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Nightbringer II

Nightbringer II

by Niklas Göransson

Forged through discipline and chaos, Nightbringer honed their sound in the shadows. In the heart of the Rocky Mountains, under skies fractured by fire and frost, they underwent a baptism that paved the way for Death and the Black Work.

 

NAAS ALCAMETH: Nox Corvus was a killer drummer but an equally superb guitarist. His father is a musician who plays folk music on acoustic guitar yet can also perform Bach and Rachmaninoff. Growing up in that environment, Nox started playing guitar at six and picked up drums two years later.

NOX CORVUS: I’d hear my dad play constantly. He still performs one of my childhood favourites, a beautiful piece by John Renbourn called “The Trees They Do Grow High”. Classical music obviously influences black metal, so I keep returning to moody minor chords; those darker tonalities have always resonated with me.

By 2003, NIGHTBRINGER – comprising Naas Alcameth, Ophis, and Nox Corvus – were still developing their sound. Until then, Alcameth had been the primary songwriter.

ALCAMETH: I specifically remember when Nox’s girlfriend bought him a new guitar. I went over to his place, and he said, ‘I’ve got some riffs for you to check out.’ When he played them – using rapid tremolo picking and climbing nearly to the twenty-fourth fret on the highest string – my mind was blown. Not many people do that.

NOX CORVUS: We rarely used guitar solos, so any high trem picking essentially acted as a melody line – a riff rather than a flashy solo. One could call it a lead, but it’s really just a higher register of the main progression, as if you’re playing the same thing on the lower strings. Once I discovered how powerful that approach sounded, it stuck.

Rapid tremolo picking involves striking a single note repeatedly, creating a sustained, intense effect. By ascending the scale to the guitar’s highest notes, Nox Corvus produced a piercing, high-pitched sequence that became foundational to NIGHTBRINGER’s sound.

ALCAMETH: I was like, ‘That sounds so fucking sick! This is what I’m doing from now on. Thank you.’ I emulated him and it’s important to acknowledge that – I took his idea and ran with it. Nox laid the groundwork for everything I’ve done since. Those trademark high, keening, speed-picking riffs I’m known for? I’ve got to tip my hat to him.

 

The riffs Nox Corvus wrote became the backbone of new NIGHTBRINGER tracks such as “Mors Philosophorum” and “The Void”.

ALCAMETH: We spent… I wanna say, two to three years just trying to pull things together for the TEMPLE OF NOT splitsaving up money for studio time and making the trip to record. This all happened with my good friend Dave Otero, whom I’ve known since my punk-rock days.

Dave Otero, who now runs Flatline Audio in Denver, began recording music in his mother’s basement – a setup known as Hellion Studios.

ALCAMETH: Back then, Dave was just a kid too, and he said, ‘Pay me as you go, and we’ll record as we go.’ That’s basically how it came together. We kept tweaking and reworking the songs over and over – but in the end, that’s what got us signed to Full Moon.

The promo tracks caught the attention of Florida-based underground label Full Moon Productions, ultimately leading to a record deal offer for NIGHTBRINGER.

ALCAMETH: To me, Full Moon Productions was the first true American black metal label – the real shit. Being recognised by them felt like a huge deal.

 

In addition to the advance tracks, what piqued the interest of Full Moon Productions owner Jon Thorns were photos from NIGHTBRINGER’s stage debut the previous year. The images depicted a robed Alcameth holding a staff adorned with massive nails and a child’s skull, framed by a forested backdrop.

This performance took place at the inaugural Gathering of Shadows, an underground black metal festival deep in the Colorado mountains. Organised by Myrddraal of BELLUM, Alcameth, and their circle of friends, the event featured bands performing on a natural rock platform in the woods, with amps powered by a generator.

ALCAMETH: Once the pictures started spreading, we were getting hit up left and right by people wanting to play. For the second year, we had KRIEG and NACHTMYSTIUM – both respected bands at the time – as well as DEMONCY coming out.

VJS: During the early days, Full Moon Productions was our main black metal mail-order here in the US. As time passed, the label’s owner created the infamous FMP Forum. A friend recommended it to me, so I joined and learned about the Gathering of Shadows festival.

At the time, American multi-instrumentalist VJS was based in Atlanta, Georgia. The year before, he’d joined US black metal veterans DEMONCY – who were coming off their second album, “Empire of the Fallen Angel” – after approaching the band’s founder, Ixithra, at a local show.

VJS: To me, his line-up didn’t reflect DEMONCY’s true essence, so I told Ixithra outright: ‘Now I’m going to play guitar.’ My arrogance took him by surprise, but he recognised my resolve. We forged a pact – I’d take on guitar duties in DEMONCY, and in exchange, he’d help me with INCURSUS’s early development.

INCURSUS, a black metal band founded in 2001, began as a collaborative effort by VJS and his friend Horidus to explore the darker reaches of the genre. After recruiting Ixithra on drums, the trio recorded a self-titled demo in 2005.

VJS: We were always searching for other people in the United States who were serious about black metal. So, after discovering Gathering of Shadows, I contacted the organiser, Myrddraal, about a week or so in advance and told him that DEMONCY would enthusiastically play the second edition. He seemed pretty shocked, of course.

Gathering of Shadows: Cults of the Black Flame took place in June 2005. It featured NIGHTBRINGER, IBEX THRONE, NIBIRU, NACHTMYSTIUM, KRIEG, and DEMONCY.

VJS: We drove twenty-four hours to get there and essentially demolished everything, because that era of DEMONCY – which included my brother in INCURSUS, Horidus, on vocals – had cultivated a lethal live show. All of us lived together in a black house, rehearsing every night at midnight. We really pushed ourselves into the wilderness at the edge of our psyches and discovered the potency of what could be referred to as a coven.

Founded in Sylva, North Carolina, in 1989, DEMONCY is recognised as one of the earliest American black metal bands. As a big fan of their debut album, “Joined in Darkness”, it is pleasing to learn that Ixithra still had such a transgressive attitude toward the genre in 2005.

VJS: After everything he endured in the 90s, I believe Ixithra hungered for that feeling. He seemed genuinely eager to return to those extreme states of human consciousness. Both then and now, we don’t surrender to mortal limitations – we push ourselves as far as possible without dying, landing in prison, or going insane. That’s always been the goal.

By this point, NIGHTBRINGER had only released the TEMPLE OF NOT split. Were you already aware of it?

VJS: Oh, absolutely. It was being discussed all over the United States underground. At the time, only a handful of black metal bands were active in America. INCURSUS had just started taking form, same with NIGHTBRINGER, and I suppose XASTHUR could also be included among those emerging acts. We were always on the hunt for a new generation.

 

The event began with unexpected chaos when parts of IBEX THRONE’s drum set, intended for use by all the bands, flew off the roof of their vehicle and were crushed by a passing semi-truck. This left Nox Corvus’ drums as the only available kit on site.

ALCAMETH: He goes, ‘You’re telling me every band here is playing on my kit?’ Now, I love my brother to the end of days, but he was not okay with anybody using it <laughs>. To the point where we actually got into an argument, and he packed up his shit and left.

NOX CORVUS: My gear isn’t community property. Never has been – never will be. So, when they said, ‘Hey, we need your kit’, I replied, ‘Go ask someone else.’ I might have lent the shells, but my cymbals, snare, or pedals? No way. That’s personal. I don’t want other folks’ boogers or germs on my stuff.

After some phone mediation, Nox Corvus eventually returned to the festival grounds – though far from enthusiastic.

ALCAMETH: I completely get itif we showed up to a festival and someone said, ‘Everyone’s playing on your guitar tonight’, I’d be like, ‘No, they’re not.’ But yeah, I can’t help but laugh when I picture it. Just imagine the motherfuckers behind them, watching a drum set fly off the roof and get flattened by a semi-truck.

 

The evening included NIGHTBRINGER’s second live performance – and judging by the available photos, they certainly captured the black metal aesthetic. If one considers the concept of ‘set and setting’ as a means to amplify an energetic discharge, this is as fitting as it gets.

ALCAMETH: That’s been my approach from the start. Perspectives shift over time, but I’ve always believed you need the right headspace before stepping on stage – you must enter a specific state of mind. At Gathering of Shadows, you’re in the woods with fires blazing and stars overhead. It’s hard not to feel completely immersed.

Do you consider your live shows to be rituals?

ALCAMETH: I suppose I did back then, but I’ve changed my tune on that. Through my background in more formal esoteric tracks, I’ve come to see it differently. You can’t call a gathering of random people drinking and partying a ‘ritual’ – it just isn’t. However, you can frame it in a Bacchic or Dionysian sense.

Ancient Greek and Roman festivals honouring Dionysus or Bacchus – the god of wine, fertility, and ecstatic celebration – were characterised by uninhibited revelry, music, dance, and the breaking of social norms.

ALCAMETH: You feed off the crowd’s energy – that wild, chaotic element – and draw from it however you can. The stupid shit, like people filming, is always going to be there. Just ignore it and get into your own headspace. It’s a challenge; you have to get up and project your shit. Either you break through that barrier, or you fail.

While not rituals in a strict esoteric sense, these Dionysian gatherings were meant to channel a collective release of primal energy and emotion, tapping into deeper aspects of human consciousness and spirituality through chaos and reckless abandon.

ALCAMETH: It creates a kind of hysteria, adding fervour and fire that pulls you into a maniacal state. The more you feed off this mass frenzy, the more your audience reciprocates. Who the spectators are as individuals is irrelevant as long as there’s mutual engagement. Nor does it matter whether they understand the underlying occult concepts – it’s primal.

 

The festival was also supposed to feature a performance by US black metal ‘supergroup’ TWILIGHT, featuring members of KRIEG, NACHTMYSTIUM, and LEVIATHAN.

ALCAMETH: I didn’t know any of them. Truthfully, I don’t care to know any of ‘em except for Wrest (LEVIATHAN). Not only is he a stand-up individual, but his music’s fucking genius. I have total respect for that dudehe’s a visionary. Every one of his works is completely unique, yet always unmistakably Wrest.

In addition to his main project, LEVIATHAN, JefWrestWhitehead released the critically acclaimed self-titled LURKER OF CHALICE album – a harrowing fusion of black metal and dark ambient.

ALCAMETH: The one other person from that scene I have to give props to is Akhenaten of JUDAS ISCARIOT. I liked everything he did and always thought he had a solid stance. I also appreciate him just fucking vanishing into the night. Great way to go out‘Fuck you, fuck off, I’m gone.’

Full Moon Productions employee J.B. Bauer attended the festival, later authoring a lengthy report. He noted that TWILIGHT’s performance was cancelled at the last minute by NACHTMYSTIUM’s Blake Judd.

ALCAMETH: Yeah, I remember Blake throwing a tantrum. The festival ‘stage’ was literally a patch of land in the woods, and he didn’t like the monitors. He thought the soundcheck should’ve been better and started pulling some serious rockstar shit. Honestly, Blake came this close to getting his ass handed to him, complaining about everything. And that was before it started snowing.

Is snowfall a common occurrence in June?

ALCAMETH: No! It felt as if the gods conspired against us. So fucking bizarre – just one shitty event after another. I mean, we’re talking about early summer, and while Colorado weather can be unpredictable, that was next level. First, it starts to rain, and we’re like, ‘Oh yeah, of course: rain.’ Then, suddenly, ‘What the fuck? It’s snowing.’

NOX CORVUS: Some non-Colorado natives showed up in t-shirts, got sunburned during the day, and then had nowhere to hide when the snow hit. Luckily, the Full Moon Productions booth was selling hoodies, which probably saved a lot of people from freezing.

ALCAMETH: It was hilarious watching all these people scrambling to pack up their shit and take off to the nearest hotel. We were like, ‘Fuck you guys anyway. Good riddance.’ At least it sorted us out, right? The black metal diehards stayedsitting in the snow with torches and fires burning.

DEMONCY had prepared two massive, inverted crucifixes standing two-and-a-half metres (8 ft) tall, wrapped in kerosene-soaked black cloth. As they began playing, the crosses were set ablaze.

VJS: We lit those crosses while the stars were still shining. At that altitude and time of year in the Rocky Mountains, every constellation is perfectly visible. I can still recall the sharp smell of kerosene, the biting cold, the snow beginning to fall, and gazing upward as my mind drifted far from my physical form.

ALCAMETH: We stood there in awe, like, ‘Fucking amazing!’ But at the same time, ‘This is gonna burn the whole forest down!’ <laughs> So, there’s all of this happening at once: giant pillars of flame, burning inverted crosses, and DEMONCY playing “Joined in Darkness”.

VJS: I have no tangible memory of the set itself – just the overwhelming sense of expanded awareness. The only thing that broke my trance came after roughly twenty-two songs, when a string snapped in the freezing air.

 

J.B. Bauer’s report generated considerable attention, spreading the word of Gathering of Shadows as far as Sweden. It also served to promote “Rex Ex Ordine Throni”, NIGHTBRINGER’s split with TEMPLE OF NOT – Alcameth’s ambient project – released by Full Moon Productions in November 2005.

ALCAMETH: As a teenager, I remember being fascinated by the old-school Full Moon logo – the one based on MYSTICUM’s raven-and-pentagram design. By then, the label had updated it, but I told Jon, ‘Nope, our split must have the original logo you used when I was seventeen.

NOX CORVUS: Just like with that first EXCOMMUNION album, it felt great to add this to our discography. Seeing the original Full Moon logo on the split made it even better.

The release of “Rex Ex Ordine Throni” – proudly adorned by the classic Full Moon logo – coincided with Alcameth’s departure from EXCOMMUNION.

ALCAMETH: NIGHTBRINGER started almost as a side project of EXCOMMUNION. Then I realised I wasn’t into death metal anymore and said, ‘I’m just gonna focus on NIGHTBRINGER.’ My bandmates were furious, like, ‘We’re young, got signed to a good label, went on tour, and played Milwaukee Metal Festliving the dream!’

Back in July 2002, EXCOMMUNION performed at Milwaukee Metalfest XVI, sharing the stage with prominent death metal acts like INCANTATION, THE CHASM, DECEASED, and HATE ETERNAL.

ALCAMETH: I thought, ‘I wanna play black metal. That’s where my soul is. This is what I’ve gotta do.’ I basically handed over the reins – ‘I’m bowing out; you guys can take it from here.’ They weren’t exactly thrilled with my decision but said, ‘Well, you wrote most of the music, so let’s just call it a day.’

NOX CORVUS: I’m not entirely sure when, why, or how everything unfolded – but one day, EXCOMMUNION simply ended. The experience was fun while it lasted, and I’m fine with how things turned out. I think the band ran its course, and I have no regrets.

 

The third edition of Gathering of ShadowsRise of the Fullmoon Temple – featured the return of DEMONCY, as well as appearances from CRIMSON MOON, INCURSUS, LEGIONS OF ASTAROTH, DAGON, TENEBROUS, and ABYSSMAL NOCTURNE.

VJS: After the first visit, we recognised the location’s potential: an hour’s drive up a dirt road in the high Rocky Mountains, completely isolated from civilisation. Nobody could interfere, making it the ideal setting. I decided to return the next year with all our bands. I’ve mentioned INCURSUS, but we also had TENEBROUS, which leaned more towards a Polish black metal atmosphere.

TENEBROUS also included Horidus and DEMONCY bass player Armanen. Today, Armanen and VJS collaborate in VAEOK.

VJS: We brought everyone, performing across one another’s bands to form a proper black circle – something seen in many countries, and we had our own. Furthermore, I’d devised a plan: for an entire year, I gathered roadkill, urine, blood, and semen, storing the mixture in massive tubs under our house to let it ferment into a rancid concoction. A foul odour permeated the place continuously.

Come June 2006, VJS drove these tubs twenty-four hours to Colorado, dreading a police stop at every turn. During the INCURSUS set, the contents were poured onto red-hot coals.

VJS: The liquid didn’t burn so much as it smouldered, producing a dense mist – quite literally a funeral fog. The stench drove away everyone except a handful, including the NIGHTBRINGER members. We filled the entire valley with that deathly reek, perfectly achieving our goal: to overwhelm all five senses and push people to tap into their sixth.

ALCAMETH: The boiling sludge created this thick, rancid smoke… and you know how smoke changes direction in the wind? It was hilarious watching people get hit by it – they’d start gagging, almost throwing up, and try to run away.

NOX CORVUS: INCURSUS brought cauldrons of death and bile, lit them on fire, and smoked out the entire place. It was horrific, nasty, and incredible all at the same time. Exactly the vibe that night needed.

 

ALCAMETH: I doubt the third year of Gathering of Shadows could ever be topped; it was absolute and total chaos. Everything came apart yet fell in line perfectly. The schedule got so fucked up that DEMONCY didn’t go on until 5 am, right before dawn. But how fucking awesome is that?

VJS: Playing in the early morning hours was nothing unusual. In Mexico, where we frequently performed, the first band sometimes started at midnight, and the headliner wouldn’t go on until 4 am. So, this didn’t faze us. Besides, the festival’s setting – both physically and spiritually – felt nothing short of awe-inspiring. None of us would’ve slept anyway.

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