Spanish extreme metal band NOCTEM was formed in 2001. It’s founders cradled by the ideals of violence exaltation, misanthropy and antithesis to the totality of the absurd religions created this most excellent machine of War, which advances by leaps and bounds among the ranks of a putrid and poor social values infested civilization. NOCTEM‘s second full-leaght “OBLIVION” will have its pre-release in Spain on April 25, and worldwidly on June 13. NOCTEM are: Beleth – Vocals, Exo – Lead Guitars, Helion-Guitars, Ul – Bass, Darko – Drums.
Some days ago I met “virtually” Exo and Beleth, and here’s what we talked about…
Hola Exo y Beleth, bienvenidos al Metal Shock! ¿como va?
Beleth: Muy bien, gracias! Working hard for the release of this new album.
Exo: Bien! preparados para responder tus preguntas.
Well, that was my spanish skills, so let’s go on in english lol.. Noctem was formed 10 years ago and in 2002 you recorded your first album “Unholy Blood”. Can you tell us more about those first years, was it difficult to find your “place” as a new extreme metal band in Spain?
Exo: Well, we weren’t a very active band in that period, because of a lot of lineup-changes, we were trying to reach the perfect sound for the band and we had other kind of influences. Is always hard when you are starting with a band, of course it was, nowadays our situation is completely different.
How would you describe your genre and what bands influence you the most?
Exo: We like to say that Noctem’s music is a mix of the most aggressive metal styles, adding our different influences the result is “Divinity” and this new album. From thrash metal, black, death, doom metal… bands like Behemoth, Cannibal Corpse, Immortal, Belphegor, Nile, Death and also new bands like Keep of Kalessin, our friends from Septic Flesh, etc.
What ideals and thoughts drove you to express yourself like you do today? I mean, what is your message?
Beleth: It’s clear, it’s a message of hate to this world. We can see it everyday, we forgot our roots with our world, we broke our ties with it. It’s an authentic war declaration to the humanity. We are the only animal species that create a direct and irrecoverable impact in the world where we live.
Tell us about your songwriting process, and where you take your ideas for lyrics?
Beleth: These ideas are born like something natural. The inspiration comes from ancient rites, the cult of blood as an element of life. Every ancient civilization that reminds us where we belong.
We could say that your real breakthrough came in 2008, for your mcd “God Among Slaves” and for the tours around your country, but not only, in 2008 you signed also with Noisehead Records, which brought you on an european tour. Tell me more about that year…
Exo: Yes! We were starting as a real and active band, with 4 members in the band and a lot of energy to tour everywhere, we did different mini tours in Spain with foreign bands and in the end of 2008 we toured for the first time in Europe, composing our album “Divinity”…Its curious because this was only 2 years and a few months ago and a lot of things has happened to us from that moment. We can say that we are a more mature band right now.
Then in January 2009 you recorded your debut album “Divinity” working together with many musicians. Tell us more about those collaborations…
Beleth: These collaborations were born from good contacts that we made time ago, it was something natural. Christos Antoniou (Septic Flesh & Chaos Star) did a great job, also Leal (Ex-Forever Slave). We are very satisfied with the result.
Last year brought along also 3 successfull tours with high level bands in many countries. Can you share with us the highlights of 2010? I guess there’re many of them…
Exo: 2010 has been our best year so far, we started touring in January with Hate and Incantation, after that we recorded the Divinity video and continued touring in Spain. The Flaming Arts, our actual booking agency, offered us a tour with the norwegian band Ragnarok and we accepted it, the tours were really good and we enjoyed a lot. After playing in different festivals and gigs we released Divinity with very good results, it’s our best video for the moment… and finally we received the offer for touring with Cavus and Gorgoroth.
Are you a band that enjoys more to go around to kick asses on stage than to be in the studio?
Exo: Both things are great, I mean, being in studio is something more creative, you can see step by step how your project and the ideas you had in mind come to live and that’s a really amazing process. To present your album and band on tour is also great because you can share the stage with incredible bands, play for quite hugue audiences in other countries and enjoy the life on tour. Both experiences are fucking necessary to know how metal is!!!
You’ve played also with Finntroll… how was it to share the stage with the finns? ;-P
Beleth: Fintroll are incredible, very good musicians with an awesome show, but we didn’t have a lot of time to talk with them. I can tell you about Cavus, black metal finns, we toured Europe with them and Gorgoroth in November, they are the shit! Maybe one of the best bands that toured with us. During that tour, the tour manager told us: “Look, you are on tour with finns, norwegians and polish… we drink a lot at the north of Europe, you know?… but the only difference betwen us is that finns never know when they have to stop drinking” … hours later we understood it by ourselves, that finns are the best party animals!
Recently you’ve changed your earlier label to Rising Records. Why this change?
Exo: Well, you know, we had an attractive offer from them and after all the dealings and negotiations, we thought that Rising Records was the best option for the new album. I’m sure Mark Daghorn is going to do a great job with it.
This year, while celebrating your 10th anniversary, as already said, you’re working on your new album “OBLIVION”, how the things are proceeding?
Beleth: Really good. We are working very hard with this album. We’re not celebrating this 10th anniversary because we don’t consider ten years like a long career for a metal band, also knowing that our first years weren’t like nowadays, we weren’t a really active band ten years ago . Now we are working hard 100% with Rising Records for the release, and we know is going to be a kick in the face.
Anything you can already reveal about its’ topics?
Exo: This new album is based in the mayan civilization, what you can see also in the cover, there’s the god Quetzacoatl being impaled several times, this represents the decadence of their civilization and for that reason the name of the album is Oblivion.
Talking about your sound, how has it changed, if any, in these 10 years? I mean what can we expect to hear on the new album?
Exo: It’s going to be a more complex album, an evolution, it sounds like the next logical step from Divinity; it’s also a darker album, we toured a lot and spent a lot of time creating these new songs, Noctem is now a more experienced band and all of these things are going to be present in the new album.
What about touring – or other plans for this year?
Beleth: We are going to start the first assault of our spanish tour at the end of April, gigs and festivals in our country and Portugal, before and during the summer. So european tours will be after the summer!
Btw, just a curious interpellation, when you, Exo and Beleth, are not playing, touring or writing new songs, what are you guys doing in your spare time?
Exo: Well, Noctem occupies most of our time, even if we are not touring or recording we have to meet and discuss about the next steps for the band. Apart from this everyone do individual activities, business, etc…
Before I let you go, the last question… what are your greetings to our readers?
Beleth: Brutal and warm regards from the sunny Spain! Stay fucking brutal!
Thanks Exo and Beleth, for this chat! Hope to see you next time you come over to Italy \m/ Stay Rude!
Beleth: Thanks! A strong embrace motherfuckers!
Exo: Mitä Vittua!!! we are going to destroy Finland soon motherfuckers, hope you enjoy the new album!!!
Interview by Tarja Virmakari
For more information please visit: http://www.noctemofficial.com
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