How was your band formed? How
can you define your style?
Zorn (guitar) and me (drums)
developed the thought of a common band in 1993, and we are still the only rest
of those days. Our line-up did not achieve any constancy until the summer of
1995, when Jander and Sveinn entered as vocalist / bassist. This line-up
remained until the recording session of the "Srontgorrth"-album, when
Sveinn and Jander parted. Their successors are Zingultus (vocals) and Chaos
(bass guitar). Our style is defined by atmospheric Black Metal. Any further
definition is an unnecessary complication.
What is the situation with the
new material?
We have a lot of new material
in store, only a few lyrics are still in procession. I hope we'll be able to
record it this springtime to release it in summer. The next album will not be
another concept-piece, but contain about six songs of independent character. The
new stuff is less experimental than that on "Srontgorrth".
Where are you going to record
& release your new album?
As I said we hope to record in
the nearer future, probably in May. The recording session will again be located
in the Stage-One-Studio, where we made great experience.
What themes do you touch upon
in your songs?
The contents of the songs are
based upon thoughts of individuality in combination with a rejective, sometimes
even sarcastic view upon the mental and philosophical opponents in our personal
surroundings, that is mainly the keepers of moral limitations. To be explicit,
the main part of the songs deal with religious consideration.
What are you plans for the
future?
When we have reached the point
of time at which we have managed to grow into a band-internal unity (I am
referring to the new line-up), we will finally start to play live again... Apart
from that, we are still searching for an opportunity to release a split-single
with a strong German band.
What musical styles attract
your most of all ?
Metal...what can I say ? Yes,
I like some of the electronically orientated industrial stuff, and I listen to
Depeche Mode and Kraftwerk as well as to Dead Can Dance, but that does not deny
the fact that the wave of the early 90's Black- and Death-Metal is my
revelation, apart from a few modern releases that still carry the spirit of
those days, and a few traditional Metal-releases.
What do you think about live
concerts?
We love playing live, but the
godammed fucking line-up-problems made it impossible for us to take much of the
possibilities that were offered to us ! I hate cancelling live-gigs ! As I said
before, we can only hope that the next time might offer us the possibility to
do a few more gigs. Perhaps we'll even be able to present some new material.
How can the name of the band
be interpreted ?
Nagelfar in its original form
is a mythological content of the Germanic antique. It is one of the indications
for world's end. This oppositional mythological meaning is yet only the
'bottom' to the personification of the ship 'Naglfar' for us. We added the
"e" to present the German form of this figure, in order to indicate
the personal meaning that stands in connection to the awareness of our origin,
and the foundation that made us aware of the fact that time inverted the truth.
We have a cultural and mental connection to the past, hardly to the present.
Your attitude towards alcohol
& drugs.
I do not think it to be very
different than that of others.....there are days when you forget your name
because of the amounts of manipulating liquid in your body, there are days when
you manage to compose the best guitar riffs you ever did because of other
components you inhaled...there is no possibility to stop this. Sometimes I love
to make myself ill with alcohol, but the more thoughts I spend about how to
stop this, the more ill I get, and that is not worth it.
What can you say about modern music
scene?
I am not as entirely sick of
the modern scene as a lot of others are. There are still some strong points
among the faceless rubbish. Indeed some of the more famous bands seem to get
aware of their beginning periods it seems to me. Nevertheless, especially the
Black-Metal-Scene has over wrapped, but not finally in 1999, but a few years
earlier, so I think it to be pointless to redo this discussion. The good bands
are still there, but they are not heading for a Nuclear Blast-contract, but
keep the good old Underground activities alive. A lot of those Underground
activities still remain unnoticed by the mainstream, and that is what keeps me
alive. I have a lot of contacts to people who withstand all the current
seductions...Perhaps you referred to the charts-scene, as well? Well, I cannot
comment...I ignore the VIVA-scene completely, so do not ask me. I am not
willing to pay a German Pfennig for anyone of those people. Until the next
Depeche-album is released, of course...
What are your strong & weak
points?
Strong points: the intro
Weak points: some of the vocal passages, my drum performance.
Are there any principles you
would never give up?
Yes. Signing a contract with
Nuclear Blast or Century Media, recording an album without guitars and blastspeed-parts,
stop drinking beer, doing a video clip, writing English lyrics and keeping a
constant line-up are the six sins of death for the band Nagelfar.
Your opinion about the
political situation in Belarus ?
Sorry, I have definitely no
competence to judge about this situation.
What are you afraid of most of
all?
I am afraid of the
computerisation of life, I must honestly say. I perhaps I just hate it, I
cannot say really. I try to avoid the usage of my computer as far as possible,
but it is hard, and that is what makes me nervous. It is a coldness I cannot
cope with, and I really damn the myths which is connected to it meanwhile,
especially through the media, of course. Apart from that I fear that the Celtic
Frost- reunion will come true...PLEASE SPARE US THAT !
How do prefer to spend their
free time?
I am studying, Zorn has
decided to visit a secondary school, Zingultus has a daily job and Chaos has
just finished his apprenticeship.
What are the main values of
your life?
The analysation of myself has
become the main part of my life. I strive to understand myself, but day for day
I notice that I fail. My personal contradictions harden my attempt. I am
realistic as well as unwordly at the same time, that is what makes me confused.
However, if I will ever manage to know myself entirely, I have nothing more to
strive for, so...
How does your creative process
look like? Does it have any place for improvisation?
It is a mere improvisation. The
basic structure which is set up in the rehearsal room is not really the
finished song. There is an immense lot of events that follow after this
procession of composing, and the studio time demands again numerous different
ways of thinking. This way, we are sometimes very surprised how a song turns
out indeed…
What do you do except for
music activity?
Meanwhile I have become an
almost fanatic reader, although I never was in the past. This seems to be
caused by my studying, I heavily suppose. Besides, I have no special
occupations apart from music. Since I have moved to the city, I daily meet my
friends to drink one or two-thousand beers. I don’t think that the others have
a lot of other things to do – but they have girlfriends, that seems to be a
difference, I think…
How do define the notion
"success"?
Success is a severe obstacle
for personal thinking, but nevertheless it is an interestingly popular and
precious goal. That means of course, it is of high psychological interest. And
it is also of high psychological interest, why some bands do renounce it, just
like us, har har. Our debut album sold about 5000 copies, which is rather a
success for a German Black-Metal-Debut-album, as I think. But the humorous
thing is that I do not care at all about this number. Perhaps the next one will
sell only 666 copies…I think “Srontgorrth” will not sell much more…it is too
‘unpopular’…that is really a pity.
Do you read any metal press? Are
there moments in your life when magazines drive you crazy and you are ready to
burn it?
Yes, I read the metal press
and sometimes I am ready to burn it. Nevertheless I hate myself for doing that.
There are only very few German BM-Zines that are worth being taken
seriously, namely the Moondance Magazine (which must be the definite best to
come out of Germany) and besides the rather cynical Cothurnus Mag, the Soluzen
Mag and perhaps the Eternity and Skullcrusher Mag. I cannot think of any other
one. Most of those other fanzines are run by people who are about 17 years old
and have absolutely no idea of music. Their ‘reviews’ are absolutely
incompetent, I would even say ridiculous. They misunderstand your lyrics but
yet try to analyse them, and sometimes they cannot even read the titles of the
songs, but yet they arrogate the right to judge about you as a person. I am not
really sure how to handle such people. Should I send them something physically
unpleasant or should I ignore them ? Meanwhile I think the latter alternative
to be the better. I cannot get wild about dilettantes all my life, that is
unhealthy.
Is underground compatible with
commerce & advertising (commercials)?
No. Apart from
Nagelfar-advertisements.
What music do you prefer: hard
with sophisticated structure or easy but with obsessive riffs?
Both. Any kind of music can
obsess me, as long as it is music indeed. The Limbonic Art rehearsal recordings
as well as most Emperor material, all Marduk or My Dying Bride releases,
Beherit or Dead Can Dance, Darkthrone or Slayer. You just have to discover the
spell, and the spell of music is not merely qualified through complexity or
simplicity.
If you had an opportunity to
earn big money on condition that you gave up music would you do it?
Fuck you. I already told most
of my friends to grill my guts if I would ever do.
Do you have any music
education?
Oh, our new bassist Chaos can.
Yeah, I think he had bass guitar lessons. I professionally learned playing
keyboard, but only about a year, so it is not too much for Nagelfar. Just now
as you remind me: I think Chaos is too good for Nagelfar. We have to kick him.
Some words for the readers…
I can only repeat myself: we
are not part of a modern moral education of Black Metal, and I can only hope
that none of you claims to be. We don’t need no All-Star-Black-Metal bands, and
we do not need Nuclear Blast, either ! Ignore the roots of musical morality. Black
Metal was, still is and will always be OPPOSITION, nothing else. Slogan-like we
are. Those who know will understand. Cheers
!