SCHWARZKRISTALL
Towards the end of last year I got a little bit addicted to the debut demo of a little-known Austrian outfit by the name of Schwarzkristall; the winter is an excellent time of year to remind yourself precisely why black metal is the genre that howls most convincingly at your soul, and this band really impressed me with their ability to distil the genre’s base essence into something that was once more exciting. I caught up with frontman Noctar to find out more about the project, and why its name will be echoing out all the more in 2010.
Hierophant Nox: Hail Schwarzkristall, how are you doing?
Noctar: Hail Ellen, we are fine thanks. Looking forward to doing our first major interview for a UK zine.
HN: Some of our readers might not have heard of Schwarzkristall before; can you give us a brief history of the band? What inspired you to form a black metal band, and what have been the main events for the band so far?
Noctar: Schwarzkristall emerged in 2005, but it was not a case of waking up one morning and saying “I know, I’ll form a Black Metal Band”. I think that if you are going to do something meaningful it has to be life, and life’s experiences, that lead you there, rather than a whim to do something formulaic. Inspiration wasn’t hard to find, you just need to open your eyes and look around you to understand what kind of scum humans have become, and that’s what inspired me to form a band that guides humanity towards another dimension. For me Schwarzkristall is more than a band. It’s a lifestyle. It’s a power that manifests itself through music.
I can’t really pinpoint what the main events for the band have been, it’s been a gradual growth and development, but I will say that 2009 was a great year for us. The live appearances were fantastic and our demo was extremely well received.
HN: How did you come to choose the name ‘Schwarzkristall’ for the band?
Noctar: The word “Schwarzkristall”, which in English means “Blackcrystal”, describes the darkness and inherent evilness of crystalline structures from which the universe is made. I wanted a name that identified our music. That defined our music in one word.
HN: When I first listened to Schwarzkristall I liked the classic black metal feel of the band, but also the original aspects that you have added to your music; how would you describe your musical style? What is it that makes Schwarzkristall unique?
Noctar: There’s a lot of variety in our songs, we rarely repeat the riffs in the same way. It’s probably the painstaking details that mark our songs as unique. I put a lot of emotional and physical energy into the songs, and that’s why the opuses, and I think because of the length you have to call them opuses really, are full of strength for me. It’s like reading a book; our songs aim to tell the whole story, and not just sketch an outline. I like to call our style “energetic Black Metal”, because I don’t want to make the template style of Black Metal.
HN: We recently heard your first demo, which was released last year – were you pleased with the way this turned out? Have you received many positive comments about it?
Noctar: Yes, we’re very satisfied with the demo. We’ve had people telling us that the quality of the sound is much better than they expected from a demo. That great sound is thanks to N. of Ewig Frost. We hope that the album will receive the same positive comments, but of course, the most important thing is that we put our best into it, and that we are satisfied ourselves with the outcome.
HN: Where do you find inspiration for your music? What ideas would you say “Schwarzkristall” explored?
Noctar: Everything around acts as our inspiration. You just need to view things from a certain perspective. In the upcoming album we deal with things like misanthropy, blasphemy, eternity. I know you are going to say that these are essentially things that a lot of Black Metal bands deal with, but in future we intend to take things further, in different directions – exploring issues of the Universe, existence, basics of life, basics of matter…
HN: In 2008 you were involved in a split video release, “Regional Black Assault” – can you tell us a little more about that?
Noctar: Verk (Istid) organised a private concert under the name “Regional Black Assault” and I thought it would be a good idea to film the whole thing. The bands that took part were Istid, Mörke, Katjuscha and Schwarzkristall. The idea grew and I made a DVD out of the footage I’d filmed. It was actually the first DVD release that we featured in.
HN: What other artists would you say have influenced you the most, or have created your favourite albums? Do you think that modern black metal can inspire people in the same way as music from the early 1990s?
Noctar: Bands like Old Man’s Child, Dimmu Borgir, Immortal, Mayhem, Burzum, Sargeist, Tsjuder, 1349, Kyuss, Drudkh, Isvind, Nefarium fascinated us and showed us what could be done and how. They all released definitive albums that are true landmarks for the genre, and that will always stand the test of time.
There are still good bands around today who produce such albums, but on the whole the scene is now swamped with a lot of “wannabe” Black Metal bands who have no concept of how to make music that affects the listener on a deeper emotional level. There are also a lot of “true” Black Metalheads who are too introverted and restricted in their enjoyment of music and their definition of what Black Metal should and shouldn’t be, and miss out on a the fact that like everything else in life, the genre too has to grow and develop or it will stagnate and die. Without a doubt there are still good bands around who can inspire, you just have to search around for them a little bit more than you used to. Black Metal is an inexhaustible inspirational well. Black Metal is endless.
HN: This year you are going to start work on your first album; have you started work on this? What can we expect from your debut?
Noctar: We are still writing the songs, but what you can expect is a journey into a deep abyss of darkness.
HN: How does the writing process work in the band? Do you rehearse very regularly, or do you work on ideas independently?
Noctar: I come up with some ideas, and then we write the songs together. We rehearse once a week, and I wish I could work with the guys every day but unfortunately, it’s just not possible because like everyone else we also have to earn a living, so a lot of our time has to go into study and work.
HN: What do you hope to achieve with your first album? Do you have a fixed idea of how it will turn out?
Noctar: We hope to produce a good album that will not only infect the Austrian Black Metal scene but that will be accepted as a good album regardless of where it originated. We will need to find a label of course, and like most bands we hope that it will also be released on vinyl, but we will see what happens when we get there. Basically we hope to build a good basis for the band with the album, so that we can enjoy the work for the next one.
HN: In October 2009 your line-up changed when Abyssus joined you on bass. Has he been a good addition to the band? Is there a good dynamic within the group now?
Noctar: Now he’s here we couldn’t imagine anyone else in his place. Abyssus has exceeded every expectation. He is very motivated and fits perfectly into Schwarzkristall both as a musician and as an individual.
HN: We don’t always hear of bands from Austria – is there a strong scene there? Are there any other Austrian band that you would recommend to our readers?
Noctar: The Austrian Black Metal scene is much more splintered into small groups than is possibly the case in other countries. Because there are fewer Black Metal musicians here, we don’t suffer from an excess of “wannabe” Black Metal bands, which means that the Austrian scene has more to offer in terms of quality. The downside is that when you need a local Black Metal musician you have to search long and hard for the right person. The bands that we personally recommend are bands like Karg, Waldgeflüster, Ewig Frost, Schattenlicht, frostnacht, Echoes of Distress, Panzerhass…
HN: Is it still harder to make it as a black metal band if you are from outside the Nordic countries, or are people more interested in international black metal these days?
Noctar: It’s hard to make it as a Black Metal band no matter where you come from, but with the roots of the genre being in Scandinavia, it does make it harder if you come from another country. Of course this shouldn’t be the case. There should only be two factors to consider – is it good Black Metal or is it bad Black Metal?
HN: Is performing live an important aspect for Schwarzkristall? What has been your best live experience so far?
Noctar: Not too sure what our best live experiences have been so far, but we would like to thank our fans for all the great response to the band during our gigs in 2009. It’s important for us to play live, yes. We do have a message we want to get across to humanity and we want to proselytise with more than just a CD. Performing live is also important to us in another way. It is like a ritual for us. It gives us the energy and motivation to work harder and harder.
HN: Apart from the first album, do you have any other plans for 2010? Are there any goals that you have set for yourselves?
Noctar: We have something special planned after we release the album but we don’t want to give anything away yet. You’ll be one of the first to know of course, when we are ready.
HN: Thank you for taking the time to talk with us; if you have any final messages for the world, please go ahead!:
Noctar: Thank you Ellen and Hierophant Nox! To become eternal you just have to accept that you are nothing.
