From the Ukraine's bloody battlefield, comes the mystical sounds of Nokturnal Mortum, a band that has successfully captured the true spirit of black metal as the forefathers in Norway have moved on to more commercial pastures. By incorporating a strong folk influence, N.M., have thankfully avoided the cheap trappings that seem to be an easy target for others in their corner of the world, and fight to create some of the most culturally stimulating sounds to sit quite comfortably with the apocalyptic speed, and perverted blackness that is the staple of the black metal community. Not only being one of the more prolific bands in the scene, Varggoth and the rest of the Mortum clan have been digging deep within their souls since 1993 to explore the blackened side of their existence, and ensure that their music produces the proper atmosphere to move others searching for answers in dark places. Ever since their "Lunar Poetry" debut, each album has shown strong signs of progression, which has reached a creative apex on "To The Gates of Blasphemous Fire", and the impending "Nechrist". The folk influences are even more at the helm of their evolution, making this band an emotional monster that stands to strike out against the forces of stagnation, and move this style of music into more mind expanding areas. I'd like to thank Andreas and Sergey from The End Records for ensuring this interview got completed by the ever elusive Varggoth. -Marty - (Taken from Worm Gear #9) What was the deciding factor that led you to the dark realm of black metal music? We have played Death music until 93 and listened to Battery (Bathory? -Marty) and some Thrash bands. Soon after it became very difficult to express our ideas in this genre. So that was the leading factor that brought us to Black Metal. Understanding the economic instability of your surroundings, has it been difficult for you to explore the many excellent releases that have come out, or is the underground in your country heavily based on tape trading? CDs are not affordable for most of the people. Therefore we have to stick to tapes. Unfortunately piracy is very developed in this part of the world. That is very bad for us, musicians; however this is the major way for most of the people to get the music. Several years ago, the Russian black metal scene exploded into existence, delving into criminal activity and a primitive style that mirrored the early years of the Norwegian movement. Were/are these actions based more on peoples frustration with a poor economy/corrupt Government, and "black metal" seemed liked the most vocal outlet for of rebellion, or was the violence inspired more by religious differences? First of all, I don't want to be perceived as a part of the Russian scene. There are many bands over there, unfortunately only few of them are worth listening to. Most are posers, some people were even suspected in homosexuality etc. Norwegian music had a strong influence on the whole scene and it's a pity that most of the bands (Norwegian) do not follow this line anymore. Our style of Black Metal might have some influence, however it is driven to the minimum right now and we will go much further in to the development of our own unique style. As far as our government and corruption and all this stuff I can tell you that communist regime have collapsed and our leaders started to bring back the religion in a very strong pace. Nowadays, besides Christianity we have number of different sects and these facts give us a strong motive to start fighting against this reality. Please explain the 2 factions in the Russian black metal scene, and what each side hopes to accomplish. Where does Nokturnal Mortum side in the war? Again, I can not explain for Russia! In Ukraine we are united. As far as bands in Russia I can highlight the Temnozor and Woods of Fallen. If there is tension and the threat of violence between groups, why do you feel it is it even necessary/important to be affiliated with such organizations since your band seems to be at the forefront of international recognition? Is there indeed safety and strength in numbers? Tensions always had place and would always be there. Most of the people involved in the Black Metal movement are strong individuals with their own believes. There are also some organizations all over Eastern Europe. However I think some will unite very soon to the Heathen front. The new organization will be involved not only in music but also in politics, religion etc. Is there much communication, organization, or support between bands in your scene, or has it been plagued by competition? There is no competition whatsoever. It is not the sport after all. Are these groups still active, or has the government cracked down on the radical activity since several synagogues were either damaged or destroyed? General activity has reduced drastically. Government produces tremendous pressure on the whole scene. Concerts are cancelled, there is a constant surveillance on some people and mail comes open. Those are just a few factors. In the last year we've had some accidents where kids were killing each other and presenting it as acts of Satanism. We don't agree with such actions and condemn them. I understand that you have had some difficulty with the police confiscating your merchandise at shows. Is this a common occurrence? Has this police involvement in any way weakened the spirit of the bands/fans? It is common, but it only proves our ideas and makes us more organized. Since your "Lunar Poetry" debut, each album has shown significant progression and new ideas being introduced into your sound. With your folk influences becoming a larger part of your song writing, do you think that Nokturnal Mortum has yet to fully achieve the sound/style you are trying to embrace? We are growing with each album and that comes naturally. We are not the musicians, our songs come from our souls. Therefore it is up to critics to judge if we progress or not. However, we don't like when people put strong labels on any band or style. Along with Latvia's Skyforger, I feel your band has come the closest to "properly" incorporating folk instruments and an ancient feeling into your style. It sounds like you are legitimately interested in and knowledgeable on this genre of music. Where does your appreciation for this style come from (childhood, cultural surroundings?) and how do you feel its inclusion fits into the black metal formula/atmosphere since so many seem to experiment with more of a gothic vibe? There could not possibly be any gothic vibe in it. Eastern Europe has really deep folk roots. It comes to every one of us from the early childhood. My grandmother was the main source for me. And fortunately, gothic was not part of it. The use of 2 keyboardists definitely gives you more room to capitalize on this, and many other emotion manipulating elements emitting from the dueling sound canvas that is the foundation for your aggressive blackness. What gave you the idea to obtain a second synth, and do you think this element in some ways sets you apart from others in the scene who choose to only follow a songs chord progression with minimal key textures? There is nothing unusual in that. We had to convey our ideas to the people and the best way to do that was through the use of two keyboards. At that time we could not use original instruments. However for our next album we will be using number of folk instruments and percussion, the use of keyboards would be driven to the minimum and we will have only one keyboard player, but for the concerts we will still use two keyboards. Lyrically, your latest album "To The Gates of Blasphemous Fire", is a descriptive journey into the dark side of existence. The songs seem very descriptive, creating mental images of night swept landscapes and the "Ancient Master". How are your views on religion reflected in these lyrics? Is "the master" a metaphor for Satan, or do you use such imagery to convey a way of thought over the existence of the actual being? "To the Gates" is an exception. Misanthropy was driven by problems of understanding our surroundings. Now we do understand it better. "Master" is not Satan, but rather the face of total wisdom. Since Karpath (guitars) is no longer in the N.M. fold, and spoke the most English out of all six members, has it been difficult communicating with English speaking magazines, and learning the pronunciations for some of the songs you sing in that language? Yes we've had some difficulties in the beginning but it made us change the lyrics and we like our new direction. The coming album "Nechrist" will have more Russian songs in it and the next one will include only Russian songs. Now I feel that I can do much better lyrics in Russian. I feel when bands sing in their native tongue, it can add to the atmosphere and cultural uniqueness of their music. Why do you feel it is important to occasionally use English to get your point across? Do the words carry as much meaning to you in this medium of expression? Music should convey most of the meaning. I don't think that using English would help to get the point across. Nocturnal Mortum strikes me as one of the more prolific bands in black metal due to a growing number of releases in your catalogue throughout a relatively short existence. Your band must share a really healthy writing environment when it comes to creating. "To The Gates" hasn't been out for that long, and you already have "NeChrist" ready for release. 88 tracks what is the concept behind doing so much within a set time? Since 93 we had a new album once a year. The fact that western part of the world did not hear our music until recently is beyond our control. So far all the CDs released were rather old. 'Nechrist" is the most up to date creation. As far as 88 tracks concept: who wants – will understand without any further explanation. Where "To The Gates" featured and embattled, very chaotic lashing of aggression, "NeChrist" is far more folk based and controlled, with the metal elements centering around more straight forward speed, occasional mid eighties influenced speed metal riffing, and a better production. It seems as though you are settling into a more concrete/memorable level of blackness, while further exploring your experimental side. Tell us your thoughts behind the album and how your song writing has evolved over the years. Everything evolves naturally. I can not judge the level of production. If I were to record this album over again I would take only 60% of the existing material in use. We have a trend to distance ourselves from the regular cliché of the Black Metal, to set up the completely new style. This year has also witnessed the birth of your solo project, Mistigo Varggoth Darkestra. Featuring a more mid-paced, simplistic, Viking era of Bathory influenced crawl (along with bold experimental elements) your project explores a broader scope of emotions than your full time band. Were these ideas you felt wouldn't fit into the concept of Nocturnal Mortum? As a matter of fact it is a 4th Mistigo Varggoth Darkestra album. Nokturnal Mortum is not for war metal. Dramatics and sentimentalism could not fit into Nokturnal Mortum's concept. Mistigo Varggoth Darkestra for me is the ritual or meditation or both. You dedicate "The Key to the Gates of Apocalypses" to your sorcery and clairvoyance. Is sorcery, or ritual a large part of your practices? How does this relate to your daily life and the way you interact with others? I would not want to elaborate on this. This may be a bit too personal, but what sort of visions, or realizations come to you while enthralled in a clairvoyant trance? A sort of my own Apocalyptic vision. In referring to Russian (and its surrounding areas) black metal, I've heard some people call your scene full of "Norwegian copycats". Why do you think that is, and what are your thoughts on such statements? Fuck them. What do you think bands in your area are doing to try and break out of this stereotype? Is it even a concern? There are a bunch of copycats, but you always have a choice not to listen to them. Therefore it is not my concern. What is your hope for your country's future? Do you think there is any chance for reform, or reprieve from a weakened economy? What do you think has to be done? Our future depends purely on us. As of this moment we can see bunch of Jews, Blacks, Vietnamese etc. coming to our country and bringing crime and drugs. The stronger nationalistic position would prevent most of it from happening. We need to bring back our ancient culture and faith. How does the black metal movement fit into the reshaping of the way people perceive religion in your part of the globe (if at all)? Black Metal is the sort of propaganda and every person can decide for himself. There is a current trend in Ukraine and Poland to combine in some aspects Black Metal and Skinhead movement, and that has some early results already. It creates the new environment for the new generation. Thank you Varggoth for enduring this lengthy interview. Feel free to unleash your closing statements and we wish you the best of luck. I want to bless all white people for the Sacred war. SLAVA!