(Late last week Non Serviam Records released a new album by the Norwegian blackened death machine Nexorum, which our writer DGR reviewed here today, and now we also present Comrade Aleks‘ interview of the band.)
The essence of pure primordial evil shines from Trondheim’s underground. Nexorum is a tight extreme unit formed in 2019 by Vidar Lehmann (drums), Wizziac (bass), Roger Isaksen (guitars), Frank Løberg (guitars), and Terje Olsen (vocals). The four of Nexorum had honed their blasphemous skills for years in local bands, including a few pretty famous names. They were absolutely focused, and naturally the first full-length album Death Unchained appeared in 2020 on Non Serviam Records.
The bond and understanding between the band and the label were tight and the sophomore album Tongue of Thorns was set for release by Non Serviam Records on the 19th of May. “Cult of the Monolith”, “Eldritch Abominations”, “Mother of Ghouls”! Why wouldn’t we support the band like this? And here we go.
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Hi Nexorum! How are you? With what kind of preparations are you occupied now as your second album Tongue of Thorns is almost released?
Good! Thank you for asking. We try to have most of the preparations done before the release date is set, so now we just lean back and watch how everything unfolds! Well… Not exactly. We’re doing interviews, working on the live set, and just trying to keep our social media up to date.
As we are having this conversation Tongue of Thorns is about to be released by Non Serviam Records, and it’s your second album on this label. What kind of benefits does this collaboration grant you? How much easier is it to do your things with the label behind you?
The biggest benefit is handling promotion and the logistics of acquiring and selling the physical products. It would be really hard for us to find the time for administration, packaging, and shipping stuff, when we at the same time have full-time jobs and are working on music and other stuff related to it every day. Besides that, NSR respects our vision and wishes and are easy to communicate with, so I would say we work very well together.
Nexorum was formed four years ago, and four of its members (besides Frank Løberg) have a lot of experience performing different kinds of extreme metal with other bands. How democratic are you regarding songwriting inside your circle?
It’s been important from the start that everyone is comfortable with what we’re doing. Both musically and otherwise. Everyone is welcome to bring music to the table and make suggestions for changes if they feel it’s needed, but they are also welcome not to if that’s what they want. We constantly have new music to work on these days, so things are working pretty well so far.
As you say, we have experience from different kinds of extreme metal, and I also think our taste in music differs quite a bit. We of course have some music we like in common, but also lots of stuff where we are far off from each other. So if we are in agreement about a song, it’s probably a pretty good song!
Which factors shaped your vision of Nexorum back then in 2019? Which of your influences and own ideas does the band manifest?
When we first started talking about the band we agreed that the most important thing was for us to have a good time working with it. We talked about having the music relatively easy and focus on stuff that would work well live. Vidar (drums) probably drew the shortest straw when it comes to “easy” (sorry, Vidar!), but he’s doing extremely well despite that the drumming isn’t easy.
When we talked about genre, “death metal” was mentioned, but we soon agreed that we wouldn’t limit ourselves by focusing too much on genre. So the music sort of became “blackened death metal”. Probably since we had “death metal” in the back of our heads, but most of us have mostly played music closer to black metal previously. To sum it up, we just do what feels natural and see where the path takes us.
How many local influences are in your music? You know, this cliché regarding the influential Norwegian black metal scene and so on…
Most of us have listened to Norwegian black metal bands for 20-25+ years now. When I think about it, we’ve also played black metal in some form or another for 20-25+ years. But it’s safe to say that we’ve been heavily inspired by those who started it all. It’s crazy to think about how many great bands were formed back then, and how most of them managed to have their own unique sound. It’s truly inspiring!
I didn’t find the Death Unchained lyrics online, and the songs’ titles promise a glorification of abstract evil. Can you shed some light on this topic?
The theme is dark and evil stuff in different variations. It’s usually related to stories/lore found in religion and culture, or just pure imagination from Terje’s head. Some of it might be considered a glorification, but that is mostly because it fits the mood of the music, or adds to the mood we want to set. And of course, most of the things religion calls “evil” is pretty cool stuff, right?
What were your requirements regarding the sound of the new material when you entered the studio in order to record Tongue of Thorns?
We didn’t really have any requirements. It’s recorded in our own studio and we have worked with pre-production of the songs since before Death Unchained was released. I would say we made the path as we walked it, but it was a long walk.
And did you need a special mindset to record such music? Or is it something natural for you, something you feel and listen to on a daily basis?
When we start recording for the album, everything is more or less set. It can be really tedious and I think the most important thing is to be patient. Sometimes everything flows well, and other times it does not at all.
MAKING new songs, on the other hand, definitely requires the right mood and inspiration. And now I’m talking about way before we enter the studio. It does feel natural for us, since we’ve been listening to and playing this style of music for so long. It’s not like we need to sacrifice a goat and drink its blood or something, but it’s hard to find the right mood during summer if the weather is nice and everything is peachy. There needs to be a certain amount of gloom.
At the same time Tongue of Thorns‘ songs remind a bit of Lovecraftian horror, which seems to be a current trend everywhere. Is there any connection between the new songs and H.P.’s myths?
We are no strangers to Lovecraft, but no. There is no connection to Lovecraft on Tongue of Thorns. But I take it as a huge compliment if the songs give off a Lovecraftian vibe!
How do you see the band’s prospects now with the new album at hand? It’s hard to tell about big ambitions in the underground extreme metal scene, but you know – the songs are composed, the songs are released, and the word is spread…
Our ambition right now is just to play cool gigs when the opportunity presents itself and keep on making music in between. However, I must admit that it’s not easy being a new band these days. There are a lot of great bands in the scene and the festivals have lineups more or less ready for several years with artists that have been waiting since before the pandemic. Therefore we truly appreciate everyone who listens to our music and helps us spread it!
https://www.facebook.com/nexorum.official/
https://non-serviam-records.bandcamp.com/album/tongue-of-thorns