Interview with Blake of Nachtmystium 2008

By Bradley Smith

Your new album Assassins is making waves in the underground?  But I think you as an insider probably saw that coming.  How confident were you when you heard Assassins in its completed format and how do you feel about it as a progression from Instinct:Decay?

I didn't really 'see anything coming' per se.  I knew we'd made a record I and the rest of the guys were satisfied with when we finished "Assassins" and that was about it.  On a personal level, I feel that the band did what we should have done from "I:D" to "Assassins" in terms of progression, everything felt very natural.

With all the build-up and “hype” that preceded the release of Assassins did you feel pressure from the metal community to be the next big thing?  Did you put any undue pressure on yourself since you were working with such high profile labels this time around?

No, I actually pay very little attention to music (particularly metal) press at all these days.  It's much nicer to ignore that crap as much as possible and just focus on working and doing what I want to do without anything polluting my perception of what this band is doing right now.  I'll be doing this band and music just as I am now regardless of if anyone is into it at major labels or magazines. 

You sang with clean vocals for the first time on the Goatsnake cover on the Worldfall EP.  That was a bit of a gamble for you.  Were you nervous at all as to how they would come out and how do you feel about them now?  And incidentally, why did you choose to cover Goatsnake?

I was totally nervous!  I just got in there and belted it out after some pep talks from our engineer, hahaha.  It came out pretty cool I think.  It was a neat experiment.  We chose to cover Goatsnake because Goatsnake fucking rules.

Do you think that in the underground there is a problem with “Scene thinking” versus true artistic appreciation when it comes to music?   Why do you think that is? 

I don't know...there was the last time I was paying attention.  As I said earlier, I pretty much ignore all things related to internet communities and magazines.  I think that 'scene thinking' is no different than typical human behaviour...most individuals are a lemming somewhere, be it following religion, playing into the system, or being a metal head who wants to feel like you're a 'part' of something so you go along with what others say and think. 

There are many obvious Pink Floyd and Hawkwind influences/references within Assassins.  What is so powerful about those bands’ style that makes it have such a huge impact, not only on you, but also on many other musicians?  Was it really natural incorporating those influences within the framework of Nachtmystium?

Both bands are timeless in terms of the creative ground both broke at the heights of their careers.  Naturally, as fans of good music, we appreciate these bands and their influence is very important to us.  I think there’s a major lack of rock influence in black metal music, especially the psyche side of things.  So, that gives us as a band a great opportunity to try to make something different combining both elements.  It comes very naturally to us.

There has been a pronounced musical growth for Nachtmsytium since its inception.  How has your own spiritual/philosophical growth been realized within that same period?  Can you trace for me somewhat your ideological development over the course of these long years?

I don't really apply any preconceived 'ideology' to my life or my band at all honestly.  I'm not a spiritual person on any level.  I just do what I do, and always do what I can to ensure that my life is what I want it to be and that I'm not being controlled by any one thing or another person. That’s the ideology I've always had, and I maintain that strength in my personal life and live it every day. 

The last time I interviewed you, you stated that you liked “existing on your own.”  Do you feel you are successfully achieving this goal?  What exactly do you envision this simple statement to mean?  I mean on the surface it is pretty basic but it would seem to embody a whole set of belief structures within.

Yeah definitely.  Existing on my own means I answer to myself.  I kind of touched on this a bit in the last question.  I choose to be in control of my life and not to be a slave to society...that’s what that quote means to me.

You just completed a European tour, how did that go?  How was the response to the new material when you performed it in the concert environment?  Anything interesting or special happen on that tour?

Tour was awesome.  The crowds were very divided...we toured with Genghis Tron, which is a really strange match up for us.  It went well though!  Their fans actually responded well for the most part, and we certainly had our own crowds at each gig, so it was really great over all.  Achieved playing to our people and some new ones, which is always good.  Genghis Tron were a lot of fun to be on the road with and a very talented band.  Fun to watch.  We had a blast.

I have heard a lot of people refer to aspects of your music as “spacey.”  And I can certainly hear passages that led me to feel like there is a cosmic texture to them.  That got me wondering what do you think is so captivating to humans about “space?”  Do you have any special interest in the “heavens” and the starry skies?

Not particularly.  I'm fascinated by the stars and moon like most people are, and cosmic things that occur in nature, such as aurora borealis, are really amazing and interesting, but I'm not infatuated or constantly studying any of these topics. 

There is a three-part music voyage that closes out Assassins called Seasick.  What does it represent and why create a 3 part musical odyssey as such? 

"Seasick" is all about drowning alone at sea.  It's more of a story through a song I could guess, and is supposed to represent the steps involved in what would occur in ones head in such a situation.  The three movements were each unique on their own, and we decided to fuse them together instead of trying to play right into and out of them without any separation. 

What sort of plans do you have for Nachtmystium and Battle Kommand in the near future?   I know you are planning some extensive touring for Assassins.

Battle Kommand Records is completely on ice if not R.I.P. at this point.  Nachtmystium is way too busy for me to be doing that on any level.  I sold most of my stock to Relapse Records and am taking a much needed break from the label and totally focusing on the band.  Nachtmystium has tour plans extending out over a year ahead of us...should be staying quite busy.  Lots of European festival dates for next summer, we're about to leave in a few days here for 2 1/2 weeks with Opeth and High On Fire, then 4 weeks with Wolves in the Throne Room following that immediately.  About 3 weeks off after that, and then we play Gun Fest in Oslo, Norway.  That will probably conclude the year for us, but then we'll be right back at it next year starting in January.  So plan on hearing and seeing a lot more of us!