1. Can you give us a brief history of the band?
We are fans of black metal, and fans of fart jokes. We enjoy lot's of heavy music and generally mock all of it. Everyone on this earth deserves to be ripped on, and my ass suffers the wrath of a high fiber diet daily. I lust to bestow that pain onto the world and all of it's residents. The band started when I(The Vaginomicon) shat out a perfect 666 into my beloved toilet bowl. I then knew it was a sign that the large quantities of Mexican food I consume, serve some higher purpose to Satan. I quickly dialed up Hellwhore Plaguebringer and Ravidious Cockraper to come observe the specimen with me. After much deliberation, we felt it was time to send it to the depths... So we flushed a vortex of unimaginable power, which grasped onto the 3 of us, and pulled us in.
2. How would you describe your sound to someone who has never heard you before?
(haha) Well, Nordic Death march(we don't capitalize "march" so people know we're not an emo band and referring to a period of time, season, or month) is the most evil-er black metal band ever! And...as time goes on I'm starting to believe we are! I think a lot of these other bands care more about putting their make up on, declaring their music is "brutal" and waving around their inverted crosses than actually making music. Musically speaking, we're a symphonic black metal band with a dose of comedy.
3. When can we expect a full length?
Right now we just finished up 2 more songs, bringing the total up to 5. One of which is a cover. We don't really plan things out with this band, but at this point we're pretty intent on giving our music away for free. It's our outlet for having fun, playing music, and in between having fun and laughing we get to speak our mind! I will say, it's very liberating when you go to leave a comment on The Jonas Brothers myspace and you're blocked for telling them they suck! And it's even funnier when some little 15 year old girl tries to tell us Nordic Death march is jealous of them. When the day comes that we like fists in our asses, is the day we'll be jealous of The Jonas Brothers.
4. Does anybody in Nordic Death March play in any other bands if so, who are they and what kind of music do they play?
Yes and no. The Vaginomicon and I(Hellwhore Plaguebringer) have been involved in many local and touring bands, none of which we'd like to list right now. We kind of like our anonymity with this project. Our silent partner, Ravidious Cockraper, has his hands in recording/producing other bands and artists. He's more comfortable behind the scenes. He helps us record, and if there was to be a live show, he'd be manning the helm of the keys. I(Hellwhore Plaguebringer, again) just play music for fun at this point in my life. Many of our friends who are also musicians have offered to help us take Nordic Death march on the road. In time, I'm sure we'll do something. It'll be a great way to talk to some of the new myspace friends we've made(haha). The type of music that we played, or continue to play in these other bands, was/are anywhere from political hardcore/metal to thrash and melodic death metal, to technical and polyrythmic metal.
5. Has the band done any live shows yet?
We have not. We throw around the idea all the time, but, for those of you who don't know... a lot goes into playing shows. We're definitely open to the idea of it, but for now, we'll just have to make you laugh via our mp3's! Plus, the time it'd take us to put on make up, leather gauntlets and dye our hair black; we spend on calling out the Disney slaves(a.k.a. recording "artists), religion, and talking to our fans. We did however come up with some great names we could name the tours(if we ever did decide to).
By the way: All of our music is downloadable for free at: www.purevolume.com/nordicdeathmarch
6. What are your main influences music wise or non music wise?
Obviously, with this project we've referenced our symphonic black metal influences. But, it's safe to say, if you were to go through our cd collection(yes, we actually own cd's) we come from a thrash metal, hardcore and melodic death metal background. From being actual musicians that have toured, played endless amounts of shows, and had the opportunity to see a ton of different types of bands -- we're scattered all over the place as far as the music we listen to.'
As far as non-music wise, we urge people to pick up a DVD called, "Religulous" by Bill Maher. Bill Maher has a lot of great ideas on religion and politics. However, make up(not make-up) your own mind about it. If you think invisible all-powerful beings(that never come back to earth to do anything some dusty old book tells you it will) really exist -- so be it! There's also this video posted on youtube. It's a lecture by this Professor named Randy Pausch who had terminal cancer. He gave this lecture about life-lessons and executing plans. I think it'll put a lot of things in perspective for people. You can find that on youtube by searching, "Randy Pausch Last Lecture: Achieving Your Childhood Dreams." Needless to say, that had a profound effect on how I approached doing the thing I love the most -- playing music.
7. What are you listening to nowadays and what are some good bands or albums that you would recommend?
Well, it's safe to say that Abigail Williams definitely put out a pretty legit symphonic black metal album(and a really shitty/cheesy music video). I'd recommend picking that up, that is, if you have an open mind about American black metal(which doesn't seem to be the case with a lot of black metal-lers). Rightfully so, most American black metal is pretty crappy! The drums sound amazing on the Abigail Williams album. They got Trym ex-Emperor to record drums for the album, and there's a lot of good classical scores for those of you who are into that. I'm sure a lot of people will cringe when they hear this, because "the old album is always better"... but I love the newest Cynic album "Traced in Air." I think from there it's about picking your own bands, and finding the elements you like in the music you listen to. With myspace, youtube, lastfm -- it's really easy for people to search for themselves, and I implore people to do this! Don't let bands force themselves down your throat, at the same time, keep an open mind and LISTEN to the bands that request you on myspace! You never know, some of these bands might actually be good! Even if they are few and far between.
8. Does Satanism or Occultism play a role in the band's music or life?
We don't believe in any formalized or organized religion. We'll give you a some reasons why:- The Catholic Church is nothing more than a bunch of rich real estate agents who believe "condoms spread AIDS." Yup, can't even make this shit up! Check out the full article in our blog at:
www.myspace.com/nordicdeathmarch-
The rest of the Jesus freaks(you know, the Jesus-freaks that broke away from the Catholic church ie: Protestants, Orthodox and Nontrinitarians) don't believe in any form of relative science, and, do nothing more than blame the magical man in the sky and his mysterious ways for everything.
- Jews think they're better than everyone. It's written in the Old Testament and literally says something like, "We're the chosen ones." That's great...then your invisible God must've "chose" Nordic Death march to call you out!-
The Muslims and the Jews spend most of their existence fighting over 5 miles of "religious" land -- because there's nothing more productive to be done over there, right?
- The Church of Satan: For $19.95 you too can worship Satan!-
Paganism...well, at least Pagans worship the Earth. I can't really say too much about the Pagans, since they were basically wiped out and excluded from most history books. But, to form an analogy I will... Pagans were like the deer that the sport hunters(Christians) ran around killing for no other reason than that they could.
What it all comes down to is bullshit. Until this bullshit is uncovered by a person that can make you see it for what it's worth, we'll agree to disagree. On top of that, these beliefs fuel religious radicalism(go figure!), where instead of beliefs changing with the times -- people run around blowing themselves up to preserve what was written in a book 2000+ years ago. If you can show me that Satan exists without putting acid in my drink, I'll convert. But only to Satanism, as less people have died in the name of Satan than Jesus or God/Allah. Someone should relay that message to Pope Palpatine.
When you have to pay an admission to be a member of the so called, "church." That's not a church, it's a club! However, we do respect people who have a different belief system than us. Especially those who've come to these terms based on their own research, and without feeling the need to join some "club" to establish said beliefs. As long as nobody's getting hurt, and stopping stem cell research, go for it! We don't have all the answers either. Besides, there are many other things we can bond over during a nice refreshing beer, or red wine. I know the ladies like the red wine!
9. Are there any good books or films that you would recommend?
"Religulous"-- is a great film Bill Maher made. It's available on DVD.
"Zeitgeist" -- You can google this movie. It's worth watching. Especially if you're American.
10. How would you describe the metal scene in New York and what are some good bands from your home state that you would recommend?
The scene is definitely in a lull right now. What I mean by that is, it's slowing down. Venues are closing, bands that draw are breaking up, and the majority of kid's of this generation are reaching that time where they stop going to shows and move on to different things. A lot of bands are getting tired of this "pay to play" deal, where if you're selling tickets for a headlining/national act, you're made to sell anywhere from 50-100 tickets at $10 dollars a ticket. I've literally heard of bands selling $1,000 worth of tickets to PLAY a show. If your band can sell 100 tickets in your local area, chances are, you don't need to sell tickets for a show. I have no problem supporting a touring band -- but when there's 4 local bands selling 100 tickets a piece, that's giving a national act and club a gross amount of money that it's clear they shouldn't be getting, and profiting off the hard work of the local bands. As much as I'm into supporting national acts, I'm also down for fairness amongst bands. A lot of local bands are trying to break out and play other scenes, but financial restrictions make it very hard for them to do so. Touring for a small band is hard, even with a guarantee nowadays. That guarantee barely covers gas. So, it's obvious paying to play, age, economy all play a familiar role for the reasons why this is happening. However, I think this lull is great. A new outlook and mentality will hopefully make it's way back into the scene. Out with the old and in with the new! Hopefully, a more D.I.Y. way of doing things will make it's way back. I'm excited to see what new music is being cooked up by some of these kids in their garages or basements. I think, some people will come back...as their reason's for abandoning the scene in the first place was the lack of values and respect that seemed to have been flushed down the toilet for the last 6-7 years. I know there are some people(:::cough:::Mistress Juliya:::cough::: a.k.a. The Fuse tv girl) that ended up doing more harm than good. It's more than running around screaming, "Slayer" while your holding up devil horns. On the other hand it's great that "extreme" music is being presented to more kids. However, the way it was being done was very gimmicky. Just because you've influenced people, doesn't mean that influence has had a positive effect. I think "extreme" music needs a host that actually knows what they're talking about. I thought Mtv did a good job by picking Jamie Hatebreed for Headbanger's ball, even if the program director didn't always play the best music. Love or hate Hatebreed, but, you can't argue that they started out as a small band from Connecticut playing small clubs and VFW's. Jamie at least has some credibility. However, I digress.... Juliya is actually from Brooklyn... and for a while she was running around with bands "hosting" shows around the New York area, and in other states as well. And by "hosting" shows, I mean, getting drunk and fucked up at the bar and taking pictures with people. I'm tired of the rockstar/psuedo-celebrity personalities that have somehow managed to make their way into the metal scene, and cash in on it. It's all conjured! Metal blade records literally(and I'm not even making this up) orders "old-school" death metal shirts for their bands so they look more, "Death Metal." I think with this lull in the scene, and, to me what seems like a calming of the buzz of metal will weed some, if not all of these people. I know I'm sort of jumping back and forth between genre's, but, think about the roots of the people who get into black metal. In my case, Death Metal(Morbid Angel, Cannibal Corpse) and melodic death metal(In Flames) shows were where I was introduced to a lot of black metal bands. They were gateway bands that paved the way for me to know where to look and understand more "extreme" styles. I didn't have the internet when I first started going to shows -- my friends and I'd stay up late and tape(yes tape!) college radio shows that played heavy music. Black Metal definitely has a few teeth sunk into it, and even in a few bands who I respect and think are good. But, wherever there's a market, there will always be schemers.I would point out two bands that I think are going to come out with some interesting stuff: Painted in Exile -- these kids are writing some insane tech-metal. If you're into that -- check it out at: http://www.myspace.com/paintedinexile.
Keep your eyes out for these guys too: They're called "The Wilderness" http://www.myspace.com/thewildernesssucks --
and there new stuff blows away whatever's on the page now out of the water. Wow...I digressed a lot. Sorry!
11. Any final words?
Speak up! When you see a band/artist/group establishing a money-making ponzi scheme -- CALL THEM OUT ON IT! Leave messages on their myspaces with band links. Give people other options, rather than the ones forced down their throat by mainstream media or Disney. The same goes for other forms of media. All media is biased. Read as much as you can on topics before you make up your mind! And it's okay to have a sense of humor! We'd like to thank everyone for reading our interview. If you have any questions feel free to message us at: www.myspace.com/nordicdeathmarch. We will answer your message, even if it's hate mail! If you feel we've represented something innacurately, message us and tell us why!
12.Thanks for the interview?
No, thank you! And thank you for taking time out of your day to make a zine. I think zine's like yours will play an even larger role in presenting new music to people once labels and corporate sponsors realize they can make more money elsewhere.
We are fans of black metal, and fans of fart jokes. We enjoy lot's of heavy music and generally mock all of it. Everyone on this earth deserves to be ripped on, and my ass suffers the wrath of a high fiber diet daily. I lust to bestow that pain onto the world and all of it's residents. The band started when I(The Vaginomicon) shat out a perfect 666 into my beloved toilet bowl. I then knew it was a sign that the large quantities of Mexican food I consume, serve some higher purpose to Satan. I quickly dialed up Hellwhore Plaguebringer and Ravidious Cockraper to come observe the specimen with me. After much deliberation, we felt it was time to send it to the depths... So we flushed a vortex of unimaginable power, which grasped onto the 3 of us, and pulled us in.
2. How would you describe your sound to someone who has never heard you before?
(haha) Well, Nordic Death march(we don't capitalize "march" so people know we're not an emo band and referring to a period of time, season, or month) is the most evil-er black metal band ever! And...as time goes on I'm starting to believe we are! I think a lot of these other bands care more about putting their make up on, declaring their music is "brutal" and waving around their inverted crosses than actually making music. Musically speaking, we're a symphonic black metal band with a dose of comedy.
3. When can we expect a full length?
Right now we just finished up 2 more songs, bringing the total up to 5. One of which is a cover. We don't really plan things out with this band, but at this point we're pretty intent on giving our music away for free. It's our outlet for having fun, playing music, and in between having fun and laughing we get to speak our mind! I will say, it's very liberating when you go to leave a comment on The Jonas Brothers myspace and you're blocked for telling them they suck! And it's even funnier when some little 15 year old girl tries to tell us Nordic Death march is jealous of them. When the day comes that we like fists in our asses, is the day we'll be jealous of The Jonas Brothers.
4. Does anybody in Nordic Death March play in any other bands if so, who are they and what kind of music do they play?
Yes and no. The Vaginomicon and I(Hellwhore Plaguebringer) have been involved in many local and touring bands, none of which we'd like to list right now. We kind of like our anonymity with this project. Our silent partner, Ravidious Cockraper, has his hands in recording/producing other bands and artists. He's more comfortable behind the scenes. He helps us record, and if there was to be a live show, he'd be manning the helm of the keys. I(Hellwhore Plaguebringer, again) just play music for fun at this point in my life. Many of our friends who are also musicians have offered to help us take Nordic Death march on the road. In time, I'm sure we'll do something. It'll be a great way to talk to some of the new myspace friends we've made(haha). The type of music that we played, or continue to play in these other bands, was/are anywhere from political hardcore/metal to thrash and melodic death metal, to technical and polyrythmic metal.
5. Has the band done any live shows yet?
We have not. We throw around the idea all the time, but, for those of you who don't know... a lot goes into playing shows. We're definitely open to the idea of it, but for now, we'll just have to make you laugh via our mp3's! Plus, the time it'd take us to put on make up, leather gauntlets and dye our hair black; we spend on calling out the Disney slaves(a.k.a. recording "artists), religion, and talking to our fans. We did however come up with some great names we could name the tours(if we ever did decide to).
By the way: All of our music is downloadable for free at: www.purevolume.com/nordicdeathmarch
6. What are your main influences music wise or non music wise?
Obviously, with this project we've referenced our symphonic black metal influences. But, it's safe to say, if you were to go through our cd collection(yes, we actually own cd's) we come from a thrash metal, hardcore and melodic death metal background. From being actual musicians that have toured, played endless amounts of shows, and had the opportunity to see a ton of different types of bands -- we're scattered all over the place as far as the music we listen to.'
As far as non-music wise, we urge people to pick up a DVD called, "Religulous" by Bill Maher. Bill Maher has a lot of great ideas on religion and politics. However, make up(not make-up) your own mind about it. If you think invisible all-powerful beings(that never come back to earth to do anything some dusty old book tells you it will) really exist -- so be it! There's also this video posted on youtube. It's a lecture by this Professor named Randy Pausch who had terminal cancer. He gave this lecture about life-lessons and executing plans. I think it'll put a lot of things in perspective for people. You can find that on youtube by searching, "Randy Pausch Last Lecture: Achieving Your Childhood Dreams." Needless to say, that had a profound effect on how I approached doing the thing I love the most -- playing music.
7. What are you listening to nowadays and what are some good bands or albums that you would recommend?
Well, it's safe to say that Abigail Williams definitely put out a pretty legit symphonic black metal album(and a really shitty/cheesy music video). I'd recommend picking that up, that is, if you have an open mind about American black metal(which doesn't seem to be the case with a lot of black metal-lers). Rightfully so, most American black metal is pretty crappy! The drums sound amazing on the Abigail Williams album. They got Trym ex-Emperor to record drums for the album, and there's a lot of good classical scores for those of you who are into that. I'm sure a lot of people will cringe when they hear this, because "the old album is always better"... but I love the newest Cynic album "Traced in Air." I think from there it's about picking your own bands, and finding the elements you like in the music you listen to. With myspace, youtube, lastfm -- it's really easy for people to search for themselves, and I implore people to do this! Don't let bands force themselves down your throat, at the same time, keep an open mind and LISTEN to the bands that request you on myspace! You never know, some of these bands might actually be good! Even if they are few and far between.
8. Does Satanism or Occultism play a role in the band's music or life?
We don't believe in any formalized or organized religion. We'll give you a some reasons why:- The Catholic Church is nothing more than a bunch of rich real estate agents who believe "condoms spread AIDS." Yup, can't even make this shit up! Check out the full article in our blog at:
www.myspace.com/nordicdeathmarch-
The rest of the Jesus freaks(you know, the Jesus-freaks that broke away from the Catholic church ie: Protestants, Orthodox and Nontrinitarians) don't believe in any form of relative science, and, do nothing more than blame the magical man in the sky and his mysterious ways for everything.
- Jews think they're better than everyone. It's written in the Old Testament and literally says something like, "We're the chosen ones." That's great...then your invisible God must've "chose" Nordic Death march to call you out!-
The Muslims and the Jews spend most of their existence fighting over 5 miles of "religious" land -- because there's nothing more productive to be done over there, right?
- The Church of Satan: For $19.95 you too can worship Satan!-
Paganism...well, at least Pagans worship the Earth. I can't really say too much about the Pagans, since they were basically wiped out and excluded from most history books. But, to form an analogy I will... Pagans were like the deer that the sport hunters(Christians) ran around killing for no other reason than that they could.
What it all comes down to is bullshit. Until this bullshit is uncovered by a person that can make you see it for what it's worth, we'll agree to disagree. On top of that, these beliefs fuel religious radicalism(go figure!), where instead of beliefs changing with the times -- people run around blowing themselves up to preserve what was written in a book 2000+ years ago. If you can show me that Satan exists without putting acid in my drink, I'll convert. But only to Satanism, as less people have died in the name of Satan than Jesus or God/Allah. Someone should relay that message to Pope Palpatine.
When you have to pay an admission to be a member of the so called, "church." That's not a church, it's a club! However, we do respect people who have a different belief system than us. Especially those who've come to these terms based on their own research, and without feeling the need to join some "club" to establish said beliefs. As long as nobody's getting hurt, and stopping stem cell research, go for it! We don't have all the answers either. Besides, there are many other things we can bond over during a nice refreshing beer, or red wine. I know the ladies like the red wine!
9. Are there any good books or films that you would recommend?
"Religulous"-- is a great film Bill Maher made. It's available on DVD.
"Zeitgeist" -- You can google this movie. It's worth watching. Especially if you're American.
10. How would you describe the metal scene in New York and what are some good bands from your home state that you would recommend?
The scene is definitely in a lull right now. What I mean by that is, it's slowing down. Venues are closing, bands that draw are breaking up, and the majority of kid's of this generation are reaching that time where they stop going to shows and move on to different things. A lot of bands are getting tired of this "pay to play" deal, where if you're selling tickets for a headlining/national act, you're made to sell anywhere from 50-100 tickets at $10 dollars a ticket. I've literally heard of bands selling $1,000 worth of tickets to PLAY a show. If your band can sell 100 tickets in your local area, chances are, you don't need to sell tickets for a show. I have no problem supporting a touring band -- but when there's 4 local bands selling 100 tickets a piece, that's giving a national act and club a gross amount of money that it's clear they shouldn't be getting, and profiting off the hard work of the local bands. As much as I'm into supporting national acts, I'm also down for fairness amongst bands. A lot of local bands are trying to break out and play other scenes, but financial restrictions make it very hard for them to do so. Touring for a small band is hard, even with a guarantee nowadays. That guarantee barely covers gas. So, it's obvious paying to play, age, economy all play a familiar role for the reasons why this is happening. However, I think this lull is great. A new outlook and mentality will hopefully make it's way back into the scene. Out with the old and in with the new! Hopefully, a more D.I.Y. way of doing things will make it's way back. I'm excited to see what new music is being cooked up by some of these kids in their garages or basements. I think, some people will come back...as their reason's for abandoning the scene in the first place was the lack of values and respect that seemed to have been flushed down the toilet for the last 6-7 years. I know there are some people(:::cough:::Mistress Juliya:::cough::: a.k.a. The Fuse tv girl) that ended up doing more harm than good. It's more than running around screaming, "Slayer" while your holding up devil horns. On the other hand it's great that "extreme" music is being presented to more kids. However, the way it was being done was very gimmicky. Just because you've influenced people, doesn't mean that influence has had a positive effect. I think "extreme" music needs a host that actually knows what they're talking about. I thought Mtv did a good job by picking Jamie Hatebreed for Headbanger's ball, even if the program director didn't always play the best music. Love or hate Hatebreed, but, you can't argue that they started out as a small band from Connecticut playing small clubs and VFW's. Jamie at least has some credibility. However, I digress.... Juliya is actually from Brooklyn... and for a while she was running around with bands "hosting" shows around the New York area, and in other states as well. And by "hosting" shows, I mean, getting drunk and fucked up at the bar and taking pictures with people. I'm tired of the rockstar/psuedo-celebrity personalities that have somehow managed to make their way into the metal scene, and cash in on it. It's all conjured! Metal blade records literally(and I'm not even making this up) orders "old-school" death metal shirts for their bands so they look more, "Death Metal." I think with this lull in the scene, and, to me what seems like a calming of the buzz of metal will weed some, if not all of these people. I know I'm sort of jumping back and forth between genre's, but, think about the roots of the people who get into black metal. In my case, Death Metal(Morbid Angel, Cannibal Corpse) and melodic death metal(In Flames) shows were where I was introduced to a lot of black metal bands. They were gateway bands that paved the way for me to know where to look and understand more "extreme" styles. I didn't have the internet when I first started going to shows -- my friends and I'd stay up late and tape(yes tape!) college radio shows that played heavy music. Black Metal definitely has a few teeth sunk into it, and even in a few bands who I respect and think are good. But, wherever there's a market, there will always be schemers.I would point out two bands that I think are going to come out with some interesting stuff: Painted in Exile -- these kids are writing some insane tech-metal. If you're into that -- check it out at: http://www.myspace.com/paintedinexile.
Keep your eyes out for these guys too: They're called "The Wilderness" http://www.myspace.com/thewildernesssucks --
and there new stuff blows away whatever's on the page now out of the water. Wow...I digressed a lot. Sorry!
11. Any final words?
Speak up! When you see a band/artist/group establishing a money-making ponzi scheme -- CALL THEM OUT ON IT! Leave messages on their myspaces with band links. Give people other options, rather than the ones forced down their throat by mainstream media or Disney. The same goes for other forms of media. All media is biased. Read as much as you can on topics before you make up your mind! And it's okay to have a sense of humor! We'd like to thank everyone for reading our interview. If you have any questions feel free to message us at: www.myspace.com/nordicdeathmarch. We will answer your message, even if it's hate mail! If you feel we've represented something innacurately, message us and tell us why!
12.Thanks for the interview?
No, thank you! And thank you for taking time out of your day to make a zine. I think zine's like yours will play an even larger role in presenting new music to people once labels and corporate sponsors realize they can make more money elsewhere.
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