Back in Blightly for our latest Headliners, who have some new material coming your way in a little over a week. Get down and dirty with the guys from Akkadian…
Simple things first – where are you guys from?
We live and are based in Central Cambridge, but our hometowns differ. Harry (guitar) and I (Danny, vocals) grew up in a small town on the east coast of England called Lowestoft, but by 2019 we were both living in Cambridge.
Max (guitar) was born and raised in Marseille, France, then moved to Cambridge in 2020.
Chris (bass) was born and raised in Greece, then moved to Cambridge in 2017.
And Aaron (drums) has lived in Cambridge his whole life.
How did you meet?
Our origins do actually go back many years. Harry and I have been writing music together since we were around 15 years old and have known each other since Nursery (aged 3-4).
Finding the right people to complete the band took a lot of time. The first person we got on board was Chris, our Bassist. We put an ad on JoinMyBand.com to which he replied, sent us a video of him playing some Lamb of God tracks and the rest is history. Together, we then tried out multiple guitarists and drummers for months and months in a band practice setting, but it never felt right, nothing clicked. However, eventually we managed to find our Drumming Prodigy, Aaron. Max joined us in 2022 after our previous guitarist left. Fortunately, he was already a close friend and fan of the band, so he fit in perfectly.
How long have you been playing as a band?
We were fully formed in September 2018 – So 5 years now.
Before you get sick of being asked… where does the band name come from?
Have you ever seen the Scorpion King with Dwayne The Rock Johnson? [I’ve wiped it from my memory – Mosh] Just kidding! [Phew – Mosh] The word “Akkadian” is actually the name of the first Ancient Mesopotamian Empire that existed between 2334 – 2154 B.C.
Years ago I (Danny) was just reading up on a bunch ancient civilisation and events, when I stumbled across the name “Akkadian” and thought – “That would be a kick arse name for a metal band” – We did have a bunch of names to choose from, but we liked the fact that it was a one word name and that is started with an “A”. Meaning it would appear at the top of the “Artist List” in people’s music libraries.
What are your influences?
Our list of individual member influences would be enough to fill an entire page. But collectively, we all share a love for Gojira, Lamb of God, Tool, Deftones, Sleep Token, Loathe, Periphery, Bring Me The Horizon, Opeth, Avenged Sevenfold and Slipknot as our “main” influences.
Describe your music. What makes you unique?
Because we have such a wide range of personal influences, we’re all able to bring something to the table to find the groove, flow and a sound that just isn’t currently being heard. For example, a couple of us (me included) love 60’s/70’s psychedelic rock. So that definitely plays a roll in our songwriting. We aren’t noticeably hearing any other bands in the metal genre doing this. A lot of people we talk to tend to just use influences from the current metal scene, trying to play catchup, instead of just searching into further genres to create something that seems fresh and unique.
If you like what we do, consider joining us on Patreon for as little as £1 per month!
Do you have any particular lyrical themes?
There are some really personal thoughts, feelings and experiences within the lyrics that I write, but they’re often disguised as psychedelic journeys through space and time, while walking through the desert. I find that when combined, it all flows together and creates a theme that goes hand in hand as one.
What’s your live show like? How many shows have you played?
We like to create an atmosphere. We want people to go crazy with the aggression and energy, but at the same time stand back and be hypnotised by the psychedelic moments.
We find we’re much better suited to a larger stage, with a big sound and light system. This enables us to really get our music and vision across a lot better to the audience.
What’s the wildest thing you’ve seen or done at a live show?
Well, we recently played at The Six Six in Cambridge (our favourite local – come visit if you’re ever in town, we’re often in there hanging out) and I’m not too sure what the hell was going on in the pit, but I’m pretty certain a couple of people were getting frisky mid song. I did mention it, but I never got a clear answer. So I guess we’ll never know!
What kit do you use / guitars do you play / etc.?
- Harry (guitar) uses a Charvel T-Type.
- Max (guitar) uses a modified Mexican Fender Stratocaster.
- Chris (bass) uses a Dingwall Combustion NG3.
- Aaron (drums) uses Mapex Drums, Meinl Cymbals, Sabian Cymbals, Evans Drumheads and Pearl Kick Pedals.
Then both guitars and bass all use Neural DSP Quad Cortex’s.
What, if anything, are you plugging/promoting at the moment?
We have our debut three track EP The Devil Has Evolved out on Friday 27th October. With the title track single “The Devil Has Evolved” being released one week earlier on Friday 20th October.
What are your plans for the next 6 months or so?
We will playing more and more shows, plus continuing to write more and more songs. We do have a bank of songs ready for an album. But we’re just always writing newer songs and playing shows. So give us a follow on social media @akkadianband to look out for new songs and shows near you!
If you were second on a three-band bill, which band would you love to be supporting and which band would you choose to open for you? A chance to plug someone you’ve toured with, or a mate’s band we’ve not heard of before!
While playing Tech Fest this past summer, we got to witness Loathe takeover the Main Stage. So for me, I’d definitely have them headline. And then for a band to open for it… damn! This is tough! We’ve played with a lot of cool bands over the years that we’ve become friends with who could easily live up to the task! But one band who I truly believe will go the distance and who always wipe out a crowd, is Beyond Extinction. So I’d choose Loathe, Akkadian and Beyond Extinction – that’s a pretty hot lineup!
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If you want to check out more new music, then fire up our Headline Act playlists on Spotify and YouTube!
Akkadian: official | facebook | twitter | instagram | spotify | bandcamp | youtube
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