“A nettle carrier is a spreader of death. Imagine a person walking the earth, smearing nettles on all life,” so says Ciekals, formerly of cult Oslo outfits Neetzach and Lja, bands so underground that they could have served as tectonic plates. When he’s not spending time with punk/BM hybrid Djevel, Ciekals is gleefully conjuring studio magicks with NettleCarrier. A blackened supergroup of sorts, NettleCarrier also features the drumming talents of Dirge Rep (Enslaved, Gorgoroth, Nattefrost, Orcustus) and Koldbrann’s Mannevond on vocals and bass duties. While all three have served time in Djevel, don’t be expecting a carbon copy. “We have less boundaries in this band than in Djevel, which is strictly based upon ancient Norwegian devil worship,” says Ciekals. “In NettleCarrier I draw inspiration from every corner of our occult heritage. Our lyrics are based upon the universal occult history, both future, past and present.”

Indeed, even though Ciekals admits that “I compose both Djevel and NettleCarrier material at the same time,” he feels that “Djevel and NettleCarrier are very different. I instantly know if a song I compose is for Djevel or NettleCarrier and that also applies to the lyrics.”

As to the song structuring process, Ciekals explains it thusly: “I write all the music and I record demos that I send to the others. I actually see this as a good thing because we don’t have to rehearse at all. We met up in the studio as a full band for the first time. Everybody does their homework well so there was no stress and we finished the album in four days.

“I’m a big fan of doing things then and there, like the lead guitars – they are mostly improvised. I need to be in the right place in order to create black metal. Whether that’s in my garden or in a dark room, it does not matter, as long as my mind is clouded with the right fog.”

Speaking of black metal, is Ciekals happy to have his creations pigeonholed as such?
“How we are described as by others is not my concern,” he says. “To me black metal never got lost, as I have not changed my opinion about it since I first started it in 1992. Sadly, it got out of hand and people destroyed everything they once did so well. What I have done is created the albums I miss hearing from others. The feelings in what many bands do is so weak that it’s just plain and simply ridiculous. Can you believe that a band like 1349 plays at a fashion show for a trendy jeans company? How far can one get from one’s core? What I am sure of though is that we have crafted an album that is real black metal, and that’s all I care about.” 

Originally in Iron Fist #1