This Southern California-based doom-psych quintet has been garnering major raves from the metal blogosphere thanks to their newly released self-titled debut. The primal punch and serpentine swirl of the band’s guitar-bass-organ-drum attack mesh beautifully with the commanding clean vocals of vocalist Feathers, whose jazz- and blues-influenced stylings soar above the crunch. And this is all before you attend their theatrical live show that includes smoke machines, psychedelic projections and a pair of corpse-painted dancers – the Rigormortettes – who perform ribbon and hula-hoop routines before ritually “killing” Feathers at the end of it.
They Say: “People have said our live shows are like being on a drug trip without any drugs actually being involved,” laughs bassist and co-founder Octopus. “Audiences don’t know what to expect, but they love it; we often leave them with their mouths hanging open. But it’s been kind of interesting trying to book the band, because we’re so different.
“We wanted to have that sense of a fourth wall, that sense of theater and mystery. There’s no mystery with so many doom and stoner bands; it’s like, ‘That dude looks like the guy who works on your car!’ Which is cool, and we respect that; but at the same time, we feel like some of the genre has become derivative, and we wanted to stake out some new territory. We absolutely are part of the stoner/doom world – but when you’re stoned, sometimes you see things differently!”
Hear for Yourself: A fuzzed-out journey to the center of the psyche, “Glowplug” – from the band’s self-titled debut – impressively showcases Old Blood’s power.
OLD BLOOD is:
Feathers – Vocals
Diesel – Drums
Gunner – Guitar
Octopus – Bass
Stone – Keyboards
And The Rigomortettes: Cutter and Hoops
The Fat Angel Sings 