Our regular run-down of as many of the upcoming Bloodstock bands as we can get to talk to us! Embodiment play the SOPHIE stage on the Sunday…
Simple things first – where are you guys from?
We’re from the South West – Harry and Finn live in Bristol, Les near Bath and Sam in Gloucester.
How long have you been playing together as a band?
The band has been around since 2013, Harry joined in 2014 and Sam joined earlier this year.
Where does the name of the band come from?
Funnily enough the guy that thought of the name is no longer in the band so you’d have to ask him! I think it just sounded cool and looked really nice, it doesn’t give off the vibes of a usual death metal band and we’re exactly that – Not your usual death metal band.
Describe your music. What makes you unique?
We’re not constrained by any type of songwriting in the sense of – “should we do this?”
It’s more like “Yeah, this makes us laugh and want to bang our heads”. We push ourselves in a very technical or brutal sense but the songwriting never gets lost – Some bands in the genre can get lost trying to write songs to impress other musicians or try to just write the most extreme thing they can think of but we’re aware that the groove is going to carry that live experience.
What’s your live show like? Why are people going to watch you instead of another band?
We’re there to really bring the fun and try to get the audience moving, with plenty of participation.
We’ve been hungry for this stage for a long time and we’re not going to waste a single minute up there – This is easily the most refined set we’ve ever made, and we’re going to give the audience 100% of everything we’ve got. We’re promising energy – And we’re hoping the audience reciprocates with the appropriate moshing and head banging action.
Have you played Bloodstock before? If so, when?
We performed back in 2017 on the New Blood stage after winning the Bristol M2TM. It was a packed out set and is still our biggest show yet. (Until this year!)
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How/when did you find out that you’d be playing the SOPHIE stage?
It wasn’t too long ago – I think Unto Others had just announced they were cancelling and Finn got the message. He didn’t waste time to let them know we’d be delighted to do it!
What sort of setlist can we expect?
We’re keeping the energy and playing a mammoth setlist, taking full advantage of the slot we’ve been given. Expect a mix of older and newer songs, including one we’ve not played for over 6 years now! We thought we’d bring it back to celebrate the massive opportunity we’ve been given – and also given it a bit of fresh new paint. People can also expect plenty of intensity, there’s some real meat to this one and we’re proud of how well it’s come together. This isn’t just our usual set – We’re trying to really prove ourselves with this one.
Which other band do you most hope you’re not clashing with so you can see them play?
It would absolutely suck to clash with Sepultura. I (Harry) love that band and have seen them many times. When they played my home town they went to the pub after and gladly met fans – I hold them in high regards.
What are you working on at the moment?
We were already working on new material but with Sam joining the band it’s opened up some ideas and avenues that we hadn’t explored before so we’ve been continuing to refine them a bit. I’d expect a single to be out by the end of the year though, there’s probably about 5 demos floating about that feel they’re coming to completion.
What’s the wildest thing you’ve seen or done at a live show?
The wildest thing I’ve ever seen at a live show was a band called Baby Godzilla – Who literally ran around the entire venue going absolutely nuts and climbing everything, including tearing down the whole drum kit and setting it back up in the crowd. What a bunch of nutters!
What drink do you throw back to get yourself fired up before going on stage?
Personally I don’t drink before a show so it’s green tea or water for me! Not very rock and roll, is it?
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