk music. As a band we’re influenced by a lot of the bands from the 90’s Gothenburg scene.
Describe your music. What makes you unique?
Our music is kind of a blend between the old and the new. We really like the old school stuff, but we try to mix some of the modern aspects of the music into it.
What’s your live show like – why should the baying hordes troop over to the stage you’re playing on to watch you?
Our live show is energetic and intense. We like to have fun while we play, so if you want to have a good time, come see us!
When/how did you find out you’d been selected to play at Bloodstock?
We played at the Metal to the Masses final in Norway and we got the news at the venue that we’d won. It was a great experience!
What sort of setlist can we expect?
You can expect a fast, heavy and melodic setlist!
Which main stage band do you most hope you’re not clashing with so you can see them play?
Since we’re playing Sunday, we really hope we’re not clashing with Whispered, Goatwhore or any of the headliners of the Sunday!
What are you working on at the moment?
Right now we are writing our next album as well as planning on doing more shows and maybe some tours around Norway and Europe.
What’s the wildest thing you’ve seen or done on tour?
One of the things I can think of was when we got pulled over by the police in the Czech Republic and all they really wanted was 20 euros so we had to pay them to get on with our trip.
What advice would you give to a young band just starting out today?
Since we are a young band, we would like to say that you should stay away from bashing other bands and support other bands that have just started up.
If you could be part of any 3-band line-up who else would you have on the bill? One band above you and one below – a chance to plug a smaller, unsigned act!
Personally I would love to tour with Wintersun and our good friends in Fear Theories. [We featured Fear Theories as Band of the Day back in 2013! – Mosh]
What stage / time are you playing at Bloodstock (if you have your slot yet!)
We haven’t got the time we are playing yet, but we are playing Sunday!
