1.Can you give us an update on what has been going on with the band since the recording of the new album?
Not much actually... we recorded a song for an ABSU tribute album and re-recorded some guitar and vocal tracks for 2 songs which where originally left from our 2019 recording session we did for the split 7“ with NUCTEMERON. We where not that satisfied with a couple of details anymore, like for example the guitar sound. The songs are a re-recording of Beast of Hades from Violent Revenge, a SLAUGHTER (Can) cover and will be out on a split 7“ with SABBAT (Jpn) end of the year. We will start rehearsing for our hopefully first show again in the czech republic in october this year !
2.In August you have a new album coming out, musically how does it differ from the stuff you have released in the past?
I tried to stay loyal to what NOCTURNAL is known for without copying myself but tried to get it a bit rougher around the edges again than how we did our last album. Also i think the new songs have a good portion of traditional metal in them which was not really planned but just turned out that way, also thanks to 6 out of 10 songs have a quite worked out guitar solo this time. Guitar solos where rare and also not very in depth in past NOCTURNAL material. One could say i finally appreciated the art of guitar wankery, ha ha ! Better late than never !
3.This is also your first full length since 2014.can you tell us a little bit more about what has been going on during that time frame?
To make a long story short, lot´s of line up changes. Getting the right people to replace those who went away was quite a task and took it´s time. But we played 2 great south american tours in 2017 and 2019 and also many single shows through all europe over the years. So we where never really away, also those 7 years passed by like nothing and honestly i ask myself many times what the fuck happened in that time, ha ha !
4.Over the years you also have covered some occult and satanic themes with your lyrics, can you tell us a little bit more about your interest in the dark arts?
As far as lyrics go they are more there to set a certain mood. I want them to be traditional metal lyrics which suit our songs and the topics which interest me more are true crime, medieval times, history, myths and lore. My interest in the „dark arts“ is not very deep. I was a bit interested in La Veyan satanism when i was a teenager but i realized fast that when you follow that you can just as well just follow your own mind and your own self and you are just as good. Nowadays if there are satanic themes in our lyrics they are more just anti religious or simple good old blasphemy.
5.Can you also tell us a little bit more about the lyrical content of the new album and also how would you describe your progress as songwriters over the years?
The topics range from Conan the barbarian, over war in dystopian wastelands and the end of the world (Mad Max style), escaping death, ripping angels apart, occult sacrifice rituals to NOCTURNAL being the best band in the world. My progress as a songwriter did not go very far. From a technical point of view i´m on the same level as i was 10 years ago. I think nowadays i just know better how to make a song or a whole album more interesting i think.
6.Can you tell us a little bit more about the artwork that is presented on the new album cover?
We got a guy named Nino Andaresta from Indonesia doing the cover art for us. It´s an oil painting. We gave him a rough idea, he made some sketches and we went from there. We wanted a striking old school cover artwork.
and we got it. We are more than satisfied with how it turned out.
7.What are some of the best shows that the band has played over the years and also how would you describe your stage performance?
That´s a hard one. For some reason i more remember the shitty ones, ha ha ! Also the shows i remember being the most fun to play because the audience went apeshit and tore the place apart where hardly our best shows performance wise. I remember having shows where we had a great performance, killer sound and we were on fire but people did not give a shit, ha ha. We are just a gang of four with no bullshit on stage, just thrashing metal mayhem !
8.Last year you where part of a split with 'Nuctemeron' , what are your thoughts on the other band that had participated on the recording?
They are very good friends of mine. But that fact aside it´s an absolutely killer band ! I had them over at my place just last weekend to record 2 songs for a split 7“ with NUNSLAUGHTER. I helped them to record with my equipment and Sascha from WITCHING HOUR will be handling the mixing in his Journey to Eternity Studio. He will also mix the 2 NOCTURNAL songs for the SABBAT Split by the way. NUCTEMERON is pure possessed ancient metal !
9.The new album is going to be released on 'Dying Victims Productions', how would you compare working with this label to other labels you have been a part of in the past?
They are absolutely great to work with. I know Flo the owner of DVP since many years so it´s a match made in hell. No complaints about HIGH ROLLER Records though who released „Storming Evil“, they did a good job as well. For this album we just choose DVP because we felt more comfortable around the bands on DVP. DISPLEASED on the other hand who released the first 2 albums can fuck off. They totally screwed us over after the guy who got us there left the label. They sold many licenses where we never saw a penny and still owe us royalties as well. Even after they went out of business they sold all album rights to some guy who is still trying to sell licenses for every album on the DISPLEASED catalogue even when the contracts are no longer valid. Even when you take the fact aside they broke their side of the contract with not paying us, all contracts they did under their banner have expired since they officially went out of business. But we are not the only ones who have those problems with them.
10.On a worldwide level how has the reaction been to your newer music by fans of black and thrash metal?
So far i´m quite satisfied with the reactions we get to the new album. Some people complain about the vocalist change but sooner or later they will get used to it. I´m looking forward to hear what everyone else thinks once the album will be out. 7 years is a long time, many probably thought the band is dead. But we don´t do anyone that favour !
11.What is going on with some of the other bands or musical projects these days that some of the band members are part of?
John is playing in SLAUGHTER MESSIAH who released a new album just last year. They are also working on a follow up as far as i know. Incinerator plays in WOUND which is a black/death metal band who also have a new album in the pipeline to be released on VÁN records soon. Invoker is still singing in WITCHBURNER. As for myself, we just released a 7“ with a new band called SACRIFIXION on HELL´s HEADBANGERS Records and earlier this year a demo of a new Doom Metal band called MOON was released on DVP as well. We are aiming for a full album with MOON. In 2 weeks i will play my first post Covid show with my death/doom band THE FOG and we are also in the process of doing a new album. Ah, and the first recordings of a new Black Metal project called VOID SCEPTRE will be finished soon which has Defiler of THE FOG on guitars, V.Lord of THE FOG on vocals and me on bass and drums. This will be total 90´s finnish and norwegian black metal stuff !
12.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
No fucking idea ! We´ll get to that once i´m in the writing mood for new stuff. But for sure it will not be far from the stuff people know from NOCTURNAL.
12.What are you listening to nowadays?
Lot´s of doom metal and as always JUDAS PRIEST. Some new bands which i like are EVILCULT from brazil, INSANE from Sweden and LUCIFUGE from germany.
13.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
I´m more than excited to finally have that album out, i´m very proud of what we did there. Besides this just the usual... thanks for the interview ! Unholy Thrash Metal Forever !
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