NOCTURNAL GRAVES (Eng.)
– Hello, lots of thanks for answering our interview. How is everything going into the NOCTURNAL GRAVES’ camp right now?
Things are good. Our new album is out now so we are planning the next live shows and looking into the possibilities of doing some touring.
– Prior to the release of your latest record you were on a 3 year long hiatus. Would you mind to tell us the main reasons behind this?
The main reason was simply that I was burned out and needed a change of musical scenery. The band didn’t have a proper line-up for a long time so I was doing all of the song writing and arranging on my own as well as taking care of all other band related matters. It was exhausting not being able to rehearse properly to develop the songs so I simply needed to distance myself from it for a period of time.
– In fact you’ve had a few line-up changes. Could you tell us briefly what has the band been through throughout these last 3 years?
When the band was put to rest in 2010 it laid dormant until the very end of 2012 when Decaylust told me he wanted to take a more active role in the band and get things going again. It was at the start of 2013 that I started writing new material so for 2 full years, basically nothing happened.
– And how have the aforementioned line-up changes affected NOCTURNAL GRAVES and your new record? What have the new members brought to the band?
Well for one the line-up changes gave the band a full re-birthing. The new members have definitely bought a new edge to the band, because finally we could again write and rehearse as a full band prior to recording the new material. The others in the band are good musicians and play their instruments well so that has also added to the development of Nocturnal Graves.
– As I said, you have just released your second full-length album, entitled «…from the Bloodline of Cain». What are your feelings on the final product?
We all feel very strongly about the new material and agree that it is easily the most developed and ferocious output of the band so far. But you readers should decide that for yourself by giving it a listen.
– You have always been loyal to yourself and the roots but, how do you think did NOCTURNAL GRAVES evolved from “Satan’s Cross» to “…from the Bloodline of Cain”? What could you say were the main differences between them?
There is definitely a development in the song writing and arranging, that would be the first thing which spring to mind when thinking about both records. The other difference would be that the new album is a lot more intense and wild than the debut.
– The new songs on this record are, of course, surrounded by a great dark atmosphere and deliver a really extreme sound, relentless speed and brutality, but there are also catchy moments and melodic leads and riffs. How necessary is to have some melody? I guess it makes the brutal parts have even a bigger impact.
I don’t think it is necessary per se, but more that using melody enabled us to express ourselves with more depth to give the songs greater dimensions. Music is meant to evoke emotions, and like you said, it makes the more brutal parts have a bigger impact. That is what we were aiming for, that the whole record moves and flows and has an emotional impact on the listener. When I’m listening to bands playing non-stop blast beats it usually ends up not sounding very ferocious and instead it all blurs into one monotone image. I’m not really interested in playing everything in a monotone fashion as it usually has little effect on the listener, unless non-stop brutality is what they’re looking for (which is of course fine because I still worship bands like Bestial Warlust, Blasphemy, Conqueror etc). That however is not where music begins and ends with me, nor the others in the band. We all like a vast array of music from the extreme, chaotic bands I mentioned, to heavy metal, rock, post-punk and ambient/industrial/noise music. I don’t think any of us are particularly close minded when it comes to music so we prefer to use the tools we have rather than shy away from them because some 16 year old tough guy who just discovered Beherit might think anything less than noise is for wimps. Fuck them!
– Tunes here are also longer, was this something you were striving for?
Well it wasn’t something that we discussed, like “let’s make longer songs”… each track began with a rough arrangement and then we just added things until each of them felt complete. However, I can’t say they are much longer than what we’ve done in the past as they’re still between 3 and 5 minutes in length.
– And due to this and to the new band members, was the songwriting process different?
Not really because I still wrote all of the material. What was different was that instead of finalising the songs on my own, I had input from the others which ranged from small minor suggestions like “that song needs more of a mid-section” to more direct ones like “no, that song is shit so write something better” haha. But we did spend time arranging everything together which was a really good and productive time with a lot of intense energy. It was very consuming and the focus from all members was electric. Putting the new album together was definitely a mighty experience all round.
– I have always thought you mix elements from 80’s German Thrash Metal with nuances from the 80’s South American scene but, what could you say have been the most influential bands for NOCTURNAL GFRAVES?
Well definitely all the bands I grew up with, Metallica, Slayer, Venom, Bathory, Hellhammer, Sodom, Kreator, Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, Mayhem, Sarcofago and the list goes on and on and on. But when writing the album I was really working on just writing what was being channelled through me and what was already lurking deep in my mind as opposed to trying to write songs in the vein of any of my influences.
– «…from the Bloodline of Cain» is your first release after signing to Hells Headbangers, which seems a quite fitting record label for you but, how are things going with them thus far?
Things have been very good so I really have no complaints. Even though the album has just been released they have done 100-fold more for us than what NWN ever did for the band. So we are satisfied with Hells Headbangers.
– All this about «…from the Bloodline of Cain» being said; how could you describe it in just 3 words?
Venomous Wild Fire
– You are hailing from Australia, which has a lot of really good bands into Black/Thrash, such as yourself, D666, GOSPEL OF THE HORNS or ASSAULTER among others. Is there any reason which seems to be the perfect land for this style?
Because the people behind those bands are old school heavy metal maniacs and not shoe-gazing indie kids who discovered metal post 2000.
– It also seems like the whole Aussie scene is lately getting more recognition from other continents but, is it easy for Australian bands to tour outside Australia? Do you think if you were hailing from Europe or the US you would get more attention?
Well it’s easy if you want to pay your own way and for very little returns (or large personal debts). I definitely think that if we came from Europe or the USA we
would have more attention simply because touring would be a much cheaper option and the ability to play festivals would also increase the profile of the band. But I don’t mind because touring is not my no.1 goal in this world and being in a popular band also means very little to me. I much prefer writing and recording music as a means of self-expression rather than chasing some form of wide-spread adoration.
– And finally, what are your near-future plans?
Well again, and perhaps in contradiction to my last answer we have been discussing the possibilities of doing more shows overseas (Europe and USA) so if that comes to fruition it would be something in the near future. I also want to start working on new material in the new-year and to release a new MLP in 2014.
– That’s all, thank you once more for answering our questions. If you want to add some final words; feel free to do it.
Thanks for your support. Anyone interested should check out our new record! Hail Satan!
