In 2015, Bloodstrike emerged as one of the most exciting and promising new death metal acts with In Death We Rot. The album took the sound pioneered by Swedish titans like Grave and Dismember, and added extra servings of vocal ferocity and rhythmic punches to the skull. On October 13, Redefining Darkness Records will release the band’s second album, Execution of Violence, which promises a more atmospheric take on the Denver band’s take on HM-2-pedaled brutality.
Holly Wedel is the band’s lead singer, and has sung for other Denver-area bands Torrid Flesh and Nexhymn. In the interview below, she talks about how Bloodstrike came together, forged their style, and plans for the near future. While you’re reading, be sure to check out “Creeper” below, off of Execution of Violence:
For those readers who don’t know much about Bloodstrike, how did your band come together?
For about as long as I’ve know Jeff (Jeff Alexis, guitarist) we’ve always talked about starting an old school Death Metal band, and we finally had the chance to in 2013. Before we even started writing we decided to ask Joe. He is a friend from the scene and we felt he was a prefect fit. After that we found Ryan online. He was giving drum lessons and we asked him if he had any students that would fit and he said he wanted to do it. We all get along great and work together well.
What drew you to create death metal in the style you play? Was it a desire to pay tribute to the classic sounds, or perhaps a way to create your own spin on something?
I’ve listened to death metal and extreme metal my whole life so it was natural for me to play something heavy. I’ve always played in brutal bands. And yes it was my desire to play in the old school Swedish vein. Unleashed have always been a favorite along with Grave and Dismember. While we worship those classic sounds I think we’ve put our own spin on this genre while staying true to that chainsaw style.
I was a big fan of In Death We Rot. What can I and other fans expect with Execution of Violence?
This album is a heavier and darker album. Both musically and lyrically, the new album has an essence of what we’ve become as a band. We’ve become a better and tighter band since the first album. I’ve gone further with my songwriting and lyrical content. We took our time writing this album, making sure it portrays who we are as a band.
As the vocalist, do you mainly contribute lyrics, or do you like to provide advice/guidance on where a song goes, musically speaking?
Yes I write all the lyrics. I spend time reading and researching fucked up ass people and events. It’s something I enjoy doing. It’s intriguing to me to learn about certain types of things that go on in the world, it’s educational. When the guys write the music I get a certain feeling from how the song feels to me. I get my inspiration to write the lyrics from those feelings.
Does Bloodstrike have any touring plans coming up for this year?
Yes we do, we’re stoked to be releasing our second album on the day our tour starts. We play in Denver on Friday October 13th and then head south for a couple weeks with our friends Forceps. We stop in Albuquerque to play with Suspended which will kick ass. We were also recently asked to play Denver Death fest in late October. That might be it for the year but we’re talking about getting out of the country for a few shows next year so stay tuned.
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You can pre-order Execution of Violence through Redefining Darkness.
