Lachryma Christi is very proud to present you an interview with Nornagest from the Black Metal cult band from Belgium. They have been around for such a long time and are still so respected and followed by Black Metal followers. Let's see what Nornagest has to tell us about this and other matters.
Who had the idea of the name Enthroned for the band?
The name comes from one of the first members of the
band who actually did not record anything with the band, Cernunnos loved the
idea and it matched the idea behind the concept the band wanted to pass
through.
There were a few changes of line up along the time,
can you tell us a bit about how that happened?
Well, you know people come and go due to different
reasons; some simply do not have time to invest in the band anymore due to
their private life, others want to do something else or in some cases people
have to be removed from the line-up due to their behaviour etc...
One thing that we cannot stand in this band are individuals who change their
way to behave just because the band gets attention, thinking more about cash
than the spirit and the core of what Enthroned stands for.
What are your biggest influences?
The panel is pretty wide, it goes from some of the
music we listen to, some emotions, belief (which represents a huge part of what
Enthroned is and why we sound like this), paintings in some cases, a state of
mind, but this can also be related to the emotion part of course.
I think anything that has some kind of impact on ourselves has an influence on
how this or that will sound or how these lyrical line will be turned. The only thing I refuse to include within my
intentional influences, let’s say, it is the work of other related bands within
the metal scene. When we started Enthroned, those influences were undeniable,
just like any starting band, but with time, this way of thinking became the
main rule (or perhaps the only real rule). The only BM that might influence us
is Enthroned and no other contemporary bands at all.
How does the composing process work? What comes first?
THE idea, what will be the main topic on the next
album, or how are we gonna approach this next chapter. This is the first step
but also, it has to be natural, not forced.
Everything has to flow at some point. It all depends where that “voice” leads
us from there.
The only exception I can think of was when we started the writing process of
“Pentagrammaton”, this album is unique in the way that all the lyrics were
written in the first place before any single note of music came up. Then the
hard task was to literally translate the lyrics into music, what emotion does
this sentence creates in my memory and having that riff behind that same line
of text recreating that very same feeling within me.
And it we proceed this way for the whole album.
What are your favourite artists? Is there anyone you
would like to work with?
We worked with a few already but some of my favourites
would be an impossible task, just because they’re just dead (even though there
might be something done about this on our next album) or simply because such
cooperation would not fit with our style but you ever know... Some of my
personal favourite artists are Alan Petersson, Nick Cave, Wagner, Rops,
Aleister Crowley, Christopher Lee, Kuski, Hector Berlioz and many many more...
You are a respected band in the general Black Metal
scene, how pleased are you with how things have developed for Enthroned along
the years?
It’s been 20 years of madness for sure, any kind of
situation that could happened has happened good or bad almost. As far as I am
concerned, I’m feeling quite at peace with a lot of things regarding Enthroned
actual situation, and that for the last couple of years. This horde is a good team, everybody is on the
same page and wants to go in the same direction or remain on the same level of
status quo regarding other things, when it is needed. Things could always be
better here or there but nothing is perfect in this universe and it shouldn’t
be, else... where would the challenge stand??
After releasing Obsidium, you have had a very busy
agenda for 2013. How have been the gigs?
Very good in general, we performed a lot and in new
places as well, which is always a plus both from the personal point of view and
for the people who wanted to see us live and never had the chance. Some of the
“worse” experiences would be some dates in the UK (I really do not know what
happened there but seems the scene is dying off), people seems to just not care
anymore there except for London which is always a blast!
What can we expect next? What’s in store for
Enthroned?
We are recording the new and 10th studio
album of Enthroned at this very moment, this album will also mark two decades
of activity for Enthroned... and a few concerts/ tours already in the planning
for 2014.
Anything else you would like to add?
Thank you for the interview!
Khep’r
Line up:
Nornagest: Lead Vocals & lead Guitars
Phorgath: bass
Neraath: lead Guitars
Menthor: Drums
ZarZax: Guitar
Latest release:
Obsidium (2012)
You can find more information and music of Enthroned in:
https://www.facebook.com/Frater.Silurian
