Netherbird don't bother about negativity



Netherbird is about darkness, gloom and beauty. The violent storms that blow within the most quiet ones, the comming fall, the last flowers on the last day of summer. It is about the frost that claims us all. Netherbird is about the short flickering spark of life in between two eternities of darkness. Here is a conversation with Nephente, the vocalist for Netherbird.

Hello how's it going? I'm in Texas freezing my ass off.
Hey Paul, here in Sweden it's winter but we rarely get any some these years so it is "warm" compared to how it used to be. Somewhere around 0 degrees centigrade. So it aint to bad!

Give the people a little history of theĀ  band. How Netherbird came into being?
Netherbird was formed by me (vocals), Grim (guitars) and Bizmark (guitars + keyboards) late 2005 or something like that. We had a shared idea of how a band should sound and operate. We knew eachother a bit before but when meeting and discussing it was evident that we had to try to make some music. So we wrote "Boulevard Black" a little while later and had some friends filling the ranks for the recording and we liked what we heard and have just progressed from there. We have good chemistry so it is actually always a pleasure doing things for Netherbird.

When I heard the "Ghost Collector" CD I said in the review it remind Cradle's "Dusk And Her Embrace" and "Midian" I think era but a few more listens I was wrong in some aspects.
Well I have heard that before so I don't know if you are right or not but I am totally ok with the comparrison thou I of course dont view our music as closely to Cradle as some seem to do at a glance. If you listen closely to our tunes I think you will note that we have somewhat different roots than Cradle but of course with our use of varied vocals (my range is both screams and growls + spoken) and our use of keyboards it is easy to label us that way. I am glad you listened more and found more, I think Cradle of Filth is a great band but they sound very different from us today thou we sure might have some hints from the "Dusk..." and "Cruelty"-era. Well, it is up to others to decide on what we sound like haha. I personally would say we sound more like Unanimated but it is all a matter of your musical framework I guess!

Has reaction to the CD been good so far?
Yes we are stunned by the reviews and the exceed anything we hoped for. We are a new band and we actually thought we would get struck by the "fuck-new-bands-they-newer-do-anything-new-anyways" hammer but a lot of reviewers have seen something in our music that strikes a nerve. I think it is because we have our influences and roots way back in the old extreme metal legacy. We sound old but not in a primitive way but a lot of reviewers have felt something familiar in our music but without being able to pinpoint exactly what. So I think that is what has given us so much positive reviews. I am glad but I also know that the material we have written for future releases is stronger so I know we will top those reviews and that gives me a lot of confidence. But yes, far better reviews than anticipated.



I noticed that the band added more ingredents to the music on the CD that would the comparison to Cradle ends.
I am glad you see the difference, I think it is unfair to Cradle and to us to say our music is alike really. If you look more closely we are very different and I hope a lot of people will see that. We are not trying to be another Cradle, why should we? There is one and that is enough, we just do music the way we think feels best and that is what Netherbird is. It is also important to note that I personally started out screaming/growling about the same time Cradle released their first couple of demos so our roots are not that unlike and of course we do have things in common just as we have things in common with Unanimated, Dimmu Borgir, Marduk, Dissection and other bands I will always look to for inspiration.

In the video the Blackest Breed Adrian (ex Cradle) played drums in the video. How did that come about? Was he also involved in the recording process too?
Yes the drums for the Blackest Breed are played by Adrian both on the disc and in the video, thats correct!

Do the band have as premanent drummer?
Yes we do, Adrian Erlandsson.

How positive the reviews been so far on the CDs?
Well most are positive in the range of 7:s to 9:s on a 10 grade scale.

Has there been negative responses to the CD?
There are always people who seem to hate new bands, hates my vocals, our clothes, our artwork or just about anything about us haha. Well I am not surprised, judging from the reviews some reviews dont even have to listen to a a disc to hate it it seems. I dont let that bother me the least. Not everyone will ever love our music. Perhaps they might like our next album, perhaps they will hate it even more.

What is the plans as far as touring goes?
We will do our first shows in 2009 and then we will most likely do some touring. Looking forward to it for sure!

The band already have new material for the next opus?
Hell yes, we got the next album written and are actually already writing for the album after that. A quite creative process, it will be dark tunes indeed!

You take care, keep up the good work. Anything you like to say to the flock?
Thank you kindly for this interview! All are more than welcome to listen to our music, if you like what you hear you are more than welcome to get in touch! Every message answered, now and always! Horns up people! 2009 will be a grim ride!
Interviewer: Paul Lewis
Mar 10, 2010

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