Vents MagaZine Music and Entertainment Magazine
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1. Hi guys, welcome to VENTS! How have you been?
Thanks for having us! We are doing great thank you, getting very excited for our release.
2. Your new single “Asphyxiate” arrives ahead of the upcoming EP Radical Views. How does this track set the tone for the project as a whole?
ASPHYXIATE, for us, was always going to be big and impactful. It’s there to hit hard and fast and get your blood pumping. Much like when we go on stage, we want to open heavy and with as much energy as possible. This is no different. We want our listeners to hear that first song, and think.. ”woah” and know that they’re in for a hell of a ride.
3. BLACKMARKET has always blurred genre lines, but you guys have described Radical Views as leaning further into your metal influences. What sparked that heavier shift this time around?
I think the best way we can describe this is simply evolution. There’s been a well-deserved spotlight on metal over recent years. Bands like Spirit Box and Bring Me The Horizon have been making mainstream headlines. We’ve recognised that aspects of our music which would scare away most of the promoters we meet are now what people are crying out for.
When we play live, the heavier influences in our music always stood out to our crowds, but it didn’t feel that way when our previous tracks went into the studio. It took us a long time to recreate that heavy live feel in the studio but once we did we wanted to hang on to that and run with it.
4. “Asphyxiate” is built around punishing guitars, militant drums, and a huge vocal range. Fraser, how did you approach pushing your vocals further for this track?
It’s fair to say the vocal game in the metal industry has been elevated tenfold. But equally it’s getting hard to find metal singers with a different sound and approach. For a long time it felt like my vocals weren’t up to scratch but really they’re just different. That being said, I still wanted to be better. I pushed myself very hard to add multiple layers of tone to single takes rather than adding layers upon layers in the studio. I would spend hours practicing in my car because my other half isn’t a massive metal head. I’d send videos after videos to the band showing them what I’d learnt. With this track I just wanted to let loose and showcase what I can do with my range.
5. You cite influences ranging from Lorna Shore to Fever 333, Stray From the Path, and Knocked Loose. How do those different sonic identities come together in the BLACKMARKET sound?
Stray’ was a band that for all of us just hit home and hit hard. No frills, just straight hard riffs and truthful lyrics from a place of pure contempt. They reminded us that sometimes you don’t need all the extra stuff, sometimes you just got to stand up and shout about what you believe in. That sort of raw authenticity, especially in a world on the brink, feels so powerful and real. For us it’s also about taking inspiration from the way they shape aspects of the industry and the genre. None of those bands were afraid to do things differently and neither should we. Bands like the ones cited become what a genre is known for. Even though at day one, they didn’t fit the exact description.
6. Fraser, you also mentioned drawing inspiration from vocal powerhouse Will Ramos. What
specifically about his style influenced the approach to “Asphyxiate”?
I remember very vividly a friend of mine sitting me down in 2023 and showing the famous clip of Will at Download festival, no backings, just pure, guttural, acapella filth. And I knew then and there I wanted to push myself further. I started to learn to throat sing, hitting multiple tones and learning to open up different notes. Using this technique I wanted to move away from the industry standard of layering screams on screams and start hitting single takes that hit multiple levels. Once I wrote ASPHYXIATE on the guitar in the studio with Cary, I knew straight away it was the perfect chance to showcase what I’d learnt.
7. Your music blends nu-metal grooves with modern aggression and electronic textures. How important are those synth layers in shaping the atmosphere of your songs?
Our synth sounds are what make us unique. When we write a song it just doesn’t feel finished unless we have that electronic grove. They give our music a fourth dimension and allow us to create more depth and more emotion in the music. Just changing the tone on the synth slightly will change the feeling of a song from happy to dark. Our track, Bleed, specifically showcases just how our electronics do that in the space of one song. Going from dark and angry, to energetic and full of life.
8. The lyrics on Radical Views are described as “jaw-breaking” and fueled by contempt. What themes or frustrations are you channeling into this EP?
Regardless of who you are or where you’ve come from, It’s very easy to feel like you can’t make a difference or make any kind of meaningful change in the world. For me, there’s always been this feeling of it all being just so unfair. No matter what work you put in, there’s someone to stop you or knock you down. A lot of my music is about sticking up a middle finger and taking what you deserve. Whether that’s your own happiness, or something you’ve just worked hard for.
9. BLACKMARKET has built a reputation for explosive live shows. How does the energy of the pit and crowd interaction influence how you write your songs?
I went into the studio with a golden rule, if I wasn’t head banging while I was writing it, it wasn’t worth writing. We struggled in the early days recreating the same sound and energy we had live. So I wanted to go back to the drawing board with how we recorded. We were always very structured and strict with our writing process. This time, the rule book was going in the bin. I wanted to walk in, lay down some drums, and just run with it. I kept that image of the crowd in front of me at all times. Every riff and hook was designed to match our live strengths.
10. The UK heavy scene is thriving right now. Where do you feel BLACKMARKET fits within this new wave of aggressive, genre-bending bands?
Well first of all, its about bloody time. For us, we’ve been making this kind of music for over 8 years. It might be back in style now but for us it never left. For a long time we stuck out like a sore thumb on a line up because no band sounded like us. So It’s fair to say there have been plenty of gigs with some unsuspecting fans in the crowd. One time we played a show in underground Jazz bar, once some of the crowd realised we were a “screamo band” they started to leave. But by the end of the set we had a packed out room with some of the craziest scenes that venue had ever witnessed. We weren’t heavy enough for metal, and we were too heavy for anything else! But we want to be at the forefront of this push with pioneers like Enter Shikari and Bad Omens.
11. With “Asphyxiate” dropping in March and Radical Views arriving in May, what should fans brace themselves for in this next chapter of BLACKMARKET?
So much more. We’ve come back heavier than ever whilst hitting that nostalgic note. We’ve taken every aspect of our music to the next level. The drums are heavier. The guitars bite harder. The bass is funkier. The electronics are darker. And our vocals are like nothing our fans have heard before. However, this is just the beginning for us. We’ve been around for a long time but the world is finally ready for our music and we’ve got a lot more of it to come. Fans can expect to feel that same energy they get in our live sets, with fast cut throat riffs, and electronics that will make your spine tingle.
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