Black mass-Of first and last things (2013)

Black mass is a band from Leeds (UK), playing a truly excellent kind of old school death metal (think swedish) with some doom and crust / grind elements, adding some diversity to the music. They're very good when they play slow, and very good as well when they play fast. They just released a (digital) record called Of first and last things which is a re-recording of songs from demos. it's eight songs, each one beoing really good, developping absorbing dark atmospheres or making you headbang with some cool blasting moments. It manages to catch your attention throughout all the record. Highly recommended!

you can stream / download it from their Bandcamp.

Support the Mass!!

Jack and Matt from Black mass anwered to my questions about their music. Read it below :

-how did the band formed? what was the idea at the start?

Originally 3 of us lived together, so we started playing in our basement and recorded our 2 track demo soon after. There has since been a revision and expansion of the line-up after members leaving to pursue individual paths.

-do you play or have played in other bands?

Members are connected to projects such as; Light Bearer, Momentum, Narcosis, The Ergon Carousel and Host

-what about the songs that are on Of first and last things, how were they written and recorded / produced?

They were all written in one basement and recorded in another. All recording and production was done by Black Mass

-which song is your favourite and why?

Vermin of the Earth. It was a song we wrote early on but scrapped, we since resurrected it after finding various demo versions, and we felt it set the tone for everything that came afterwards.

-how would you describe your music, old school death metal with some doom and crust/grind elements?

Yes! Spot on.

-which bands were more influantial to you?

Napalm Death, Entombed, Portal, Swans, Godflesh

-what about your live shows?

Transcending the void through sonic ritual. We are as loud and heavy as possible

-what about your new songs? is there a major evolution compared to the songs on Of first and last things?

Not an evolution, more a refinement of our ideas.

-you wrote about a new recording in the coming months, what about it?

We are currently writing a lot of new material, and with our basement studio we can record and release as we please. We have no definite plans for a release as of yet.

-are you looking for a record label?

We are looking for a label who are willing to press "Of First and Last Things" onto vinyl

-what's your opinion about the state of metal these days?

It's the same as always, for all the rubbish shit there's lots of good stuff out there too, you just have to find it.

-any "full of wisdom sentence" as a conclusion?

Blast beats are the best, get high all the time.