S.A. Destroyer

Nocturnal Breed

For some old school Metal bands, it has been easy with what has been going on in the last 20 years in the worldwide Metal scene. The developed abilities for bands to produce albums fast has taken their toll pretty fast with vast offerings, which a larger some just don't cut it. With standards lowered, Metal music became something different, perhaps not that strong as it is argued. Coming back with fire in their eyes, Black / Thrash Metal mongers Nocturnal Breed, are set with strong emotions of hate towards the modern social order, and not just in the business. Steinmetal talked to S.A. Destroyer, leader of the band, about the comeback, new album, lyrical concepts, current status of the Metal scene and more…
August 23, 2019
Nocturnal Breed's S.A. Destroyer: " N.B. is a live act. So as long as we didn't do shows we didn't make albums either. I know it sounds pissy. But I get little if not nothing out of being in the scene "socially" and there's too many posers around too." interview
Hello Kenneth, it is a true honor having you for this interview for Metal Temple online Magazine. What have you been up to lately?

Cheers and thanx for that to the bone! And thank you for the interview too. Well it's been a summer of evil. So I spent several weeks in nature just trying to stay away from people in general. Logged of the net and went for a "walkabout" in the woods so to say.

As a leader of one of the provocative Metal bands, Nocturnal Breed, you guys haven't been around for some time when it comes to new material. I know that you released a compilation of demos, yet there has been an expectation to listen to something new from your pack of northern wolves. What had been keeping you these last five years?

To be honest, we and I especially haven't been thinking much about N.B. these last 5 years since the prior album. The music scene and the irritating and all consuming shit in it drove me away from any interest of playing live. And N.B. is a live act. So as long as we didn't do shows we didn't make albums either. I know it sounds pissy. But I get little if not nothing out of being in the scene "socially" and there's too many posers around too. So I spent 5 years on an arctic island way above the arctic circle, making music for my other projects and releasing my more obscure sides like the Svartalv albums etc. Then as we started revving up for writing a new 1349 album (I do their lyrics). I also was approached by Folter to do a new record. Thus it took some time, more than a year in fact. But it ended up in planning out the new album and a return to the scene in hopes it has improved a little.

Also meanwhile the other guys have been doing their other projects like Conjuration, Souvereign, Den Saakaldte and Eternity. So they still like being in the live scene. And I'm sure waiting for me to come round hasn't been to cool. But I can't do this shit if the feeling ain't there. It's not like I do this for the money

"We Only Came for the Violence" marks your return with fresh evilized tunes, signed to a new label, Folter Records. What do you make of it? What is your appreciation of the end result?

The result artistically is very satisfying. Both the music and the artwork that follows it really hit the nail as to where we wanted to take this album. The process of making it was tough as nails and all was recorded and made in a month. So considering that, we are very pleased.

And as to Folter Records, it was a natural choice. I have known them for more than 20 years. And I like the underground approach. So we'll just have to see in the future if it works out. From experience I know not to trust any label completely, friends or not. I've seen too many very good projects crash-land because of bullshit.

How has been your fanbase's reaction to "We Only Came for the Violence"?

It has been very good. It's a hardcore fanbase that takes this seriously, and the feedback is that they like the more aggressive new approach. The media too seem to be reacting well to it. But all is still fresh and new, both album and label and the "come back". So we'll have to see where this album takes it.

What happened with your relations with Agonia Records? Was it a mutual interest between yourselves and Folter Records to reach an agreement?

Nope, there was no mutual anything. Agonia didn't even pay the last money for the studio on the Napalm Nights recording, and stopped communicating and doing anything for us. So we said fuck it and went on with newer frontiers.

What do you think changed in Nocturnal Breed's music, when it comes to "We Only Came for the Violence"? Or is it the other way around, you simply stuck to your guns, feverishly maintaining the same approach to writing songs as in the past?

I think we went all the way back to the root of the bone on this one. It is all made and recorded the way we did in the beginning. Completely without any limitations and free creative flow. And then recording it as the songs naturally pop up and evolve. So as I mentioned. We actually wrote all the songs during the first 2 weeks of February 2019. Simultaneously recording them then finishing off with a week of lyric writing and additional recordings and mixing. We actually finished the whole thing in 1 month. So as a creative output. It can't get much rawer and fresher and straight from the source than this. And we also used old recording ways, crappy instruments and old equipment. That too colors this album a lot in the good way. If you want to make it sound old. You need to get rid of your fancy new shit people!! I fucking wish a band like Slayer did an album in this fashion too.

What has been inspiring you to keep your form with such ferocity? I must say that "We Only Came for the Violence" is tougher as they come. Do you still commemorate the image that has been an integral of the band?

Yes, very much so. I always tried to tap into that original vein inside. The true reason why one wants to do this. In all the bands I have played in I have always tried to reach into that feeling you get when you are 100% into it. Like when you're younger and discover extremely cool music or when I went to metal shows back in the days. I also try to let no influences but good influences get in the way of things. If you gonna do metal properly and with the right attitude, one has to imagine oneself as a machine and an unstoppable force. And till this day that works fine. But the modern world of shit and the ever increasing internet monster is quickly removing a lot of those good old anchor points in metal. So I always have to look backwards these days, to find inspiration.

What would you say is the chief lyrical concept within "We Only Came for the Violence"? I believe that you aren't mainly to simply crush and destroy, but have content to show for.

Very true, it's quite seldom I write nonsensical lyrics. And on the new album it's based purely on the hate and aggression I feel towards humanity and the modern society in general. It's gotten to a point in human history and evolution where the throne of stupidity rules so supreme, it's ridiculous. And mostly humans just sit around and say yes and do nothing. Intelligence and strive of mind has been reduced to a selfie society and a society blind to its history and faults. Thus we need to be thoroughly beaten to submission before we can rise stronger and smarter. And "We only..." is a pointer at some of the grater evils on this planet, be it religion and children fucking catholic priests, cult mongrels like David Miscavidge and his sick scientology church. Religious crusades of all kinds both now and through history.... Wars and whoring life leaching politicians and finances... All of it, it is and has always been a shit pit of human vileness. And this album reflects the ever cruelty and evil of humanity and its unwillingness to improve, because we always come for the violence in the end no matter what we do. We are born destroyers.

Which of the album's tunes is your prime achievement? That one tune that you can't lay down from the listening?

Oh, that is hard to say. All the songs have their own achievements here and there. And now that the album is done and out I seldom go back and listen to my music. But songs that I really felt fell into its skin well is tracks like "Sharks of the Wehrmacht" and "Choke on Blood". Both very cool in their own right. But especially "Sharks..." that took on a very cool life of its own during the recording and writing process.

As a veteran musician, coming from a country that bred the second wave of Black Metal, when you gaze upon the ongoing activities in the worldwide Metal scene, with the wave of modernized ways, and means, to creating Metal, what comes through your mind? Do you like what you listen to?

No, not at all. I honestly hate it to the bone, all of it. Technically I'd be fine if the evolution stopped 30 years ago. I have no use for all this digital shit. Yes, it's all practical to record in easy ways and such. But I'd love to take it all back to tape decks and low-fi productions. That was very much the plan behind the new album, just to keep it as low-fi as we could.

This and the before mentioned internet and all of its irritatingly evil ways and the whole society being all wired into it, has absolutely removed all sense of feeling and integrity in allot of scenes, not just music. But for many other art forms too. It is just too easy for everyone to be an artist now, and that floods all markets with too much crap and mediocre products, thus lowering the general standard. Mix that with the money machines in this scene and there's not much of the "good old" days left.

As for newer bands, I barely registrar what's going on out there. So many bands and so much shit music and poser acts that I've stopped paying attention a very long time ago. It is ONLY about the feeling for me. When that is not there it's uninteresting and I look towards other things instead. The passion is important, and I miss the days of true passion like the early second wave days. When we all blindly just ran with our torches into the night. That felt so much closer to the dark heart of things than this weakling over socialized world we have to wade through nowadays

To which bands have you been listening to? Are there newcomer prospects that would be big in your view?

Haha ok, again I have to sound like Dave Mustaine's pissy brother. Because, I really haven't heard a new metal album in 15-20 years that blew me away to the point where I still play it repeatedly like some of the golden oldies. So I keep looking backwards in my record collection.

I'm always looking for obscure forgotten acts from the 70's and 80's and demo's etc. So little of the stuff that comes out now even gets a listen. Take the last Judas Priest, Maiden, Slayer bla bla... Tremendously boring. Same goes for the Death Metal and Black Metal scene. It's just a lack of feeling and creative joy in things. Like a kid trying too hard. Just put on any of your old fave albums, and any newer stuff bleakens next to it. I can't fucking listen to Ghost when I have "Don't Break the Oath" in my shelf, it just isn't working for me.

Totally with you regarding Ghost VS Mercyful Fate, "Don't Break The Oath" overtakes anything that Ghost releases or would release in the future.
How do you intend to support the new album? Is there a tour scheduled or perhaps rampaging the next festival season?

There will be some festivals and we've already done some too. Touring on full weeks on end we don't do. So all shows in regards to this will be at festivals or exclusive one off gigs. Touring and playing live has taken a toll on things through the years. And as some of the guys have family and the scene insist on not paying the bands what they deserve, there's no going round playing for pennies and buttons. There's too much bullshit on the live circuit too, so it wears out bands. So we keep the shows to exclusive ones and to a minimal. But there will be some here and there.

Though life is unexpected, would we have to wait for another five years until the next album?

That is a good question... If I had my ways yes, but if the scene continues to cunt itself into a corner of forgetting it's all about the music and not all the other shit... Well I don't know really. Maybe yes and maybe never. It's up to the Gods!

Kenneth, I wish you all the best, you killed me with "We Only Came for the Violence". Continue to wreak havoc. Hailz!

Cheers and thanks, and metal to the bone!!  The whip will keep thrashing no matter what happens!

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