HOLD THE MUSTARD PRODUCTIONS: All About The Blade Itself Before the Show

The Vancouver death metal slammers The Blade Itself are coming all the way from their home city to perform live for Hold the Mustard's second volume of their HEAVY METAL MATINEE concert series, and their show is sure to bring the heat and set the Chill House ablaze tomorrow evening. 

The Blade Itself will bring a heavy death metal sound to Chilliwack as one of the final bands on the bill for the day, and their sound is as heavy-duty as a chainsaw. Their guttural, snarling sound is sure to leave attendee's hooked on their sound, and this is a show that you will not want to miss for anything. The Blade Itself are one of FIVE bands playing the venue on Sunday - and there's no better place to be to end off Spring Break with a bang. 

I had the honour of conducting an interview with the frontman of the band - meaning that there is brand new, never known before information about the band from the head of it all. You won't want to miss out on your chance to learn all about the band BEFORE the show, and you can find the exclusive interview below the cut. 

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Q: First off, thank you so much for getting back to arrange this interview! I appreciate it very much. Let's get to know you - what is your role in the band? 

A: I'm the frontman, so I guess my role is to stand in front of everyone, scream, and generally take credit for everything even though the guys do all the work. Undeserved ego, the life of a metal vocalist.

Q: What is performing with The Blade Itself like?

A: Performing with The Blade Itself is a little hard to describe- onstage, its all kind of a blur- which is exactly as it should be. If you can remember specifics, you're not going hard enough. Performing with this lineup, we're all pushing ourselves- to be dialed in, but also to feel the power and fury of metal. We have a good time.

Q: What can fans expect from your show at the Chill House? 

A: Death, the old school way. We are, to the best of our knowledge, the only chainsaw death metal band in the lower mainland, so fans of that sound should find lots of meat to tear into with our works. Its going to be a bit of a 'return' for me- I lived in Chilliwack in the late 80s, this'll he the first time performing there for me since 89 or 90.

Q: What do you bring to the stage? 

A: A lifelong obsession with metal, and a desire to orchestrate a brutal pit. As a frontman, I try not to say much outside of the music- too many bands, they try to be standup comedians, or they try too hard to sound like 80s WWF wrestlers- either way, its a joke. I dont do that, its gets in the way of the metal.

Q: What is most important for you when performing? 

A: To be genuine and to never, ever disrespect the crowd. As a band, were grateful for every single person thats there, its our duty to give them all we have. Extreme music for extreme crowds, there's no half measures. All or nothing.

Q: How would you describe your sound? 

A: Chainsaw. Death. Metal. Dont skimp on the meat.

Q: How did you start out? How long have you been in the music business for? 

A: I started out in an industrial metal band called Seventh Image in the mid-90s, so I guess Ive been active musically for at least 30 years. Even during those electro days, my vocal style was death screaming, so it never quite worked. It wasn't until I started Codex:Factoria that things really started to click.

Q: What is the most important thing for you when it comes to creating music? 

A: Believing in what you're doing. You have to feel it, and give it your all. If you're checked out, half-assing it, there's no point.

Q: What are some of the best memories you have made while making music? 

A: Screaming with LG Petrov onstage for the last line of LeftHandPath when Entombed played the Town Pump for the Wolverine Blues tour, sitting in the main control room of the Warehouse Studios, listening to a remix Lustmord did of my band at the same mixing board used by the Beatles, AC/DC, and Slayer, fronting Malhavoc for a brief time, starting a band and having the bassist of Sacrifice join it, getting guest leads from Razor, Sacrifice, Annihilator, and Blood Feast for our full length, tattooing Martin Kearns and having the last photo ever taken of Bolt Thrower as a band be with me in my shop.... the list can go on and on.

Q: Where do you see yourself and the band in the near future? 

A: We plan on finishing off some tracking, doing some more writing, then playing more shows. Its the prime motivation for the band, playing live.

Q: Lastly, what is one piece of advice you would give to aspiring artists?

A: Persevere. Never stop. Keep going. Metal is forever.

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Don't miss out on seeing the Chill House exclusive HEAVY METAL MATINEE concert to end off your Spring Break with a bang. BBQ hot dogs will be served on-site, so come hungry for both local BBQ and heavy metal music. 

This is the second instalment of the Hold the Mustard-produced HEAVY METAL MATINEE shows, and if you missed the first one - there's no better time to come down and rock out for the day. The show will run from 3-8 (PM) with five bands on the bill. The Blade Itself are sure to put on a very memorable show for everyone in attendance. 

You won't want to miss this show - and this is your chance! Tomorrow is sure to shake the Chill House from top to bottom, and there will be no better place to be throughout this Sunday. 

Show hosted by Hold the Mustard Productions, for booking information and inquires, contact holdthemustardproductions@gmail.com

For interview requests or questions, comment directly here or seek the contact form on the site.