Nergal from Behemoth sits down to participate in our new segment Off The Record where we get into crazy fan encounters, new music and more.
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.
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.
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).
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).
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).
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.
