As ever, we’re going to try and cover every single Jäger, New Blood and SOPHIE stage band before Bloodstock kicks off on August 10th. Your chance to check them out and start planning which bands to get there early for!
Trust us when we tell you that this is bound to result in some frustrating clashes because, as ever, there are some great bands on these three stages.
Our thanks to all the bands for taking the time out to answer our questions!
Heathen Deity – Hobgoblin New Blood Stage, Sunday
Simple things first – where are you guys from?
Heathen Deity hail from Derbyshire, England.
How long have you been playing together as a band?
The band originally formed in 1998. Our current line up and the rebirth of Heathen Deity, happened in 2016.
Where does the name of the band come from?
Heathen Deity It is predominantly an anti-religious statement. Christians used to deem Pagans and non-believers of their tainted faith as Heathens. that is definitely something we all stand by.
The term “Deity”, as I’m sure you are aware, basically means “God”, so “None Believer of God”.
Describe your music. What makes you unique?
Heathen Deity plays “True English Black Metal”. Our essence and sound lie within the old order of what we feel black metal was and should be again. Something is missing in a lot of so called black metal bands nowadays. We are traditional in sense of sound and style. We do what we believe in and remain true to ourselves and what we want to do.
What’s your live show like? Why are people going to watch you instead of another band?
Our live performances come from the heart and soul. Lots of energies and atmospheres within the songs. We present black metal in its most basic traditional form. Our live shows and indeed our music are fuelled with our hatred toward religion and Christianity.
Have you been to Bloodstock before? What did you think?
Indeed. A few of our members are regulars at Bloodstock, and have been going for years. BOA is a great festival that always focuses on talent, be it unsigned, obscure and unheard bands up to the biggest in their respective genre. Obviously the organisation is very professional and well thought out. BOA is always improving, but at the same time seems to keep its “feet” grounded with the fans.
Did you enter M2TM thinking you could win it? Which region did you win?
We didn’t enter the M2TM events. Heathen Deity was offered a slot due to our recent release Religious Purification Through Fire and also our live performances and reputation of late.
What sort of set list can we expect?
Our current set list consists of older songs taken from our first EP For The Glory Of Satan : Walpurgisnacht and also some songs from our current demo Religious Purification Through Fire as well as our upcoming debut album.
Our set will be raw “True English Black Metal”. Anti-Christian and Satanic in its core, uncompromising and unrelenting. The way black metal should be and was intended to be played.
Which main stage band do you most hope you’re not squished up next to so you can see them play?
We don’t really mind either way. There are a few bands we really want to see during the day – we are hoping to see Possessed but we will see what is to be. We are just grateful to be able to play this year, it is an amazing line up, both on the main stage and the other two stages. We feel truly honoured to be a part of it.
What are you working on at the moment?
Apart from fine tuning the live set for BOA and the rest of this year’s upcoming live performances, we are working on our debut full length.
The majority of the material for this album was written during the first incarnation of Heathen Deity, but due to a lengthy hiatus where we basically had to put the band on hold for a number of years, we are only now getting the chance to record them.
What’s the wildest thing you’ve seen or done on tour?
I wouldn’t say the wildest thing, more on the lines of poor anger management. Our vocalist Dagon sometimes gets a little agitated by a non-committal crowd and has been known to throw crucifixes and stage props at them. This last happened at our rebirth show last year at “The Black Wood Gathering”. No one was seriously hurt and I think the crowd understood they needed to up their game and show some respect. We may have our old school black metal ideals, but “Anti Mosh” isn’t something we encourage.
Jager, Hobgoblin Ale, Kraken, Kingstone Press Cider, Kaltenberg Beer or Bulleit Bourbon? And, yes, we’ll be counting all the votes
All of the above is fine. Ale and rum washed down with warm dirty cider.
