Well, I certainly had a lot of reading to catch up on after one day at work. Somehow, I knew it would happen with this editorial when the thread came up though.
Anyway, I wanted to point out something, and I didn't see where anyone else has mentioned it out so far. After reading this article, I think it would be really easy to label Nokturnal Mortum somewhat unfairly. All of the examples of lyrics here came from the "NeChrist" album, which to my knowledge is their most recent full length release. It is with this album that the band really shifted into an NSBM band. So you can judge them by one album if you like (and I'm not considering whether or not you find the lyrics offensive), but either way you decide, you're ignoring their previous work.
It just seems a bit unfair to me that someone might read such a thing and get a very one-dimensional impression of the band. Not only are we considering
one album here, but we're
only considering it's lyrical content. :( And, after all, there is not one review of a Nokturnal Mortum album on this site.
Personally, I'm not especially thrilled with the direction they took on "NeChrist", and I have yet to buy it (it's still on my want list though). Am I annoyed by the NSBM stance? A little, but I've also heard that musically it wasn't as good as their earlier efforts (although some do say it is their best), and the bits I've heard didn't jump out at me like their other works did. ... I love the "Lunar Poetry" release, and I think anyone who is interested in black metal (particularly if you like a bit of folk in it) and doesn't give that one a listen is missing out. I like "Goat Horns" and "To the Gates" a lot as well (the latter of which seems to have been somewhat of a transitional album, and I think the only thing hurting it is poor mixing - but it never seems to get much attention).
But you won't find the lyrics for those older albums, or their other, less known releases, other than "To the Gates of Blasphemous Fire" anywhere. Even so, are any of those lyrics reprinted here? No. Granted I realize the point was to talk about NSBM lyrics in particular, but I feel like this band has been singled out and slighted a bit.
Then again, I can somewhat confirm that I've read interviews with the staff at TER where it was acknowledged that they were a little uneasy and confused about what Nokturnal Mortum was doing with the "NeChrist" album. I've also read where Knjaz claimed TER owed them a bit of money, and that the band (he?) was unhappy with how their records were being distributed... Make of that what you will, as well as some of the lineup changes they've experienced in the band.
At any rate, I do know Alex is a "fan" of The End Records, and I'm also sure that's why this band in particular came up so much in this article. I agree with him about TER, and I always know that as soon as a new release comes from the label, he'll be the one on it.
As I said, I just think this editorial came off a bit slanted.
-Tyrion
*edited for grammar*
:evil: