Metal Bulletin Zine: Nordjevel

Nordjevel

Osmose Productions

release: 28 January 2016

This Norwegian black metal band will have its debut album ready for the metal world very soon now. The album is very fast, blasting modern black metal, but the riffs and the songs are memorable. Let’s learn more about them right now! Below is some band information and then some questions and answers.

biography:

“Nordjevel was started in this unholy year of 2015 by Nord and Djevel, after conversations about views, music, black metal and all things occult about Norway. They found out they had so much in common, and they thought they should start playing together as their views on black metal, the origins of Norway and the occult were matching 100%. Later the idea of this band was aired to Fredrik, who jumped onboard immediately. He will be a member on all future releases, as he also contributes to the writing of the music, but will only be able to appear live when he has time from Marduk. A session drummer for live appearances is already in place.”

members:

Doedsadmiral: vocals, lyrics (Svartelder, Doedsvangr)

Nord: guitars, bass (Fatal Impact, Tvangeste, Byrdi)

Fredrik Widigs: drums (Marduk, Rage Nucléaire, The Ugly)

Hello! I have been listening to your self-titled debut. Is it correct that Nordjevel began in 2015? If your band started in 2015, then how is it possible to have full album ready so soon?! Was the music already written?!

Nord: We got together in may of 2015, and after a short talk we found out we all had the same vision. The writing process began right after that, the album was written in a month or two. After that we went straight to recording. Anything is possible with an effective unit with a clear vision, discipline and hard work.

How did you get in contact with Osmose Productions? Did they know you already?

Doedsadmiral: I spoke with Herve on mail, and sent him 2 tracks from the album, and he was really blown away by them, and he just said. Let's do this!

Nord and Djevel (now Doedsadmiral) began the band because their perspectives were the same about black metal, says Facebook. How would you describe your views on black metal? As you know, most of the old bands from Norway don’t play real black metal anymore, they play punk or prog or experimental.

Nord: Doedsadmiral had a vision of what kind of band he wanted to hear, and after a short conversation I realized that we had the same outlook on this music. There are countless amounts of black metal bands all across the planet, but very few that actually bring something to the table. As you say, most of the old bands have moved on to something else. I completely understand that these artists want to transcend and develop their music into new areas, but in the process they left a void newer bands haven't been able to fill, with a few exceptions. We are all about bringing the old and the new together without tarnishing neither in the process.

Doedsadmiral is in another two bands called Svartelder and Doedsvangr. How would you describe those two bands? I have not heard them yet, unfortunately.

Doedsadmiral: I would say Svartelder is very experimental, dark without any boundaries. Black Metal without restrictions. We have an upcoming album coming in 2016 on Dusktone. Doedsvangr is very dark, ugly, violent and pitch black. We will record our debut album sometime in 2016.

Nord is in Fatal Impact, Tvangeste and Byrdi. Fatal Impact is on Metal Archives, but I cannot find the other two bands. Fatal Impact is traditional heavy metal, says Metal Archives. Therefore, how does Nordjevel give Nord a chance to express other ways of making music?

Nord: Tvangeste is a quite well known band in the semi-underground. They are a Russian band based in Canada. Due to various factors, the band isn't very active at the moment, but will come back in the near future. Byrdi is a pagan/folk music band and has nothing to do with metal, and I left that project after finishing the first album, just when Nordjevel began. Fatal Impact is the band I have been the most active with, and the whole package is very different from Nordjevel. It is a very different expression. The darkness in Fatal Impact is more layered and hidden amongst other things, and I love experimenting with that.

On the album, is it drum programming or does Fredrik from Marduk play drums? Are you satisfied if the drums sound too much like drum programming?

Nord: I know there is a lot of programming and copy/pasting in drums nowadays, but not with us. Fredrik is a machine, and there is absolutely no cheating with his playing. I have the raw recordings, and the drums sound like they do on the album. Check out his videos on the internet, and you will understand what I mean.

Doedsadmiral: Personally, this doesn't sound close to a drum machine to me at all.

Black metal often takes pride in having a raw production? What is your opinion about the type of production that you seek for your babd? How did you come into contact with Fredrik?

Nord: The production we wanted on this album was powerful but cold. We realized pretty early in the writing process that this music wouldn't fit a raw production. You gotta keep in mind that the necro bands usually play much slower and less intense than we do.

Doedsadmiral: I knew I needed at great drummer for this album. And I was just sitting listening to Marduk's "Frontschwein" and was really impressed with Fredrik, so I took a chance and reached out, and we tried with a couple of tracks, and from there he became a permanent member

Was it difficult to choose which song to start the album? “The Shadows of Morbid Hunger” starts off with a traditional black metal energy, fast and intense, but also with a bit of melody in the guitar. Then, “Sing for Devastation” wastes no time in continuing the black metal. Actually, even towards the end, the songs with Norwegian lyrics keep up the intensity high. Yet, there is always a bit of melody in the songs. Is this a difficult balance: to play really fast and still have melody?

Nord: We had some discussions about the opening track, but quickly landed on the piece you mentioned. It's not very difficult to balance the insane intensity with the melodies. It's all about the composition and the balance between the different stems. Our music would lose its depth and dark atmosphere if we got rid of the melodies. It would be hard for us to express what we want to express without the melodic aspect.

I find that the album is fast, but it’s memorable, even catchy. At first, it was a bit of overwhelming with the speed and blasting. I think that the songs would go well live, for the audiences looking for fast black metal today. What are your hopes for Nordjevel for 2016 and beyond? Do you plan or want to tour?

Nord: It's always nice to hear that the album is memorable. Too many albums leave you with no recollection of any riffs or parts at the end of the album, and that doesn't exactly make you wanna spin it again. We hope to play as much live as possible in 2016, and we hope to get some festival shows even though the album is a bit late for that. Nordjevel on stage will be quite an experience, both for us and the audience.

Some black metal bands express political views a lot in interviews. For you personally, how important is it to have Nordjevel be a band that expresses political views or opinions about Christians, Jews and Muslims or about the governments and politicians?

Nord: That stuff has no importance in Nordjevel. Nordjevel is a vehicle for something entirely different than what is happening on the surface in contemporary society.

Metal bands sometimes say: “We have great fans!” and things like that. Yet, everyone knows that record sales for metal music are low and for extreme metal music that they are very low. Why is that, in your opinion? Are there too many bands? Are cds too expensive? Do the metal publications cover too many trendy bands? Speaking of this problem, how can people who like your music support your band? Obviously, clicking and giving a band a like is pretty ridiculous as a form of “support.”

Nord: It's no secret that downloading and online streaming killed album sales. I think there are too many bands, but most of them never hit the shelves anyway. Cd's aren't too expensive, but people simply have no use for them anymore. I don't think most kids today even have cd players. If fans wanna support their favorite bands, go to the shows and actually pay for their work instead of streaming their songs online. With no source of income, more and more bands will simply reduce music to a hobby and channel their focus elsewhere to stay alive.

By the way, who plays the keyboards on a song like the last one on the album. It’s only a bit of keyboards, but it’s a nice touch to have. Is it a guest on the album or is it Doedsadmiral?

Doedsadmiral: This is a guest, namely James Fogarty, who I also play with in Svartelder. A really musical genius.

the album is:

1.The Shadows of Morbid Hunger

2.Sing for Devastation

3.Djevelen i Nord

4.The Funeral Smell

5.Denne tidløse krigsdom

6.Blood Horns

7.Det ror og ror

8.Når noen andre dør…

9.Norges sorte himmel

www.nordjevel.moonfruit.com/