Rising To The Masses: Praetorian

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Before the first riffs echo through the fields of Catton Park, we are diving head first into the pulse-pounding world of the New Blood Stage at Bloodstock 2024. So grab your backstage pass, tune your senses, and join us as we explore the stories, inspirations, and the relentless drive of the bands who are rising to the masses! Introducing Praetorian…

How would you describe your band to someone who’s never heard you?

We are a four piece from The Shire – or North Hertfordshire to others – and we play a mix of angry blackened sludge metal, combined with heavy doom riffs, a bit of noise rock and a delicate dash of subdued post-metal tranquillity.

Tell us about your band’s origin story. How did you all come together?

Well I (Mark – guitarist) am the only original member of the band, and we formed in 2015. First few years were littered with personnel changes but since COVID we have had a steady lineup and gone from strength to strength. The original concept was to sound like bands such as Entombed, Celtic Frost etc but it soon segued into a more palatable meaty riff fest with less emphasis on death metal and more hooks.

What song would you recommend for someone’s first listen of your band?

Describe your songwriting process. How do you create your music?

I primarily write all the music, starting with a main theme in terms of song structure (deciding whether it’ll be fast/slow/downbeat/doomy etc) and I piece riffs and sections together until the main nucleus of an idea comes together. Then I show the other members, and in the practice room the whole band tweaks bits here and there with everybody offering suggestions on any changes. Tom, our vocalist, writes the vast majority of the lyrics. We don’t like to ‘jam’ ideas.

How do you handle creative disagreements within the band?

We all have a massive pillow fight.

What are your musical influences?

Iron Monkey, Acid Bath, Soilent Green, Goatwhore, Darkthrone, Eyehategod, Kylesa, Conan, Crowbar.

What’s the story behind your band name?

I was in the pub with a friend of mine (who was actually on the verge of joining the band but in the end declined) and we were just thinking of cool band names, and ones that weren’t too obvious. A sense of ambiguity has always been high on the list when it comes to band names for me, and Praetorian just sounded cool. None of our songs have anything to do with the Romans I might add! Not a very interesting story I’m afraid.

What’s your guilty pleasure music outside of metal?

I don’t think any of us have a guilty pleasure about anything we listen to, and I can’t speak for the other members but I will admit that I love a bit of 90s dance. You know, the stuff you used to find on Smash Hits CDs. That’s pure nostalgia seeping through. Also Britpop had some cracking tunes.

Tell us about your most memorable live performance or tour experience.

We played the MT2M Final in Hitchin back in 2022 and the sight of a sellout crowd of people swaying their heads to our riffs made me all warm and fuzzy inside. I think our set at Bloodstock could well be a new number one on the list (barring any disasters).

What’s the most challenging aspect of being a metal band in today’s music industry?

I guess trying to stand out from the herd. There are new metal bands being formed every day and they’re all striving to get ahead. We have certainly found it very challenging but we’ll keep plugging away regardless. We’re just here to have fun, and you only live once yadda yadda.

Any advice for other aspiring metal musicians?

Be very patient, practise your chops and above all, just be nice to others. If you’re a bit of a wanker then chances are you will never be in a band. Ever. Well…I guess Axl Rose is an exception to the rule but still!

What’s next after Bloodstock for the band?

We will be releasing our debut album which we are VERY excited about. We’ll also be releasing a single or two complete with music videos. Good times ahead so keep your ears to the ground.

How do you choose album artwork or visuals for your releases?

There is no real theme or concept behind the artwork for our releases, but we try and stray away from the normal black and white posterized effect, or the dark morbid colour schemes found on most extreme metal albums. I like to make the artwork stand out with a bit of illustrative absurdity with some eye-catching colour schemes.

What’s the most unexpected inspiration for one of your songs?

The town of Stevenage and its crusty existence has possibly resulted in one of our finest tracks yet. This will be off the new album.

What’s the best gig you’ve attended as a fan and why?

For me, it’s Godflesh in London back in 2011. A very strange bill, as DRI were opening with Goatsnake in the middle, and Godflesh headlined. I love all three bands but they sound absolutely nothing alike. It kinda worked! Godflesh were especially phenomenal, so heavy.

Have you faced any challenges as an unsigned band? How do you overcome them?

Trying to persuade promoters that your band is worth a damn, and getting that foot in the door. It can still be a bit difficult for us at times but perseverance soon pays off. Network with other bands, be nice to promoters, put on a good show and nine times out of ten, they WILL want to bring you back. We’ve had some gigs where one man and his dog have turned up which is frustrating, but the gigs with good crowds and an electric vibe make it all worthwhile.

How do you stay motivated during creative slumps?

Just watch lots of movies and TV shows, and wait for that moment of inspiration to hit you. Luckily it doesn’t affect me too much as I have about seven thousand riffs saved on my phone, with the lucky ones seeing the light of day at some point.

Praetorian are set to play The Hopical Storm New Blood Stage On Saturday 10th August 2024.