The mighty Behemoth return to Australia to lay waste to all lovers of extreme metal as part of the 2019 Download Festival as well as a couple of sideshows with the legendary Slayer who will be making one last tour down under. We talk to Nergal about the tour plus we get into a round of our new segment called “Off The Record”.
Steve: Hi Nergal how are you?
Nergal:Hey man awesome to chat with you today!
Steve: Thank you! So it must be exciting to head back to Australia for the Download festival, are there any stand out bands you’re looking forward to seeing?
Nergal: Absolutely man, we haven’t been there since 2015 so it’s been a while. I mean Australia has always been very generous to us from the very first tour that I remember, well you guys have always been very generous and I’m always happy to come back.
Steve: Awesome and how does it feel to know you’re sharing the stage with Slayer one last time given the enormous history and back catalogue that they have?
Nergal: It feels amazing. I mean we are already a part of history by doing this on one hand and it’s sad because it’s the final Slayer tour, we can’t really imagine a world without this band but then I can understand why they are saying goodbye. I mean Tom (Araya) is just saying he is tired and I’m like, we’ve got to expect that so we are just making the most from this opportunity.
Steve: Yeah I can totally understand that, Slayer has been a part of my life also for such a long time and I’m sure it’s the same for you?
Nergal: Yeah man I’m such a fan boy and we are all friends so it’s a game changer for us really.
Steve: Yeah and given you guys have toured so much in the past you must have a particularly close bond, are you close with anyone in particular or just the entire band?
Nergal: Each one of them is super nice and very supportive. I’ve been friends the longest with Gary Holt ever since we first toured with Exodus, he’s just one of the nicest and most down to earth dudes out there. Great fucking guitar player, super inspirational and he’s a huge supporter of Behemoth, big fan and I know Kerry King better and he’s just awesome and Paul and Tom is just always smiling. Yeah what can I say, just awesome!
Steve: Great stuff and then of course not to mention the mighty Anthrax?
Nergal: Yeah man, same story, nice dudes. I got along with Charlie and Frank really well on the last tour, Charlie is a big CrossFit fan and Frank is super nice, always being very embracing and super cool.
Steve: Cool so what do you like the most about Australia besides the weather, anything in particular?
Nergal: It just feels like a different world, I mean our approach is different. I really like being here, it’s mellow and the people are really nice and it makes a nice change from making angry metal (laughs).
Steve: Great to hear! So here at the Rockpit we do a little segment for our Podcast “Heaven and Hell” called “Off The Record“. I’ll just ask a few questions and whatever springs to mind feel free to jump in, is that ok?
Nergal: Sure!
OFF THE RECORD
Steve: So aside from making music and making angry metal as you say, what is a guilty pleasure that you have that not many people know about you?
Nergal: I don’t have a problem admitting that I listen to a lot of different music besides metal. Out of the bands I dig that are non metal I’m super excited about a Norwegian band called Madrugada [who] are coming back with a tour and I’ve never seen them live and I’m flying to Berlin to see them in a few weeks. tThey are a great band, like alternative rock.
Steve: What is the craziest fan encounter you’ve ever had?
Nergal: I don’t know because for us it’s an everyday occurrence. A fan will come up and ask me to sign their fucking thigh and the next day they come back with the signature tattooed and I’m like, ‘Holy Fuck, really!’ And they say, ‘Oh it means so much to me’, and it’s like, Ok I wouldn’t put a signature on my leg but I’ve got to respect that. It’s crazy you know, and also it doesn’t happen very often but when I see a wheelchair guy fucking crowd surfing, I don’t know, it just makes something for me unspeakable. I don’t know what to say, I’ve seen it numerous times but every time I see it, Holy Fuck! These guy can’t even fucking walk and they make this effort to go to the show and they perform and seeing how the metal community embrace that, they won’t beat the guy because of his circumstances, they fucking help him out! Wheelchair up, fucking head banging, going wild! It’s not often I’m lost for words, it’s crazy. It’s good crazy, amazing.
Steve: I completely understand as I have elbow crutches myself permanently and I try and get into the pit and music has this ability to transcend everything whether you can walk or not.
Nergal Yeah absolutely.
Steve: So if you could be a part of an album in history what would it be and why?
Nergal: Venom “Black Metal” and I don’t need to answer why (Laughs).
Steve: (Laughs) fair enough. Where is your favorite place to play in the world?
Nergal: Not really, it would be much easier to pick a place that I don’t like playing but then I don’t want to make anyone feel bad because I don’t. I must say we maintain a pretty solid following and anywhere we go there’s a nice welcome, people really embrace us. Some places are a little bit slower but I’ve also learned that it doesn’t necessarily mean that they don’t like it, it may just mean that they are an observer and moshers just crazy guys that go wild in the pit and I see it in their eyes if they’re liking and enjoying it. You don’t need to move a lot but most places we go people move a lot (Laughs).
Steve: What was the last album that really piqued your interest?
Nergal: I listened to the last Overkill record “The Wings Of War“, I think I made a post about it. I’ve never really been a fan and then I listened to this record and I was like, ‘Oh Shit! It’s a great band (Laughs).
Steve: It’s great when music strikes you like that.
Nergal: Yeah another thing I’ve learned. there might be this band X or Y, whatever you name it you may ignore them for most of their career, then one day you listen to one song on a record and it’s like, Holy Fuck! I think I missed out, then you can go back and catch all the best parts but I think it catches you in the right time like people ask me, ‘What do you think of this band?’ and it doesn’t catch me but then I know in 5 years time our musical tastes may change so maybe one day you might start liking Bob Marley, you just never know.
AUSTRALIA TOUR DATES
THE RIVERSTAGE, BRISBANE, THURSDAY MARCH 07
DOWNLOAD FESTIVAL, SYDNEY, SATURDAY MARCH 09
DOWNLOAD FESTIVAL, MELBOURNE, MONDAY MARCH 11
AEC ARENA, ADELAIDE, WEDNESDAY MARCH 13
Tickets:
Sydney & Melbourne Download Festival: Ticketmaster
Brisbane & Adelaide – LiveNation.com.au
