Jamie Campbell Bower teases 'gnarly' new season of Stranger Things and reveals the bands he's using to get back into character as Vecna
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Vecna has a metal band. Alright, technically it's actor Jamie Campbell Bower who is the founder and frontman of BloodMagic, but there's something undeniably exciting about the idea of a band helmed by the big bad behind Stranger Things.
So naturally, in the latest issue of Metal Hammer we caught up with Jamie and drummer Kyle Adams to find out how they're bringing this new group to life, and what their plans are for the future after releasing the distinctive - and decidedly cinematic - music video for Death / Rebirth in April.
Hammer couldn't resist asking about the pair's influences, and how Jamie's work on Stranger Things - including the revelation that he listens to Darkthrone and Mayhem to get into character as Vecna - might have had an impact on the music he is now making.
You’ve mentioned in interviews previously about the music you listen to, to get into character as Vecna – has that had any bleed-in to this project?
Jamie Campbell Bower [vocals]: “I certainly tried! I gave it a good fucking go. With the music we reference in BloodMagic and the kinds of bands I’d refer to in relation to us – Deftones, Every Time I Die, Bush – a lot of that stuff can’t be replicated. It exists in and of itself and can’t be put anywhere else. I would certainly say tonally and thematically, the music I consume both when working on Stranger Things and outside of it, it’s a case of me going ‘great, all the darkness can go into here now’.
That certainly has an effect on what we’re doing, but you can’t listen to Sunn O))) and then go ‘this is great, let’s do this’ because they’re their own thing. We can certainly get excited about a certain tone or moment that subconsciously matches the energy of what we’re doing, for sure. We’re trying to be our own thing. If I could die and be reborn as someone else of course I’d like to be in Norma Jean, or Darkher, or Frayle. That’d be amazing! But no, we want to be distinct from those artists even if we love what they say and what they’re about.”
How’s the work on Stranger Things looking for you right now?
Jamie: “It looks amazing! I obviously can’t say too much, but if people thought last season was big and wild, just wait. This season is gnarly – we’ve got some amazing creative people on board and it’s good fun, even if it’s hard work. It’s interesting coming back to a character that I’ve played before, but with development. The only other time I’ve been able to do that was with Twilight, and I was young and dumb playing a grumpy old vampire ha ha. With this there’s still a human to consider so it’s really interesting to go through development with that character.”
What are you listening to, to get back into character?
Jamie: “I listened to a lot of Frayle yesterday to get back into character. I’ve fallen in love with them. It’s interesting, because last season I was consuming a lot of dark black metal stuff, Revenge and more spacey stuff like Sunn O))). [This time] I found myself edging towards folk music, so I was like ‘I wonder if there’s a world where these things combine’ and that’s how I discovered Darkher.
She fits the bill perfectly within that. Through Darkher I got into Frayle and I really like the energy that’s in that and how grounding it is. Don’t get me wrong – there are times I still need the fastest, loudest death rattle I can possibly find, but there are times I need that grounding.”
Who are the most important band in rock and metal right now?
Kyle Adams [drums]: “Honestly, you know who I really like? The band Nothing More, their last album Spirits is fucking unreal. I’d heard of them before in the past, then heard the songs from Spirits and thought ‘these are pretty cool’, but when I heard the whole album it made me realise they’re really doing something different. Something very proggy, but melding it with pop and radio sensibilities that feels groundbreaking to me. I don’t know what bands are helping sounds to evolve right now, but they’re the first band I’ve heard in the heavy rock and metal world that’s doing something so different.”
Jamie: “I don’t think I could answer that question and leave this interview feeling happy with myself. Ha ha! I have very dear friends in bands like Architects, Bring Me The Horizon and Empire State Bastard, so I’m always overjoyed when I see them doing something new and exciting. I love watching my friends and people who are just better than me inspiring me. I was listening to [Bring Me The Horizon's] Suicide Season again the other day and the title track from that album is so good! I’m used to listening to like Chelsea Smile or whatever but when that comes in, it’s so of its time and its scene.”
Kyle: “Oh man, one more band that comes to mind is Biffy Clyro – they’re always breaking new ground. I love Biffy so much and every record is so unique and not what you’d expect. Even going back for a second, third listen, there’s stuff you completely forget that they do. It’s something magical they have.”
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