1. Hello, Kanwulf, how the things going in this days?
Today is the 26th August 2008. I am working on the „Jahreszeiten“ (Seasons) release and write right now my very last interview for a German magazine. So you have some luck to occur now and not later. After this interview in Germany, which deals with all topics around NARGAROTH, I will end all interview activity. I am tired of this questions-answer game. In fact, the people in the scene are not interested into the truth; they prefer rumors and lies in the internet. So may they blind ones find their „answers“ there.
2. There are more and more anatomizing questions. In the beginning, the rise date of releases „Orke“ and „Herbstleyd“ was impugned. Than some talk-show, where we can see you, comes out. I haven’t any problems with it personally, but I would like to know your opinion about these statements…?
I don’t care peoples talking and I do what I want. I act out the chaos freedom the most bands only sing about and in reality they build a cage around them. And sometimes I need some blitheness in my fucking damn life - where I usually starring most times on my fucking kitchen wall and ask myself how all in my life could went so wrong. So I do sometimes fucking stupid things. A sardonic laughter for me is better than no laugh at all. What you mention in your question and what the people really affect is the fucking boulevard character of the scene. I am sick to think about it or react to it.
3. Well, it’s also surprising what kind of music you‘re present in this time. I mean, your specific and unmistakable sound, which guides Nargaroth trough the years, is away in my eyes. Your new records have just raw sound without this typical atmosphere. And if I’m looking to the circle of my friends, I think you’re loosing listeners more than getting them (but maybe I’m wrong, of course). Why this „orthodox“ kind of black metal is more (for you) than tendency to make a step onward?
It happens. I am not here to fulfill the listeners’ desires. Whether they follow or fucking piss off. I don’t care about that. I never cared about the thoughts of people about my music. I hate also reviews, no matter if they are good or bad. They are only fragments of a mind which is already attitude-polluted to my personality and does not really see the music. Its only pro- or contra- , so it’s useless. Both sides of the sympathy axis distort the music towards their attitude. Black Metal should be listened and felt and not discussed to death by people who knows mainly shit. I see NARGAROTH musically now better than before. Finally NARGAROTH sounds the way I prefer Black Metal. Sometimes a topic or an album needs a better sound to create the meaning behind it. But for me, I prefer guitars that sound bright and empty like a broken mirror. And a raw production doesn’t mean lack of atmosphere. Even those raw tunes can create more spherical power than any studio album. I still record on a tape recording machine. I am nostalgic. I think that this entire computer recorded releases from today’s small bands sound shit! I use old, mainly self-made instruments. I don’t use professional stuff. I still use an old broken no-name amplifier. I record my music at home. I totally disagree with digital recordings with a computer! As I mentioned before, I still record my songs on an old 8 track tape machine. I am a nostalgic and I always will be. Take a look, or better an ear, to nowadays recordings in Black Metal. It sounds soulless and without energy. I believe it’s because everyone can do it with a boring drum computer and a fucking computer music-mix-program. This artificial computer simulated “world” can never keep the spirit of Black Metal. Because Black Metal is not artificial and digital – it’s real and analog! Another reality is that until the “Semper Fidelis” album I haven’t recorded any new stuff. It’s all from a big recording session with OCCULTA MORS from MOONBLOOD in 2001. It was like facing old ghost which been real in 2001, but does not reflect my present state musically. So I am glad I used now all these old songs and can now continue with my actual musically being. It’s sad all the old songs got delayed with their release so much. The main reason was my life. Between 2001 and 2006 many things happened in my life. I moved from one place to another. Maybe the time wasn’t right for the songs. Maybe I wasn’t ready from them too. I lost for a while the spark of create anything. As I felt finally ready for the songs, I wrote lyrics, who reflect again my present state. It was hard to face these songs and the memories, under which feelings and private circumstances I recorded them once together with Occulta Mors from MOONBLOOD back in 2001. It was just like facing the demons of my past again, but this time I had a weapon against them – my lyrics. Those protected me form getting insane. But I love the “Semper Fidelis” Album and it’s my personal favourite of all my releases. Although I was and am capable of it, I here refused to give in to the mainstream technical playing and created again what I had learned to love about the Black Metal of the early nineties. Simple structures, a ghost of monotony and melody. I will never create something which I do not love. And the kind of Black Metal I play hardly exists today, for one is talking more and more about the new Black Metal, which is characterised by speed and a high technical level, which is not my taste in Black Metal. Therefore, I also conceive of myself with my way of playing BM as an artefact, a relict, who is trapped in his lasting nostalgia. And since I am no longer a part of the scene and don’t care about the opinion of others, I am an Artefucked! As described in the first song. The most intensive experience about it all was the enterprise of the box limited to 99 copies. This for the most part brought me nearer to the listeners and them nearer to me, than it has ever happened in Black Metal before. Semper Fi Motherfuckers! Well, the “Semper Fidelis” album was recorded in a rehearsal style. Back then, I simply put one or two microphones above the drum kit, and, in addition, I took my old guitar amplifier from 1992 – one of those you get together with your guitar on purchase. In spite of having caught fire in the course of its life because it was forgotten by me when standing on the stove, and in spite of my frequently attacking it with the neck of my guitar or throwing it through the apartment out of anger at its poor sound, it had already served me well on the Geliebte des Regens album. After all those years, it appears to me to be the only alternative to the either frequently over-produced or effectboard-internal and synthetic sounds of many guitars, which can be heard everywhere on current releases. Repulsive. May I be called an everlasting nostalgic or grumbler, but by the sound of these guitars, the reverberating or echoing vocals, I am reminded of that to which I pledge allegiance in my heart even today. I am remembering… and it depresses me that everything is so long ago. Often, I feel driven and travel around restlessly, but every time I hear the intro, I have the impression to be at home ~ the sin forgiven.
4. I like „Abschiedsbrief des Prometheus“ the most. Why? This is something which I’m placing higher more than 99% black metal songs. Can you tell me more about this song (about lyrical concept especially)? And… what about you and some new inventions in texts? Are you planning some? If yes, what? Why I’m asking about this… I think people changing their interests naturally.
The poems on the Rasluka series, as well as on the Beloved of the Rain and some on the Semper Fidelis album express my way through the path to become a better more noble being than I was before. But all the time you face in silent hours of the night the sins of the past and still I have not made peace will all my sins. They haunt me and I try to not think about - but it’s like a whispering laughter – its there. You should definitely read my lyrics. You would see that after the “Rasluka” series I continued with it will not stop, because it’s the only thing I do best. Besides many other bands I write to 80% very personal lyrics about my development as man. And so I wish that my art reaches some individuals who can share my thoughts, maybe because they are even in a kind of a development process from naïve human being to honorable man or woman. Sure in the beginning used to write down basic emotions as hate, fear or sadness. But using my art as mediator between my inner world and the reality, I felt forced to take my art and my lyrics more serious than it was planned in the very beginning. Every single album represents the being and the creature of NARGAROTH and so of Me. I just let my emotions, my attitude and my imaginations rule the way of my work. I do what I want! That’s all! And the backgrounds are my emotions. I am a man and I feel. I have emotions that lead me through life. And to get a conversation about those feelings I use the art and the music. And of course my development as man and the solutions and thoughts about my life, I transform into imagined pictures which lead to words, I write down mainly and preferred as poems. This should be normal for every musician. In the beginning my musical way had been nothing more than leisure - time activity. But over the years it became a way to talk with myself, or the things inside me I wanted to ignore. I recognized that I better work out or through some events in life by this musically way. And of course I want to affect other people with my lyrics and my melodies. I want them finding their selves in my art and sharing my feelings. That’s more intimate than sex I think! Not always better, but more personal and intimate. On my albums I create songs about my sins, failures, lies, my love, my hate, my tears and my conclusions about myself. I am a personal artist; in fact I am not a BM musician. Musicians are in BM like sand at the sea. I am an artist. I waste myself on every single release that maybe another person can find himself in my lyrics or in the mood of my melodies. They become for the moment of the song me. They feel like I do, cry like I do, hate like I do – suffer like I do and maybe fight for their own salvation – like I do, to become a better being than “yesterday”. Nargaroth consists of a human being. Whether I like it or not. From the beginning, it was clear and known that NARGAROTH is dealing with the – or my – fallible humanity. Anybody who did not realize this since Rasluka Part II and the poems contained therein has no business in the circle of my critics! And whatever is created by human beings is also subjected to their weaknesses and tainted by the dangers of human features. Constructive and destructive ones. I have always held the opinion that Black Metal has the potential of giving room for and allowing to express those human shallows but also developments. And I still think so. And NARGAROTH is an example for this.
5. „Black Metal ist Krieg“ is notoriously best-known album in your discography. And this album name is true phrase for so much black metal heads over the world. When do you started think about? Do you remember this moment?
It isn’t my best release! I can’t remember when it came in my mind. And it’s misunderstood from almost all people over the world! I didn’t mean a conventional war! Black Metal is a war in your own head. In my hard years I was so deep into that BM spirit that I denied anything in the world. Even other people or the money the system. All I had to do to survive, so go to work for money, talk with others and so on, seemed to me as a opposite to BM life. So I denied the things to do. Sometimes I locked myself for weeks into my room and not stepping outside. I denied wearing some normal clothes because I considered them as false. There were many other things, crazy things at this time in my head and even in my actions - but believe me it was hell on earth. And that means for me the BM war. It’s the war in our heads. The controversies between BM ideals or rules and the necessary things we have to do to survive, starts a daily war. Its war against your life, against yourself. And this battles inside, the daily fight for life, is the content of my songs. Black Metal is the art and weapon in my hand that never falls asleep and with which I fight against my failures and sins, and finally my way as man through life.
6. I’m very curious about one thing… How often are you cashing from old ideas? Most of your albums are full of new riffs and lyrics or with some connections to the past?
All albums are related and linked to each other. For example the Outro of the “Herbstleyd” album announced the “Black Metal ist Krieg” release. And in my lyrics you find memory connections to older topics in my life. It’s all one unity and can’t be considered in parts.
7. I ckecked „Amarok“ in year 2006 last time, but before some time (maybe as a connection with this interview) again. And… I must say, this is one of the most famous things in your discography in my eyes. What can you tell me about this release? I know, there’re songs from different periods, which shows Nargaroth in really different ways. But this question is about epoch of your life when this song was created, etc… Tell me what you want.
I don’t like this release the way it got released. It’s like a patchwork album and the single songs can’t create their genuine power, because every song stays alone and single. This unplanned release in the year 2000 was not a new album but contains older or until then unreleased material. Not a really necessary release as seen from today, for I wished I had integrated some of the songs contained there in a concept album. Thus, they would have come into their own instead of escaping the attention they deserve on a patchwork release. For some of them belong to my personal favourites of my works. It shall be pointed out that, due to a mistake in the pressing factory, the actual cover was interchanged with the back of the CD booklet. The depiction of the album on the Nargaroth homepage, as well as in this document, shows the originally planned and therefore official cover artwork.
8. All of your albums are cunning in a way, so can you tell us something about the most interesting ones in your eyes? As you know, listener’s look is good, but only founder and creator can say real true…
I have 3 favorite NARGAROTH albums. The first is “Geliebte des Regens” (Beloved of the Rain). This release was until then my most intensive album, whose poems have haunted me for years in the general context of my confrontation of myself and my sins. This self-reflexive confrontation manifested itself in extensive pondering and the search for answers in long, undisturbed thought processes in the tranquil hours of the night. For this, I required songs, which, due to their unchanging monotony, have a hypnotic character for me, so that I am not torn from my daydreams by many changes of melodies and tempi. And according to these requirements I composed the songs. What others perceive as monotonous and dreary was and is for me the necessary basis for the battles in my mind which last for hours. This album is the soundtrack for my penance and salvation. The second is “Prosatanica Shooting Angels”, because of the circumstances I created it within an 12 hour recording session. It was quite strange how I did all. I had a big fight with my ex-girlfriend I lived together. I went mad into my studio and got under the influence of some light drugs and some Tequila. And this is why that album is important for me. Usually I am very strict how all has to sound, and all must be in the way I want it and there are no degrees of freedom for all things that got used. But this time I was very relaxed and took the things the way they came. No torturing deeper intention haunted me. And my over all favourite album right now is my new album “Semper Fidelis” (Always Faithful). And I already explained well why. In generally I like all my songs! I still like every single album from me. I don’t make just music. My songs are the soundtrack for my penance and salvation. They are my way to communicate with myself. To walk a path that makes me become a better man I was in the past. So every album in the past has its right to be and his function for me.
9. You played in Mexico and Guatemala some time ago. I saw all the photos and my eyes fall down. This flocks of people was amazing! How about whole concert and black metal personally in this countries? Are they maniacs?
As I wrote on my homepage it was a real Aztecan war. Those maniacs set free a matchless fire of passion that I’ve never seen among European shows. In some ways they are much more passionate. But as in every scene you find also another side. They are also humans and blessed with bad behavior. After I was there many people lied some stories about me. Especially women spoke about having affairs with me during the weekend (1day Guatemala, 1 day Mexico) I was there. Nothing of it is true, because I do not do such things. And in fact, it been hundreds of women claimed to have an affair with me – I try to imagine what kind of “work” I had to do to “do” them all - on one single weekend night. The same goes with Brazil. It’s planned to make in the beginning of 2009 some shows in Brazil. I am not yet there – and already the lies from the people start. In incredible what people try to do, to become interesting? There thousands of bands claiming to know me and play with me as opener band – but there is still no plan of my tour there. Hundred of women again talks about to know me via MSN and see me there on a web cam – by the way I NEVER WOULD DO THAT! There are much other things this idiots over there talks about. Right now! And I am not there yet! That pisses me of and takes any passion away from me to play there.
10. Connected one… You are going so far from Germany to present your music… so why not to the Czech Republic too? As I remember, you also made cover for one Root song, so what do you think about our scene and groups inside? What is the reason that you don’t play here for the present? It’s all about bad organizations or your insensibility?
I don’t wanna talk about bands and scenes. They are all alike. There might be some little differences, based in culture. But they are all humans and so have all human nature. My experience after playing all over the world is that the scenes are equal. I have seen people talking bad about the homeland scene and adoring scenes in other countries, but when you are there, you find the same phenomena. When you are there you’ll see after a while the same relations as at home. So gossips are at home in every country in every scene. There is no fucking difference! What a shit… Well I would come and play, but it needs reliable organizers who bring NARGAROTH over there. So far I only met persons who speak a lot – but doing less. I remind one or two asking me to play on some festivals, but I have been busy during these dates, so I couldn’t come.
11. Well, I saw some links to dead soldiers, died in Vietnam and Iraq. What will you express? And what’s your opinion about these two controversial wars?
My answer would fill books. I am too lazy today to give you a full answer. But yes I am highly interested into that topic. Yes. It’s too long to explain it. It grew within me since I was in school and learned about it. It’s the way the war was. This kind of madness and sickness, but also the suffering of the people and boys over there. It was so strong within me, that I went in 2006 to Viet Nam and hitchhiked through the whole country and stayed several weeks alone in the jungle, eating frogs, shellfish and iguanas. I wore an original battle dress from 1968 I bought from an US veteran. This jungle time I used to stay away from humans and try to find out if I’m gonna make it. I accepted a possible death. In the jungle I loved the nights as I lay in my hammock, listening in total darkness the sounds of this jungle. In one of those nights I decided to end with NARGAROTH.
12. You are uniform member of No Colours Records, a really cult german label. What`s about their work? I think, you can not be satisfied in all. As I saw before some time, No Colours rec. released only releases with xerox case, but now, all is full of colours…
I would say, besides some problems my label has with the government, the cooperation is good. I don’t take any money from my label for NARGAROTH and therefore they allow me to do all my insanity-ridden musical ideas. I am glad for their tolerance towards all my escapades, (expensive) special demands and vanities. I have gotten over the years many offers from very big major labels, who promised me incredible huge sums of money. But I will never leave my label; even I have no contract with them! In 1998 I did some shit and got in trouble with the law. I got a court judgement and I had to pay a huge amount of money – or to go to prison. Well, I didn’t have that money in this time and I had to go into jail for that. Even NO COLOURS didn’t know me well, they helped me and so I had not to go into jail. On that day I promised S. from NO COLOURS RECORDS, that I will never go to another label – to no time, to no conditions! I am a man who tries to keep his word! And as I promised 10 years ago, I kept it. NARGAROTH is and stays a NO COLOURS band!
13. „Fuck off nowadays black metal“– there’s nothing more to say. But I would like to ask you about something; what we can explain under? Your opposition is about new fucking black metal waves, shitty nowadays groups, which with smile copying other ones, or…?
In your question you give the full and best answer! The most newcomers know shit about the BM roots and act as they invented BM by itself. I hate these fucking Bastards with their download mentality. I despise Internet and MySpace. I read once a bad review on my “Black Metal ist Krieg” album. The writer wrote that he gave me a bad review because he “saw” me wearing an IMMORTAL T-Shirt in the booklet of this album. Can you imagine that? Even if it would be ridicules enough, when his reason for a bad review would be a T-Shirt of a band he doesn’t like. The unbelievable and sad thing is – it’s not me wearing that IMMORTAL shirt. It’s ERIK the ex-live drummer of IMMORTAL himself. I put some pictures of him into the explanation text to the song as memory to ERIK. Can you believe this shit brother? The scene is dead for me! When I take a look around through all the back-stages I have been over the years, I fear, that for many metal “artists” the only mission they see or are looking for, is to fuck groupies. I despite this behaviour absolutely! That’s why at live concerts I want to remember and on my albums I want to share my soul that other people can find themselves in it again and maybe find a way of salvation. At live concerts on stage, I talk with the audience about Black Metal and the history. Think about that DEAD from MAYHEM is dead since 17 years. 17 years!!! Can you believe that? 60% of all BM listeners today are not 17 years old. As he decided to kill himself, they weren’t born yet. Today every idiot can look for things in the internet – but mainly people are only interested into rumors and free download. But BM has it own history, his own story. And for me the music and the history are linked together! For me it’s also important to say that MAYHEM and BURZUM belongs together! Both bands were important for our art! There is no need anymore, that young 15 years old newcomers want to depart it. That departs the strength of our art too. I know it man!! I was there in these fucking times, as we were more interested into fighting each other that to work together! I was startrecking through this twilight zone for over 10 years! And I was a part of the destruction with my hate. But what was the outcome? Nothing! We didn’t helped the art BM in no way with that. And when you take a look what BM has become today you see, we had no success to keep the true and essential flame of BM burning. I can’t change that anymore. I can’t change that BM is available on fucking MySpace. MySpace is a narcissistic whorehouse, which I despise deeply and in which I will never partake nor did ever partake! Black Metal should not be there…but…Well I can’t change all this, but what I can do is to remember. To remember what it was and that maybe the new listener will learn from our mistakes. And I can do it because I am one of the old, even when some shitheads still want to doubt that. The only things they do best is creating lies, rumors and try to make provocation with NSBM. All that kills BM - that kills an art. Let’s stop that question I get pissed!
14. What’s your opinion about groups, which ended their existence, but have a profit for next X years from some best off releases, rarity ones, live CD’s and other shits? This isn’t frequent in black metal, but… nothing is impossible…
I don’t like it, but can’t do anything.
15. I noticed, you have new web pages with high duality design. How are you looking on generally proclaimed „internetisation” of black metal scene?
It’s like cancer. It kills day by day. I had no own internet connection until the middle of 2007. And I was shocked to see the development of BM in the internet. Every looser profiles himself there. If you see them then in reality you see, that those who speak loudest in the internet, are weak and especially ugly half-long-haired posers. I also been shocked about the created lies and rumors about NARGAROTH and couldn’t believe how actualized they keep me, even I was away from the scene since 2001. After having been reluctant to have a NARGAROTH internet site for years, I have finally decided to concede the urgings and to have an official homepage designed in order to provide seekers with an opportunity to find a reliable source of information about NARGAROTH in the confusions of the data web. So since the 01.01.2008 I have one. It was unfortunately necessary regarding all this shit occurring in the internet about NARGAROTH. I made it all by myself with help of a friend, a web designer, and I made it in the main languages. I never wanted any Homepage. But as it was not to avoid anymore to make a fucking Homepage, I decided to make it right. No half-things in NARGAROTH. So I created a very good page. When I finish it, I will leave the fucking virtual internet shit again. I am in no forum, no community or what ever. I just needed it for the “Semper Fidelis Box” project and then for the page.
16. You have brutal voice, without any doubt, but do you care about in some ways? Was there some problems with your throat through the years?
Never. It’s genuine there. Vocals are also very often a problem in nowadays wanna-be-bands. So, one important thing: to hell – scream the vocals with power! There are too many weak chest(ed) babies out there not worthy being a BM vocalist!
17. Well, do you have some good stuffs to reccomend us? What are you listening in these days the most? Are you the man, who listening own music a lot, but if recording ended, you can’t hear Nargaroth for a few weeks, or…?
Oh no, please no BM best list. I like and listen to my stuff a lot, although after the recording time I can’t hear it for a while.
18. Last question. From your photos, posted on new web pages, is really apparent, that you are man with real style (but this isn’t any proposal from my side, haha). So I’m just would like to know, what’s your civil job?
I’m a mental Doc.
19. Well, this is almost everything from our side. Thanks for chance to contact you and, of course, live your life as well as you can. All the best, man.
Nice words from you. I’ll give’em back.
