NOMINON (Eng)

Swedish NOMINON have been around for almost 17 years playing under the Death Metal insignia but, at the same time, breaking the boundaries of it and bringing the band’s own trademark. Both their recent «Omen» MCD as their new full-length album, «Monumentomb» (both released this 2010) are clear proves of it and audio explanations to the amazingly good reviews they have got during these years.
Of course, we were interested in knowing what’s the band currently up to and their near-future plans, so we contacted their drummer, Perra Karlsson, whom gave us details about their two new works and with whom we did a review of the band’s career.

– Hello! First off thanks for dedicating us part of your time. What are you currently up to?
Hi there!!! Today I and guitarist Juha was at our rehearsal spot working on some new material. We plan to record a few tracks at a local studio as soon as we have a few more new songs, we’ll most likely record a few covers while we’re at it as well, no decision taken yet on what/which cover/s that we’ll record though.

– This 2010 you released your forth album so far, but I would like to start with some introduction of the band to all those people who don’t know you yet.
OK, NOMINON started back in 93 as a two-piece, through out the years NOMINON became a full band with five members and the band also released several demo cassettes until ’98 when we signed to X-TREME RDS and released the debut album «Diabolical Bloodshed» in ’99. After that we have just continued to fight for Death Metal and did everything in our power to keep the legacy of the ancient gods yet with that certain NOMINON spirit. HAIL DEATH! HAIL METAL!

– You joined the band replacing Emil Dragutinovic. How did all happen?

I had been playing with Juha in a band called DION FORTUNE in ’95 and we were in touch even before that actually, we have been friends since ’91-’92 or something. When NOMINON were looking for members (incl. a drummer) in late 95 I was involved with a band called NASUM, so unfortunately I was unable to join NOMINON already back then. I also continued with the band DION FORTUNE for a while even after Juha had left that band. It was all a coincidence that it ended up with me moving to Stockholm and later joined SERPENT before I actually joined NOMINON a couple of years later. Since I joined this band I have never looked back really, I have always felt like I should have being a member since day one. It’s weird to say like that, I know, but that is how it feels.

– Before start to asking about “Monumentomb” I would like to mention the MCD you released prior to it, “Omen”. In “Omen” we can find the track “Invocation”, which was featured on your “Blaspheming the Dead” EP. Why did you decide to include that song? I think the new production is quite better.
Well, you already answered your own question by saying that the new production sounds much better, didn’t you?! We do believe that the productions for the «Blaspheming The Dead» 7″ EP as well as the Mini-CD «The True Face Of Death» really suffer a lot soundwise. So we decided to re-record the song «Invocations» in a proper environment, as we do still play that particular song live, so we ended up recording at the same time as we recorded the latest album «Monumentomb». Its actually the only song that our guitarist Juha sing on by the way.

– We can also find a live version of “Submit to Evil” recorded in a show in Spain. So the same, why did you feel like featuring it on “Omen”? And why of this concrete show?
The sound is very rough, we know that. It do however has a certain intense feel to it, the show in Irun/Basra was one of the best for us during the BENEDICTION/NOMINON tour 2008. I know that some people and journalist can’t really understand why we ended up using that recording on our MCD, but when we grew up we used to buy tons of bootleg live LP’s and stuff by EXODUS, LEGACY, SLAYER and so on, and even though the sound on these vinyls were pretty bad we could still find the intensity and raw energy on these recordings anyways. I guess the new fans of Metal of today are spoiled with the fucking production and shit, but we just couldn’t care less honestly. Death metal were never meant to be pretty, fuck that.

– You have also published a split with SATHANAS. How did the idea arise?
I have personally been a fan of SATHANAS for 20 years or something, and 15 years ago I ended up writing with Paul Tucker of the band, and we have more recently been discussing back and forth about any possible split releases, so when he asked if we were interested to do it we said «HELL YEAH!», it was never a second thought about it. The label who released it; PAGAN RDS from Poland did an excellent job with it. It might be sold-out by now, but we have a very few copies if someone out there would like to obtain it.

– And now let’s go to your latest full-length album. How has been its feedback both from fans and press?
Extremely good. It’s been selling pretty well too, both on CD and LP. I’ve never done as many interviews and further promotion for any previous albums as I have for this new one, it’s been insane really. Like 40-50 interviews and various other jingles and shit, I mean NOMINON are a underground band, so I’d say that it’s been fucking much. I am not surprised though that the album has been getting so well received, since it’s definitely NOMINON’s best work to date. Some people say will never realise that we won’t do another «Diabolical Bloodshed» or «Recremation», or «Terra Necrosis» for that matter. I have nothing negative to say about those albums, they are still all of them extreme and killing albums, but some people look for the same thing over and over again, while we are working further all the time, pushing ourselves and the limits of Swedish Death Metal. NOMINON do have our own sound and progression towards Death metal. Nuff said.

– Your singer, Daniel Garptoft, left the band just a few weeks before entering the studio. What are the main reasons behind this decision?
Daniel left the band because he ended up joining an educational clas in movie-making. He also left the city of Jönköping were we do hail from. There was no hard feeling or what-so-ever, we all just realised that he couldn’t be in the studio for the new album, so there was no other option for him than leaving the band NOMINON.

– And how did that affect to the recordings?
At first it was meant for our guitarist Juha to record all the vocals for the album, we did however realised that he couldn’t handle more than «Invocations» (that later ended up on the MCD «Omen» as we talked about earlier) before his voice lost the genuine power. The others were like; «Ehhmm!!!? What should we do!?». I just grabbed my phone and started to call a few friends in the Stockholm area, like Kalle from KAAMOS, Erik from GENERAL SURGERY (previously of MAZE OF TORMENT), Barsk (ex INSISION), like old friends that I know can deliver when it comes to Death Metal. Kalle ended up sick all of a sudden, so he was unable to make it, but Erik stepped in and laid down vocals on 7 songs out of nine on the album, Barsk did one on the album as well as one on the MCD, and our co-producer Tore Stjerna recorded the vocals for the song «Undead Beast». The result turned out just amazing, and I’d even go as far and saying that Erik’s vocal parts on the album is some of THE ! best Death Metal vocals ever recorded in Sweden. His performance simply slays!! We asked him to join the band after the recording, but since he is very busy with GENERAL SURGERY as well as his other band CRUCIFYRE he felt that he couldn’t join NOMINON. But we found Henke Skoog, or actually he found NOMINON, and suits in just perfect in the band, so at the end of the day we are now more pleased than ever.

– And now it seems Henke Skoog is the official replacement for Daniel. How did you hook up with them and why did you thought it was the right vocalist for NOMINON?
He wrote us a email tell
ing us that he were interested to come in for an audition, so he ended up coming to Jönköping for an official audition like 2-3 weeks later and it all turned out killer. We had people from all over the world writing us asking if we could consider them to join NOMINON, like Germany, Spain and Mexico, it was all insanity really. Henke is one helluva front man that takes NOMINON just as serious as the rest of us.

– You are considered as an old school Death Metal band. Do you feel comfortable with that?
Not really, since people do place in the same category as DISMEMBER, ENTOMBED and so on. I’d say that’s not the whole truth since we’re just as much inspired by the American scene as the European. Personally I appreciate the true American scene much more than the Swedish, like MORBID ANGEL and MALEVOLENT CREATION, bands that never vimp out and start to play Death’n’roll and shit like that. I like Death Metal, and I want Death Metal when I listen to so-called «Death Metal», not fucking Rock’n’roll… It’s fucking me up that the Swedish scene turned into that shit in the mid 90’ies. I have nothing against the individuals in any of the Swedish bands, but it doesn’t mean that I have to like everything that they have ever written musicwise. I guess you got my point.

– I ask so because I think we can find more progressive stuff in this new release and some blackened sound as well, also more speed and heaviness…
NOMINON started as a Black/Death band and we have always have some thrashier parts as well, and grind, and some heavy shit, it’s like we take the best from all worlds and put together some deadly music. I agree that there are some progressive parts on in the world of NOMINON, but nothing that will ever take away the genuine spirit of the band.

– Anyway, what could you say are the main differences between this “Monumentomb” and “Terra Necrosis”?
Better vocals on the new one, more intense shit on the new one as well. I like both albums so I’m not the right guy to ask really. There’s also much more variation on the new album compared to «Terra». Listen folks and find out yourselves!

– Though you have always been faithful to yourself and kept your concrete attitude and atmosphere, I think we can notice some variation between your very first album and this last one. Could you say that’s a natural progression for the band?
If NOMINON would have been recording more or less the same album ten or eleven years later I would probably not be a member of the band. I like progression in certain ways. That’s the way describe it really, we have grown very much as musicians over the years and we also have some new blood in the band since then, that also bring some riffs and music to the table, and good shit can/will never be ignored. If you consider yourself a band member of NOMINON you should always make sure to bring your own style of playing/performing and work hard to develope your style together with the band’s own progression/developement.

– It seems most Death Metal bands follow some concrete subjects on its lyrics and I think the song “Wrath of Shiva” stands out of most of your lyrics. What can you tell us about it?
Shiva was a huge fan of war, destruction and themes that suits NOMINON’s music just perfect. I have noticed that the people out there is actually paying more and more attention to our lyrics nowadays than in the past, which is very nice. Some of our lyrics might have subliminal messages, but it’s only up to the freaks who read them to find out all about that.

– “Monumentomb” was, once more, recorded at the Necromorbus studios, so I guess you feel comfortable and you’re happy with the work done by Tore…
Tore is a great old friend of mine, and he has been a fan of NOMINON since 1997. He knows what we are looking for as a band, and he understand us and he wouldnever let any shit pass through the filter so to speak. He was extremely much involved in the whole process of the latest album «Monumentomb», maybe not as a song writer, but he pushed us all to perform as awesome as possible in the studio. Him and I were the führer’s of that recording for sure, it would never had turned out as good as it did if we had recorded it at any other studio, it’s just plain fact, and it’s the truth. He was like a band member, the missing link. I guess we will return to NECROMORBUS even the next time around, if we can afford it that is.

– This album is, as well, the first released “officially” and worldwide by Deathgasm Records. Are you happy with this label? You have worked with several companies during these years…
Yes, we’re very satisfied with what DEATHGASM has been doing for NOMINON this far. I for one know how hard it is to run a record label these days, so I’d say that Evan is doing an amazing job for ALL his bands, not only NOMINON. We’re proud to be label mates with the likes of DIABOLIC, ABOMINANT, BLASPHERIAN, QUINTA ESSENTIA and so on. DEATHGASM is also the only label that has somehow being involved in all the NOMINON releases as well, since they re-released the debut album «Diabolical Bloodshed» a while ago. Hail DEATHGASM! Hail the Metal Ov Death!

– It seems there’s nowadays a big interest in Death Metal played at the “old school” way; have you noticed this as a band?
Both yes and no. Some new freaks pick up an album of NOMINON and think that we are a clone of GRAVE or DISMEMBER, and hopefully they will get disappointed and never listen to us again. Freaks like that won’t listen to Death Metal in two years from now anyways, so we don’t need idiots like that in the underground. Either you do like DEATH METAL or you don’t, its just basic fact. If you like DEATH METAL you like NOMINON.

– I guess you’re tired of answering questions regarding extreme Metal and Sweden, since your country has been (and is still) quite important for such music. But anyway, that’s nearly an obliged questions: bands such as DISMEMBER or ENTOMBED among others (despite the people’s opinion on what they’re currently doing) made history into Death Metal while younger DM acts are starting their own history. But, how do you see the currently quarry in Sweden? Or do you think the Black Metal scene is now stronger out there?
Personally I don’t care about what’s going on that much, I have seen so many bands coming and going through out the years that it’s just fucking hillarious. TORMENTED is a good band, but what they do under the banner as TORTYR is just as good I’d say. DEATH BREATH is known because they have Nicke, I am not a big fan of DEATH BREATH, I think it’s average stuff really. I look for more intensity and aggression in DEATH METAL, it’s not like it is enough just to play some old school riffs and sing about a zombie, that doesn’t mean that it’s good you know. I am looking for the challenge, both in its performance and music. It’s hard to describe, I know. I am more into the Swedish Black Metal scene nowadays than ever before, with bands like WATAIN, NIFELHEIM and such. These guys are challenging not only in their own performance, but they obey you to listen, and that what makes it all interesting. Usually I think that the bands I respect the most are also the most underrat! ed bands from Sweden, like NECROPHOBIC, MEGASLAUGHTER (r.i.p) and MERCILESS.

– What has changed since the late 80’s-early 90’s until now?
I don’t know?! ALOT, I guess. Back then it was tape-trading and writing letters with metalheads from all over the globe, nowadays i
t’s mp3’s spreading all over the internet and people use email instead of the old way of doing it. One could say that technology is the main difference. What’s also popular is that many bands that were active back then, but quit/disbanned and most likely got tired of playing Death Metal is nowadays re-united and think that is cool. They have been away making families, working their daily jobs or something, and then someone heard that Death metal is IN again, so lets start everything again and try to pick up where we left off. Most of the bands says it’s for REAL, well if they are serious about it all; Fine! But it looks like most of’em is just recording one album and then they get tired of it again. What a waste of time and energy.

– You have recently toured the States; how has it been?
It was cool, it’s always a pleasure to hit The States. We have had the honour of touring there (mainly the east coast plus Texas down in the South and Illinois up in the North, and everything inbetween) twice and we are always working to get back you know. The next time we have to do the west coast as well, it’s a bummer that we haven’t been able to play there yet. I was there with DESTROYER 666 when I played session live-drums for them this summer and it was fucking nuts. If I have to pick my best/fave NOMINON shows so far over there I’d say Atlanta, GA and New York, NY.

– Are there any plans of an European tour to support live your new album? Any chance of stopping by in Spain?
We do plan to play some central and eastern European dates early 2011, and also do some shows in Spain most likely at the same time. We have been to Spain three times already and we always seems to get more and more skulls coming to the shows, so that’s bloody killer. As long as we get invited to do shows we’ll be there, you know.

– You have played in our country several times; any nice memories or feeling regarding those shows in Spain?
You guys always make us feel welcome and you are totally devoted to NOMINON, we are thankful for that and we will always deliver the best possible show, never ever let you guys down. We certainly remember last year in February when we did a show in Barcelona, it was in the middle of the month and the guys of GRAVEYARD arranged a barbeque at a very nice patio…. It was just fantastic, and sunny, in the middle of February. One of the best memories from Spain for sure.

– That’s all. Thank you once more for your time. If you want to add anything else; last lines are yours.
Cheers for the interview and support Tania. For NOMINON merchandise and further info: www.nominon.com See you all on the road somewhere somehow. Kill, Kill and Kill again for the horned one!!