I’ve been listening to Nachblut for quite a few years now and the band has come a long way since signing with Napalm Records. I’m sure there are still a lot of people out there who aren’t familiar with your music, care to fill them in on Nachblut’s history, formation and style?
Skoll: To keep it short and briefly: We are a Dark-Metal-Band from Osnabrück, Germany. The band was founded in autumn 2006 and played its first show in 2007. At the same time we released our demo „Das Erste Abendmahl“ („The First Supper“). Since then we signed with Napalm Records, released 3 LPs and played shows in Europe. But if you wanna learn more about us, I recommend to listen to our songs. It’s the best way to experience music at all.
Dark metal is a diverse sub genre. Incorporates a lot of complex melodies and brings together black, Gothic, doom and other subgenres. Nachblut has been said to fuse melodic dark and black metal music, and have excelled in doing so. What would you say brings about that complexity in your music and what drives the band forward?
Skoll: As we just do what we like to do, we never thought about how this could respond to that or it should be a reference to what so ever. So I guess no one in the band really thought about the “complexity“. I see it more as a huge mash up of all the influences we have, and as we always find new inspiration in any kind of music. Music itself is driving us forward. Just imagine, one day you can’t find any beauty in music anymore, nothing that is triggering you … horrible, wouldn’t it be? Unfortunately music in german radio and television is just one step away from being that dead. As we share a lot of artist and songs with the U.S. – market you may know what I´m talking about. But that is a different story.
The lyrical themes your songs revolve around, has always fascinated me. Social evils, politics, Mythology and a few other sensitive subjects. In “Heiliger Krieg” you speak of the execution of Nicholas Berg in 2004; and in “Des kleinen Herzens letzter Schlag” the legal system of Germany is Criticized. Can you give as an insight into the anti-jihadist and political themes of these tracks?
Skoll: Starting with „Heiliger Krieg“. You named it already, it’s an anti-jihadist song, which is inspired by the story of Nicholas Berg. Even more it’s one of our anti-religion songs. We really don’t like the whole idea of using violence to enforce your goals, including and especially for religious believes. At that time we picked this example to show the fatal direction everything developed. So many, especially Black Metal Bands, are always judging and criticizing Christianity. Maybe it’s a reason, cause Christianity in Europe is defeated. Today you can say whatever you like about God or the religion itself. So no one has to think about any consequences if he does – of course it also lost a lot of importance and provocation, become daily business in Metal. But maybe you heard about the protest, when a danish journal printed a caricature of Mohammed. Protest were so immense, they had to apologies and some muslim countries stopped to import danish goods. A status which drove me crazy. Today it should be possible to criticize stuff that needs to be over thought, even with satiric cartoons or other media, without people feel offended and call out to kill you. But to make it clear: it doesn’t matter if you call him „God“, „Allah“ or believing in a certain philosophy of life. If you act like an asshole, you are still an asshole, independent of your religion or believes. Of course this extends for the opposite too. In „Des kleinen Herzens letzter Schlag“ we criticizing the legal system in Germany, right. From time to time you catch up on news about different crimes and how the treatment for those who commit the crime is defined. So the song is about a guy who is a psychopath, mentally ill. He just got out of prison and commit the crime, for he has been in jail before again: rape and murder of a child. The main point in this song is, that he does it, cause he is not afraid of going back to jail. He will just get a few years in prison or maybe an early release. That is nothing you could threat him with. And we have the point of view: Harder punishments for criminals and scumbags like this!
Nachblut’s last album, Chimonas received positive reviews overall. It deals with themes such as Humanity’s downfall, Euthanasia and others. Could you walk us through the different themes dealt with in a few tracks?
Skoll: I keep it briefly to give people the chance to find their meaning in the songs:
Gotteskrieger – Critic on the Jihadist and all the fundamental, religious fighters.
Wie Gott sein – It’s about God and that we shouldn’t be like him. If he is our savior, why does he still let people live in poverty, war and so on. Bringing so much misery on this world. Or maybe there is no God?
Töte mich – deals with the (german) law of Euthanasia and people choice to end their life of reasons like sickness, age, etc.
Und immer wenn die Nacht anbricht – It’s a ballad about love. Cheesy you say? Wait until you got the surprising twist: This love is single-sided. Our protagonist is a stalker!
Kalt wie Grab – Necrophobia! But we are not one of those bands who just give a hint. We go into detail! But not here, or this article will be blocked or you have to certify your age … someone said Youtube?
Chimonas is also said to be a controversial album of sorts, since it does focus on religion to an extent. Have you faced any criticism from people who have come by the album?
Skoll: I never heard anyone complaining about the topics on the album. But I wouldn’t say it’s focussing on religion more than our previous records. Maybe even a bit less. But no, no fan came up to me to proclaim his dissatisfaction.
Nachblut have a great stage presence at live shows. Are there any pre-show rituals you all follow? Or any onstage practices?
Skoll: Thanks for the compliment. We have one or two pre-show rituals indeed. I guess the most obvious one is to put on the make up. We don’t become different persons, but this is like a signal, mentally and physically. The other one would be the „famous“ Panzerschreck-Shot. A mix of Vodka, Tabasco, Blue curacao and Grenadine. If you are not awake before, you will be after, that is for sure! And right before everyone is entering the stage, we try to keep eye contact to each other, wishing each of us a good show.
What is your take on the current status of humanity in 2016? From the political, religious and moral perspectives?
Skoll: We are lost … just lost. So many things going wrong. World is getting more and more selfish. Higher, faster, longer, more and more. I feel like a lot of people are out of touch with reality, running after stuff which they first can’t reach and second if they would, would not make them happier in life. It’s like everyone tries to losing him- or herself, so be it with drugs, alcohol, luxurious goods, newest gadgets, or the virtual reality. They lost their connection to the real world. To really get into this topic, we would need a whole evening to discuss. Of course there is not just black, but also white. And even more obviously both makes a permanent grey. Also a point I feel becoming less practiced is to challenge a bit more what’s happening around you, thinking more about it and make yourself an opinion, not copying the one of others without questioning.
You guys have headliner shows in Germany, this December. Any possibility of touring the U.S.A in the near future?
Skoll: Oh we would love to play in the U.S.A.! But it’s expensive for us to come overseas. And of course bookers from clubs are always a bit sceptic if a band never played before in the U.S. But we are working on it, never say never.
Are we right in believing that Nachblut are working on a new album? Could you share any insider details with us?
Skoll: You are right! We working on new material and wanna hit the studio next spring. So if everything is going according to the plan, there should be a new release for 2017. As it is our ten years anniversary we try to make it a special one. But I don’t wanna spoil, so stay tuned and find out.
How do you think the band is going to evolve here on out? Any possibility of experimenting new styles in the albums to come?
Skoll: As I said we do what we like to do, not thinking too much about where to go or where we should go. If there is a development in a direction it’s not planned. It’s like with everything. Maybe some day a friend will tell you that you changed in this or that, but of course you didn’t realize till he told you. It’s the same for us doing new songs. Sometimes people tell us that we changed our sound, or that the records evolved in this or that direction. Often we are a bit surprised, cause we don’t see it as clear as outstanding people. Naturally we will work up our new influences, so let’s see what will be the output.
Thank you for taking the time to talk to us. Highly appreciated. I would like to wish you guys the very best for the future. Anything you’d like to say to the MHF magazine readers before we wrap up?”
Skoll: Thanks for having me, for this nice interview! To all the people out there: Keep supporting metal and the underground. Don’t just stick to the band’s headlining the last 20 years. There are a lot of new, great bands out there. Keep Netflix off, go to your favorite club and celebrate music!
Chetan Wunny / Metalheads Forever Magazine
