Interview with doom death metal band from Germany - NEKUS.
Answered Entity I, thank you!
Recenze/review - NEKUS - Death Apophenia (2024):
Ave NEKUS! It's been a while since your label Sentient Ruin Laboratories sent me an album to review. And immediately with "Death Apophenia" you got to the imaginary top of my personal doom death metal chart. The first time I encountered the new album was in the cold weather, when it got very cold. It was very pleasant for me to just listen, read and let the time pass. How was the album made and how do you think it differs from the previous album "Sepulchral Divination”?
Entity I: Hi Jakub, This album is different because we add a second guitarist in the band and the songwriting is more aggressive and atmospheric from the debut album.
Let's go back in history a bit. NEKUS was formed in 2018. The band is composed of all experienced musicians. It's not easy to start again nowadays. How did you guys get together in the first place and why did you choose doom death metal? Your initial work was more black metal…
Entity I: Yes the band formed in 2018 and we work as a duo, Entity III join us short before the recording of the first EP. Since day 1 we wanted play a doom death with some black element.. probably the first ep sound more black because we recorded by ourself and in general have more raw sound.
The new stuff has that cool, clear sound that I really like. Where did you record and who produced the album? I would be interested to know how you worked together, how you got together and why him? What kind of feelings did you leave the studio with?
Entity I: we use the same place that we used for putridarium album, a private house that we build up as studio for live recording. we recorded first live and after we overdub the guitars. The recording, mixing and mastering was again done by Chris (Cyphx-Audio). With Chris i collaborate since Into Coffin last 2 release.. we know each other very well and is become quite easy work together.
When I look at the cover, it reminds me terribly of a scene from an old cemetery in my town, the catacombs. Beautiful work. Who's the artist and why did you choose this particular motif?
Entity I: The Cover is a Small details coming from a photo made from one of us.
What are your lyrics about? Where do you get inspiration for them? And what are the lyrics on the new album about?
Entity I : Conceptional inspiration comes mostly from ancient Greek or in general mediterranean concepts of Death. Nekus don’t have lyrics just texts that we use for explain the logic behind the album and the reason of the title. Entity III is the one behind the intellectual side of this project for this album.
NEKUS are a band that when I listen to them I immediately know who they are. You have your own unmistakable signature, expression. A strange dark mood that has a very urgent effect on me. How do you explain that? Do you have a secret formula, a recipe? How do you create new material? I'm talking about the process now.
Entity I: the music is concentrate to bring a dark and evil feeling.. when i play this songs i fall in a trance where the whispering and chanting are getting out without any control.. i just feel it. That’s why i record this music live, where every musician can play using the feeling and not thinking.
The songwriting process of this album is coming from my work at home and in a later point arrange by the other band members. It take me just some hours write some of the songs.. right moment and right mental feeling and riffs coming out with no difficulty, again my lack of music theory help me to be free and write everything my mind want.
Do nature, the outside world, cemeteries influence you in any way? Every time I hear your band I think that you can put such a special mood, melancholy into your songs. A lot of times I took the album to the woods near us, just outside the city, and it felt like I was somewhere in the beyond.
Entity I: probably more woods that cemetery but you need to be in the right mood for listen this kind of music, for me is the best therapy for survive in this sick world.
Compared to Germany, the Czech Republic is a small country. We have a lot of metal bands here too, but definitely not as many as you guys. I wonder why you have so many dark bands? And I'm not talking about the mainstream, but the underground. How do you explain that? By the way, I recently interviewed the guitarist and vocalist Giona from PUTRIDARIUM and he said that there are maybe only ten people in Marbug who play/listen to death metal. It seems to me that I meet more and more bands from Germany.
Entity I: I’m not the biggest fan of German underground or metal scene, yes there are a lot of band.. evil band or dark… much less… the most pf the black metal band are just “poser” and in death metal there are for sure some good and cool bands (check Morsch if you like darkness death doom) but not more than from other country (The Italian dark sound). About Marburg (again) yes we are like 4/5 people paying in 4/5 bands ahahah
How do you perceive your scene? Gigs, fans, labels? There are quite a lot of gigs here, but only some of them are well attended. Plus I feel like the young fans are already listening to something a bit different.
Entity I: Nekus are a solitary entity that is quite difficult to put in a scene… death or Black shows are well attended but most of the time is difficult to understand if the people are there for the music and to support the artist or just for the party. metal culture will never die but for sure is not living is best moment and the young generation are missing every year more and more.
I personally find "Death Apophenia" to be such a polished stylistic gem, but it can also appeal to fans outside of doom death metal. The album is raw, but it also has a lot of memorable melodies. Where do you want to take the band? What is your goal? Someone is attracted by big festivals, someone wants a famous label. What are your dreams?
Entity I: thanks for the compliment. we like play live so we will always say yes at the most of possibility to play festival or small shows are all well welcome. the goal is probably bring uncomfortable feeling to the public is listening to us. i don’’t have big dreams, i just wanna be free to transfer the obscurity inside me in music.
How did you get into music in the first place? Who was your role model? First gig? First gig as a musician? How about some wild experiences, readers are always interested in that:)).
Entity I: i got into music thanks at Iron Maiden when i was 9 years old.. there start my travel with music, role model Steve Harris for the first years as metalhead eheh… first gig was back in italy when i was probably 17 years old with a shitty cover band ( i was playing bass). wild experience… good question probably one of them is getting arrested the same day of my first concert ahah
I'd be interested in your relationship to music. What does it mean to you? Is it a hobby? A lifestyle?
Entity I: Music is everything, i can’t image a day of my life without, i listen everyday a lot of music and i buy records any times i can. buy physical and fuck off Spotify and all digital platforms!
What are NEKUS planning in the near future?
Entity I: there are some shows on plan and a split… so beware!
Thank you very much for the interview, I appreciate it. You probably have an idea of what I'm going to do. Sure, I'll head out into the woods, and I'll take your new album "Death Apophenia" with me. It's excellent! I wish it sells well and that you are happy in your personal lives.
Entity I: Thanks to you for this interview and welcome into darkness!
Recenze/review - NEKUS - Death Apophenia (2024):
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