1.For those that have never heard of you before, can you tell us a little bit about the band?
We are a French atmospheric black metal band with medieval themed lyrics. Nebel created the project in 2013. Aldébaran (Darkenhöld) joined in 2015 and Aharon (Griffon) in 2016.
2.In November, you had released your first album, how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recording?
Nebel: Aldébaran and I wanted to sound old school, so we kept the black metal of the 90s in mind. The recording and mixing is homemade, so it’s not perfect, but we hope it adds to the atmosphere.
3.The band has been around since 2013 but waited until 2017 to release an album, can you tell us a little bit more about the earlier years?
Nebel: It started as a personal project. I just composed the songs alone and then looked for musicians to record with me. It was actually a very long and hard process. Many people making promises and finally doing nothing. But it’s great to have Aldébaran and Aharon now.
4.Your lyrics cover Medieval History, can you tell us a little bit more about your interest in this topic?
Nebel: I am fond of Medieval history and Geisterfels is one of the expressions of this passion. I am also a historical fantasy writer and I practice Historical European Martial Arts. La névrose de la pierre is a concept album exploring the way romanticism saw the medieval ages. It is the tale of a trip, the one of a French poet who visited the Rhine and the Mosel valleys at the end of the nineteenth century. He was amazed by the many castles he found on his path. His poems thus make a parallel between the majestic ruins he’s seen and the sorrows leading one’s mind to collapse.
5.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Geisterfels'?
Nebel: Geisterfels means The Rock of Ghosts in German. Castles built on rocky promontories often have names ending with fels or stein, so it is an imaginary castle, and its story is told in the song Geisterfels.
6.Has the band done any live shows or is this strictly a studio project?
Nebel: We are a studio project. I don’t say that we will never perform live shows, but we don’t have a line-up for concerts for the moment. It was extremely difficult to find members for the studio recording as I already mentioned, and I prefer to keep my energy for the composition of the next album.
7.The album was released on 'Six Raw Records', can you tell us a little bit more about this label?
Nebel: It is a young label set in Burgundy, France. La névrose de la pierre was its first release. It tries to develop beautiful objects. The Cd is presented in an A5 metal box, and I think it is a great and original format.
8.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of atmospheric black metal?
Nebel: We don’t have many feedbacks, but I think people appreciated the old school feeling and inspiration.
9.What is going on with some of the other bands or musical projects these days that some of the band members are a part of?
Aldébaran: As for Darkenhöld we will soon reissue “Castellum” album with a new cover and some bonus. These days we are also rerecording some old songs but in acoustic versions.
We have some gigs booked for this summer (Hellfest, Forest Fest) and I have riffs and ideas for a future effort.
Aharon : I am the leader of Griffon, a French medieval black metal band. Nebel knew my work in this project and contacted me for Geisterfels. I accepted to help her for the recording because we share the same passion for the medieval spirit in black metal.
10.Where do you see the band heading in musically during the future?
Nebel: We would like to use medieval instruments and vocals for the second release, a concept album again, and we hope to add this to our old school black metal basis to create a deeper atmosphere.
11.What are some of the bands or musical styles that have had an influence on your music and also what are you listening to nowadays?
Nebel: I am inspired by atmospheric black metal from the 90s and bands like: Abigor, Satyricon, Ulver or Kvist. I also listen to classical and medieval music, I suppose you can hear this in my compositions. I also appreciate gothic music: darkwave, deathrock… though I don’t think it influences Geisterfels.
Aharon: I concentrate almost exclusively on French bands. I have a passion for the French black/pagan scene: Belenos, Himinbjorg, Darkenhöld, Aorlhac, Wyrms, Sühnopher, Aladaaron and many more. I also appreciate great bands from the Parisian scene : Aosoth, Temple of Baal, Pensées Nocturnes, Hell Militia, Glorior Belli, Moonreich, … I could mention so many more names: Neptrecus, Malcuidant, Vortex of End, Pestiferum, Fhoi Myore, Antilife, Regarde les Hommes Tomber. We are a very rich country for black metal.
Nebel: I could not agree more. I have created Diabolus in Musica, a blog exclusively dedicated to French black metal and it contains more than 200 reviews.
12.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
Nebel: Thanks for this interview. We hope fans of atmospheric black metal would like to listen to our album after reading this little presentation.
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