INTERCEPTOR
- Metal Militia
- Aug 17, 2025
- 7 min read
// Hailing from Charleston, South Carolina, INTERCEPTOR play a vicious blend of black, speed, and thrash metal. While they may be young, they play with a ferocity that is seldom matched in this day and age. I had the pleasure to speak with Blake “Bulldözer” Arendell, INTERCEPTOR’s frontman, bassist, and founding member. //
Hello! Would you mind introducing yourself and explaining your role(s) in INTERCEPTOR?
↪ I’m Bulldözer, blitzhammer bass and growls.
I think one thing that really stands out about INTERCEPTOR is how vintage you sound. I know you recorded digitally, then ran those tracks through analog tape, but is there anything else that contributes to that old-school sound?
↪ We run straight amplifier and drum sounds. No triggers, no digital fx, and for our latest single “Sorceress” and its B-side “Just Like Lightning,” no metronome, as we recorded all instruments live on just 3 microphones.
A big part of the “old school sound” that people don’t consider is the writing itself. It's not just about production, but the style of the music itself. You will not find any breakdowns or trendy gimmicks or attempts to merge with a “modern twist” in our music. Even besides production, the riffs are very dirty, raw, and improper, which is unlike the false “metal” of today, and everything like the true metal of 40 years prior.
You’ve said in the past that INTERCEPTOR is “80% speed metal, 10% black metal, and 10% thrash metal.” However, on “Tales of Mayhem,” I felt like there weren’t that many truly fast songs. Is there a reason for this or did your more mid-paced songs just feel better to include on the album?
↪ Well that has definitely changed. We love to play fast ripping violent metal, but always going fast is boring and our sound has evolved to be more than just speed. “Tales of Mayhem” was more of a tribute to the rough side of NWOBHM such as VENOM, TANK, MOTÖRHEAD, ATOMKRAFT, WARFARE, and more. So it was a more mid-paced heavy evil rock and roll sound on many of the songs. Genre wise, we have influence from the classics of NWOBHM, Speed Metal, Black Metal, Power Metal, and 70s southern rock and this will be very prevalent on the next record.
The most common comparison to INTERCEPTOR that I see is VENOM. Obviously, they were an influence musically, but I also see a lot of them in how you guys perform on stage – everything from the armbands, the Explorer-style bass, the waistband chains, the fact that both of you are power trios, and even the same machismo Cronos was known to bring (given he was a bodybuilder.) What all goes into the ideal live setting for INTERCEPTOR?
↪ Well, I will say for a small period of time we were cutting it way too close to VENOM. However, the power trio, my bass, our stage presence, stage attire and all of that is more coincidental and based in general off of the early metal aesthetic that VENOM DID influence but along with many, many others. The “machismo” is definitely natural haha, fitness and weightlifting are some of my hobbies outside of metal and I promise, NOT because of Cronos.
Our ideal live setting is BIG. A big stage, big wild crowd, big amps and drum kit, and a big fuckin’ show. But if we can't have a big stage and a big drum kit and all the fancy shit, it doesn't matter; our performance is what we prioritize and it'll feel larger than life either way. We always want to go over the top with everything we do and show we don't have a real limit. We wanna see fans crowdsurfing and stage diving as we go wild swinging our axes around, pounding the metal sound into their brains. We are happy to do what we do almost anywhere in any conditions.
You’ve also stated that your origin of Charleston, South Carolina has a “nonexistent” metal scene, besides maybe FUTURE SHOCK. Are there any bands in the broader South Carolina scene that you enjoy or have played shows with?
↪ I've never even heard of FUTURE SHOCK. I would say “nonexistent” was a bit of an exaggeration, but overall true for our style of metal. There are a couple of bands somewhat similar, but the bands and crowds are not very similar to us in age. We are all young, wild, and hungry, and sadly there are very few fans like us in town. Don't get me wrong, we love and appreciate our older fans greatly, but we do love to see young energy at our shows, which is just not very prevalent here. In the greater South Carolina area there are a few good old school metal bands that are friends of ours, such as ATOMIC PEACEMAKER and THRASHATOR. But overall, not many bands or venues that cater to this scene.
Tell me about the firing of original guitarist Double A. He stole money from the band or something? How did Reaper come into the fold as his replacement?
↪ The full story would be several pages. Double A was a troublesome guy with many issues, but I believe he has gotten better, so good for him. To keep it short, he was spending our storage unit money on who knows what, disrespecting me and saying I didn't know what I was doing (at the time I was the only member who actually listened to real metal), wanted to dress like KORN on stage, only played chromatic Dimebag Darrell stoner metal lead licks on his solos no matter the chord progression, was trying to undermine our sound behind my back and become technical thrash, and was also always a low functioning drunk stoner at practices and shows.
It went over the edge when he got us kicked out of a venue before we even played because he got into a screaming match with the bartender after he refused to put down his beer that he brought from outside. Recently I overheard that he was claiming that he designed the INTERCEPTOR “skullcrux,” among other credibility claims. These are all false and his contributions were zilch besides playing the shows that we did.
Reaper was someone that was referred to me by someone completely random. I decided to meet up with him, and he seemed like the total opposite of Double A. Disciplined, driven, and actually knew what we were doing with our sound, look, and presence. First practice he showed up with all of the songs I had sent down PERFECTLY along with his own solos that were great. The rest is history.
You’ve done pretty much everything yourselves as far as recording, promoting, and distributing INTERCEPTOR’s material, save for the partnership with Blitzhammer Records for “Tales of Mayhem.” First, is Blitzhammer your own label and second, do you plan to continue going down the DIY route, or do you think you want to sign with a label for any upcoming material?
↪ Blitzhammer is our own label for all current releases and sort of a more professional front for our booking. Doing everything DIY is a lot of work for one guy with a full-time day job, and it’s hard to do that while also being able to focus on practicing and playing. Our goal is to have our next full-length record on a label, both domestic and international so that all INTERCEPTOR fans can get their hands on our records at a reasonable price. We are currently in the talks for this so stay tuned!
Your most recent single, “Sorceress,” is great! It’s in line with some of your other songs like “Witch’s Dance,” which has similar themes surrounding black magic and witchcraft. What do you think it is about these kinds of topics that draws bands like INTERCEPTOR to write about them?
↪ It's a very intriguing topic. I believe that these occults and black magics are real. They hold real power with the spiritual realm and it makes these topics very good for horror subjects. That's what most of our lyrics are about; we love the macabre and it's fun to joke around and sing about. “Witch’s Dance” is truly about a witch, but “Sorceress” is actually a string of black magic-themed innuendos for getting hot and heavy with a woman of the night. It was fun trying to think of all the lyrics for that one.
I’ve noticed a lot of the solos on INTERCEPTOR songs have no rhythm guitar backing them. Was this because it made recording faster or because it would be more accurate to how you play live?
↪ We don't want to be a band that disappoints a record listener when they see us live. We want to sound even bigger, better, and louder live than we do in our recorded music. It's impossible to do that as a 3-piece band if we double track all of our instruments and have 2 guitars playing at once when we only have one. We want to be as raw and true to our sound as possible so we don't deceive the listener. When you hear our records and our songs, you hear us at our tamest. That tamest will still be louder and ruder than what many other modern bands are doing; just wait ‘til you see us live!
Now that “Tales of Mayhem” has been out, what’s on the horizon for INTERCEPTOR?
↪ Lots. Writing is already almost done for METAL DEATH, our next record. While “Tales of Mayhem” was a surefire tribute, this next record is our very own. Nobody has smashed first wave black metal, speed metal, old school power metal, NWOBHM, and 70s southern rock together like METAL DEATH does. It’s almost a new niche subgenre, yet without sounding new in the slightest. The sound will continue to be just as raw and heavy as the last but with slightly more audible instruments and vocals. Supporting the release of the record we have our full North American Tour across Canada, America, and Mexico. We want to get out and conquer the fucking world with our music and our continent is a sure start. We hope that this will put us further on the books and put our name in the minds of every real headbanger across the continent and soon the world. We have so much to come. So many plans. Just know that INTERCEPTOR has only begun, and will only go up and go bigger.
Thanks for entertaining my questions! Any final words?
↪ Drink your beer and whiskey, lift some heavy metal, and play your music fucking LOUUUUUUUDDDDDDDD!!!! We’re coming for you!! BE WARNED!
Interviewed: December of 2024
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