T: Why the name Nachzehrer? What does it mean?
Czarnobóg: The "Nachzehrer" comes from Germanic folklore, its a type of vampire that consumes the flesh of the dead. It was also blamed for the spread plague and disease. In New England, the region where we're from, there was a belief in similar vampiric forms in the 18th/19th centuries during periods of cholera and tuberculosis outbreak. We thought it was a good fit for the type of music we wanted to unleash: cold and decaying black filth.
T: How about your demo tape “Black Thrash Ritual” on Reaper's Grave? How many copies were distributed?
Hräsvelg: "Black Trash Ritual" was our first demo. It was a very rushed recording in terms of songwriting and production. We were a new band and needed something to put in peoples hands at shows. The entire demo was recorded in our former guitar player's (Víðarr) apartment over the course of two weekends.
We received a lot of positive feedback on the demo but didn't feel like they fully captured what we were intent on doing. Two of the songs ("Incestual Demoncy" and "Bärsärkar-gång" were re-recorded for the "Pestilence Hungers in the Shadows" EP. Reaper's Grave put out a limited (100 copies) cassette release of the demo back in 2009.
T: The most recent release is your EP “Pestilence Hungers in the Shadows”?
Hräsvelg: This was our second time recording, this time with a new lineup. The songs are much grittier and have a much bolder production; including the ones we re-recorded. There were things we tried differently this time around and it was definitely a learning experience. "Black Order of the Goat" seems to be the most popular song from the EP when we play live.
T: I like the photo on the cover of your EP “Pestilence Hungers in the Shadows” Where did you get it? Does it have any special meaning for you?
Czarnobóg: I don't remember where it came from, but its a picture of disinterred graves. Back when there was a fear of vampires or unexplained disease, superstitious people used to would dig up the graves of suspected vampires and either burn the heart or remove the head and rearrange the bones a certain way that was supposed to keep the dead from rising.
T: How was the support and promotion for "Pestilence Hungers in the Shadows" by the Demons Gate Records / Tombs in the Valley Productions?
Hräsvelg: Demons Gate Records and Tombs in the Valley approached us after hearing the "Black Thrash Ritual" demo and wanted to work with us for our next release. It was perfect timing as we had just started in the studio to record "Pestilence...". The working relationship was great, Andy (DGR) and Stu (TITV) are both great guys and are consistently putting out good releases. The tapes came out looking and sounding great and sold pretty fast on our end. I know you can still get a copy by writing Demons Gate Records.
T: Does the band play live? If so, with whom do you play with?
Czarnobóg: Yeah, we play out regularly. We generally play in Boston, but we also try to make it around the northeast. There is small, but solid black & death metal scene in our area with bands like Ipsissimus, Blessed Offal, Haxen, Bog of the Infidel, Katahdin, Deathgod Messiah, Deathamphetamine. Some of the bigger shows we've played have been with national/international bands like Destroyer 666, Abazagorath, Nocturnal, Absu and Impiety.
T: I’ve read that your lyrics are centered around anti-christianity, dark folklore and anti-humanity? Can you tell us more about this?
Hräsvelg: The lyrics I write are often based on works of horror fiction or local folklore. I tend to stay away from the tired trend of strictly writing about Satanism whenever possible. The area that we are from is ripe with superstitions and folklore that lends well to black metal lyrics. The Salem Witch Trails happened just a few minutes from Boston and one of our new songs ("Consorting with the Devil") is about the trails. Under British law, the basis for Massachusetts Bay Colony legal structure in the 17th century, those who were accused of "consorting with the devil" were considered felons, having committed a crime against their government and God. The punishment for such a crime was hanging.
T: Is your style raw black thrash metal? What bands are you inspired by?
Czarnobóg: We used to have more black thrash elements to our music, but these days its more just raw black metal. Fast and dirty. Which hopefully keeps us far away from the artsy ambient "post-black metal" crap that is trendy these days. We take influence from bands like Gorgoroth, Azaghal, Behexen, Urn, Horna, Nifelheim, Destroyer 666, Urgehal etc.
T: Do you have plans to record a new album?
Hräsvelg: We just finished recording for a split vinyl release with the Metal Blade Records black metal band Ipsissimus. The split has a theme based on the cuckolding of Mary Magdalene by Lucifer, quite salacious.
In addition to the songs for the split we recorded a few more that we don't currently have plans for, hoping to shop the songs around and hopefully gain some potential label interest for a 10" ep or split release with another band. Once that's set we are looking to head into the studio again to record our first full length album.
T: Thank you very much for your time, Anything else you want to add to The Legion Of TchorT Zine? Where readers can get your band merchandise?
Hräsvelg: Thanks for the interview. Be on the lookout for the split with Ipsissimus coming out this spring. In the meantime, if anyone wants to contact us about tapes, CDs or t-shirts: nachzehrerbm@yahoo.com and web site: https://www.facebook.com/nachzehrerblackmetal
