Blood Pudding & Other Fun Things: Blóðmör Redefine Heavy Metal

A heavy distorted guitar riff. Subtle but pervasive bass. Drums keep a strict beat. A lyrical phrase repeated in rough vocals. This is the recipe Blóðmör (“blood pudding,” in English) uses to craft their music, and it is delicious. Yet, they still manage not to sound formulaic. Every one of their songs is innovative, intoxicating, and different from everything else in the scene.

Categorising the band

For such a sophisticated sound, the band is surprisingly young. Haukur, the guitarist, is 17, as is Matthías, the bass player. Ísak, the drummer, is just one year older. The band has been active for three years (one and a half in its current lineup).

“One song, ‘Líkþorn,’ is about dead skin on the bottom of a foot.”

In that short time, they’ve created a group that is difficult to categorise. Their sound is so unique that even asking them what sort of music inspires them seems disrespectful somehow. Nevertheless, they answer. “A lot of Icelandic bands have influenced this,” Haukur says. “A lot of the old punk bands from the 80’s. Then of course Ham. Our drummer takes a lot of inspiration from Sepultura.” The result is a raw, gritty, and fun melange of sounds.

As for what their music is about, they don’t really have a theme. “All sorts of things inspire my lyrics,” Haukur says. “It’s hard to say one thing because all of our songs are about different stuff.” For example, one song, “Líkþorn,” is about dead skin on the bottom of a foot.

The skeleton on their cover art indicates heavy metal, yet Blóðmör defies the tropes of the genre. While many artists go for an evil sound, Blóðmör embodies mischief. The winners of Músiktilraunir, Iceland’s Battle of the Bands competition, the band brings this same mischief to their live performances. “It’s mostly about having fun and having something that’s catchy,” Matthías admits.

Other fun things

When they aren’t making music, the young men’s interests vary vastly. Matthías likes to fly fish. Haukur goes to music school, so his entire life revolves around playing. He also likes to watch horror movies. Ísak is training to become a sea captain. In fact, he was out at sea when we interviewed the band.

They are currently working on a full-length LP, but don’t get too excited. They won’t be done for another year. “Like half of it is done,” Matthías says. “But we have a lot of songs to write.” They want to have at least ten songs, but only a few are fully done. “It will be worth it,” Matthías says.

While they’re tight-lipped on the content of these new songs, they do say they’ll be performing some new material at their Iceland Airwaves show. So if you want a taste of blood pudding, you know where to go.