Blindfolded And Led To The Woods Fly In From New Zealand To Rock Necrosonic Festival

‘We’re starting with an eight-minute track, we’re starting with a longie, we’re starting with a thickie and it is going to be an absolute punch in the face! Bring your mouth guard! Have your epilepsy medication because the lights are going to be flicking on and off for the next forty five minutes down at Necrosonic. It’s going to be epic!’

Blindfolded And Led To The Woods drummer Anthony Coota is suitably pumped for the New Zealand’s band appearance at this month’s Necrosonic Festival in Brisbane on August 23, with an side show in Melbourne the night before. He, along with the bands mastermind Stuart Minchington, take time out to discuss this and as well as more about the new music on its way, which includes the shows opener. Stuart takes up the story.

‘The biggest thing has been working on our new album, which is completely finished. We’ve given it to the record label. So right now we are just waiting on a few things to fall into place and then we will be looking soon at announcing when that’s going to be coming out. So, we’re extremely excited about that. This album has far surpassed any expectations that we had and as this was the first time that we’ve fully self-produced an album, we were able to give it the time that maybe we hadn’t given the last couple of albums. It’s the most cohesive thing we’ve ever done and we haven’t had any time restraints on this one, so we’ve really been able to dig in and make it the best that we possibly can.’

Coota is relatively new in BALTTW history however is a long time fan, who brings his own unique qualities.

‘Coming into a band when it was thirteen years pre-established, there’s such a turning point where you join, we’ve also had a new handsome guitarist – might I add in Dan – anyway bringing my own flavours, Dan bringing his own unique sort of style to quite a previously established sound can be challenging. It can maybe even cause a bit of upheaval, however, with Stu, Stace and Nick and even Ben, the previous guitarist, there’s been nothing but overwhelming support and incredible creativity come through, supporting new ideas and working together. So, as once a listener and now a member of the band, it’s such an honour and a privilege to help shape what was already so angular and aggressive, powerful and raw into something that it knows no bounds. It is almost limitless in its form, which is exactly what I think Blindfold is attempting to be. Something that can catch you off guard, yet feel so familiar at the same time. This album, we’ve truly encapsulated those polarising feelings into one, forty five minute CD.’

There is a tight knit feeling amongst the guys as they prepare to crush both on CD and on the stage. Horizons previously not possible looming large as they continue to push the boundaries of sub genres in metal, especially Death Metal, as Stu leads and Coota follows with answers.

‘It’s pretty amazing to see people’s different perspectives of what we’re doing. I don’t think that we generally live only in the death metal box. I think a big part of the band is trying to do something that’s different, trying to do something that’s unique. So, I love seeing what people say about what we’re up to.’

‘Stu is totally to credit for that because he is the ultimate genre bender of all time. There are so many flavours in this project. I don’t really care what it gets called because to me it’s just an expression of us collectively, but ultimately as Stu is the main songwriter, it’s quite the journey. It’s alleviating me of my own constructs of music perception that Blindfolded allows me to take off the blindfold, so to speak, and see that expression of music. When you get it, it’s pretty cool and you unlock part of yourself that you didn’t know that was actually there and when you arrive, it’s such a beautiful reminder.’

Which brings us back to the band being on our shores in a few short weeks. Once again Stu starts, Coota ends

‘We’re going to be playing a handful of new songs, songs that we have never played live. So yeah, opening the set with an eight-minute epic that is actually the opening track of the new album. So, it’s kind of like a test run, but also we’re so fricking proud of these new songs, man we can’t wait to unleash them for the first time.’

‘Along with some new hot material. We will be playing some classics and some from ‘Nightmare Withdrawals’ and ‘Rejecting Obliteration’. Those fans who know those albums that have previously circled around, you’ll definitely be hearing some hits that you love from those albums’.

As we round out the interview, the always illuminated Coota finishes the interview off.

‘I just want to say thanks to everyone, thanks to all the team at Necrosonic. We’re super excited to come over and play in Aussie. The last time we played in Aussie was 2023, so two years ago now. It was such an insane journey and we can’t wait to come back to Aussie shores and come rip it up in Brizzy. It’s going to be so much fun.’

‘Just on that note as well’ Stu reminds us. ‘We are playing in Melbourne the night before as well, so if anyone happens to be in Melbourne the night before Necrosonic, we will be doing a headlining show there with Growth, Run and Rat Tomb, three bands that are fricking sick. So come on out to that as well.’

You read the man, get out and support live music.

Interview By Iain McCallum

Catch Blindfolded And Led The Woods at Necrosonic Festival on Saturday August 23. Tickets and further information HERE…