Interviews: Blessings Of Mara

On this new occasion, we have had the opportunity to interview the Metalcore band, Blessings Of Mara from the UK. Check out the interview and follow the band on their FACEBOOK PAGE.

1.Where did you get the idea for the band name, you planned it or came out just like that?

The Idea came when I was playing Skyrim one day and it must've been subconscious, from a few of the characters in the game saying 'blessings of mara upon you' but I was doing a quest and I thought blessings of mara, that sounds like a cool band name.

2.Why did you want to play this genre?

This genre has always spoken to me, it's got the right balance of heavy and melody which I tend to look for in metal music and I've always listened to metalcore and thought I'd love to make something like this, so I did!

3. Did you know each other before the band was formed?

I knew Ryan (our drummer) before the band was formed, we went to primary school together and I then bumped into him at a gig many many years later. From there he introduced me to Alan (our bassist) and Luke (our guitarist).

4. Each band member's favourite band?

I asked the guys this question and immediately we decided 1 band is waaay too hard to choose so we all picked a top 3:

Mine are Wage War, Spiritbox and Oceans Ate Alaska.

Alan's are: Every Time I Die, HECK and Palm Reader.

Luke's are: Beartooth, Slipknot and LiSA

Ryan's are: Holding Absence, Counterparts and Northlane.

5. Who or what inspires you to write songs?

For me personally, I write songs as a form of catharsis. I speak about how I'm feeling in my lyrics and I like to tell stories about experiences I've had. This is really what inspires me because I really hope that my thoughts and experiences are something that helps others through similar situations, like so many other artists have done and continue to do for me.

6. Where was your last gig?

We haven't actually done a gig yet, maybe in the future we can answer this one! 

7. Where would you like to act?

For me personally, I'd love to perform at Roundhouse in Camden (London). It's where the band was first started as they have recording and performance rooms there, where our first few songs demos were recorded. Plus, it was where I went for my first ever gig (Asking Alexandria, 2014) and so for me that would be a very full circle kind of experience.

8. Whom would you like to feature with?

I think featuring with Killswitch Engage would be amazing because they're such a monumental band to the metalcore genre and our sound now would go very well featured with the likes of Northlane, Polaris and Crystal Lake too.

9. Whom not?

I don't think there's anyone specifically we wouldn't work with as of yet.

10. Have any of you ever suffered from stage fright? Any tips for beginners on how to beat that?

We haven't done a live performance yet, but I definitely struggle with stage fright generally anyway. Going from my personal karaoke experience, I'd say if you're an alcohol drinker, have a shot of your favourite poison to calm your nerves, other than that, just remember to have fun with it, people won't be picking out tiny flaws in your performance.

11. What bands have inspired you the most?

I've probably answered this in bits already, but I'd say generally, bands like Killswitch Engage, Slipknot and Northlane have really inspired us. In the band we all have slightly different tastes so it's good to let our individual inspirations shine through in the music.

12. What's the weirdest thing a fan has ever asked you for?

We've not had a fan ask for anything yet! I'm looking forward to the day I can answer this one!

13. What do you think of your fans?

We love our fans. To us they're great friends because we're still a new band and we're still growing, so inevitably there's going to be good and bad that comes with that and to have people that will support us and join us for the ride is incredible and we are so grateful for it.

14. What do you think of our site?

Your site is awesome! The idea of having a collection of bands from all over the world in an easy to find way is super helpful, not just for the bands who might struggle to be found sometimes, but also to listeners who want to find new music that fits their taste.

15. Something to add?

I just wanted to add a thank you, to you guys, Breathing the Core for this wicked interview, to everyone reading this - for taking the time to hear my thoughts and also to everyone who continues to stand with us. The support for our new single 'Fortune Teller' has been wild and we cannot emphasise enough how much we appreciate every single person that has taken the time to listen and talk to us.