Behemoth... I guess almost everyone has read or
even heard something from that band, as they seem to be one of the most known
Black metal bands coming from Poland (besides Graveland)! Due to the fact that
their two demo-releases and their mini-cd sold very good, and the long awaited
full-lenght album has been released now, I took the change and send my
questions to Nergal, the
vocalist/guitarist/bassist/ of the band... Some of the
questions may be a bit outdated, as the interview isn't that fresh anymore, but
I hope you'll forgive me this time... Anyway, the final result can be read on
this page!
Nergal, how has been the respnse concerning your
second demo-effort, "...from the pagan Vastlands" so far?
"Hi Stefan. The responses were very good I guess.
But you must ask for it Tomasz, 'coz he promotes and distrubutes Behemoth at
most. I got a lot of letters with really great opinions about our second
demotape..."
Are you personally satisfied with the final resust?
"Yeah, I'm really satisfied with those new ones. Especially
with our newest release, the mini-lp "And the forest dream
eternally", which is more raw and burtal than our demos. It makes our
music more heathen and barbaric, also vocals are progressed, matured. I'm
really surprised with our great evolution in such a little time, it's
satisfying..."
I guess there have been a lot of differences between
"The return of the northern moon" and your latest demo. The debut
wasn't that fast, without a synth and so on, but it seemed if "...from the
pagan vastlands" sounds much more different, showing us a lot of
improvement. Do you agree?
"Of course, you're right. There's a lot of
differences between "The return..." demo and "..from the pagan
vastlands" stuff. Especially vocals, I put more hate and evilness in my
singing style, also accoustic and solo guitar-parts were quite different than
in other Black metal bands. Now I make a lot of those parts 'coz I play very
well on my instrument (would be bad if not.. -ed.) and try to do music the best
I can! I think that Baal also made a great progress in his drums playing
style!"
I heard that there might be a full-length cd release
somewhere in 1995...
"Yessss, we have a deal with mighty Pagan Records
to record our full lenght cd that will be entitled "Sventevith: storming
near the baltic" (Out now! -ed.), we're planning the studio session in the
end of this year (1994), and it will be avaible in early '95 I guess. Write to
Pagen Records and ask for prices. Also, if you're interested in t-shirts (out
soon), demo I & II and all other stuff of Behemoth, write to
Tomasz!!!"
Getting back to your second demo, which includes a
cover of Mayhem, "Deathcrush" ... are Behemoth influenced by them...
and others?
"We are very influenced my mighty Mayhem and
other ancient Black metal forces like Venom, Bathory, Mercyful Fate, Kat,
Celtic Frost/Hellhammer, old Sodom, old Destruction, Kreator, Manowar, Running
Wild and some other heavy metal hordes..."
A lot of influences... speaking about music, I'd like
to take a look at the polish scene. It seems as if there are a lot of new Black
metal bands coming from your country... jusy followers/"trendys" only
being interested in earning money?
"I can proudly say that we have one of the
strongest Black metal scenes ever! The strongest are Behemoth and Graveland. There
are also: Infernum, North, Mysteries, Sacrilegium, Mastiphal (the danzig one)
are the truest forces of Poland! But I must warn you before you some trendy shits
like: Necrochrist, Arcone, Thirst, Hazael (profanators of norse tradition!) and
masg that just follow the disgusting trend and start to "promote"
so-called "Black metal bands"... eh, I'm really tired with fighting
with this shit! I'm sure that they finnish existence when popularity of Black
metal go away (Hopefully soon... -ed.)! Support only pure evil hordes in my
country, if you want some news please write to Capricornus from Graveland/The
temples of fullmoon organisation..."
About the person itself... who is Nergal, master of
war summonings, mayhemic rythm guitar, witching bass and sword pagan whispers?
"Me, Nergal... black emperor of Behemoth, ruler
of the underground kingdom. Some of the myths say that Nergal is babylon god of
the sun and pestilence, worship under the form of fire... fire is the sign of
revelation, sign of forever burning pagan flames, fire as a symbol of rebirth
of old traditions... The pagan earth!"
So... are you interested in religious stuff, cultures
or something else?
"I'm a satanist. I call myself as pure satanism
worshiper and it's nothing to do with that I write pagan lyrics. I'm a polish
thus I'm a pagan. I want to make my culture beauty and I proudly follow the
paths of my forefathers. I've also satanist feelings... it's very personal
subject and it's really hard to explain what I feel."
Back to the most important point, the music, again. What inspires
Nergal personally when writting the lyrics for a song?
"Everything,
but especially the dark side of my life, the side which I don't show very often
(Everyone has it's secret... -ed.). It's my personal life, I unleash the true
war inside, full of mystic symbols, old traditions... I'm deeply inspired by
ancient pagan gods, heathen culture, magic of the nature, night/day, moon/sun,
planets, men/women... the pure feelings existing deep in my heathen spirit...
musically I'm inspired by old Black metal masters!"
Got
some flyers lately "speaking" about a european cd-release of your
second demo by Nazgul's Eyrie Productions (which has been released a while
ago)...
"Yes,
we have a deal with Nazgul's Eyrie with the re-edition of our second demo on
cd. We have also the same deal with Wild Rags in the U.S.A. I think taht it's
good to have such good promotion all over the world to spread grain of war and
lust!!!"
I guess
these releases sold quite well... Changing the subject, I'd like to know what's
your opinion about live-shows? Do you like to perform a gig with several other
bands?
"If
it will be a pure Black metal band, I think yes. I've some great ideas to make
a great live-black-show with fire and mysticism on stage. But I'm sure that
it's not really possible to do! First, no one from the Black metal scene wants
to play in this trendy country, too much stupid kids around us... You can ask
friends from great Bethlehem how the polish scene is (Jü told me... -ed.)? You
can ask Funeral Winds the same! I don't want to satisfy all this trendu Black
metal motherfuckers!"
Hmmm...
which country "owes" the best scene, in your eyes?
"The polish,
the norwegian and greek scenes are the best. I like the sound of these
bands..."
A minor
question... any activities besides Behemoth?
"I'm a college student. Read some books, watching
video films... my beauty woman takes a lot of time. But Behemoth has all
my heart and I love to write poems, take long walks in my local woods to find
some inspirations and feed my spiritual form, mail is the thing that I don't
like at most... (who really loves doing the mail every day...-ed.)"
To
which bands/music do you listen in your free time (Ouh, a minor questions
again...)?
"I
listen to a lot of music, mostly Black metal bands but also some different
stuff, for example: Manowar, Type-O-Negative, Bathory, Venom, Emperor,
Behemoth, Enslaved, Mayhem, Bethlehem, Deicide (YEZ! -ed.), Satyricon,
Gorgoroth, Agatus, R. Christ, Graveland, Infernum, Fields of the Nephilim,
Sisters of Mercy, Love like Blood, Katatonia, Immortal, Burzum, Mortiis,
Motörhead, Current, Diamanda Galas and a lot of others..."
AT
LAST... you rfinal words can be laid down here...
"I
just want to greet some of my friends from Germany, Jürgen and Andreas from
Bethlehem, Hendrik Möbus from Absurd (hail bruder!!!), a guy from No Colours
Records, and finally you Stefan, for great support for Behemoth (it was
pleasure for me! -ed.)!!!!!
Praise
yourself thus Perun! God of thunder!"