Trigger the Bloodshed

By:

Trigger the Bloodshed are now a well known name in UK metal circles due to a demanding tour schedule and a solid album in the form of Purgation. However the relentless promotion machine that is Rising Records has pushed TTB in our faces here in Britain to an irritating degree. They stalk our every move, have subliminal messages in our cereal and maybe even implants in our brains to direct us towards their “product.”

Conspiracy theories aside, Rising have plastered the pages of our most beloved metal magazine in the UK, Terrorizer, with adverts and tour schedules for Trigger the Bloodshed and left the band with a lot of hype for a fledgling outfit to live up to.

So far, TTB have managed to surpass the array of lazy metalcore and deathcore bands on Rising Records and produce decent material. Blistering.com got behind the scenes with guitarist Rob Purnell for a look at the impetus for the work so far, and what is next on the schedule.

Blistering.com: Are you surprised at how quickly your band has made a name for yourselves?

Rob Purnell:We’re overwhelmed by the response we have received since the album was released and what it has helped us achieve. Touring with Suffocation, Dying Fetus and now Meshuggah is a dream come true! We’re just real stoked that people are into the album, enough so that we can travel the world playing our music to as many crazy metal fans as we can!

Blistering.com: How does it feel to be part of the Metal Blade entourage so soon after humble beginnings?

Purnell: Again, a dream come true. We all have grown up and still listen to a lot of the bands on the Metal Blade roster and to now be alongside them on the same label is a great feeling. We wouldn't choose to be anywhere else - there is a great team at Metal Blade and we look forward to working alongside them.

Blistering.com: Your successful and critically approved debut album is named Purgation. Do you have reasons for catharsis or was it just a name pulled out of the 'ominous suggestions box'?

Purnell: We wanted a name that best summed up the lyrical content of the album. We wrote the album about a lot of our experiences with what we consider the scum in the world and the possibility of a cleansing from the world of these people, Purgation fitted this well, meaning a cleansing of all that is impure, so we went with that!

Blistering.com: How do you go about making death metal that isn't just a twiddly fireworks display rather a coherent slab of satisfaction like Purgation?

Purnell: For us it was a case of making the music we love. We weren’t sticking to any death metal formula or any plans we had mapped out, we just set to writing the heaviest, most blasting music we could and it came out real well! It was definitely the right album for us at the time, however there is still a lot more to come - we have a lot more ideas were waiting to put into the next album and can't wait to get into the studio to record!

Blistering.com: What do you have to say to several reviews posted in the metal press reporting lacklustre performances and absent live chemistry?

Purnell: I would urge them to come and watch us again! We have had a few line-up changes, meaning we played for a while without a bass player and then with myself filling in on vocals, but we’ve never given less than everything we have into a show. For me, performing our music is the most important aspect to the band and the part I enjoy the most. It’s a huge release of aggression and if this didn't come across, then I urge people to come and make up their own decisions.

We now have our full line-up which is the strongest we have had, and the chemistry in the band couldn't be any better! A Trigger The Bloodshed show consists of a lot of anger, aggression, blasting and all out death fucking metal, so if that’s what you want from a metal show come down and check us out.

Blistering.com: Are there any other bands in the Bath/Bristol of England area worth our time? For that matter what about the rest of the UK?

Purnell: The scene in the UK is growing bigger and bigger and there are more and more death metal bands emerging onto the scene. Bands I would keep an eye out for would be death metallers Dead Beyond Buried, Burning Skies, our good friends Bleed From Within, but to be honest the scene isn't producing many bands were really into. It's a shame considering our history of Napalm Death, Sabbath, Anaal Nathrakh, Mistress and many more, but the scene is in a healthy place with the growing commercial success of bands such as Job For A Cowboy, etc., so the only way is up!

Blistering.com: You have supported some huge names in death metal like Suffocation and Dying Fetus here in the good old British Isles, and to say these bands have influenced you would be stating the obvious, but who else plays a part in inspiring your creative processes?

Purnell: We all listen to A LOT of music, not just death metal a lot of progressivemusic, black metal, grindcore and all that slays in terms of energy and aggression! Obviously were all DM heads but to name a few favourites of the band at the moment I would say Rotten Sound, Nile, Decapitated, Cult Of Luna and we were all blown away by The Locust at Ieperfest (Belgium) the other week!

Blistering.com: Finally, the future. Will you be touring and promoting Purgation for a while longer or are there whispers of new material in the pipeline?

Purnell: Yeah man, we’ve actually written next to all the material for our next release! Expect more news soon, but were very proud of the way the songs have come out. Expect all the speed and brutality of Purgation with more focus on the riffing and songwriting!

www.myspace.com/triggerthebloodshed