that's how kids die.

Loathe as I am to use the word “supergroup”, Blood Revolt are the one band in extreme metal that actually live up to the term’s connotations.  Comprised of Alan Averill (aka AA Nemtheanga of Primordial), Chris Ross (aka Vermin, ex-Sacramentary Abolishment, Revenge, Axis of Advance, Weapon) and J. Read (Revenge, ex- Axis of Advance, Conqueror, Cremation, Kerasphorus), the trio has created one of the year’s most innovative and confrontational albums with Indoctrine (Profound Lore, 2010).  Messrs. Averill and Ross were gracious enough to partake in the following e-mail interrogation…

Listen to “Year Zero”

What can you tell us about Blood Revolt’s formation? Were you fans of each other’s work prior to the band’s formation?

Chris Ross: The early formation of the band was caused by the ending of Axis of Advance in 2006. I was not prepared to fade away, and decided to continue writing songs for a new project.

Alan Averill: Being active in the extreme metal scene for many years, we were all quite aware of each other’s work. There was talk via common friends and emails for quite some time, but the final formation was cemented when a tour stop found J and C in Dublin, and the whiskey soaked pact was sealed.

Where/how was Indoctrine recorded? What difficulties were involved? Did geography force you to record your parts separately?

C: Indoctrine was recorded wholly in South Western Canada. The entire process flowed quite smoothly. Modern technology would have allowed us to record our parts separately, but it was decided that Alan would fly to Canada to join us in the studio. We felt the recording would benefit from the ‘whole band experience’ during the tracking and mixing.

How would you describe the songwriting/composing process? How did it differ from other projects you’ve been involved in?

C: Musically, this project was no different than any I’ve been involved in to date. J and I would work out all the arrangements together, and then demo the song ideas to CD. The only real change was that we had to demo our ‘music’ to Alan via these demo CDs.

Musically, the album is quite rough and brutal but also very intricate. Was there a conscious effort to find a balance between heaviness and technicality, or was this just a natural byproduct of the songwriting process?

C: I think it came quite naturally. When we were writing the songs for this release, there were no rules or preconceptions that we tried to follow. As long as a riff sounded good – and had some teeth – it was considered. The organic and heavy sounds that we got in the studio helped these features come to the surface.

Is Indoctrine a concept album? What can you tell us about the story behind the lyrics?

A: Genuine violence and aggression mixed with the kind of very real and very dark subject matter that would make other bands heads spin. No cartoon imagery or fantastical pseudo religious hocus pocus, this is the sniper filing down the pin before picking off innocents, this is the suicide bombers sweaty greasy hand on the ignition, dead bodies piled in the politics of the mass grave. Unforgiving and unrelenting elitism

I can’t help but guess that some of the lyrics were inspired by current events. How much inspiration did you draw from the “real world” for Indoctrine?

A: The whole album is real. It’s not fantasy or escapism. It’s about a man/woman on the fringes of society who falls to religious indoctrination, alienation and ultimately martyrdom through suicide bombing.  You could switch on the news and see this story any day in any country. I’m not interested in writing escapism.

Alan, your home country of Ireland is no stranger to political and religious conflicts. Did this in any way play into the lyrics for Indoctrine?

A: To be honest, I didn’t really think of it like that. The story is really dealing with a loner, an outsider. He isn’t part of a movement. Of course, the overall religious/political background of Ireland has always inspired me. I live in a politicised country; you can’t sit on the fence.

The album seems to be a cautionary tale about the dangers of religious fanaticism. Why do you think this type of extremism has become so prevalent in our society?

A: No. Read the lyrics. There’s absolutely no caution whatsoever, in fact if anything, it praises the dedication and sacrifice of the character. The album doesn’t judge, that’s not the point. It’s written in the first person. Modern society is no different; there’s always been ‘extremism’. It’s just become defined by what it opposes in the 20th century. There’s always been sacrifice and martyrdom.

Chris, is Blood Revolt in any way meant to be a continuation of Axis of Advance?

C: Not a continuation, no. Much like an author will write several books, I look at Blood Revolt as a new novel. Axis of Advance was a great time in my musical career, but it was time to finish it off. This new incarnation logically has some of the same traits as Axis of Advance once had, but for me it is something new and fresh.

Alan, Blood Revolt is quite different from what you do in Primordial. How did you alter your vocal/lyrical approach for this project?

A: Well, it’s still me and has my trademarks so I don’t think it’s that different; but put in the context of this music it does sound as you say different. You just want to leave your comfort zone, be challenged and challenge people. This was a challenge. I’ve never done music this violent or brutal, so I just went back to my roots and the old school vocal performances from the likes of carnivore, holy terror, dark angel, slayer etc. this tight sharp thrash approach.

Alan, at times your vocals feel like narration or a spoken word performance. What inspired this approach?

A: I just placed myself inside the character. You say what you mean and mean what you say. Nothing more than that really.

The release of the album is a cooperative effort between Profound Lore, Invictus Productions and Metal Blade Europe. How did this collaboration come about?

C: We utilized different connections and contacted different outlets that we thought would mesh well with strategic plans we have set forth for Blood Revolt. We then picked a combination of the best vehicles to distribute the album on each side of the Atlantic.

Each of you has a great deal of extreme metal experience. What do you think each individual member of Blood Revolt brings to the table?

C: That is for the listener to decide. Speaking personally, I am pleased to associate myself with some of the best in the business. The controlled chaos of J Read’s drumming is instantly recognizable. Who better to sing on an album such as this than one of the first men to associate a clean vocal style with extreme heavy metal?

What can you tell us about the album art? There are several codes or cyphers in the booklet that remind me of the Zodiac killer. Do these codes really mean something?

A: The booklet is really written like a diary. So what you see is the mind of the character in the album. Paul Mccarroll did the art, from unhinged art and if you ask me it’s pure genius, his best work. It fits the album perfectly. Maybe they do mean something. Wait until someone is inspired by the album to go out and put theory into practice.

Do you have any plans to play live or will Blood Revolt be a studio only project?

C: We certainly plan to play live. Our goal is to set up some shows later on in the year. Only time will tell.

What’s next for Blood Revolt? Is this a one off project or will you continue to work together in the future?

C: Why not? There is no reason to stop after one album. The possibilities are endless.

This entry was posted on 07/31/2010 at 7:37 pm and is filed under black metal, Interviews, Metal, Music with tags Alan Averill, Axis of Advance, black metal, Blood Revolt, Canada, Chris Ross, Indoctrine, Interviews, Ireland, J. Read, Metal, Music, Primordial, Profound Lore. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.