Interview With Thrakian – Heat 2 M2TM, Fuel Rock Club, Cardiff 15th March 2024
It’s heat 2 in Cardiff, and we find Thrakian ready with their answers to our challenging questions!
1. Let’s start with introductions. Who is who and what does each person do in the band?
A: Hi! We’re Thrakian, a post-metal band from Cardiff. We have Atanas on guitar and vocals, Kris on guitar, Dan on bass and Saska on drums.
2. Where are you from and how long have you been together?
A: Officially, we only formed last spring. But back in Bulgaria, where we’re from originally, we’ve been playing together in different bands for a few years. We’ve been working on our music for close to 10 years now. Over the course of 2023 we added Dan on bass to form Thrakian’s current lineup, played some amazing shows in South Wales and the Southwest, and finally have some songs ready for release.
3. Describe your music in five words.
A: The consensus is: “Crushing, tribal, atmospheric, emotional, confrontational”.
4.What prompted you to apply to be part of Metal to the Masses – South Wales?
A: The Bloodstock M2TM is a renowned event, underpinned by a great community ethos, so it’s an honour for us to be part of it. The Thracians, the tribes the band are named after, were relentless and famous gladiators back in Roman times, so it is only natural for us to step into this arena.
5. If you have played Metal to the Masses before, tell us about your previous experiences and importantly, why you’ve returned!
A: This is our first-time taking part in M2TM, but we attended shows last year to cheer on and support our friends in other bands. Now it’s our turn to take to the stage.
6. Bloodstock is a big festival – have you attended the festival in the past? If so, what would you say are the best things about the weekend?
A: No, not yet, but it’s always been a dream to go. The friendliness and diversity of the metal community there is like nothing else, and to play there would be a lot of fun too. We grew up watching and re-watching countless performances of our heroes at Bloodstock and have envisioned the time when it’s our turn to stomp those stages. We reckon there’ll be all sorts of food served there too :)
7. Apart from Metal to the Masses, what do you have planned for 2024?
A: Our first single, ‘The Path to Demise’, is out soon. We’ve been working on the track over the last year but now it’s in good hands for the final production stages. The plan is to release more singles across the year and solidify our current position in this region’s live scene. We have a wish-list of venues we’d love to play around South Wales and the Southwest, so we’ll be looking to organise and play more shows. And, of course, we’ve been doing a lot of preparation for our M2TM heat in a few weeks… so if that goes well, we might be playing the New Blood Stage in Bloodstock 2024 too!
It’s heat 2 in Cardiff, and we find Thrakian ready with their answers to our challenging questions!
1. Let’s start with introductions. Who is who and what does each person do in the band?
A: Hi! We’re Thrakian, a post-metal band from Cardiff. We have Atanas on guitar and vocals, Kris on guitar, Dan on bass and Saska on drums.
2. Where are you from and how long have you been together?
A: Officially, we only formed last spring. But back in Bulgaria, where we’re from originally, we’ve been playing together in different bands for a few years. We’ve been working on our music for close to 10 years now. Over the course of 2023 we added Dan on bass to form Thrakian’s current lineup, played some amazing shows in South Wales and the Southwest, and finally have some songs ready for release.
3. Describe your music in five words.
A: The consensus is: “Crushing, tribal, atmospheric, emotional, confrontational”.
4.What prompted you to apply to be part of Metal to the Masses – South Wales?
A: The Bloodstock M2TM is a renowned event, underpinned by a great community ethos, so it’s an honour for us to be part of it. The Thracians, the tribes the band are named after, were relentless and famous gladiators back in Roman times, so it is only natural for us to step into this arena.
5. If you have played Metal to the Masses before, tell us about your previous experiences and importantly, why you’ve returned!
A: This is our first-time taking part in M2TM, but we attended shows last year to cheer on and support our friends in other bands. Now it’s our turn to take to the stage.
6. Bloodstock is a big festival – have you attended the festival in the past? If so, what would you say are the best things about the weekend?
A: No, not yet, but it’s always been a dream to go. The friendliness and diversity of the metal community there is like nothing else, and to play there would be a lot of fun too. We grew up watching and re-watching countless performances of our heroes at Bloodstock and have envisioned the time when it’s our turn to stomp those stages. We reckon there’ll be all sorts of food served there too :)
7. Apart from Metal to the Masses, what do you have planned for 2024?
A: Our first single, ‘The Path to Demise’, is out soon. We’ve been working on the track over the last year but now it’s in good hands for the final production stages. The plan is to release more singles across the year and solidify our current position in this region’s live scene. We have a wish-list of venues we’d love to play around South Wales and the Southwest, so we’ll be looking to organise and play more shows. And, of course, we’ve been doing a lot of preparation for our M2TM heat in a few weeks… so if that goes well, we might be playing the New Blood Stage in Bloodstock 2024 too!
8. What can we expect from you in your heat?
A: To reach this point was an incredibly tough journey for us all, filled with a lot of obstacles and sacrifice, so come the 15th March, we’ll be putting on our most relentless performance to date. Our sound is inspired by atmospheric post-rock bands like ISIS and Cult of Luna, aggressive and heavy sludge bands like Eyehategod, Crowbar and Melvins, and of course our ancient Bulgarian heritage. So, expect atmospheric dual-guitar melody lines building to loud, crushing walls of filthy guitar and feedback. Our songs are deliberately woven together so the set is meant to take the crowd on a journey, and we can’t wait to present it to the Fuel crowd in a few weeks.
9. And what are you expecting in your heat and journey through the competition?
A: We expect to face South Wales’ most ferocious gladiators and a crowd that believes in the potential of the underground scene. It’s a lot of pressure, but we’re feeling confident after an excellent run of shows in Cardiff, Bristol, and Swindon over the past few months. We know and have played with some of the other bands in the Cardiff heats, too, so it’s going to be tough to go head-to-head with them along the way, but we’re going to give our all at every stage, regardless of the outcome.
10. Finally, where can people find details of the band – promote your socials here!
A: You can follow us at Thrakian Official on Facebook, Youtube and Instagram, where you can find live performances, merch and info about upcoming shows.
Cheers for the interview, and hope to see loads of people at Fuel on 15th March!
A: To reach this point was an incredibly tough journey for us all, filled with a lot of obstacles and sacrifice, so come the 15th March, we’ll be putting on our most relentless performance to date. Our sound is inspired by atmospheric post-rock bands like ISIS and Cult of Luna, aggressive and heavy sludge bands like Eyehategod, Crowbar and Melvins, and of course our ancient Bulgarian heritage. So, expect atmospheric dual-guitar melody lines building to loud, crushing walls of filthy guitar and feedback. Our songs are deliberately woven together so the set is meant to take the crowd on a journey, and we can’t wait to present it to the Fuel crowd in a few weeks.
9. And what are you expecting in your heat and journey through the competition?
A: We expect to face South Wales’ most ferocious gladiators and a crowd that believes in the potential of the underground scene. It’s a lot of pressure, but we’re feeling confident after an excellent run of shows in Cardiff, Bristol, and Swindon over the past few months. We know and have played with some of the other bands in the Cardiff heats, too, so it’s going to be tough to go head-to-head with them along the way, but we’re going to give our all at every stage, regardless of the outcome.
10. Finally, where can people find details of the band – promote your socials here!
A: You can follow us at Thrakian Official on Facebook, Youtube and Instagram, where you can find live performances, merch and info about upcoming shows.
Cheers for the interview, and hope to see loads of people at Fuel on 15th March!