Hello. It's getting late and I'm tired, but it's a good feeling. Thanks for letting me participate!
Tell me, how come you ended up playing in a Black Metal project (Nachtlieder) and also in a Thrash Death Black Metal band (Wicked)?
Haha, my need to play music is how. When I moved to Gothenburg I basically joined every band I got in touch with. I've played metal, rock, countrypop... But everyone looked for bassists, and I'm a guitarist. Wicked was the longest lasting constallation I played bass in, and it was formed from members of one of the first bands I joined. But Wicked is dead now, unfortunately.
Nachtlieder was founded a bit later than Wicked. Having a project was an idea you always had or it was a thing that came up after playing for some time?
I started Nachtlieder when I was fed up with only playing bass. I also first and foremost needed a forum for expressing all of my ideas without compromise, this is why I keep Nachtlieder to myself. Now that I think back it's a mystery why I didn't start it earlier.
What about the band's name, what does it mean and how come you ended up with this name?
Nachtlieder means "songs of night" in german. I wanted a name that reflected the music, beauty and ferocity combined. The german language have these qualities in the way it sounds, so it was pretty easy to pick a name for the band. When I started writing I was also inspired by the german song form "lied", where lyrics are dramatized with music. My writing has changed a lot, but in the beginning Nachtieder was a reference to that.
Every one of us have "mentors" when it comes to getting into the metal music. Who was or were your mentor(s) when you first started listening to metal?
I've never shared my interest in music with anyone really. My mother listened a lot to music when I was a child, but my interest for metal grew because I was myself searching for dark and extreme music. First it was rock, then punk, then I had a combined period with Indie pop and modern metal, then I found Death Metal and FINALLY Black Metal, the most beautiful and passionate form of music there is. ;)
I grew up in a small town with 3 hours to the closest so called record store, but thanks to the Internet was able able to download new music and order CD's. Napster was my mentor, haha. ;)
How do you remember that period, when was your first contact with this music and what bands were you listening back then?
Wow... this takes me back. The first band in the more extreme scene that really ment something to me was Opeth, I think I was like 15 and read about them in an Internet forum. I remember I loved how they turned agressive and heavy parts into acoustic guitar arrangements like it was the most natural thing in the world. I was fascinated by that and they remained some of my favourites for many years.
Ulver was a band I discovered later, well the album Bergtatt at least. I downloaded it some time in high school, listened to it A LOT, formatted my harddrive and completely forgot about it until just a few years ago, haha. But I realize that this album definitely has formed my taste in music. I've also listened a lot to swedish BM in high school, but none of these bands mean anything today.
When I serously got into BM after tumbling around in DM (while listening to Bolt Thrower, Bloodbath, Vader etc...) for a couple of years Mayhem was a big reason for it. I've even written a bachelor essay on the tonality of De Mysteriis, haha.
You seem to be a pretty young lady, what do you do beside playing metal? Are you still studying?
I seem to have you fooled. I've graduated college and I currently work with information resources in the public sphere. Ok, screw the fancy words; I'm a librarian.
So far, with Nachtlieder, you have released 3 demos by yourself. How come? There are so many underground labels looking for new bands out there. Ever searched for one or this is your option, to release stuff by yourself?
Until I get an offer that appeals to me I will release my material by myself. Working with a label would take a load off my mind though, and I do send out demos from time to time. It would be nice to be able to focus more on acually creating music. But I'm very picky when it comes to labels. First of all the deal needs to be good, but the aesthetics is a big issue for me too. There are a lot of "super unholy grindfuck records" out there and I could never consider having a label like that be printed on my precious Nachtlieder releases...
And since we're here please describe us Nachtlieder's music and what you have released so far.
Nachtlieder is well arranged, keyboard-free, 90's influenced black metal with ornaments that some might call "avant garde". I've so far released two demos that were important in my musical development but I now basically label "shit". My latest release though is something that I'm very satisfied with. It contains the three first recorded songs from an album that I finished writing almost a year ago. I've had to stop recording because of the way I live now, far away from my home in Gothenburg, so I decided to release the songs as a promo for the album. Though, when the time comes everything will probably be
re-recorded.
The demos are out in physical form or only for download? What do you think of all these Blogspot sites invading the net and spreading music without permission?
I have all the demos for sale, Demo I is almost sold out and I don't plan to make more. Both I and II I also made avalible for download at The Pirate Bay. The third one is not, but mostly because I'm lazy. You have the mp3s, by all means spread them if you wish. ;)
I love file sharing and have no problem with bigger artists music being spread over the internet. It's a part of marketing. As I described earlier file sharing is basically the reason I've found metal so it means a lot to me. But the underground is small. Even if I wouldn't mind my music being shared without my permission, I would still ask before sharing anybody elses... It's just common courteosy, you know.
Tell me 5 of your fave bands at the moment, bands that anyone knows, and also 5 underground bands, that you have discovered recently. By the way, how do you gather your metal info, I mean do you read magazines, webzines, or just social media?
As for undeground bands I'm clueless, sorry! I don't have the time and energy it takes to find new music that way, but I admire the people who do. They run the whole goddamn scene... But I'll gladly share whats been on my Spotify-list and in my CD-player recently. And there you have it, I find most of my music on Spotify (a software that works like a radio, you stream whole albums and the artists get a percentage for every played song). Their offer on metal is growing and is now actually very, very good! I also support the great swedish metal zine Funeral March.
Soo...
Slagmaur. Frightening, sickening, horrible and oh so beautiful. Von Rov Shelter is a perfect BM-album, can't listen to it enough.
Lantlôs. Urban BM, perfect in your headphones when walking through an empty city (which I do a lot nowadays).
Darkestrah. Actually it was some time ago I listened to them but they're releasing a new album soon and someone might have missed them. Somewhat folkish BM with my favourite BM voice so far.
... and of course my ultimate favourites Mayhem and Arcturus, always represented in my mp3-player.
Nachtlieder is a pretty depressive stuff, but what about you, how are you in your every day life? Do you have lots of friends or you're more of a misanthrope?I guess I'm a misanthrope in the sence that I think mankind is bad for the earth, but not in any other way. I've had my periods with deep depressions, deathwishes and hate. I don't want to waste my life on that now, but It doesn't mean I run around happy all the time. All humans carry dark thoughts, believing something else is naive.
Everything you hear in Nachtlieder is genuine emotion. I don't have many friends, but It's more an issue of priority than anything else.
Now please tell us some things about Wicked and its releases.
As I said before the band doesn't exist anymore. It's a shame, we were really starting to create some good groovy Death Metal. The singer decided to leave town and raise his family so it just didn't work out. The split CD "Abominations, Chaos and Bestial Warfare" that we participated on is avalible through me.
What are your plans for the near future with both Nachtlieder and Wicked?
Me and the drummer from Wicked are working on a more progressive metal act with another singer, it's on hold for the moment though since I currently don't live i Gothenburg. When I hopefully return in a few months we will probably record an EP. The material I have finished for Nachtlieder's first full lengt will also be recorded at that time. I hope to release it his year.
I'm also working on another BM project with two women from Portugal. It's called STYR and we will have music samples ready soon.
Please tell me a few words, your views on the following:- the Zeitgeist series
Never heard of it. Love the Zeitgeist beer though.
- mountains
There's nothing like the nature of Lapland in midwinter, she said with dreamy eyes.
- dance music
Serves it's purpouse.
- money
Money is for survival, not for living, she said wisely.
- satanism
It's a non-issue to me. Like most -isms except expressionism, surrealism and feminism.
- grindcore
No thanks. Of course there are exceptions. But generally, no thanks.
- audio tapes
Should be used more! If only more people still had tape decks, I know I don't...
- horror movies
They always dissapoint me...
- Valentine's Day
I can live without commercialised semi-christian so called traditions, thank you very much.
- Myspace
Well, I suppose they at least were pioneers with the format. We'll have to thank them for that even though everything went to celebrity-hell in the end.
Thanks for your time and answers, Susanne, I wish you the best of luck with your future endeavours! If you have something more to ad, please be my guest.
It was my pleasure! Support the scene, stay true, etc.
March 2011
Hi Susanne, how are you? Welcome to the Lady Pest section of Pest Webzine and thanks for accepting to answer my questions.