Introduction
Blood Countess, the black metal band from Northern UK, who have been making waves in the black metal scene worldwide with their debut record Occulta Tenebris and their recent follow-up album Imperatrix Sanguinis. This weekend the band will be playing the new festival Tynebound which is organised by Reaper Agency, the folks behind Fortress Festival.
Before that happens, we had a conversation with them.
Blood Countess: A conversation
Before we start, we would like to thank you for your time to answer these questions.
Steve: Thanks for taking the time to ask them!
Obviously you are heavily inspired by the life and mythology of Elizabeth Bathory, but do you think there's any other macabre figures or events through history who you might be inspired to write about?
Nina: There are, but we are Blood Countess for a reason!
You recently released Imperatrix Sanguinis; how has that been received and has it gone down as well as you hoped?
Steve: The response to Imperatrix Sanguinis far exceeded our expectations. When we released the debut, Occulta Tenebris, back in 2022, we had such a great response to it, and it was quite daunting for us to try and either match or better that album. Whilst both albums are very special to us in different ways, the general consensus seems to be that we did an even better job with Imperatrix, and we’ve been pretty blown away with the response.
Do you have any favourite or memorable moments from any of your stage performances which you can share with us?
Steve: There are many; one that will always stick in my mind is the pit we got on our debut Hungarian show for our final track ‘In Virgins Blood’. There are a couple of great videos of it too. And more recently, just the sheer volume of people who showed up at 11am to watch us at Bloodstock is something I’ll never forget!
The UK black metal scene seems to be going through a bit of an explosion in the past few years with more bands being put on tour circuits and gaining popularity. Although you're all experienced in the scene, Blood Countess is a relatively new entry; what do you think are the contributing factors to this recent rise in the UK black metal scene?
Steve: It’s hard to pinpoint exactly what it is, but you’re definitely correct. The UK scene has always struggled, in my opinion, compared to our European counterparts. However, recent years have seen massive change, for the better. I think the calibre of bands coming through has improved, and for definite we have some more dedicated promoters doing a great job. Let’s hope it continues this way!
Steve, obviously you're pretty prolific in the UKBM world with your other projects such as Wynter Myst, Ruingást, and Arcane North, for example. Nina, do you have any plans to break out with other projects or collaborate with some of Steve's others? Or will Blood Countess remain the cherished baby?
Nina: I have no plans to collaborate on the above-mentioned projects by Steve Blackwood. However, I am always happy to help if needed. We have spoken about creating other projects together with our drummer or just the two of us again. Stay tuned!
Do you have any bands that you’d love to share the stage with that you haven’t yet had the chance to?
Steve: Horna/Sargeist (anything Finnish!), Marduk, Emperor
Nina: Mgla, Luctus, Marduk, Emperor, Blood Fire Death.
What’s the next goal for Blood Countess? Where do you see yourselves achieving next?
Steve: 2027 will see the band return to Europe, with 3 shows already confirmed and more to follow, hitting some new territories. Work continues in the background on album 3. We had a 4-year gap between the last 2 albums and we don’t want the third to take as long 😉
A question for all: what is each of your favourite classic black metal albums if you had to pick one that defined it all for you?
Steve: A Blaze In The Northern Sky (Darkthrone) / Under the Sign of the Black Mark (Bathory)
Nina: Secrets of the Black Arts (Dark Funeral) / Storm of the Light’s Bane (Dissection)
You just played the Sophie Lancaster stage at Bloodstock, one of the UK’s biggest metal festivals; how was that experience?
Steve: Unbelievable. Bloodstock isn’t known for having many black metal bands—in fact, there were only 2 or 3 this year as a whole—so we didn’t know how well received we’d be. I think we scratched an itch for many people and the response was overwhelming. We definitely proved that Bloodstock goers do like a spot of black metal, even at 11am on a Friday morning.
And speaking of festivals, who at Tynebound are you looking forward to seeing yourselves? What band(s) should our readers be checking out?
Steve: For me, the Canadian duo of Vespéral / Conifère are my most anticipated bands for the weekend, but the whole event is pretty stacked.
And just one for my own personal interest, and I’m sure other fans of your music out there too: is there any chance those 2024 live performances from Fortress Festival and York that were released on tape get a digital release?
Steve: Yes, I do think that will happen. I’m in talks with the original sources about some form of reissue including digital, so keep an eye out!
Is there anything you would like to add to this interview, or anything to the fans?
Steve: Just a massive thank you to the incredible support. We have some really dedicated fans, and we appreciate every single one of you. We feel like we’ve just scratched the surface and are very excited about what is to come...
Thank you and support
We would like to thank Blood Countess for their time and effort to answer our questions. We are looking forward to their next endeavour. Meanwhile, you can support the band here
Reviews:
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