Some Moments with Nyredolk

Denmark's getting darker...

A few months ago I did a piece about Denmark’s underground, which was my subtle way of heralding the first full length from Nyredolk, “Barndommens hjem,” which I was fortunate enough to get an early taste. I haven’t made my obsession with this project, or the other excellent bands coming from Denmark a secret and can credit Nyredolk with returning my interest/obsession with black metal that I had lost for nearly a decade.

What really drew me in was a combination of a unique aesthetic and the comparisons to Ildjarn, Bone Awl and the like. I could easily spend a full column just on my opinions of the self titled demo alone, with more on it’s amazing follow up, “Indebrændt” which is easily the best black metal recording of the last ten years next to Kommodus “An Imperial Sun Rises".” And I’m sure I eventually will, since I don’t have anyone telling me not to anymore. But today is for something special.

Nyredolk have been pretty reclusive, outside of insane live shows, with very little information available about the duo, bringing me back to the days of when black metal had genuine mystery to it and wasn’t just some genre with added theatrics. I was fortunate enough to be granted access for an interview for Decibel Magazine’s “Up Front” feature in the print edition and figured I’d push my luck a bit further and see if they would be interested in speaking a bit more at length. They agreed and this is what came of it:

1. The first thing that grabbed my attention towards Nyredolk was your unique visual aesthetic: how did that come about?

When we first started the project, we were throwing around different ideas. We weren’t used to having so much creative freedom in our previous musical endeavors, so wearing masks was definitely something I (B.B.) wanted to try!
I was really inspired by the whole vibe of Harmony’s “Gummo” and obscure pages on tumblr. The white pillowcase mask pushes a lot of buttons, but NyreDolk is and never will be about political ideologies.

2. Why the anonymity?

It was never about us as individuals (although lyrical universes come from personal experience). We didn't think much about anonymity, it just happened naturally when more opportunities came along. Since then, it has proven to be a great opportunity to get people's honest opinions on the project.

3. You’ve said that you both have been in several bands before, what’s different in your approach and experiences with Nyredolk?

Everything is different from previous bands and projects. There's no overlap. Typically I come up with a bunch of riffs and lyrical ideas, and then we figure out which part goes where and how many times it needs to be repeated.

4. While the music is undeniably black metal, there are very obviously different genre influences in your music: was this a conscious choice or just the natural flow of things?

It was very conscious that we didn't label the music as "Black Metal" when we made the demo. It was really important to L.M. that the cassette insert said "True slow duka from Copenhagen". The other part is that I can't write black metal riffs, I've tried, but it just doesn't work. So whatever comes when I write riffs, just comes. Personally, I always describe the music as aggressive punk in Danish, people usually understand that.

5. What would one surprising influence, be it musical, film, literature etc, be?

Briemheim or Baz Luhrmann (the first three movies)

6. Your debut demo is very stark, stripped down and violent, with the song titles being both very singular yet very evocative, seemingly gathered around the theme of murder, though I can’t figure out if it’s human or animal. What do you recall from those days and am I close to correct?

Writing and recording the demo was a very ambivalent experience. It was fun to do whatever we wanted, as there were no limitations other than our ability to communicate our ideas.
We never expected anyone to notice what we were doing, so there was no coherent thematic text. We wanted to express the frustrations, despair, and overall awful feelings of being in a sleep-deprived state for a few years.
Themes like cannibalism and physical violence seemed like a perfect fit.

7. “Indebrændt” is an incredible progression from the first demo, with a suffocating feeling of malice. In thirty years of being involved in this scene I’ve never heard riffs that malevolent. I generally despise hyperbolic writing but in this case it fits. How do you get yourselves into that sort of mindset to create something like this?

   Even more sleep deprivation, divorce and general misfortunes in life.
   After the demo we realized that people were actually paying attention to us and I wanted to do something more personal. I haven't tried to write songs before that were based on such personal experiences. Even though they're not as personal as on "Barndommens hjem", it was really an overwhelming experience to have to shout those things into people's heads.

8. “Indebrændt” seems to involve something about the loss of a child or parental neglect? This is based on a real instance, right?

Yes, that's correct. My childhood friend was murdered by a pediatrician when he was seven years old. She (the pediatrician) set his house on fire after drugging his mother and barricading the exits so that his little brother and he couldn't get out. He managed to escape, but died a month later from his burns.

9. Moving to “Bardommens Hjem”, for me this is the first time I’ve had a real glimpse into the themes and motivations of your music, with the texts surrounding it being very clear on what you’re writing about. Was it more important now to have your ideas clearly presented to the listener?

Yes, very much. We wanted to connect with people who unfortunately can relate to the themes. Some people find it too extreme, which is an understandable reaction, if such trauma hasn´t been in your life up close.

10. When you talk about societal inheritance do you mean this in a more intimate sense, as in from your own family, or in a more global sense as in the generation you’re a part of?

It´s a mix of both. When we were talking about life as parents, and how our own upbringing was, we could see a pattern that wasn´t unique to our own situation, but rather something universal. Since the release, people have reached out to us, and shared their own stories, which makes it all worthwhile.

11. Why have you chosen a more autobiographical approach to black metal instead of the traditional themes?

We don´t have enough time to sit around making up stories, or fantasies about historical or political agendas. There are a ton of other bands doing it much better than we ever could.

12. You’ve mentioned you’re both fathers and that, and I’m kind of summarizing, you don’t want to fuck your kids up the way your upbringing has fucked you up. How has fatherhood changed you as both a person as well as a creative?

It's hard to pinpoint. But for me it has opened up a whole new way of being human. It's not rational or makes sense if you're not in the "club".
There's so little time to be creative, so either you take a break from being creative, and pick it up when there's time. Or try to push it in when possible.
One of the reasons for the long wait between "Indebrændt" and "Barndommens hjem" was to take care of the family.

13. Has “Bardommens Hjem” been the cathartic release you had hoped it would be?

Without a doubt. It has been a very draining and terrifying process. It was hard to be in it while trying to analyze what was going on at the same time. It has definitely been an opportunity for growth and exercise self-care. Setting boundaries can be very difficult and even scary in situations that require it.

14. Denmark’s black metal scene has grown into one of the finest in the world in my eyes. Considering I spent the first two decades or so only being aware of Denial of God and Horned Almighty, this development of the last eight or so years has been a (pleasant) surprise. What do you think caused such a blossoming of this scene? Are there any bands you believe need more attention?

“SOLBRUD” got a lot of attention from the Danish mainstream media a few years ago, where they made black metal on their own terms and in a unique way at the time. They definitely raised the bar. Then there’s “ORM” from Bornholm. Not black metal, but “EYES” is also a good band!

15. We’ll end on a cliche’: final words are yours.

The last question was met with silence as Nyredolk return back to the dark, with no real noise about if/when they’ll return. This was important for me to do because, regardless of audience, these were questions that I wanted the answer to, if for nothing else but to satisfy my curiosity about their music.

We’re only a few months out from those year end lists you folks tend to shit your pants over but I can probably save you the surprise for my album of the year.

Nyredolk can be found through their Bandcamp and occasionally on Instagram. One of the most special bands in the underground in this, or any era, thus far providing a perfect discography that shows this music can still have depth in an era of very shallow music somehow rising to the top.