1.Can you give us an update on what has been going on with the band since the recording and release of the old album?
First of all we’ve had some changes concerning the line up. We’re now playing with three guitars as Skaahl from Wolfchant joined the band in 2012. We were also playing a lot of shows in Europe and took our time to write and prepare for the new album which was some intense and hard work.
2. In September you will release a new album, can you tell us a little bit more about the musical direction of the new recording and also how does it differ from from the previous full length and demo you had released in the past?
There is definitely a big difference between „Warhorns Of Midgard“ and „Age of Pandora“.Soundwise, „Age of Pandora“ sounds way fresher, clearer and more powerful, but not just because of the three guitars. We have tried out a lot of stuff during the songwriting process and only took the best ideas which are hearable on the new album. The songs are more technical, include lot’s of powerful orchestral/symphonic elemtens and feel faster. Also we went more in the direction of epic melodic death metal on the new record.
3.Your lyrics cover some Pagan topics, can you tell us a little bit more about your views on Paganism?
As we´ve changed our musical style into Epic Melodic Death Metal, the new lyrics don´t include anything concerning paganism.
4.The band was originally known as Nordavind, what was the decision behind the name change and also the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Nothgard'/
We’ve changed the bandname into Nothgard as Nordavind was unfortunately already used several times by other bands. The name Nothgard refers to the word „nothgarde“, which also means striking out for a counter attack in sword combat.
5.What are some of the best shows that the band has played over the years and also how would you describe your stage performance?
That’s a tough question. We’ve had some great shows in England where we’ve had fans singing along to every song, knowing all the lyrics and partying hard during the show. Shows in the Czech Republik are also always fun as the people are always having a big party. We also love playing festivals, where we get the chance to perform our songs to people that may have never heard about Nothgard before. The show we’ve had a few weeks ago at the „Runen der Nacht Festival“ has also been a blast!
In general it’s always a pleasure and a lot of fun for us, and that’s what we’re showing on stage during our shows. You can see that we enjoy being together on stage.
6.Do you have any touring or show plans for the new album?
Yes! We are going to have a tour in September in Spain, which will be called „Black Clouds Over Iberia“. We also have plans for another tour, but right now we can’t tell you any informations about that ;)
7. On a worldwide level how has the feedback been so far to the newer music by reviewers of extreme metal?
Until now we haven’t received much feedback from reviewers, because the promotion has just begun, but what we have got by now was really good. For example, we received a very positive album review in the German metal magazine „Legacy“ and in general a lot of positive feedback from the few other people who have heard the new stuff.
8.What is going on with the other musical projects these days that some of the band members are involved with?
Dom R. Crey has just joined Equilibrium and is currently playing some big shows with them. He is also a member of Wolfchant. Same goes for Vik S. and Skaahl. Wolfchant is currently recording their new album which will definitely be another killer release.
9.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
We definitely want to develop ourselves and become more technical in the future. But right now, we’re very happy with the current music style and want to stick to it.
10.What are some of the bands or musical styles that have had an influence on 'Nothgard'?
There are several bands, which have had an influence on the music style, especially because they affected the guitar, bass and drum style, which our members have now and which are hearable in the music or rather songwriting. To mention some of those bands, there’s for example Children of Bodom, Arch Enemy, Ensiferum, Kalmah and many others.
11.What are some of your non musical interests?
It depends. Most of our spare time we use to develop our skills on our instruments. Otherwise we like hanging around with friends, partying, listening to music, visit concerts. Also all of our members are busy with studying and working.. Random stuff ;)
12.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
We want to thank EVERYONE out there who supports us and visits our shows. If you are interested in listening something new, fresh and powerful, you should definitely check out our new album „AGE OF PANDORA“, which will be released on the 12th of September 2014. We keep you updated on our social medias like facebook and also our official homepage. For those who can’t wait until September, we will release some snippets of the new stuff over the next weeks.
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