BW&BK Exclusive: BEHEMOTH's Nergal - "If Someone Gets The Record From The Internet And It Sucks, I Don't Expect You To Buy It!"
April 30, 2007, 17 years ago
Special report by Mark Gromen:
Always the straight shooter, BEHEMOTH's Nergal (guitar/vocals) discusses the forthcoming Century Media release, The Apostasy, and the Poles participation in OZZFest.
An expert on all things "evil," he talks about Internet downloads. "This downloading thing, I'm not one of those guys who says, 'Hey, you're stealing my money.' I see a positive side to it. See what happened to Machine Head with the new record (The Blackening). I downloaded it, but then I was the first one in line to buy it, when it came out. It's an amazing album. If someone gets the record from the Internet and it sucks, then I don't expect you to buy it. If you don't have money, download it. I want people to listen to the music. Of course I want people to appreciate my efforts. Metal is all about fetishes. Metalheads love covers (artwork). This is good. It's not like pop. I believe people will buy the final version."
For a band like Behemoth, the music is just part of the overall product, which includes lush packaging, onstage visuals, etc.
"It's always the same, so much work, so much stress. We have to reorganize the pieces, the logistics, within the band. It's too much (for one person)," claims the workaholic frontman. "There's lots of work needed to get the album completed. Behemoth is one of the most conceptual bands out there. Every single piece has to fit each other. When you see us live, it has to fit the video you saw on TV. The video has to fit the album cover. The lyrics are not out-of-the-blue. There's lots of links. I'm happy that more people are interested in discovering something that is more demanding and ambitious."Those larger crowds are certain to swell even more, after the band joins this year's OZZFest, something that was going to happen, even before it became a freebie.
"I learned from Century Media that the guy who books the second stage is a big fan. Apparently he came to the show in LA last year and bought a t-shirt. So the label was willing to buy us on to Ozzfest, but this year it's free! I'm thankful, but I still don't believe it. It's still abstract. Sharon Osbourne must have big balls, to bring more dangerous music to the table, like us and Nile. We are not the most friendly music. That's cool!"As previously reported, NEVERMORE vocalist Warrel Dane sings on 'Inner Sanctum', one track on The Apostasy.
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