Interview with Azentrius of Nachtmystium 2006

By Bradley Smith

Instinct: Decay to me is a huge leap forward both in expressiveness and songwriting for you guys from Eulogy 4.  The mood is so much more mature and the breath of originality is in full force for Nachtmystium.  How do you view Instinct: Decay from the inside looking out?

I agree with you completely in that it was a very big leap for us from the previous releases.  Overall, we’ve grown a lot as a band in the last two years or so and a lot more is going into just about every dynamic of the bands infrastructure.  The writing, the lyrics, the live performances, everything.  So, with all this happening over time, I had much higher standards for what I wanted “Instinct: Decay” to be, and I think we achieved what we were going for.  Something different without abandoning where we come from.

You guys are hitting the studio again shortly for some tracks for a split with Leviathan.  What sort of material will be represented on this release?  It also mentions a possible cover song.  What songs are you contemplating covering?

This release has actually been put on ice for the time being.  We have other things happening at the time we had intended to record, and Leviathan has also been dealing with some delays in recent months.  So, we’re just working on getting ready for our tour with Pelican and Daughters in September, and in the works of planning a major full-scale US tour for next year.  We are, however, recording two Pink Floyd covers hopefully in October for a 7” EP we’re doing called “Set The Controls for the Black Heart of the Sun”.  Really looking forward to that personally.  As for other recordings, we will record our material that is proposed for the split with Leviathan at some point, but if we have enough material when that time comes, we may nix the split and just record another new full length LP.  Time will tell. 

I love the Cover Art for Instinct: Decay.  To me it is indicative of your expansion beyond the confines of what is normally considered black metal.  What does this artistic vision represent to you?

Thanks for your compliments.  Rebecca Clegg made that piece and has contributed other art in the past for us as well (Demise and split 7” w/Xasthur).  This is definitely my personal favorite of all the pieces.  It was themed off of the basic concept for “Instinct: Decay”, which is that all human decay that occurs within society (increasingly more and more as time progresses), starts within the individual.  The skull represents man, and the branches that are protruding from the skull represent the expansion of decay from within outwards unto the rest of the surrounding world.  I think its perfectly fitting for the record and we couldn’t be happier with it.

Do you still see Nachtmystium as “my vision of the world presented to an audience through audio terror?”  How do you feel Nachtmystium reflects/communicates this vision to the listener?

I definitely agree with that line still.  If it’s ‘audio terror’ or not is completely up to the listener I suppose.  Nachtmystium does what it does, and that is spreading my feelings and visions about the world out through music.  We communicate it to the listener by making it available for you to buy on playable formats.  ;-) 

As an artist I would imagine it is important to you to connect with the audience on an emotional level.  A lot of bands miss this point and that’s why we get all this lifeless music out there that though talented, just doesn’t connect with the listener.  Do you feel that you succeed in expressing your emotions through your music and do you even feel it is important to do so?

It would be arrogant to assume that I ‘succeed’ at something that totally depends on the individual listening to said record(s).  However, judging by the feedback we’ve received through reviews, fan mail, etc, it would appear that we’ve definitely struck a chord within a group of people who are feeling what we’re doing.  I think its important for music to have a purpose beyond “I like to play my instrument and make whatever type of music I like of my own”.  You’re absolutely dead-on about their being so much emotionless, thoughtless music out there, especially within the black metal world…so, because I am in touch with what I like in music and I’m in touch with the theory that without real feeling, crafted music is just a skill, I think I’ve been able to at the very least, let the audience know that we are motivated my something more than just our love for metal or whatever.  There are real topics that are very important and conveyed as best they can be through the music, and when we listen to it or play it, we’re definitely feeling something.

Battle Kommand Records to me has recently exploded onto the scene with a bevy of excellent releases such as yourself and Ruins of Beverast among others.  How did you conceive of Battle Kommand?  What are the aims/goals you have for BK?

Battle Kommand Records was formed for two reasons:  I love music and I hate working for people.  So, it was only natural to start my own business doing exactly what I want to do, which is being involved heavily in the music world.  I like to think I’ve got pretty good taste in what I decide to release, you mentioned Ruins of Beverast, definitely an excellent band whom I was very excited to get the opportunity to work with.  I release Nachtmystium for obvious reasons, I’m capable of distributing it the way it needs to be distributed at this point, and I don’t have to be obligated to someone else’s record label, which is great.  I’ll never have an argument with myself, I’ll just learn from it if I fuck something up for Nachtmystium via BKR at some point, haha.   I’ve also signed a slew of new bands including Zoroaster (Atlanta, GA), total sludgy-doom metal that’s heavy-as-fuck, Obsurus Advocam (France), who features members of Glorior Belli and Temple of Baal…excellent black metal similar to newer Deathspell Omega in terms of creative quality and originality.  Also, we’ve signed a band from DeKalb, IL called Exalted.  Amazingly nasty, old-school black metal done right.  The band actually features members of an old speed-core band that was pretty well known in the 90’s called MK Ultra.  Their record is fucking great and I’m really looking forward to getting it out for them. 

To answer your last question… my goal with BKR is to be able to continue helping great bands get some recognition, to be a part of music at a time when things couldn’t be better in terms of expansion of interest within the indie-music scene (especially with black metal), and most importantly, being able to do exactly what I want to be doing for as long as possible.  The way I see it, the longer I’m around doing this, the bigger and better BKR will become and the more we’ll be able to do for amazing bands in the future.  Nothing makes me feel more satisfaction to see a band put something out on our label and for their to be a lot more people listening to them afterwards than there was before. 

I know you despise scenes but from a lot of outsiders you are viewed as a part of the American Black metal scene.  Do you feel this has helped or hindered you in anyway?  It seems that the American scene is gaining momentum with other artists like Xasthur and Leviathan.  Is Nachtmystium feeling any effects from this?

Eh, I don’t know at this point.  Being a part of “the scene” or being against it really doesn’t do anyone any good.  I’m really fucking independent by nature, always have been that way, so its only natural for me to try to kind of exist on my own, regardless of what aspect of my life it pertains to.  I’m not ashamed to be listed by others as a part of the “US black metal scene”, though.  We come from that for sure, we started as a pretty by-the-books black metal band, and we’re American, so naturally that puts us in that boat.  The thing I’d like to get most away from is being called a black metal band.  Not that its anything I’m ashamed of, I just don’t consider us black metal at this point….Watain and Katharsis are black metal bands, we’re way more experimental and are incorporating more into our music from other influences than bands like that are.  I think its unfair to dub them and us (just for example) as black metal because to me, they’re black metal…we’re not.   Because I come from a school of thought that black metal needs to be exactly what bands like the ones I just mentioned sound like, its almost out of respect for the genre that I want to shy away from that label in regards to Nachtmystium.   I think we’ll always be lumped in that category by someone though because that is definitely where we’ve come from.

As a fellow American though I live in a foreign country how do you feel about the American image in the world?  Has anyone made any comments to you regarding your origin?  What do you think about the world climate these days from an American perspective?

American’s seemed to be universally hated and envied at the same time.  I don’t really care too much because it barely effects me at all personally.  My personal political opinion is basically that our government is fucked and does a lot of really fucked up shit around the world, disguising their greedy motives as “freedom”.  The only thing we liberated by invading Iraq was the peace that existed on a much higher level in that country before we fucked it all up.   I just think the whole system is really corrupt and awful, and I know my voice is irrelevant here, so I just kind of keep it to myself.   In terms of other people commenting on my origins, once or twice I’ve heard we’re a shitty band because “all black metal from America is a joke”, shit like that.  A lot of people still think that this kind of music is only pure if it’s from Europe. 

Underground elitists try to dictate what people can listen to and what is acceptable.  I have read an interview where you display some pretty diverse influences like Tori Amos for instance.  What are your feelings toward this lemming mentality of what is acceptable?  Don’t you think even these people who try and dictate this narrow-minded approach probably listen to material outside their own scope of what is acceptable?  Hypocrisy?

These people are idiots.  The beauty of metal in general is the freedom of the culture.  It’s rebellion.  Rebellion is about doing what YOU want, and in the case of a music fan, it should be entirely up to the individual.  Due to the extreme nature of black metal, for example, it definitely creates this façade reality for many people involved within it where they feel superior to other people because they feel that the specific bands or movement they support are better than others.  Its true of any extreme music scene…take the white power music scene or even the underground punk rock movement, same kind of situations.  I’m sure it exists in just about every type of underground in one way or another.  In terms of “elitist” black metal people specifically shitting on us, fuck ‘em.  We’re not a black metal band anymore, and we’re not making music to satisfy other people regardless.  If they want to hate us, that’s fine.  Sitting around being worried about it like I was when I was 18 is retarded and only counter-productive.  If people can make you counter-productive by shit slandering you online somewhere, then they win essentially.  I’ve given up being concerned and I hope soon that we’ll be distanced enough from all that bullshit that these people will stop caring what we’re doing when there’s a new band doing something different than what they like to shit on.  Plus, the way I see it, for every negative comment I read, I read 100 good ones…so what’s to worry about?

A lot of bands are either in the middle of regression (Darkthrone) or massive progression (Enslaved).  What is your opinion, as an artist, of each differing mindset?  And since you were very Darkthrone influenced early in your career, what do you think of modern Darkthrone.  It seems a lot of people have very outspoken opinions of them lately.

I think it’s cool that Darkthrone do what they want.  They’re the ultimate metal band in that sense…they don’t give a FUCK!  That rules!  I can’t say I get a big hard-on about their new records, but they’re certainly not terrible just because they aren’t “Transylvanian Hunger”.   I can’t say I’d be disappointed to see them progress a bit and try some experimenting, but one thing I can count on Darkthrone for is to be sure that they’re always doing exactly what they want regardless of what anyone has to say. 

In regard to Enslaved, I think the direction they’ve taken is awesome.  It’s good to see one of the old Norsk bands doing something in the vein they are.  Seems like a lot of the old greats have dissolved into death metal clones or hybrid bands of the same style.  

I had a discussion with a friend of mine regarding the internet and its destruction of the underground and musical evolution.  He felt that the internet makes it too easy to find new bands and dilutes the creative flow of the artistic musical styles and their progression.  How do you think the internet has affected how the underground is viewed and how music is absorbed? 

I totally agree.  The internet, for starters, ruined what was really cool about black metal…it was hidden and forbidden kind of.  No one really knew anything about the bands, you had to REALLY work hard to keep in touch with people via penpals, etc.  So, in the end, you really only had people that were totally diehard fans that were involved.  Today, its so easy to go online and look around at any metal-music site and find something that will eventually lead you to black metal, if not right away.  Not that this is a bad thing, but again, due to the nature of the music, it can be very impressionable on stupid, immature people who turn into internet message board assholes and a whole slew of people that really aren’t that into, but its totally available for them.  At the same time, however, the internet is a necessary evil for just about anyone alive these days, especially someone like myself who runs their own business.  Its gotta be there for music to continue to prosper the way it has for years because this is all kids growing up will ever know about where to get music.  Record stores close all the time to this day, and they’re becoming an endangered species, surely to be extinct for the most part before too long.  So….yes, the net has fucked up the creative flow of things, but again, it’s a totally necessary thing for the way entertainment of any type is promoted and sold today.

Didn’t you use to work at Metal Haven records there in Chicago?  I know it was a dream of mine as a teenager to work at a killer record store where I could listen to metal all day long and hang out with cool like minded people.  How was your experience there?

I sure did!  Fucking killer store!  I had a blast working there, and it certainly was like a dream come true at that time.  Like any job, it had its ups and downs, but looking back on the few ‘real jobs’ I had growing up, that was definitely my favorite.  I remember being able to drink beer and listen to metal at work and the boss was right there with me….nothing beats that.  At least once a week we’d have the whole Chicago crew in there…you’d see the guys from Usurper or Cianide, The Chasm, Disinter, etc up in there on the weekends and everyone would be hanging out thrashing to metal and drinking beers, and I got paid for it.  Fuckin’ killer.  And yes, I learned about a million metal bands that I wasn’t familiar with before working there.  Working there also helped me establish contacts with a lot of people that are crucial to Battle Kommand’s existence today.  It was an amazing and very fulfilling experience all around.

Any last words?

Thanks for the interview.  Nachtmystium / Battle Kommand website – www.battlekommand.com