Band Line Up 2013

Name: Bloodstock Open Air
Start: 2023-08-10
End: 2023-08-13
Location: Catton Park

One of the toughest challenges facing any modern metal band is to stand apart from the homogenous masses and deliver a sound that offers something more than perfunctory ticking of boxes and trend-chasing mediocrity. With a sound that thrums and crackles with imagination and atmosphere, Karybdis have the substance to back up their technical skills. As showcased with breathtaking flair and finesse on their extraordinary debut album, From The Depths, this is crushing, forward-thinking heavy music that marries the savage riffing and percussive precision of death metal, groove metal and brutal hardcore to the epic sweep of ancient Greek myths and legends. A potent new hybrid driven by passion, power and the tireless pursuit of progress, From The Depths is as fresh and invigorating as any metal album in recent memory.

"We
all have such different influences that we can't be pinned down to a specific
genre," explains drummer Mitch McGugan. "The combination of all our
ideas makes us unique. When we write we do it together and write what we want
to hear. We never try to cater to a specific audience."

Exemplified
by a mesmerising genre-blending versatility and a devastating degree of sonic
depth and muscle, songs like imperious album opener Minotaur and the monumental
Demonstration exhibit an otherworldly quality that belies Karybdis' burgeoning
reputation as new metalcore figureheads. Completed by guitarists Pierre
Dujardin and Harsha Dusari, bassist Jay Gladwin and recently-recruited frontman
Rich O'Donnell, this international wrecking crew have evolved at a breathless
pace since forming in 2008 and have struck upon a fizzing, ferocious inter-band
chemistry that has led to a debut album that bulges with jaw-dropping dynamics
and moments of exhilarating intensity. Named after a mythical sea creature that
appears in Homer's Odyssey, Karybdis are as ageless and epic as the ancient
tales they tell on From The Depths.

"Karybdis
created huge whirlpools from the depths of the ocean in order to engulf any
passing sailors," explains McGugan. "We want to exert that kind of
power too. We wanted a link between the name of the band and album title,
something that also represented the beginning of something new for us. The
lyrics range from being about dreams and mythological creatures to notions of
love, lust and grief. Rich is quite a recent addition to the band, but he
really pulled out all the stops on this album, and surprised us all a few times
during the recording process!"

The final
piece of this compelling jigsaw slotted into place when Karybdis joined forces
with legendary producer and sound wizard Russ Russell, recording From The
Depths with the great man at Parlour Studios in Northamptonshire. Famed for his
work with Napalm Death, Evile and many more, Russell has brought the band's
music to life like never before.

"Russ
was fantastic to work with," states McGugan. "He was patient and
helpful with things we found difficult and a real taskmaster when he felt we
weren't doing the best we could! We had a huge amount to cram into the time we
had and he worked incredibly hard to bring our dream to fruition: an album that
sounds exactly as we wanted it to."

Leading
UK metal into inspiring and uncharted territory, pushing boundaries and
pursuing a brave and noble path into the unknown, Karybdis will unleash From
The Depths later in 2012, before embarking on their own epic quest to spread
the dark magic of their music to the four corners of the globe. The sound of
metal's past, present and future colliding in a shower of sparks, this band are
constructing their own immortal mythology before our eyes and ears."

Dom
Lawson, Metalhammer