Band: NETHEREALM
Country of origin: Singapore
Style: oriental black metal
Questions by: Kai Mathias Stalhammar
Answers supplied by: Night (all vocals & instruments)

What about black metal scene in Singapore? Does NETHEREALM appear as it's imprescriptible part?

- The scene appears to be in a state of decline as of late… the majority of audiences and bands have latched onto the death metal resurgence and other movements, so it is not unusual that black metal is not the preferred choice nowadays. There are some acts who still remain dedicated to their dark practices, but these are by far few and between. NETHEREALM has always been an outsider to the local circle, few are aware of its presence and probably even fewer have actually heard my works. This is fine with me… too many useless symptoms plague the scene endlessly, so I’d rather keep my distance.

Seems like you're friends with Zirkelloch @ KIBOSH SIBYL KISMET...

- Yes, our friendship goes back a long way and we have regularly participated in one another’s musical outings.  He is one whom I consider a true metal brother.

As a matter of fact, do you think true friendship and devotion mean anything nowadays and are of importance to modern man?

- I think it depends on one’s notion of what true friendship is, as different individuals have varying standards for construing the depths of their relationships with others. This would again hinge on their social needs… an always wanting mind, if not checked by characteristics of self-confidence and strong will, often finds itself in a web of thin links where superficiality reigns supreme. On the other hand, an iron sense of independence will help to eliminate the need for mass indulgence and allow the owner to find his or her own real human pillars. Even though these pillars may end up being two or three in numbers, they will still be able to provide the same emotional satisfaction as a thousand men. I feel that true friendship has and always will have a place of importance in any era of man, for it has brought us this far as a whole progressive force. Communities and societies, tribes and herds, cultures and their sub-outlets… all these have been spawned of the intricate relationships that we base our mutual activities and interests on. The modern world’s growing affluence will make it increasingly difficult to build this kind of bond, but I cannot see this fire dying before our end. As long as there remains passion, dedication and devotion will not be far behind.

Does NETHEREALM stay a one-man band due to various circumstances (the ones I know nothing about as of yet, by the way) which didn't let you form a band of the full value?

- When I first put the band together, there were intentions to have a full line-up, but this proved to be extremely difficult. Most of the musicians that I came across were unsuitable in terms of mindsets, and it did not help that their lack of dedication was evident from the start. For me, it is important, especially in black metal, that band members share a similar ideological vision and commitment, as these are the elements that will lay a fertile foundation and shape the direction of the outfit in time to come. It’s not just a matter of being skilled musically or not, because one can always work more to improve in that aspect, but it is hard to do that with some unwilling psyches. This is why I decided to walk the path alone. I knew that I had to depend on someone to carry the band forward, so why not myself?

Doesn't this special kind of loneliness (or call it whatever you like) cause you any problems?

- Initially, it wasn’t easy to pick up instruments that I had not been familiar with in the past, but hours of practice have made this much better now, although my overall musicianship is still far from perfect. As a whole, I am relishing this solo journey. Things are done at my own pace and time, and there is also no one else to answer for but myself, so there is an unlimited freedom to truly pursue my desired direction and style. This way, the band has also become a real extension of my soul… it will live and end as with my own.

If I'm not mistaken, those three songs primarily weren't to come out in the shape of split MC w/ SERAPH...

- Those songs were actually supposed to have been released as a split tape with FLAUROS by a Malaysian label. After sending all the necessary stuff over, there was a long period of silence (almost a year) following which news came that the label had folded up. Luckily, I was able to get back the recorded material and started to look for other means to put it out. One thing was sure that I’d still wanted to release it as a split, so it was to be that I got in touch with Noctifer from SERAPH through tape-trading. We liked each other’s works a lot and decided to work on collaboration. Promos were sent around to some labels and Demonion Productions came back with an offer that we accepted.

By the way, why three tracks only (also pretty old ones as I suppose)?

- Because they were the only new tracks written at that point… in fact, only the first two songs were fully ready then, with the music for the last track being finalised a few days before the recording to be included as the closing opus. The material’s age can be attributed to the earlier- mentioned delay.

What's the mess with these "Chinese oriental vocals"...? Sorry, but I doubt if China and Singapore have anything in common, at least in terms of national language and cultural heritage...

- Both countries may be miles apart in terms of physical distance, but we have longstanding links that date back to the 1800s. Most of the Singapore Chinese population’s forefathers were immigrants from the Southern regions of China, and as such, they brought along and established cultural traditions from their birthplace. The descending generations grew up observing the same ceremonies and practices as our brethren in China, although modernisation and cultural imperialism has slowly led to the eroding of some of these traditions today. The official first language for Singapore is English, but the Chinese language remains the mother tongue for the Chinese people here, so it is only natural that I am bilingual. The lyrics for “Descent” were written as a short sonnet depicting a calling from the Chinese Hell, and they were sung with clear vocals to add a more authentic effect to the song. This was something that had been in the planning for some time, as the main lyrical theme of band has always centered on the ways of Chinese mysticism and lore.

What about next offering? For how long have we wait?

- Right now, I’m finishing up the final parts of some songs for a new demo / EP and will be starting to lay down the first inputs next month. Hopefully everything will be ready by early 2002. I won’t elaborate too much, except that it’ll still be in the usual vein with more of a classic / speed metal touch.

And one more "by the way": be it surprising or not, but it looks like bands of S.E.A. origin keep on releasing their stuff in the shape of MC... Hey, why not CDs???

- One reason could be that the general demand in the region is still for cassette tapes… some countries are still developing economically, so the financial resources of listeners in those lands may not be able to sustain the high price of a CD. This is also why some distros do licensing of albums from Western labels and press them into tape versions for the local audiences. Another point that I can offer is that the life spans of many South-East Asian bands are not very long. They last long enough to come up with some demos but fade away into obscurity before having the chance to release their stuff on digital format. The productions of some of these releases are also too low or weak and would fit much better on a tape. But with the cheaper cost of producing CDs nowadays, there is an increasing number of acts who are doing self-financed discs or getting labels to help them with it, so the situation may yet improve.

What if I'd say that European and Asian (metal) scenes are destined to stay in state of permanent antagonism? One can hardly find any Asia's bands featured in European (maga)zines, and on the contrary...

- I think we have to look at the two sides of the coin for this matter. Firstly, one can’t really blame the European listeners for missing out on the bulk of the Asian scene… a particular trait of most bands here is that they do not seem to promote themselves outside of their own or neighbouring countries. They are willing to play live shows to gain more publicity locally and are content with gaining their home crowds’ support, but when it comes to actual releases, it is hard to find them being distributed on overseas mail-orders or see promotional flyers going around. Whether this is due to a lack of networking or just plain disinterest, only they would know… but with the advent of mass communication tools like the Internet, all it takes is just some effort. On the other hand, the majority of European maniacs will have to realise that there is more to our scene than just the Japanese one. I see many rushing to lap up the same old SABBAT, ABIGAIL and SIGH records but the releases of others like HERETIC ANGELS (Thailand) and LANGSUYR (Malaysia) would probably sound foreign to them. Even the more underground but equally competent Japanese bands like GORUGOTH and MAGANE are often ignored. Some may argue that the quality of Asian bands is not as high as the European ones, but I beg to differ… creativity isn’t limited by geographic borders. More labels and ‘zines can also take the initiative to seek out deserving bands to work with, for they are the important eyes and ears of the underground. After that, it is up to the listeners themselves…

There's a couple of Muslim States located not so far from Singapore (in case of heading North); furthermore, there's a certain amount of Pakistanis residing in the same country as you do; and in the light of recent events, I can't but wonder what's your attitude to Islam.

- Most of the Muslims in Singapore practise a moderate form of Islam, so I don’t foresee any serious tension happening here. Contemporary Islamic radicalism is but a veil for a power struggle, spawned forth by the trappings that the modern and capitalistic society has left in its wake. The extremist leaders are not necessarily driven by poverty, but they are tapping on the hearts of followers, who hail mainly from Third World states and developing nations, to satisfy their bouts of megalomania. This radical fervour will certainly last as long as the economic gap between the rich and the poor countries continues to widen, so it is up to the free world to reach back and do something about it.

Do you know anything regarding Russia? What exactly?

- I’m sorry that my knowledge of your country is limited. Besides being familiar with several aspects of your political history, I am greatly in awe of the works of two of your literary masters, Aleksander Pushkin and Leo Tolstoy. “War and Peace” simply ranks as one of the best epics ever written.

The last words are yours...

- Thank you for the great interview, Kai! I certainly enjoyed our most interesting chat. All the best for Vae Solis and your future works. Asuras awaits…

NETHEREALM contact -
Email: netherealm@mail.com