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 !