Nailed To Obscurity
Interview by Chelf
They are the ones who managed to combine a diligent, dedicated metal presence with a strong D.I.Y work-ethic which, today, is a very hard quality to come by.
A sheer heaviness along with melodic, melancholic guitars and slight, progressive twists and turns are the elements that take this band out of the German metal melting pot and puts them right at the top of the scene, so that they can spread their gloaming, frosty darkness upon us.
I had a chat with NAILED TO OBSCURITY before they released their latest album Black Frost and got to know them a bit better through a series of peculiar questions:
Hey guys! Give us a visual aid: describe your current situation, what are you up to, today?
Raimund: Hey man! Thank you for having us. Times are just pretty exciting these days. This Friday, our new album will see the light of day and we are in the final preparations of our forthcoming tour. We are basically out our minds, because it is also kind of stressful because you don’t want to forget a thing, you know? Five weeks on the road is definitely something 🙂 The past weekend, we had the final rehearsals before the tour and now there is no way back.
Have you ever tried to define a D.I.Y work ethic? How did you manage to stay true to your principles in a world full of temptations?
Volker: Actually I have not tried yet. But the first phrase which comes to my head talking about D.I.Y. is: You either do it by heart or you leave it. I am thinking of people who once had goals and dreams, but sold them to become part of the regular system and that without even wanting it and being unhappy with it, just because they feel pressured. Always with the excuses that once you reach a certain point in your live, there is just not enough time to keep doing what you really love to do. I hate that attitude. Everything is possible and if you do things right, there is always a way…No one should live a life unhappy. Might sound somewhat cheesy, but it is that simple. In NtO, that´s the principle everyone follows.
How do you achieve innovation?
Volker: Well, that’s quite simple. We never try to repeat ourselves and to have an open mind about everything out there. Same as in personal life, the worst thing you can do is going through life with a limited attitude and being afraid of changes. With saying that, one should never forget about their roots.
Raimund, you once said that “While we try to route our sanity through daily grind and to skip facing our fears, our darkest emotions are able to create a burden in secrecy – they are able to cause our mind to capsize.” I love taking phycology with metalheads. So, on our quest to this hyper-sanity, according to you, we shield ourselves from what we cannot handle. What kind of truths and fears do you think we are trying to protect ourselves from?
Raimund: I would say that in society these days it’s all about the impression of being sovereign and superior. We reached a point where many things are getting more and more superficial. Some emotions aren’t compatible with the impression we try to make towards other people. We want to keep up appearances, so to speak. Therefore, we try to hide our uncertainty because it might seem weak. We hide our tears when we lost a close family-member or friend and when we talk to people in higher positions, we try to make sure that they don’t get our fear of losing our job or something similar. But like Volker said, we don’t have to be afraid. We just have to do the things we want to do. But if we feel afraid or frustrated, we have to channel these emotions. I’m not talking about slamming someone into his face or destroying something. We just have to accept that we are never alone and a tear is never wasted. Sometimes it’s just important to let a tear fall or to accept the hug of a close friend as a symbol for “you are okay the way you are”. That’s why we are doing this kind of music. It’s our personal channel for darker emotions.
What is the best thing that happened to you in 2018?
Raimund: Talking about my personal life, I would say it was the holiday I spent with my girlfriend. We had just a wonderful time and grew together as a team. When it comes to the band, I would say it was this moment of relief when we finished everything from writing to recording of Black Frost. This was definitely a rollercoaster-ride but it was worth everything.
Volker: The entire year was great. Focusing on the personal life, the last year has been the heaviest one so far, but i pulled through. I had wonderful times with my girl, family and friends. And also for the band it was a crazy ride with a happy ending, so to speak 😉
What would you do differently if you could go back in time?
Volker: I would have never started smoking!
Raimund: I think everything happens for a reason. I wouldn’t change a thing. Maybe sometimes they way “things were executed” 🙂
Say that you managed to go back in time and you can give your younger selves a piece of advice. What would that be?
Volker: Never start smoking!
Raimund: Don’t be so nervous. Sometimes you just have to be patient to achieve your goals.
If money were no object, what would you do with your life?
Volker: Just play music, travel the world, eat the best food out there.
Raimund: Nothing to add from here 😀
What did you want to be when you grew up?
Volker: I wanted to be a pilot at very young age….but soon after I wanted play the guitar in a metal band 😉
Raimund: I always wanted to be a voice actor. At a very young age, I was like a nerd for German voice actors. Then, I changed my mind and really wanted to become a teacher. It’s still a dream for me because I like to leave something in the minds of people. Maybe this is why I like to be in a band because this is somewhat similar.
Would you like to tell us a bit about your latest piece of work?
Raimund: On Black Frost we really tried to stay true to the main ingredients of Nailed To Obscurity’s work so far but add a lot of new things. When it comes to the guitars, it is a lot more atmospheric and some parts have some sort of ambient-vibe to it. Therefore, the drums and the bass parts are able to shine even brighter and it allowed the vocals to be a lot more dynamic. It is an album full of contrasts between heaviness and melancholy. Some parts are almost beautiful while others are full of despair and rage. When it comes to the vocals, we experimented a lot more and created unique vocal-parts for each song. It is the perfect sequel to our albums so far but it also like a new beginning for us.
Many thanks, on behalf of the MHF magazine,
MHF Magazine/Chelf
