Precious Blood Interview

 

1.For those that have never heard of you before, can you tell us a little bit about the band? 

Precious Blood: We all came from different musical backgrounds and walks of life. AJ came from NY hardcore and thrash, Grace grew up in Europe, listening to classical music and black metal, and Dave is an old school thrasher. However, we value the same things in music. Songs that have great melody, monstrous riffs and thundering drums, with a hook so impactful, it is like a punch in the face.  Grace and Aj spent a lot of time in the Caribbean, travelling to different islands, submerging themselves to the unique culture of each island. For AJ it was reconnecting with his roots, being of Cuban and Puertorican descent. Back in NYC, all those influences and experiences formed Precious Blood. It is mostly our lyrical themes that draw profound inspiration from the enduring spirit of the Caribbean, shaped by brutal history of colonization, unwavering resilience of its people, and exploration of the darker aspects of human existence, including death, contemplation of mortality and the complexities of human suffering. 

2.A few months back you released your first full length, can you tell us a little bit more about the musical style that you went for on the recording? 

Precious Blood: This album is called False Prophets, and we take you on the journey from life to death, lifelong suffering to the imminent grave. Our whole existence we are lied to by imbeciles cloaked as idols, fools veiled as prophets. Whether religion or government, we have no other choice, but to play by their rules and adapt to their ways, when all we want is our personal freedom. Our musical style is a blend of thrash, doom and death metal, with lyrical themes strongly influenced by Caribbean spirit. We also dive into the lyrical exploration of all things dark, serial killers ( The song Bludgeoned & Charred was inspired by Italian giallo Blood & Black lace by Mario Bava), horror, death, and human suffering. 

3.You refer to your music as 'Blackened Caribbean metal', can you tell us a little bit more about this term and which aspects of Caribbean History that you bring out in the songwriting? 

Precious Blood: It is mostly our lyrical themes that draw profound inspiration from the enduring spirit of the Caribbean, shaped by brutal history of colonization, unwavering resilience of its people, and exploration of the darker aspects of human existence, including death, contemplation of mortality and the complexities of human suffering. Our early demo Bloodfire, had a lot more reggae and ska influence musically.  However, with the addition of Dave, our bass player, our sound took a more extreme, thrash like direction. You can still hear the tribal-like drum lines in Cemetery Burn and Footsteps of Babylon. 

4.What are some of the other lyrical topics and subjects the band has explored so far with the music? 

Grace: I conscientiously disassociate my everyday self with my creator self, and just become a vessel of what flows through me. I immerse myself completely in the different worlds that I build, and lyrics just happen naturally. I create my own world, the world of Precious Blood, where we are just observers of great historical events, but we experience them through the eyes of knowledge and passion.   We wrote most of the lyrics either in the Caribbean, or in Europe, where you can still feel the presence of the past, you can see it in the cobblestone streets of Paris, in the architecture of cathedrals in Barcelona.  We wrote our songs in the same cemeteries in Turks and Caicos and Sint Maarten, where the ghosts of the people buried there have been wandering the same beaches and looking at the same ocean for hundreds of years. And that humbles you, makes you realize your own mortality. But there is nothing more empowering, than being a continuation of the voice that has been screaming for centuries. 

5.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Precious Blood'? 

Grace: Precious Blood was the name of the wedding band when Aj and I got married. The twist? The wedding band was AJ, me and our musician friends.  We played our favourite covers, Johnny Cash, Misfits, Slayer, Slipknot and Iron Maiden.  2 minutes to Midnight was our wedding song. We had so much fun doing it, that we wanted to give this project a new life and form an original band. Some years later, we met Dave at a Gogol Bordello show on NYE, and we knew Precious Blood had finally taken its ultimate form. The relationships that are chosen and not born of the same blood are the most precious. 

6.Can you tell us a little bit more about the artwork that is presented on the new album cover? 

Precious Blood: The photo we used for the album cover was the first picture we ever took as a band, outside of Otto’s Shrunken Head in NYC, where we just played our first gig.  It depicts the birth of Precious Blood, the beginning of our journey.  The photo became very popular on our social media, so when it was time to think about cover art for False Prophets, it was unanimous.  Adorned in blood, this photo introduces us to the world. Precious Blood logo and font were made by an Indonesian artist Tyrant, and made in the likeness of broken bones covered in blood. It draws from the pirate symbolism, as well as the iconic film Cannibal Holocaust, symbolizes the brutality of life, human frailty and the omnipresence of death. 

7.What are some of the best shows that the band has played so far and also how would you describe your stage performance? 

Precious Blood: We love playing Dingbatz in New Jersey. It is one of the proper metal venues and it's always a good time.  Our album release at Lucky 13 Saloon in Brooklyn on Halloween night was great as well. It is amazing to see the venue packed with your fans, feeling their energy. We want to engage with our fans and transport them to the world of PB.  We also played a really cool headlining gig for Indian Larry Motorcycle Club. It is the biggest biker party in NYC, and it was so much fun to play while guys were doing crazy motorcycle tricks, and the strippers were dancing to our music. AJ: We can't forget the Tompkins Square Park show right before our record release. It was a surprise last minute booking, and playing that park is always special because of the history it entails. The riots, the protests, there is just so much rebellion and spirit in that place. Grace: QXT, one of the oldest goth night clubs in New Jersey was super cool too. They f ilmed Terrifier 3 there. We love the spooky stuff!! New additions and improvements to our stage show are definitely in the works.  We are looking forward to playing more shows next year! 

8.Do you have any touring or show plans for 2026? 

Precious Blood: Of course! We plan on doing a regional mini tour, more shows in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut, and we may even play a surprise show in a city in Europe that has significant meaning for us. 

9.Currently you are unsigned, are you looking for a label or have received any interest? 

Precious Blood: We have received multiple offers from various labels, however, we are looking for the right partnership. We want to base it on trust and professionalism, and want to be a perfect fit for each other. Season of Mist has been doing amazing things in the world of metal and is the golden standard in the industry. We would love to have a chat with them! 

10.On a worldwide level, how has the reaction been to your music by fans of extreme metal? 

Precious Blood: We have been humbled by the great reception to this album. It is an amazing feeling to know that people all over the world listen to our music. Our top 5 countries on Spotify were US, France, Germany, Australia and Canada. It is really cool that people in Australia, the country that none of us has ever been to, listen and like our music.  And of course, we love Europe and it is great to know that Europe loves us back. It is also really interesting that everyone thinks we sound like a different band, from Type O Negative to Bad Brains.  Black metal world embraced us with open arms, and we promise to deliver even more sinister, evil kick ass music 

11.What is going on with some of the other bands or musical projects these days that some of the band members are a part of? 

Dave: Besides Precious Blood, I am also playing in two other active bands, and have a few other projects in the works. One of the bands I’m in is the legendary American thrash band, Blood Feast. We just returned from a one-off gig at Turock in Essen. We released a new album last year and have started working on new material. Another one of my active bands is Suaka. The primary member, Rully, who handles guitar and vocals, is Indonesian, but now we are quite multicultural, myself being American, with the addition of Ecuadorian drummer Igor Icaza, who also plays with the death metal band Ente. Based out of New York, the band has been around for over 10 years and has played all over, including a gig opening for Sepultura in Mongolia! I joined about 2 years ago. We played our first gig with the current lineup last month here in NYC, and will soon begin working on new material.  AJ: Precious Blood is definitely my priority, but I have been playing in a hardcore -thrash crossover band Jesus Knevil for over 20 years. We toured Eastern Europe last summer, and got to play with Dirty Shirt.  We are about to write a new album and tour the United States this summer. 

12.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future? 

Precious Blood: We have already started working on the new album. It will be a deeper dive into the world of Precious Blood, more witches, more whores, more dancing on the graves and of course, more brutal riffs and faster drum beats. 

13.What are some of the bands or musical styles that have had an influence on your music and also what are you listening to nowadays? Grace: Black metal and classical combined with horror film visuals. Chopin, Bach, Rachmaninoff, Watain, Dimmu Borgir, Behemoth, Darkthrone, Marduk, Mayhem..  I am obsessed with Gojira right now, Mario’s playing to be exact. I also love satanic country, dark blues, outlaw country. Deep, meaningful songwriting and lyrics that transport you to another world. From Me and That Man to Chris Stapleton and Johnny Cash, there is nothing better than songs that tell stories and have a dark soul. AJ:  Bad Brains, Slayer, Metallica, Bob Marley and Burning Spear were huge musical influences and inspirations for me. Jimi Hendrix and blues shaped my guitar playing. Right now, I just can not get enough of Gojira, a band like this comes once in a lifetime. The New Testament album is amazing as well, it has heavy riffs, cool songs and overall great metal sound. Dave: I listened to plenty of Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, Iron Maiden and Rush in my formative years, but when I first heard Metallica’s Kill ‘em All, it was thrash all the way. Currently I’ve been digging into a bit of death metal, a couple of bands that come to mind at the moment are Pyrexia, 200 Stab Wounds, Necrot and local NYC band Anti-Sapien.

14.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?   

Precious Blood: Chant down Babylon and Hail Satan! 

https://preciousblood2.bandcamp.com/album/false-prophets