Young London band Blyth Road have already hit #1 in the iTunes charts with 'Blood In My Alcohol' and 'Phantom' and continue to impress with their 'sparkly metal' sound on latest single 'Exorsa'. The band will be releasing a debut EP early in 2022 and head out on the road with Molly Karloff, Raze and Screaming Irene in November and December 2021 and January 2022. The guys answered a few questions for BBMATB below on the band, the singles and EP, and explain what 'Sparkly Metal' is all about.
Blyth Road are Richard Bagnulo (Lead Vocals / Rhythm Guitar), Bruce Dodin (Harsh Vocals / Lead Guitar), Russell Wiggins (Bass / Backing Vocals) and Harry Diffey (Drums / Percussion).
Singles 'Blood In My Alcohol' (2018), 'Unintentional Intimacy' (2019), 'Phantom' (2020) and 'Exorsa' (2021) are available on all the major digital sites. Debut EP is out in early 2022.
Blyth Road are on the majority of the social media sites as blythroad and on twitter as blythroadband.
Hi Guys, thank you for taking some time out to answer a few questions. First off, for those readers who might not be familiar with Blyth Road, could you give a short history of the band?
We formed in 2018 at Global Academy in Hayes, the building of which used to be the old vinyl factory on Blyth road, which is where we got the name. Since forming our main focus has been the writing of our story focused debut EP, refining our live act and releasing a couple singles on the way
And who would you say were the main influences on Blyth Road?
When we first met we all had very eclectic tastes in music but really bonded over a newfound love for bands like Avenged Sevenfold, Ghost, Tool and Parkway Drive.
You describe the band as a 'Sparkly Metal' band. How would you describe 'Sparkly Metal'?
RW: Sparkly metal to us is something dynamic, genre fluid and isn't bound to musical conventions. It's heavy metal with a smile on its face.
You've recently released a new single 'Exorsa'; is there a lyrical theme to the single? And do you have a sense of how the single is doing out there in the 'big wide world' currently?
RB: 'Exorsa' follows the theme of a pending apocalypse and celebrates those who, even in the face of Armageddon, will still strive to bring hope and positivity to the people around them. Oh and also space.
HD: We were over the moon when 'Exorsa' hit #1 on the iTunes Rock chart on the day of release. The reaction to the song from our fans has been incredible and we're so thrilled to see people who are just discovering us, really digging our music and our vibe as a band.
'Exorsa' is your fourth single - following 'Blood In My Alcohol', 'Unintentional Intimacy' and 'Phantom'. Do you have a favourite out of the four and if so, why?
RW: 'Exorsa', It's a song that really took us on a journey as a band after spending over 18 months working on it. The lyrics of the song ended up foreshadowing a lot of events of the world and in our personal lives. A major step in the road of us becoming who we needed to be.
RB: 'Unintentional Intimacy' is my favourite song because it reminds me of the first two years of the band, the four of us becoming best friends, and the hopeful promise of what the band was to become.
Your debut EP is due out in early 2022. Where did you record the EP? And did COVID give you any problems recording and putting the album together?
We're in the last stages of writing our EP, it's been in the works for over three years. Covid obviously put a big dent in our plans but it did give us the opportunity to focus on writing other material and planning out the next few years of the band.
You're signed with One-Eyed Toad Records - How did you come to be involved with them?
We met Louis Dunham, one of the owners, when we recorded 'Exorsa' with him at XYZ Studios. After spending some time with him through mixing the song and getting to see him perform with his band Raze, we were really excited when he asked us to join One Eyed Toad and their roster of bands, with the prospect of performing with them on the road in the coming months.
You've already had some chart success and prominent radio play; anything that was a particular highlight for you?
RW: Waking up to the quite random news that Blood was at #1 in all genres was a moment I'll never forget. Finding out that this also led to Phantom hitting #1 in metal was the cherry on top.
The video for 'Exorsa' is quite sci-fi themed - are you all big sci-fi fans?
RB: Absolutely, we're all huge nerds. We've all always been massive fans of the likes of Star Wars, Marvel, Doctor Who. Excelsior.
Do you have any upcoming shows where people can catch you?
RW: Yes, we've got Survivors of the Apocalypse festival on the 23rd of October and we have just announced a winter Tour with Molly Karloff, Raze and Screaming Irene.
Do you think the metal / rock scene is in a good place at the moment? Any other up and coming bands currently that you'd recommend to readers?
RB: Metal is in a better position now than it has been for a while, there are so many bands like Don Boco, While She Sleeps and I Prevail who are out there paving the way for what will be the future of the genre. We are certain that Rock and Metal is going to make a whole lot of noise in the public eye over the next few years.
And finally, what are your hopes for Blyth Road for the rest of 2021 and 2022?
We're so ready to get on stage and finally connect with our fans face to face. We're also so excited about releasing our debut EP and unleashing ourselves upon the world.