MSN Music Blog has issued an interview with NACHTMYSTIUM frontman Blake Judd. The following is an excerpt:

Q: Each album seems so different from the one before. Are you headed in a specific direction, or is the band’s evolution sparked in the studio, in the moment? Or does each album depend on who’s playing on it?

A: "I think it’s a little of all three of those things, actually. In general, I’d like our music to head in a more accessible direction, just 'cause that’s where my tastes have gone as I’ve gotten older. I’ve found myself less drawn to really extreme metal music, and maybe it’s just me growing up or whatever, but I listen to a lot of different types of music, and metal has kind of dwindled on the spectrum of things I’m listening to lately. I think that has the most to do with the sound you’ll find on Addicts being a little more rock-oriented. But also, the people that are playing on the records, they’re all chosen specifically for what I’m trying to go for at the time, and I’m fortunate enough to know a ton of people that play in good bands and are willing to come and work with me. So it’s a little of everything. But as far as the future goes, I don’t think we’ll ever have one set style, and it’s not like we’re lost directionally at all. It’s what I feel like doing at the time more than anything, and currently it’s kinda this wannabe Killing Joke/Queens of the Stone Age thing, and I think the music we’ll be doing in the future will be more on par with what we’re doing now than, say, Demise or Instinct: Decay or something like that."

Q: The PINK FLOYD influence that was so prominent last time seems mostly gone, except on 'The End is Eternal'. Why did you choose to call this one Black Meddle Part II, given how little it has in common with the last record?

A: "Basically, the lyrical content is pretty similar. The themes of the records are the part that’s the most cohesive—the visuals and the lyrics are the connection between the two. I kinda wanna throw a curve ball at people, too."

Q: Listening to what you're doing now, I kinda feel like your vocals no longer fit, that maybe you should start pursuing a more Pete Steele/Andrew Eldritch type baritone delivery. Have you thought about that at all?

A: "You know, I agree with you, and I actually tried to sing in the studio for Addicts. I tried to do a more proper vocal style, and basically, I’m good at some things but singing just ain’t one of 'em. Given my limitations naturally with my ability to sing, the thing I try my best with is to make sure that even with the harsh vocal approach, you can understand me. I try to be more intelligible than most people. I think that’s one thing that keeps a lot of people away from metal music, is that they can’t understand the lyrics, and I figure if I’m gonna have this kind of delivery, I’m gonna enunciate enough that if you listen carefully you can pick out good chunks of the phrases if not all of em. That’s about as good as I can do at that. And I struggle, too. Ideally, I would love to have an actual singer at this point, but it would change the dynamic of the band so much that it wouldn’t be Nachtmystium anymore. So I feel like I’m kinda stuck in this place where I need to continue to be the vocalist, just because we have about ten releases prior to this. If we brought a real singer in, that would mean we’d probably have to abandon the majority of our back catalog in terms of live performance. And it just wouldn’t be the same band anymore. So if I ever get inspired enough to do something where I really wanna bring in a new singer, I’d probably just start a new band."

Read the complete interview at this location.

More on Nachtmystium, including their live schedule, at this location.