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Pict – M2TM 2026

Pict – M2TM 2026

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Band name: Pict
Location: Glasgow
Genre: Bleak metal
Glasgow Heat: https://www.eventim-light.com/uk/a/64e4bd9fe21f656bd75a0c93/e/693195b15e496e1e628141df

While they can be conceivably termed “black metal”, Glasgow’s Pict prefer to tag themselves as “bleak.” A more open descriptor for sure, leaving many doors open. But what does it mean to them?

“Bleak Metal is a miserable blend of black metal, sludge metal, death metal and doom metal.” they explain.

“We’re mostly influenced by bands like Conjurer, Gojira and Winterfylleth – whose music embody bleakness and melancholy. Bone-crushing riffs are blended with heart-wrenching choruses and vast ambience that you lose yourself in. Thematically we take a lot from our own lives. Everyone deals with their own trauma and carries that with them, our music is cathartic in that it helps us deal with ours. Some of the subject matter is directly from experience, and some from the bleakness of the current day. Either way, it’s a misery we can all share in, which hopefully leads to some kind of connection and healing.“

And they carry that message of misery-into-positivity with them to the live front. For example, they performed at the Fogharach anti-fascist extreme metal festival.

“Fogharach has been a huge highlight for us so far.“

The band dive deeper, telling of the event, it was “Headlined by Tyrannus, and had a lineup including Wolvesrot, Ghoul, Nachtgavnt and our good friends from Wales, Hiraeth. The whole point is to provide a safe space for marginalised folks to enjoy black metal and black metal adjacent genres. As well as that, it’s a protest against the rise of fascism we’re all experiencing right now, and especially in the black metal world where it’s important to make these distinctions! We had such a good time, we were so welcomed by the community and felt very at home straight away. The organisers (Noah and Toby) were amazing and put on such a great festival. Like we said, highlight of career, would love to come back one day!“

Meanwhile, they’ve been carving away at recorded work, setting about a future full-length, and recently dropping their EP, The Nomad.

“The Nomad has been received so well,” the band enthuse, “so we’re happy to enjoy playing that for a wee while! We really enjoy playing that one live.“

“However, we do have songs in the works for album 1.” they continue. “One of them you’ll definitely hear this Thursday. The Nomad is a single 20 minute song split into 4 parts, and so we won’t follow that format for the first album. There will definitely be a flow across the whole thing, think of stuff like Pink Floyd‘s Wish You Were Here or The Wall. However, each song will stand on its own merit and not be thematically or musically linked to one another like on The Nomad.“

“As it looks at the minute, album 1 will be much heavier and more riff based. The songs we’re currently practicing are absolutely crushing, we can’t wait to share them! In terms of themes, The Nomad is much more personal; album 1 will delve more into social critique – stuff that makes us rage! But, will definitely be from a more personal perspective. As always, it will be super bleak.“