Nocturnal Wolf

From Tolkien Lands

Welcome, and thank you for the opportunity. First, and out of curiosity, I am writing to you from the country of one of your former members: Portugal. Let us start at the beginning: tell us a little about your journey as a band, the musical history of the members, etc.

 
Nocturnal Wolf started in June 2011 in Dallas TX.
 
Member alienation:
Lobo, lead guitar and vocals since 2011; Dionysius (drums) since 2011; King Demogorgon (bass) 2012 to 2013; Perversor, bass and guitar since 2016; Maniac Blades, bass and guitar since 2016.
 
Discography:
"Demo Ensayo" (first demo tape-recorded at the practice one night of January 2012 limited at 28 copies).
"Rebelión" (limited at 100 copies, released July 25, 2013).
"Tales from the Middle Earth" (limited at 200 copies, released October 23, 2015).
"Tales from the Middle Earth II" (released April 24, 2019).
"Wolf attack" (released May 23, 2020).
 
Your sound is deeply rooted in the 2nd wave of Black Metal. Do you consider that the global Black Metal scene remains faithful to these premises, or has it instead become uncharacteristic over the years?
 
We believe that Black Metal has had changes and that it can be seen in the new styles and branches that some bands propose, but there are also bands that intentionally or unintentionally that remain more faithful to the sound of the first years of the genre. 

I mean with intention are the bands that with all intention take this sound as a banner and stay with it, without intention to change. In addition, I meant with involuntary (like us) that without intention and without purpose they have this sound...

As the person in charge of the composition I think, personally, this happens for ege time I lived, I am 43 years old, I grew up listening to the bands of the genre that appeared in the 90s, and I met pillars of the genre 80s.  There is a great influence from that era of Black Metal in me, and it reflects in my composition, I must say that other genres of the time have influenced me such as Heavy, Death and Thrash metal.
 
That said: can I know your opinion about bands like Mayhem and Darkthrone? Both are still seen, today as iconic, but over the years, they have changed the sound. How do you see that?
 
We believe without a doubt that Mayhem and Darkthrone are great pillars of Black Metal and we believe that the change in their sound is natural and valid.  Over the years, some bands acquire experience and knowledge that they apply to their composition, in addition sometimes the needs for expression and feeling change over time.
 
In 2020, you edited the demo "Tales from Middle Earth ... II". Can I take a chance and say that there is a different direction from the one followed earlier, in terms of sonority? It is still Black Metal, that's for sure, but it gives the impression that you took your foot off the gas, so to speak.
 
"The Tales of Middle Earth I", and "The Tales of Middle Earth II", are our way of doing a tribute to Tolkien work and we worked in an experimental way that gave it a  variation in sound compared to the rest of the composition and we sought to close the circle with an thematic album that will compile part 1 and 2 with a new 3 part in the future.
 
In contrast, "Wolf Attack" is a huge download of Black Metal! The variation in your sound, for "Tales From..." comes from the chosen theme? Does following a work dedicated to Tolkien call for an epic and less visceral sound?
 
This year we had more time to work on lagging compositions and create some more. On a social level, the pandemic definitely changed our lives and affected us like the rest of the planet.

How has the situation in 2020 changed your way of creating music, of seeing society, of relating to others? How do you see the former President's positions / decisions regarding the virus?

 
In general we do not like to talk about political issues, however we believe that we can make an exception to that.  We think that there were many deficiencies and contradictions with respect to the information, norms and way of handling the situation with respect to the pandemic.  We express our opinion from our perspective in a song that will appear in the future, for now I can only advance the name of that song, Pandemic from Pandemonium.
 
Do you think that from now on our Society will be able to find a new balance? The mandatory distancing, restrictions and prohibitions, do you believe that could shape a much more egocentric and selfish society?
 
We saw two kinds of people during what was 2020. The selfish ones who only care about themselves, who hoarded essential items from stores and pharmacies to store them as if we were living through an apocalyptic situation.  If it is true that we live in a delicate situation but not enough to empty the stores and lock ourselves in a bunker.  And there is the other people who feels more empathy and respect for others, regardless of race, sex, nationality or social class ... we do not know which side of the balance society leaned this 2021.
 
As far as Music is concerned, how did North American musicians live 2020? Was there support of any kind?
 
We all know that all live events around the world were cancelled and stopped, it did not affect us as a band because we are not a band that lives from music, all the members of the group have a job and fortunately we are not stopped working. The government gave a couple of economic incentives to all those who live legally in the country, but not targeted aid to musicians.
 
What can we expect from you for the near future? Will 2021 be a year of musical creation? Thank you very much, again, for the opportunity. May 2021 give us the opportunity to speak again! Cheers, mates!
 
Of course, we present new material this year and some other surprises. Thank you very much for your support and interest in our proposal, greetings and horns up!

Nocturnal Wolf Official Bandcamp