We have really been loving the new Nachtblut album here at Soundscape. Eager to know more, we caught up with drummer Skoll once again to ask him some questions about it!
So your Apostasie album has been out for a while now. What’s been the general reception to it so far?
Very positive! Fans and critics, both seem to enjoy the album. At least I didn’t read any catastrophic review about Apostasie. And it’s for sure that there are some magazines that really don’t like us.
I really liked that it took a slightly different route stylistically to your previous pieces. Was it a natural progression to a more ‘electronic’ led sound at times, or did you make a conscious decision to change styles?
It’s a natural progress. Like everything in the band. We never have meetings in which we forge out plans like how our sound has to be for the next record, cause band XY, who so ever, did this or that and they were successful. Its more a reflection of our influences. Someone comes up with an idea and everyone adds a few points to that and at the end of the day we should figured out something. You know, we don’t like to put boundaries and limits to us and our music.
So how does the general writing and recording process go?
First you collect ideas. That takes some time, reflecting your environment or find inspiration in other art. Then its about writing the demos. We send the demos each other and everyone is adding or changes some stuff. Naturally if Askeroth writes a song, he does like a keyboard player. So some riffs and grooves, feel a bit different then like a guitarist would play this riff, or a drummer would play the beat. So after changing or adding parts on the demo the pre-production is done. Then its time to hit the studio. This time we were in the legendary Chameleon Studios in Hamburg, working with Chris Harms as producer. It felt really good to record there. The atmosphere and interactions at the studio were really pleasant. This as a cornerstone for records is worth a mint.
Which song on the album are you most proud of?
Of course I’m proud of every song on the record. Its tough to pick one. I really like Lied für die Götter, it’s catchy with cool lyrics. It’s also real fun to play live. I’m always surprised how well people sing along to the lyrics, even if there are a lot of gods to remember.
My personal favorite is Geboren um zu leben – what’s the story behind that one?
Interesting that this your favorite. Some fans struggling with this one. I guess cause of the heavy use of electronic sounds. The song is simply about people which don’t use their chances in life and are just lazy. How annoying is it, as we said in Antik you give your life a meaning, not others. So what a waste of potential, if you just doing stupid stuff like consuming bullshit on TV or losing control about your life. You know or meet at least one of those people. Some blame their environment for the status quo, or they just don’t care about anything anymore.
Were there any tracks that were more of a challenge to complete, or did everything go to plan?
Probably Einsam, just because it was hard to find the right female duet partner. So this song almost didn’t find it’s way onto the record. Luckily by random I saw Aeva with her band as a support for our friends Lord of the Lost. I did a video with my phone and sent it to the other guys. The rest can be heard on Apostasie.
Would you go back and change anything?
I’m not sure for now, as the release and recording feels like just yesterday to me. I guess it needs more time to figure out something. Usually after a year or a tour you start to realize if you would have done something differently. Of course if there are heavy issues with something, you change it already in the studio or you realize right after the release. So as this didnt happen to us, I would say we are very happy about the record.
Looking ahead to 2018, what’s on the cards for you in the new year?
We will do a second part of our Apostasie tour, play some festivals, and maybe heading back to China for a few shows. Maybe there will be some shows outside of Germany, in Europe on our schedule as well. And of course working on the next record.
