And another... Obzidian

1. Please tell us about the history of your band and its members.

Obzidian were established in 2001 with founding members Baz, Paul and Jeffsy meeting in school, and then vocalist Matty J joining the band in 2005 due to. Small lineup change. In March 2007 the band signed with Casket Records and went on to release their self-titled debut plus the follow up “Damned Eternal” in 2012. They played extensively in support of these two releases building a solid reputation across the UK, sharing the stage with the likes of Sepultura, Crowbar, Il Nino and Arch Enemy.

In 2014 they unleashed their third album “Concrete Psychosis” which was released on 8th September on Rocksector Records. 2015 & 2016 saw the band go from strength to strength and continue to build a solid fanbase. 

In 2017 the band signed with FATangel Management and released their fourth album “Obliteration Process”, which was self-produced and released in November 2016. Since then the band have had support slots with Grand Magus, Whispered and more plus they have played to huge crowds at Uprising, HRH Metal & Hammerfest as well as touring the UK extensively. 

Obzidian are now working on their fifth album and have been announced for Amplified Festival and Bloodstock Festival, 2018 looks to be their biggest year yet!

Members:

Baz Foster - Guitars

Matty Jenks - Vocals

Matt Jeffs - Bass

Paul Hayward - Drums

2. What’s the origin of the band’s name?

Obsidian (original spelling) is a black, volcanic, glassy rock formed when superheated magma cools rapidly and forms the structure of the rock (Paul took Geology A level at high school). We thought the name and physical appearance of the rock was quite cool so we changed the “S” to a “Z” to make it more original.

3. Where is the band based out of and what is your music scene like there? Are

there any local bands you could recommend?

3 members of the band are from Stafford and Matty is from Wolverhampton. Stafford is a small semi-rural town in the Middle of England and has almost no music scene, although local promoters are trying to change this and one in particular (Neil Simons) is doing a fine job at his venue RedRum.

Wolverhampton has always been a good scene for metal and venues such as the Wulfrun and The Slade Rooms put on some amazing talent both from local and international areas all the time.

Our buddies in XVII are definitely an great band, who have played Bloodstock and built a good name for themselves in recent years, and we would definitely recommend people into groove and modern metal to check them out.

4. How would you describe your style?

Groove Thrash with Death Metal leanings

5. What have you released so far and what can someone expect from your

works?

2007 - Obzidian

2012 - Damned Eternal

2014 - Concrete Physchosis

2016 - Obliteration Process

We also have another 3 releases prior to this, but they were never “official” releases.

Our albums all have a common Groovy theme with speed and thrash throughout, but each one has it’s own special feel. Damned Eternal for example is a progressive concept album, whereas Obliteration Process is the Thrashiest and heaviest we have released to date. If you like fast metal with hints of Black Sabbath and at times Death Metal then you will love us!

6. Do you have any new music in the works?

We are in pre-production of our 5th official album, yet to be named and due for release in 2019. A single should be released this Summer in preparation for this album.

7. How about playing shows and touring, have anything planned out?

At the moment we are focused on the summer festivals such as Mosh Against Cancer 2018, Amplified Festival 2018 and Bloodstock 2018. We have been honoured with some great slots this year, so we aim to build on this leading up to the new album launch.

8. What plans do you have for the future as a band?

We plan to keep on doing what we love and have always done, which is be a band of 4 brothers who write Thrash metal that we love to play and we hope others love to hear. After 17 years as a band we are closer and more together than we have ever been.

9. Where can we listen to your band and where can we buy your stuff?

There are some tracks from the previous 3 albums available to hear at: www.obzidian.co.uk

We also have music videos and lyric videos on our YouTube channel “Obzidian Official”

We are also very active on social media and can be found on Facebook (facebook.com/obzidianband), Instagram (obzidianband), Twitter (obzidianmetal) and more.

Our march store is linked from our website and also available at: obzidian.bandcamp.com

10. What is it you’d like a listener to remember the most when hearing your music for the first time?

The groove, the intensity and the passion is obvious in our recordings. We hope that people can connect to our tunes and most of all have fun when listening to them and seeing us live.