We present ourselves as an Alternative Metal Band – Interview with Blame Zeus

Blame Zeus are an Alternative Metal band from Portugal. If I researched the phone area code correctly, they are based in and around Porto. Formed in 2010 by singer Sandra Oliveira and drummer Ricardo Silveira. In the meantime, they have released four albums. Most recently “Laudanum” – at the beginning of October this year. I liked the album very much. Now it’s time to get some more information from the band.

MHF: Hi, I’m Rainer and I write for the Metalheads Forever Magazine. Thank you very much for letting me do this interview with you. How are you?

BZ: We are feeling very positive and thankful for the good feedback we’ve been getting from fans and press. Thank you very much for your review, by the way. Also, we can’t wait for 2024 to start touring.

MHF: You are certainly less well known outside your home country. Please introduce yourself briefly.

BZ: Well, it is true, we’ve worked a lot in Portugal and played throughout the whole country and main metal fests. Unfortunately, going abroad isn’t as easy, but now we’re investing all in it. 

We present ourselves as an Alternative Metal Band, with influences so varied that even we have difficulty cataloguing our sound. Anyway, we don’t believe music should have boundaries or be limited so, as long as I see people headbanging and singing the lyrics in our shows, we will show up to be the loudest or the softest. Doesn’t really matter, as long as Music is the most important thing.

MHF: Sandra and Ricardo founded the band. How did you come together and how did you find your comrades-in-arms?

BZ: Well, we (Ricardo and I) are a couple. We’ve been together for almost 20 years and, in his case, there is no better drummer with which I would like to count on while on stage, or creating new music. We set out to form a project to compose music that we would really enjoy playing, without thinking if it would be commercial enough, or heavy enough, or too much. We just poured our hearts into it. We were working with a guitarist and a bassist at the time, and during the first 2 and a half years we only made music. 2013 was the time to start playing them live. The band lineup changed a bit at the time, by changing the guitarist and receiving a second guitarist into the fold.

After we promoted our debut album “Identity”, some line-up changes came up again. Paulo Silva and Tiago Lascasas became our guitarists and, later, bassist Celso Oliveira completed the group. These members would then compose and release our next 2 albums “Theory of Perception” and “Seethe”. In 2021, Bruno Branco auditioned and took his place on as bassist, and thus we remain until today.

MHF: I think there have been quite a few line-up changes in the past few years. How did you deal with these changes? How have the new members influenced the musical direction of the band?

BZ: I think that people have different opinions and sometimes they clash and need to be solved. It’s never easy to manage a group of people, with different experiences, backgrounds, dreams and types of lives. Sometimes, the best is just to let those people go their own way and hope they are able to find what they’re looking for.

MHF: The press info says you play alternative metal. This has a wide range. How would you describe your sound and how do you differ musically from other bands of this genre?

BZ: As I said above, it’s hard to describe our sound, even for us. I think that is a good description precisely for being wide ranged. We use influences from blues, heavy metal, progressive rock, doom rock, stoner, indie… perhaps that is exactly what can distinguish us from other bands of the same genre… the diversity of what you can expect when you listen to Blame Zeus.

MHF: At the beginning of October, you released your fourth album “Laudanum”. How did the songwriting and recording process go?

BZ: During 2022 and the beginning of 2023, we got together and built the songs together. Normally, we started with a guitar riff, and I would start writing the lyrics, imagining the melody and metrics in my head, Ricardo would start composing the drums and so on. Most of the songs were made in real time. Some parts, especially instrumental parts, were worked on at home and then brought to rehearsal to bring the pieces together.

MHF: You released the album on your own. That’s a lot of work. Have you ever thought about signing a record deal?

BZ: Yes, of course. We had a deal on the first and on the previous album, but I believed we could own this one for ourselves, and work with other kinds of professionals like PR Agencies and Booking Agencies, and for now it is working well. But yes, it is a lot of work! Even so, I strongly believe that hard work is the only way to get where you want to be.

MHF: In the press text I read the following:

“Laudanum” marks a pivotal chapter in the band’s creative odyssey, bearing witness to their unyielding commitment to artistic exploration.

What challenges did you have to face during the production of the album?

BZ: I wouldn’t say there were challenges. Everything went smoothly, took it’s time to incubate and a healthy timeline resulted almost to perfection. We’ve had time to know each other musically, so this artistic exploration, thinking out of the box, looking for the best way to pass the message on, was natural.

I would say, personally, that I had to live up to what I was writing. I had to lose all fear and let go of very personal, deep, frustrating feelings, but all is real and mine, and that is why this is my favourite BZ album. We’ve read some reviews that say they feel a mix of sadness and energy, and this is probably what I felt at the time. A deep sadness but also a strong will to get up from the dust I became and let the world see me (at least the ones who listen to it).

MHF: Are you happy with the result?

BZ: Yes, we are! We worked with Ricardo Fernandes to co-produce, mix and master, whom we already knew from “Seethe”. We love the sound; the songs are powerful and the artwork is perfectly aligned with all. This is indeed our best work yet, in our opinion.

MHF: What were the reactions of the press and your fans?

BZ: We think the feedback has been positive. Within the fans, a new personal favourite, we have been told; among the press, some align more with “Seethe”, but in general it has been a good rollercoaster.

MHF: Will you also present the new songs live? Also, outside your home country?

BZ: We did 2 shows in Portugal in which we played the whole album, and also a few singles from previous albums. Now the goal is to play as much as possible, and international grounds are a priority at this point. It is time to fly from the nest once in a while.

MHF: What can we expect from Blame Zeus in the next few years? Are you already writing songs for a new album?

BZ: We don’t really know what we’ll do in the next few years. Touring is a priority. We will see what happens next. No, new songs and new albums will have to wait.

MHF: Thank you again for this interview. Do you want to say something to your fans at the end?

BZ: Would just like to say thank you to Rainer, thank you to all who read this. Please connect with us on social media and see when we’re coming to your hometown!