What influences you, aside from music? Favorite books and movies?
N: Visual arts and books are a small source of elements as an influence for the making of our music; however there are still arts that make great inspiration and that is ancient history.
How did Nazghor form?
N: Nekhrid and Armageddor started this band in November 2012. The sound, message and deliverance had to be done before recruiting the rest of the band members.
You covered Ritual (Ghost BC). What made you choose that song?
N: We wanted to do a non-black metal song that express that perfect feeling of darkness but delivered in a smooth and almost beautiful way, and there is only one band capable of such thing. Ritual was chosen by all involved.
You’ve put out several albums in just a few years – five in three years, if I’m not mistaken. Can we expect another album next year?
N: We do not like to waste time when releasing our music. If we have something that we feel connected with then we release it. We want to do another album yes, however that’s not something we talk about right now.
How would you compare the black metal scene of today to the first wave?
N: Musically it is more wide and expanded. It is more common to see black metal people among the regular metal crowd. It is more accepted and recognized due to the lack of burning churches or killing people. Many bands nowadays do not act or think that way; instead they focus on bringing forth a message. We simply do not care about one person in the street since we are free and do not waste time. The black metal bands today compared to the first wave are less united and more competitive.
What are you working on now?
N: We’ve got a new rehearsal place and we are building our temple there.
What are some of the best shows you’ve played?
N: We had a show in our hometown early this year in an underground basement. There was a special list and you needed an invitation to witness that show. It was a very ritualistic one where we used a lot of blood (more than we’ve ever used before). Then there were the shows during our mini-tour in Poland. People were very involved in the shows and it was a success. The biggest and greatest experience was the show at the Kings of Black Metal festival. We did not know that we had so many followers in Germany.
I hear traces of atonal music, which can be very powerful. Talk about that a bit.
N: We like to add elements of different music styles, especially classical-oriented. However, if it is tonal or atonal does not matter as long as it feels right.
How does the landscape and scenery of Sweden influence your music?
N: Sweden is the mother of black metal. Every tone, every line has the right aura and it’s in our backbones. You just have to walk into the woods to feel that connection, it’s like wandering around among the ashes of our progenitors. It is the mentality and the philosophy of being a Swedish musician. There is quality in all bands.
Your lyrics have also grown more complex as you have progressed. Who writes the lyrics?
N: Nekhrid writes all the lyrics. He is also responsible for naming all songs.
Where did the name Nazghor come from?
N: We wanted a name that does not say only one thing. If we had named the band a simple English word then we would have chained the band to that meaning. We created this union as a legion and we created Nazghor as a message and purpose of that union. The word Nazghor is our very own creation and we bonded it as the name of the legion, the soldiers of the throne of darkness.
In clips of your live performances, you incorporate elements of ritual into your live shows. Do you still do that?
N: Yes. It is a connection between us and the crowd.
You did a video for Of Deceitful Beauty, and a lyric video for Complete Unholyness. Are you working on any new videos?
N: We were working on a video for the song “Craft of the Nihilist”, but we cancelled that since we did not feel the same aura that we felt when we did “Of Deceitful Beauty”.
Life Impaled had a very raw sound. Your newest release, Death’s Withered Chants, has a more polished sound, though it’s still quite brutal. Tell us a bit about the recording processes for your albums.
N: “Life Impaled” was recorded in an underground basement. At that time we did not care nor compared the sound to any other bands. Many bands pay thousands of euros to record their music but we do not do that. Since our first album we’ve moved above ground and we have more equipment, and every time more people are involved in the progression. However, we do not lend our songs to anyone outside the band before we are satisfied with them.
What would you say you stand for? What is your message to fans, and to the world?
N: We want people to know about Nazghor. We are a very melodic band with unique elements in our sound. Our goal it’s not to be a brutal or an extreme black metal band, but we want our melodies to conquer in this sea of music compilations. We are free in our way to think and live and we stand against any religious groups or ideology.
What are some of your musical influences?
N: When we compose our music we have a lot of different ingredients and we compound this Nazghor sound with those. We gather thrash metal, death metal, Rock ‘n roll, classical and depressive music to give our melodies that special touch. But we are a Swedish band and always get inspired by the bands that sound Swedish such as Bathory, Dissection, Watain, Naglfar, Mörk Gryning and Setherial.
Where can people buy your stuff?
N: The easiest way is through us. Through our Facebook or nazghorofficial@gmail.com
(c) Morgan Sylvia
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