For almost a quarter of a century, Nikolaos ‘Wrath’ Spanakis has been hammering away at his creation, Dødsferd. Although he has obviously become a much better musician and grown as a person in that time span and his early works are hard to compare with what he creates today, there is a common thread throughout that long career. I sat down with Nick to talk about those developments and constant values in the band and of course the latest album aptly titled ‘Wrath’…
Greetings Nikolaos, welcome to The Whispering Darkness. The new Dødsferd album is entitled ‘Wrath’, a name that you have also used as your pseudonym ever since the formation of the band. What does that word mean to you?
Since the first day of my band’s creation, the feelings I had for human kind and its parasitical acts, hasn’t changed at all. Their apathy, their weakness to create, their cunning disgusts me! My hatred, my rage, my anger baptized me, under the name of “Wrath”. For years I felt this constant hate on every living thing, but the last years I have managed to target it against the real fuck ups of this life and this world. “Wrath” means absolute strength and motive to create; to educate fools, to enlighten with force the ones who continue contaminating this world with their useless theories.
In the run-up of this interview I went through the Dødsferd records that I personally own and listened to some of the albums that I have missed out on. And, frankly, I was actually surprised by the shift of the album’s main themes. It seems that the center of gravity has slightly and cautiously changed from solely misanthropic perspectives to a more socially and ecologically critical one?
I was young and I felt this rage, this hatred for all living beings, but as I was growing older, things were starting to be clearer for me. I started to understand the cause of all of my hatred. This society can make you sick. And these pathetic masses support them in order to lick some of the rotten bones these useless leaders are giving them, who enforce their catastrophic laws against proud and free people. Whoever stands against them automatically is being characterized as enemy of them. Yes, I am their enemy! I respect nature and animals, their rules and their society way more than these humanoids!
In that process of listening back to the full Dødsferd discography, I came to think it is fair to conclude that you have been meticulously consequent in what you are releasing. Yet, you have also had a few more exotic sounding excursions with acoustics or clean vocals, but none of that is heard on ‘Wrath’. What made you “go back” to the classic ingredients and go for a full-fledged Black Metal experience?
As I have written in the past, Dødsferd is the diary of my life. I create depending on how I feel. That’s why you can see all this variety of sounds. I don’t earn money from my music, my bands, and my writings. I depend on no one!!! That’s what most people don’t understand. I create for me, to ease the voices in my head. Whatever is bad for the masses, its welcome for me!
To me, as a whole, ‘Wrath’ sounds more balanced and has quite a snappy and powerful production, something that translates to the most overall mature sound of any Dødsferd to date. Can you relate to such a statement?
Yes, of course. It’s been more than 20 years of existence. My knowledge and my experiences are completely different than when I started in 1999. Knowledge is like a river. Whoever respects it and tries to preserve it, can receive eternal life. But most of them, want to drain it and destroy all the elements inside it that can give life!
On the vinyl version of the album there is an extra track, ‘Back To My Homeland… A Beast In Calm’. It is a long, slow and bleak track that borderlines what is called “Depressive Black Metal”. It has sinister strumming and strings to enhance the haunting atmosphere, but also some electronics and some spoken word passages that together have certain Trip-Hop feel to it. It is quite a different track from the rest of the album, what’s behind this specific song?
People, who follow me all these years, will be able to understand the greatness of this song. It’s a statement, an epilogue of an album full of hatred! It’s the catharsis, like the one in Greek ancient tragedies! It speaks about vengeance, it speaks about justice that has to be given to people who died in vain.
Picking up a bit on the previous question. Over the two decades of Dødsferd you have stayed true to your own sound and tried and tested other waters as well, so, I am wondering, what does Black Metal as a musical and aesthetical cultural phenomenon mean to you in general? Can you (still) relate to the things that are seen as Black Metal these days?
This is a question that can be answered by people who consider themselves as black metal wise-leaders of this scene. I represent something completely different! I can relate only to my vision! It’s more important and higher than any genre!
Ever since the forming of Dødsferd a lot of band members came and went, with you as the only constant factor. Consequently you are running the band mostly as a solo-project, being responsible for writing both the music and the lyrics alone. How would you describe the process of going from a first glimpse of an idea to a final product such as ‘Wrath’?
I am doing this for years and I will continue doing it, as long as I have the privilege and strength to create. On each album, I know exactly what I have to do, before of its completion. It’s a soul destroying procedure, but it’s also refreshing and valuable for my existence!
You have released your music through an impressive amount of labels, both small underground and slightly larger companies, but you ended up with yet another new label for ‘Wrath’: Hypnotic Dirge Records. What do you expect from this brand new collaboration with this Canadian/Portuguese entity?
I expect nothing more than he has already done, which is respect and total support to my art! He is a decent man; a man sharing same philosophy, ideas; and most important, he is a man with honor. So I decided to work with Hypnotic Dirge Records along with my own label, for my new album.
You have released a good amount of (split) EP’s, but most of them were released in the first half of your career. The last few years you seem to have focused more on releasing full-length records, is that something that was a deliberate choice or did the opportunities for releasing those (split) EP’s just present themselves more often a few years ago?
No, it’s just happened. I was in contact with individuals from the bands I made these splits and we just did it. One of the things I did, back in those years as a young man. The last years, I am more focused in creating and releasing my own stuff. I am only sure about myself and what I want to represent. In the future I may find someone who will be able to share a release with me, but right now, it’s out of my concerns.
Dødsferd has been around for well over two decades now, so naturally the band has evolved and progressed. If you look back to the times you recorded your first demos and the ‘Desecrating the Spirit of Life’ and compare it to the band anno 2024, what would you say is the main difference?
A young man, pure to his ideas, creating his own legacy and depending only to his own strength and restless soul!
Continuing on the previous question, as a whole, is there any difference in how you experience the global Black Metal scene? And what about the scene in your native country?
I concern only about the scene I have created, through FYC Records. I cannot express any opinion for things that I have stepped away from a long time ago. And the truth is, I never belonged there, in order to write you anything about it. Another question that must be answered by the black metal wise-guys of the scene you are referring to.
Just out of curiosity: judging from what I heard from Dødsferd you might have a rather wide taste in music. What can be found on your turntable these days and what were the last records you bought? Anything that is worth recommending?
Last records I bought were of Curtis Harding, “if words were flowers”, The Pineapple thief, “Your Wilderness”, None, “Inevitable”, Sadhus, “Illegal Sludge”, Decemberance, “Implosions” and many others of 2023 as also past releases of many years ago that I discovered them recently.
In the last few years you have taken a bit more time to come up with a next release and with ‘Wrath’ still being fresh off the press it might be a bit premature to ask, but is there anything else we can expect from you with Dødsferd or any of your other musical endeavors?
The third part of “Suicide and the Rest of Your Kind” album is almost ready, as also a new compilation album, with unreleased songs and covers are scheduled to be completed and released in the following years.
Alright Nikolaos, let me thank you for your time and effort, the last words to round off the interview are yours…
Honored for your time and your support!!! Never be afraid to defend and support your own points of view, even if all the odds are against you. Always fight to change yourself and never use any lame, weak theories in order to excuse your laziness and fear of disapproval from the useless masses! Nothing is external!
With Respect
Nikolaos Spanakis (aka Wrath of Dødsferd)!
