Blockheads (band)

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Blockheads
Live concert in 2014
Live concert in 2014
General information
origin Nancy , France
Genre (s) Grindcore
founding 1989
Website http://www.blockheads-grindcore.fr/
Current occupation
Erik
Nico
Fred
Xavier "Xav" Chevalier
former members
Electric bass
 Raph
Electric bass
 Payot
Drums
 Oli
Drums
 Benoit
Electric guitar
 Raphael "Raph" F.
Electric guitar
 Antoine
Electric guitar
 Ludo
singing
 Véro
Electric guitar
 Ben
Electric bass
 Xaxa
Electric guitar
 Pierre
Electric bass
 Bruno

Blockheads is a French grindcore band from Nancy that was formed in 1989.

history

The band was founded in 1989 by singer Xavier "Xav" Chevalier, guitarist Ben, bassist Xaxa and drummer Oli. A short time later, Pierre joined the line-up as the second guitarist, but he left the band in 1991 and was replaced by Fred. Next, Xaxa left the cast and was replaced by Bruno. In this line-up, they recorded the Haashaastaak demo . After the recording, Benoit joined as the new drummer. 1994 followed by appearances together with Loudblast and Carcass in Nancy. The following year the debut album Last Tribes was released on the band's own label Blockheads Tribe. Further concerts followed the publication. In the following years Benoit, Fred and Ben left the band and the new members were guitarist Ludo, bassist Payot and drummer Nico. Thanks to the concerts and the album, the group was able to increase its popularity before a split release appeared in 1997 together with Mastic Scum . At the same time, Blockheads also played appearances with the Swiss band Nostromo . Both bands soon became friends, which would later result in a split release in 2002, which appeared on Molar Records and Shogun Records . The bands then covered a song from each other. The band also performed together with Obituary , Soulfly , Knut , Inhumate , Deranged and Krisiun . After several line-up changes, a second self-published album was released under the name Watch Out . Then the guitarist Ludo was replaced by Antoine. In 2000 the band signed a contract with Bones Brigades Records . The compilation From Womb to Genocide , which consisted of the first two albums, was released. The same label released the third album Human Parade in 2002 , after which Raph came as the new bass player to the lineup. Various appearances at concerts and festivals followed. At the beginning of the new millennium, the band also learned Overcome Records , which allowed Blockheads to play with Napalm Death and Nasum . In 2002 the band played at Fuck the Commerce and in 2003 at Fury Fest . She also played concerts with Nasum, Converge , Napalm Death, Extreme Noise Terror , The Dillinger Escape Plan and Cephalic Carnage .

In 2006, the fourth album was released under the name Shapes of Misery , which was recorded in the LB Lab Studio under the direction of Loudblast guitarist Stéphane Buriez . After an appearance on the Obscene Extreme , a tour with Mumakil followed . In 2008 there was also a split release with both bands on the label Bones Brigades Records. In addition, Shapes of Misery was re-released on this label , as Overcome Records had to file for bankruptcy. The vinyl version was released in 2009 on Up-To-Eleven Records, a label owned by one of the guitarists. The band took part in tribute albums for Nasum and Repulsion and other concerts followed with Brutal Truth , Ingrowing , Skitsystem , Yacøpsæ and Sayyadina . In the summer of 2009 the group played at Hellfest . After a few line-up changes that delayed the release of the next album, the DVD Grindcore Overdose was released in 2010 , which contained two concerts by the band. In the same year, the split release with Mumakil was re-released as vinyl via Relapse Records . In 2011 the band held fewer concerts to concentrate on the work on the fifth album. The recordings for This World Is Dead took place in Geneva in the second half of 2011 under the direction of Jérôme Pellegrini from Mumakil. In 2012 the band played again on the Obscene Extreme. The album was released in 2013 on Relapse Records. In the meantime the band consisted of the singer Chavalier, the guitarist Fred, the bassist Erik and the drummer Nico. In 2014 the band could be seen again at Hellfest.

style

According to the band biography on relapase.com , the band was initially influenced by groups like Napalm Death , Carcass, Bolt Thrower and Godflesh . laut.de described the band's music as "the heartiest grindcore". According to Thomas Strater from Metal Hammer , the band plays classic fast grindcore on This World Is Dead , which offers only a few groovy breaks. In their lyrics, the band treats serious issues, so the album is comparable to From Enslavement to Obliteration . In an interview with Ollie Fröhlich from Ox-Fanzine , Erik stated that “the systematic exploitation of people and natural resources for quick profit” is a constant theme in the song lyrics. In addition, one addresses "the modern methods of mass manipulation, which are intended to distract from this damage". Try not to preach, but to create awareness. Fröhlich had reviewed This World Is Dead two issues previously . He stated that the album consists of 24 short songs and a seven-minute doom metal-style song. He assigned the band to old-school grindcore.

Discography

  • Haashaastaak (demo, 1993, self-published)
  • Last Tribes (album, 1995, Blockheads Tribe)
  • Fear / Blockheads (Split with Mastic Scum , 1997, Stuhlgang Records )
  • Watch Out (album, 1998, self-published)
  • From Womb to Genocide (Compilation, 2000, Bones Brigade Records )
  • Human Parade (album, 2002, Bones Brigade Records)
  • Blockheads / Nostromo (Split with Nostromo , 2002, Shogun Records / Molar Records )
  • Shapes of Misery (album, 2006, Overcome Records )
  • Mumakil / Blockheads / Inside Conflict (Split with Mumakil and Inside Conflict , 2006, Overcome Records)
  • Blind (split with Mumakil, 2008, Bones Brigade Records)
  • Grindcore Overdose (DVD, 2010, self-published)
  • This World Is Dead (Album, 2013, Relapse Records )

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d e Biography. (No longer available online.) Musicmight.com, archived from the original on January 27, 2016 ; Retrieved November 30, 2014 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.musicmight.com
  2. ↑ Blockheads (2) - Human Parade. Discogs , accessed November 30, 2014 .
  3. ↑ a b BIOGRAPHY. relapse.com, accessed November 30, 2014 .
  4. ↑ Obscene Extreme 2012 allmetalfest.com, accessed on 30 November 2014 .
  5. ↑ a b Blockheads. laut.de , accessed on November 30, 2014 .
  6. ↑ Hellfest 2014. allmetalfest.com, accessed on November 30, 2014 .
  7. ↑ Thomas Strater: Blockheads . This World Is Dead. In: Metal Hammer . February 2013, p. 77 .
  8. ↑ Ollie Fröhlich: BLOCKHEADS . Free Your Mind With Grindcore. In: Ox-Fanzine . No. 108 (June / July), 2013 ( ox-fanzine.de [accessed December 1, 2014]).
  9. ↑ Ollie Fröhlich: BLOCKHEADS . This World Is Dead. In: Ox-Fanzine . No. 106 (February / March), 2013 ( ox-fanzine.de [accessed December 1, 2014]).