Bloodstock 2018 – Band Feature/Interview: A Ritual Spirit

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.

Formed from the ashes of a previous band A Ritual Spirit debuted in the Edinburgh live scene in early 2011 after self-recording a 4-track demo during 2010. A 3-track EP followed before attention turned to writing, recording and touring an album. Carnival Carnivorous was released in 2013 with debut single The Way I Died leading the way, followed by a video for 2nd single Visceral Decay, all via the band’s own label Disposable Noise Records. Subsequent UK tours and radio play followed, along with the arrival of new bassist Martin in 2016. Focus has now returned to writing and the band are at present preparing releases for late 2018/early 2019.

Looking to tear the roof of the New Blood Stage on the Friday of the festival, A Ritual Spirit’s influences are wide and varied. The end result though is a wickedly exciting brand of heavy rock music making them a band you have to see over the weekend.

Check them out over on Facebook and Twitter then pick up their latest album, Carnival Carnivorous via Bandcamp, Spotify, Deezer and Apple Music below!

Interview

1. Tell us about your journey in this year’s Metal to the Masses competition.

This was our second year competing in Metal 2 The Masses Glasgow, we went out in the semi-finals last year and thought we’d give it another shot again this year. It’s been a bit Spinal Tap if I’m honest with you! We had to play one round as a three piece without lead guitar while Stevie was in hospital, had van trouble and broke down on the motorway in another round, then to top it off our bassist Martin’s wife went into labour the night before the final! She actually had their boy at 2am that morning, by 11pm after a great night of bands we’d won and were heading to Bloodstock, it was all a bit surreal – if David St. Hubbins had popped his head through the door I don’t think any of us would have been surprised.

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

It’s an opportunity to perform for and network with like-minded people alongside an incredible line-up of bands in a great setting with a fantastic community spirit – by the fans for the fans – it doesn’t get much better than that!

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

We’ll be popping our Bloodstock cherries this August but we’ve seen several bands we know go through the competition over the years and play the New Blood Stage, all of them sing the festival’s praises so we’re pretty excited about the whole thing.

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

Yeah we’ll be around all weekend, it’ll be my third time seeing Gojira so I’m excited for that one plus Suicidal Tendencies, Onslaught, Devildriver to name a few… There’s also several other bands playing that we’ve shared stages with before so we’re looking forward to catching up with some old faces and seeing them perform.

5. What’s next for A Ritual Spirit?

We’re currently working on our second album, don’t want to say too much but all going well you’ll be hearing new music from us and seeing us out on the road pretty soon.

[amazon_link asins=’B00EXWCQ12,B00EXWCQVC,B00EXWCQBM,B00EXWCQM6′ template=’UseThisOne’ store=’g0e5b-21′ marketplace=’UK’ link_id=’fe8849cd-8000-11e8-bdb4-578b650aae2c’]