Bloodstock 2018 – Band Feature/Interview: Valafar

This year’s Bloodstock Festival is shaping up to be one of the best ever with a line-up that spans all genres of rock and metal. If you haven’t picked up your tickets yet, what are you waiting for!? Check out our five reasons why you should go there.

Playing on the Saturday of the festival. Bradford, West Yorkshire’s Valafar formed in late 2013 and play brutal death metal. Taking influence from artists such as Amon Amarth, Obituary and Entombed. They released their first Demo EP ‘Ritual of the Diabolical’ in February 2013 before following this up with ‘Helheim’, their first full-length offering. The album was independently released in August 2015 and met with critical acclaim.

In 2018 Valafar signed a record deal with Chicago based label Transcending Records and announced that their second full-length album ‘Wolfenkind’ is due to be released soon.

You can pick up Valafar’s music over on their website as well as find out more about the band. Also check them out on Facebook, Instagram, Spotify and YouTube.

Interview

1. Tell us about your journey to Bloodstock. This is your debut at the festival!

Well we’ve all been huge fans of the festival for some time. To be playing Bloodstock is a fantastic opportunity. We’ve had so much support from the Bloodstock Forum online. Its been overwhelming to receive that level of support. Our performance on the Saturday is for every person who has plugged us to play the festival and new fans we make along the way.

2. How important of a platform is the New Blood Stage for yourselves?

It’s a very important platform to be playing the best metal festival in the UK. There’s so much opportunity for bands that perform there. We can’t wait to perform some tracks of our upcoming album ‘Wolfenkind’.

3. What are your thoughts on playing the festival? Have you ever been there before?

We’ve all been individually and a couple of us have played there in previous bands nearly 10 years ago. It’s great to be attending as both fans and performers this time. We’re all looking forward to catching some of the other new blood bands as well.

4. Are you going to be around the festival all weekend? If so who are you excited to see?

There are a few bands we have shared the stage with previously that are playing the New Blood and Sophie stages. It will be great to see them playing Bloodstock. Judas Priest, Cannibal Corpse, At the Gates and Mr Big are a few of the highlights for us as a band.

5. What’s next for Valafar?

Our latest album ‘Wolfenkind’ is due to released via Transcending Records within the next month or so. We have a few festival appearances lined up until the end of the year in the UK and Ireland. It’s onwards and upwards from there hopefully!