Dublin has a proud tradition of M2TM winners alongside a thriving metal scene. I found time to explore the latest winners, AeSect whose guitarist Dave did the honours.
Paul: Let’s start with a brief history of the band
Dave: We’ve been together now since 2011 with the core members Luke, Aido and Dave being there from the start. Dave and Luke met through mutual friends and Aido responded to an ad for a guitar player and we’ve been jamming ever since. Willow our bass player has been around for 3 years now and Tony our vocalist is the newest member
Dave: Tony – vocals, Dave - guitars, Aido – guitars, Willow – bass, Luke – drums
Dave: We classify ourselves as technical death metal but to those outside the group that seems to change with every review and live performance! Our sounds is a mix of thrash, death and prog with some hardcore influences thrown in. We’ve been described as a mix between Lamb of God, Mastodon and Gojira.
Dave: We’ve been lucky to support some good bands over the years. We opened for Decapitated and Xerath on their EU tour stop in Dublin. We’ve shared the stage with The Faceless most recently on their last EU run and Heart of A Coward before that. We’ve toured all around Ireland and had a short stint in the UK that was a lot of fun.
Dave: We started prep for the competition late last year. Tony had just come on board and we had a new sound and energy on stage. We spent time on our set list and really took a hard look at what we felt was working and what wasn’t. Some songs we scrapped entirely and some we re-wrote from the beginning only keeping a few select sections. Overall its been a positive exercise as we feel our songs are a step above what we were writing and performing even a year ago.
Dave: Now that it’s passed and we’re looking towards the festival the build up seems quite brief. We played the semi-final and then the final in a few weeks and didn’t really change our set as we felt it was so strong. So, for us it was business as usual and we just rehearsed and tightened everything up for our live show.
Dave: Shock. Joy. Relief. We had put so much into prep, promo, rehearsals and song writing that knowing it was all worth it just made the victory that little sweeter. We had done the competition before and lost so we know how hearing another band being called really takes the wind out of you so hearing our name being said was just amazing.
Dave: We are aiming to bring the heaviest set the New Blood Stage has ever seen! We’ve been working hard behind the scenes on the set and our live show to ensure it’ll be 30 ferocious minutes no one will forget! We’ve a few things queued up social medial wise so keep focused on our Instagram, Facebook and Big Cartel and all will become clear soon.
Dave: Ten Ton Slug, Black Shuck, Thy Art is Murder, Soilwork, Anthrax, Sabaton, Parkway Drive.
Dave: Dave and Aido have been there before a few times but for the rest of us it’s the first visit.
Dave: The selection of bands is always top class, the people that go there are just some of the friendliest and soundest bunch of lads. Bin jousting (we do not endorse Bin Jousting here at MoM - Legal Ed)
Whole band– Seal, Kiss from a Rose. There are multiple videos of us after playing a gig and having a few beers loudly belting out a version of this classic.
Dave: We’ve been together now since 2011 with the core members Luke, Aido and Dave being there from the start. Dave and Luke met through mutual friends and Aido responded to an ad for a guitar player and we’ve been jamming ever since. Willow our bass player has been around for 3 years now and Tony our vocalist is the newest member
Paul: Who is the current line up?
Dave: Tony – vocals, Dave - guitars, Aido – guitars, Willow – bass, Luke – drums
Paul: Describe the band’s sound and influences
Dave: We classify ourselves as technical death metal but to those outside the group that seems to change with every review and live performance! Our sounds is a mix of thrash, death and prog with some hardcore influences thrown in. We’ve been described as a mix between Lamb of God, Mastodon and Gojira.
Paul: Prior to Bloodstock, what are some of the highlights for the band so far?
Dave: We’ve been lucky to support some good bands over the years. We opened for Decapitated and Xerath on their EU tour stop in Dublin. We’ve shared the stage with The Faceless most recently on their last EU run and Heart of A Coward before that. We’ve toured all around Ireland and had a short stint in the UK that was a lot of fun.
Paul: Let’s move on to Bloodstock and your road to the festival. Please tell us about your journey?
Dave: We started prep for the competition late last year. Tony had just come on board and we had a new sound and energy on stage. We spent time on our set list and really took a hard look at what we felt was working and what wasn’t. Some songs we scrapped entirely and some we re-wrote from the beginning only keeping a few select sections. Overall its been a positive exercise as we feel our songs are a step above what we were writing and performing even a year ago.
Paul: Tell us about the build up to your final and how you handled it?
Dave: Now that it’s passed and we’re looking towards the festival the build up seems quite brief. We played the semi-final and then the final in a few weeks and didn’t really change our set as we felt it was so strong. So, for us it was business as usual and we just rehearsed and tightened everything up for our live show.
Paul: What about when you were announced as winners? What were the emotions like?
Dave: Shock. Joy. Relief. We had put so much into prep, promo, rehearsals and song writing that knowing it was all worth it just made the victory that little sweeter. We had done the competition before and lost so we know how hearing another band being called really takes the wind out of you so hearing our name being said was just amazing.
Paul: Moving on to the festival itself, what can we expect from you?
Dave: We are aiming to bring the heaviest set the New Blood Stage has ever seen! We’ve been working hard behind the scenes on the set and our live show to ensure it’ll be 30 ferocious minutes no one will forget! We’ve a few things queued up social medial wise so keep focused on our Instagram, Facebook and Big Cartel and all will become clear soon.
Paul: Which bands are you looking forward to seeing there?
Dave: Ten Ton Slug, Black Shuck, Thy Art is Murder, Soilwork, Anthrax, Sabaton, Parkway Drive.
Paul: Have you been to Bloodstock before?
Dave: Dave and Aido have been there before a few times but for the rest of us it’s the first visit.
Paul: If yes, describe the three best things about the festival?
Dave: The selection of bands is always top class, the people that go there are just some of the friendliest and soundest bunch of lads. Bin jousting (we do not endorse Bin Jousting here at MoM - Legal Ed)
Paul: And finally, tell us a guilty pleasure about each member of the band!
Whole band– Seal, Kiss from a Rose. There are multiple videos of us after playing a gig and having a few beers loudly belting out a version of this classic.
Dave– Cascada, Everytime We Touch
Luke– Post Malone, WOW
Willow– Envogue, Don’t let go
Aido– Has no guilty pleasures. If he likes it, he likes it
Tony– SNAP!, Rhythm Is A Dancer
So with that filth mopped up, now might be the time to say cheers to Dave and also to invite you to get your head stoved in at the New Blood Stage on Sunday 11th August. You know you want it!