Our regular run-down of as many of the upcoming Bloodstock bands as we can get to talk to us! Root Zero play the New Blood stage on the Sunday…
Simple things first – where are you guys from?
We are based in the lovely depths of Cardiff, but are all from various different bits of the country.
How long have you been playing together as a band?
We’ve been together in this lineup since 2022 however the core of the lineup has been together since 2020 and Giac’s been writing music as Root Zero since 2016.
Where does the name of the band come from?
It was originally meant to be Route Zero, with a slogan of ‘All roads lead to nothing’, but Giac’s (very hopeful) fear was that if the band ever made it big in America, they’d mispronounce the word Route haha. Ultimately, we’re more into the mysterious forest vibe anyway. I promise it has nothing to do with the potato brand of the same name.
Describe your music. What makes you unique?
We like to blend a whole lot of sounds and influences from various artists, genres etc into a big dense soup. At the same time it makes defining ourselves by genre harder, and we’ve tried going by post-metal, gothic metal, progressive metal etc, but none of them quite feel like the right fit. We use Ethereal Metal because it’s a term that kind of acts as an umbrella over what we try to do.
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What’s your live show like? Why are people going to watch you instead of another band?
Energetic, full of riffs, but somewhat ambient and pensive at times. If people at Bloodstock enjoy Opeth or Soen, we’re definitely worse but you should come see us anyway!
Have you been to Bloodstock before? What did you think?
A couple of us have been to Bloodstock with friends over the years and honestly, it’s always fantastic. We do constantly laugh at Giac and Sasha for having decided to camp on the edge of a path in the Midgard camp though. Total rookie error if you want any kind of sleep.
Which M2tM region did you win, or did you come through other channels?
We got through from the South Wales M2tM, and honestly the competition has been absolutely nuts from the start. The Day Of Wreckoning/final in particular had some incredibly good bands and we were all just bundles of nerves by the time of the announcement at the end of the night.
Can you put into 10 words or fewer how it felt when you realised you were heading to Bloodstock?
The best kind of fever dream. Totally unexpected.
What sort of setlist can we expect?
A couple of varying tunes, some anthemic choruses, riffs, headbanging and a whole lot of energy throughout.
Stage times haven’t been announced yet, so which other band do you most hope you’re not clashing with so you can see them play?
We’re really hoping we’re not anywhere near Green Lung. Our friends, and even our bassist Rob, have said they’re not coming to the set if we clash with Green Lung. The rest of us have been very hyped up to see them as well so that hope has definitely extended through the band.
What are you working on at the moment?
It’s pretty much in the end of the mastering process now, but we’re just putting together release bits for our debut full length album. Not sure I can say the name quite yet, but those who have attended any of our recent live shows will have heard some new tracks from over an hour of music.
What’s the wildest thing you’ve seen or done at a live show?
There was a bit of an incident at the South Wales final that we won’t go into, so we’ll have to say Greg Puciato’s stage rigging jumps with The Dillinger Escape Plan and Better Lovers. Honestly feel it in my ankles every time.
What drink do you throw back to get yourself fired up before going on stage?
Can’t beat a bit of rum myself, but the rest of the band span from water to pints. Whatever works for everyone!
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Root Zero: facebook | instagram | spotify | bandcamp | youtube
