Hello Dom! Many metal fans know you as guitarist of Equilibrium, but it´s not so obvious for them to know that you have also other band. Could you tell them something about Nothgard?
Hey there! Yep of course. The style of Nothgard can be best described as Epic Melodic Death Metal. This means Melo Death influences mixed with orchestral elements. To dig even deeper: technical guitars & a lot of melodies. Until now we have released 3 albums. The last one in September 2016, called „The Sinner’s Sake“.
How old were you guys, when you were establishing Nothgard? How were your dreams? Did they come true? What are your next targets?
We were about 17 years old when we founded the band. Well our dreams… hard to say. We actually just wanted to make music and didn’t think much about what we can or cannot achieve. But to be honest: I guess it is every musicians dream to make living out of the music and play great festivals and attract a huge audience. So some dreams came true, some not but we are of course not done yet! We are working hard to make the band bigger and bigger and also better Currently we are working on our next album and what I can say so far: It will be the best Nothgard album ever. It has the technical stuff but also very catchy melodies what we were aiming for this time.
Nothgard will tour over Central Europe very soon. Could you tell your fans more about this tour and invite them to your gigs, especially the Czech stop?
Yeah soon the tour kicks off and we are damn looking forward to this. For me it is an awesome package full of Melodic Death Metal and great other musical influences. It was very nice to set up the Death Unleashed Tour together with our friends from Kalmah, Heretoir and Lost in Grey. All great guys and great musicians and I am more than sure we will have a fantastic time together. And the other bands such as my band told me they are really looking forward to the stop in Prague. Why? Because it is simply true that Czech Metalheads really know how to enjoy live shows. For musicians it is just great to see people enjoying the shows.
It´s not for the first time you are playing in Czech Republic. How is your history of having gigs in our country? Do you like Czech fans? Do you like to come back here?
As just said before we love the Czech fans for beeing such a good crowd! And yeah you are right. In the past we had some Czech shows and all of them were really great. And I have a special releation to prague due to my girlfriends exchange semester some years ago. I have spent many weekends in this lovely city and have great memories.
Do you see any difference in organizing and playing Czech gigs in comparison to Germany? For sure there are some circumstances which can make the situation here somehow specific in eyes of bands active in western scene.
Well I dont see big differences. Of course you have some countries where you will find big venues which were built as live venues and those are always very cool for the musicians. In the Netherlands you can find a lot of these venues. But still for me it doesn’t matter that much how the clubs look like. Plus: There are good and bad promoters everywhere so I think it is not a matter of the countries but more about the personal engagement of the promoters.
In 2011, Nothgard have released your first album. How was this album and the band´s style, compared to presence?
Our first album was way more into Pagan Metal. But you have to know that we didn’t changes our style on purpose. For some reason we just listened to different music over the years and composed differently. I think it is really important that a band plays the music they love and I can totally understand bands which change their styles over the years. This is the key to keep the music authentic. This also can be seen live. We have fun on stage but I also know some collegues in other bands which don’t. They tried to keep their style even if they don’t like it anymore. Music is something you should love and this is the most important thing why you should do it.
The damn fast and perfect guitar melodies and drum parts are the strong Nothgard´s trademark. What does it require to become such a virtuous guitarist?
Haha. First of all thank you! What does it require… hmmm as a teenager probably more time in the rehearsal room than on parties with your friends, a lot of patience and ambition and from time to the right triggers. Triggers in that case are idols or good but also bad experiences which force you to just keep going.
When have you become part of Equilibrium? How did it happen?
I became member of Equi in 2014. It all started back in 2012 when Robse (Vocals of Equilibrium) sent me a message that he really likes Nothgard. The time went by and we kept in touch. When we were about to record the 2nd Nothgard album I came up with the idea to ask him if he was interested in a featuring / guest vocals. So we did it and became real friends. After my predecessor suddenly left the band, Robse just sent me a whats app message and asked if I could step in. Quite an easy process haha
You are currently member of two bands. Moreover, one of them is already very well established in the scene. What are highlits for you in Equilibrium and, by contrast, what do you love to have in Nothgard and miss in the more famous band?
Well the great thing in Equilibrium is that I just play the guitar. Don’t get me wrong. I love to be the vocalist of Nothgard but it is way more challenging to play the lead guitar and sing the same time. On the other hand Equilibrium has the bigger shows what is great. But I guess we are on a good way with Nothgard as well. We played Summer Breeze last year and for 2018 there are also some great festivals. Well I love both bands!
Thank you for your time and enthusiasm! See you and your mates in Prague!
