A month and a day ago, I reviewed Nephrolith’s killer debut album Xullux and gave it a 4,5 skull rating. The band originally asked us for a review of the album and I was so impressed that I asked them for an interview, right after I wrote my review.
Nerthag, Nephrolith’s vocalist, agreed to do an interview with me. It took us a while to get it done but here it finally is. You can find the interview after the jump.
Dose of Metal: Hi there, how are you doing?
Nerthag: Greetings! We are pretty good.
DoM: Please introduce each band member to us.
Nerthag: Nephrolith consist of 5 members. I’m Nerthag – the vocalist and there are Skargart and Isvaroth on the guitars, Tersagir on bass and Navtyr is in charge of the drums.
Nephrolith - Spiritual Departure (live)
DoM: Could you give us a quick rundown of Nephrolith’s history so far?
Nerthag: The band was created in late summer of 2008 by me, Isvaroth, Skargart and Wraith. Wraith soon left the band and the present line-up of Nephrolith was completed with Navtyr and Tersagir. We released our demo Vinsketh in 2009 and toured allover Slovenia. After our first appearances we started recording the debut album Xullux and in the meantime we played some festivals like Metalcamp.
DoM: What was the biggest highlight of your career so far?
Nerthag: Isvaroth bought us fans last week! (not people, but the cooling contraption) It’s fucking scorching hot in the factory where we practice.
DoM: What was the lowest point of your career so far?
Nerthag: Before we got fans (people and coolers both) 🙂
DoM: In my review of your debut album Xullux, I wasn’t sure what to label your band. Melodic Black Metal or regular Black Metal. When I’m thinking of Melodic Black Metal, the first band to cross my mind is Graveworm and you certainly don’t sound like Graveworm. Which label are you more comfortable with?
Nerthag: Well, we never really cared much about labeling. As far as our knowledge stretches we are aware that all our differences in musical perception combine in the Black Metal genre.
Nepholith's debut album Xullux
DoM: You are from Slovenia and, I must admit, I don’t know many bands from your country. Is there a big Black Metal scene, or Metal scene in general, over there?
Nerthag: The Metal scene in Slovenia is not that small and if I think a few years back, a lot of Black Metal bands erupted. Lately the BM scene in Slovenia is kind of sleeping.
DoM: How was Xullux received locally?
Nerthag: Nothing big, but we got quite a few compliments.
DoM: Are you overall happy with the outcome and the reviews of your album so far?
Nerthag: The reviews we got are all uplifting, there are quite a few things, be it criticism or compliments, that strengthen our belief in the path we are on and where to we are heading. We are aware of some minor details that could be improved regarding the album and the whole release, but those details make it what it is. Does that mean we are happy? I don’t know. What I know is that we are motivated to record and release new stuff asap.
DoM: You’re all wearing corpsepaint. Does it just come with the scene or is there a special meaning behind it?
Nerthag: Of course the scene influenced us in the beginning, but no it is not just that. We have incomplete corpsepaints, more like a half-corpsepaint, and it represents the soul of the human being.
Nephrolith - Subsistence Of Decease
DoM: Which bands, would you say, inspired you the most?
Nerthag: Musically – Dissection were the reason to start this band, but it is not just that, sometimes you are inspired by the determination, professionalism, attitude etc. I couldn’t possibly list all, but there are influences like Alice in Chains, Behemoth, Pink Floyd, Johnny Cash, Lady Gaga, Katatonia, Sólstafir…
DoM: Is there a deeper meaning within the lyrics of your songs?
Nerthag: Sure, what is the point of making something shallow that doesn’t even pierce the fucking skin. With the lyrics you have to pierce the soul or nudge the brain, just to provoke thinking. Even though direct approach is sometimes very effective, the deeper meaning opens a dimension where the reader plays a role of the interpreter himself. Defining yourself through lyrics is important. And in the same way our lyrics should be interpreted by the listener, as the lyrics revolve around the soul, so should the reader.
We don't need no water, let the motherfucker burn.
DoM: As a Black Metal band, what do you think of the church burnings that happened in Norway?
Nerthag: The controversy opened the gates to Black Metal to be introduced to a vaster audience through the media. I think the deed itself showed some resistance towards the dominant organized religion that has done worse throughout the history. But the real question is what good came out of it? Was the impact effective? It shocked the world, it had a point with a reason. I will always respect that.
DoM: What are your general religious beliefs?
Nerthag: I believe in the Soul, Death and the Energy around us. Nothing general, more personal, as well as the other members.
Varg Vikernes: wise sage grandpa
DoM: Varg Vikernes was, and still is, one of the most infamous people in the Black Metal genre. As a musician, he’s certainly one of the most important people within the genre. What do you think about Vikernes as a person? With that being asked, I know that it’s hard to judge someone you haven’t met in person but I’m quite sure he’s not reading our site, so I guess it’s safe to voice your opinion.
Nerthag: A lot has been said on the topic and I read quite a few things. Of course it is interesting, but I never really formed an opinion, because I was aware that it was more of a bedtime story with quite a few versions. He used to represent himself as Black Metal Mafia and now he is a wise sage grandpa.
DoM: You have a Facebook site, a MySpace page and you’re also on Youtube and Last.fm, yet you don’t have a homepage. Why is that so?
Nerthag: True, the homepage is under construction. Till now MySpace was sufficient and worked as a homepage, but the popularity and quality of MySpace decreased drastically, so now we are moving on, it is just taking some time, because we take care of most of the things ourselves.
DoM: You wrote to us in hopes for a review. How did you come across our site?
Nerthag: Papa Google if I remember correctly or some lower deity brought it to our attention.
DoM: What do you think of our site?
Nerthag: Ha, the name itself is great. A shot of Metal up your fucking veins. Seems appropriate.
DoM: Any last words for your readers at doseofmetal.com?
Nerthag: Thank you for the interview and to those who took time to read it.
