With over 20 years playing music, Noctiferia are one of the founders of the Slovenian metal subculture and one of the most international and recognized bands of that country.
With a style difficult to describe, the band runs through the various spectrums of industrial, symphonic, black and death metal, and there is always something that pleases any fan of the most extreme genres. And this is its strength, which is gradually conquering the European stages.
This was the year to do – again – something different and they released Reforma, an album of covers and tribute to Laibach, the legendary Slovenian band formed in the 80s.
We were talking with Noctiferia, to learn a little more about the band's history and to know why the release of a tribute album.
M.I. – Hey! How are you? Safe and healthy? Thanks for taking the time answering our questions.
Hey, thanks for asking, we are all fine.
M.I. – So, let`s begin… For those who don't know you, can you explain who are Noctiferia? How did you met, why did you decide to start a band…?
We formed the band back in high school, recorded the first demo in 1996 and had our first show in 1997 opening for Enslaved. At the beginning we were mostly influenced by Morbid Angel and the Scandinavian metal scene. From then on we started to experiment more in the music we create and today it's a mixture of black, death, groove, industrial, ambienta,l etc... Basically we create the music we like ourselves. Since we have been active 20+ years, we also toured Europe and China with big names and played at some well-known festivals.
M.I. – What`s the origin of your name? In the first years, you passed by Emetica. Why the change?
As mentioned before, when we recorded our first demo we were under the influence of black metal scene and at that time the name suited us well. It was partly a suggestion from a friend. It's not the name we would choose today, but it is what it is.
M.I. – You are a very atmospheric band. You experience a lot and rarely keep what you did before. You’ve already had female vocals, synthesizers, flutes… How do you characterize yourselves? Do you think you fit into a specific style?
Because we use a lot of different sounds and lean towards modern metal sound, we have been labeled as an industrial metal band, but honestly we never considered us really an industrial band. We don't characterize ourselves, the others do that and no, we don't fit just in one style of music.
M.I. - What are your biggest musical influences and where do you get the ideas for your songs?
Today the ideas mostly come from jamming and fiddling at home. In the beginning I could name you the influence for each of our song but today the biggest influence is life itself.
M.I.- Your last album of originals was in 2016. After a 4 years hiatus, you decided on a tribute. Why?
It was a spontaneous decision. At first we planned a small project of one song. It later became 3 songs and then the whole album. We went with a flow as we always do but this time we are already working on the next studio.
M.I. – Perhaps the answer is too obvious, but… Why Laibach?
The only Slovenian artist, active internationally that we as a band would look up to when we were teenagers and it shows in our previous works. Plus they just deserve it.
M.I. - Reforma is a constellation of stars! Account with the participation of David Vincent (ex-Morbid Angel, Vltimas) Atilla Csihar (Mayhem), Jorgen Munkeby (Shining)… It was mixed and mastered by Henrik Udd (At The Gates, Bring Me The Horizon…) and the artwork is from Jean-Emmanuel "Valnoir" Simoulin (Ghost, Behemoth, Amorphis…). How did you manage to bring so many names to this album?
All of them except Henrik have one thing in common, they are all big fans of Laibach and were very happy and honoured to be part of this project and so were we.
M.I. – How long did it take to record this album? Was it easy to transform the songs and give your personal stamp?
We didn't have an exact plan so the album took almost 3 years to complete. Interestingly creating our own versions of the songs was surprisingly fun, that's why we ended with 7 of them.
M.I. - One of Laibach's best-known stories is their performance in North Korea. Would you like to have that experience?
It would be interesting for sure but since we have some inside info we would probably pass it.
M.I. – Did you get any feedback from Laibach?
All of them heard the album and we were given compliments by Jani Novak, so yes.
M.I. – All of your albums have been distributed by a different label. Why?
Last two are released by the same one. For the others it was mostly the result of different circumstances, some did a very poor job with the promotion, others never paid us, etc.
We are always looking for a reliable partner which is often hard to find in the music industry.
M.I. – What is your favorite cover album of all time? Metal or non-metal.
It's not an album but War pigs by Faith No More is the song I listened to as a kid not knowing it was a cover and I digged it! Lately Enslaved's “What else is there?” is killing it!
M.I. – How is your song writing process? It takes long? Who does what?
It takes long when we have no deadlines. It all starts with the guitar riff and then we start layering. Lyrics are last. Most of the music so far is written by Igor, Giani does demo drums and other rhythmic ideas, lyrics are done mostly by me.
M.I. – How is the Slovenian metal scene nowadays? What bands can you recommend to us?
It's alive with more bands than ever. There are a lot of shows with local bands and we have one of the best metal festivals in the world, Metaldays. Newest addition to the scene are Skyeye, proper heavy metal with a bright future ahead.
M.I. - In 2015, you were the first ever Slovenian band to perform at Wacken Open Air. Was it a surprise or were you already waiting? How was that? How did it go, how was the public's reaction...?
It was a surprise. We knew it's a big thing but we had a festival show the night before 1300 km away so we were on the road the whole night and arrived tired at Wacken. The show was great, you can check it out on youtube, lots of people, great atmosphere, just not enough stage time. All in all, a great and very muddy experience!
M.I. – You toured with big names. Which one marked you the most? Any fun stories of something unusual that happened?
Maybe the most memorable tour was the European tour with In Flames. We were the only support band and played for 3K+ each night. Other than that I had Vorph from Samael bringing me toilet paper at a Bulgarian gas station in the middle of the night, visiting Auschwitz with Mayhem (with our singer wearing Zyklon-B hoody unintentionally), driving with Rob Barrett in our camper, because it was not allowed to smoke weed on the tour bus, etc.
M.I. - Plans for the future? Any planned tours? When the world returns to normal, I mean...
We were hoping to tour by the end of this year but we will have to move everything to 2022 because of all the bullshit that's going on in the world right now.
M.I. – When can we expect a new Noctiferia album? Of originals, that is.
We are working on it and it is planned to be released at the end of the next year or early 2023.
M.I. – Almost finishing… Any last words for our readers?
Thank you all for your support! Check out Reforma and the 3 videos we did so far for it, more coming.
Other than that, stay safe, peace & love.
M.I. – Again, thank you for taking the time to answer our questions. Hope to see you soon on stage. If it's in Portugal, even better. Keep doing what you do so well and be safe.
For Portuguese version, click here
Questions by Ivan Santos
