Niohoggr. Interview with Memphist

Interview by Jay Parker

Hi this is Jay reporting from Bogota Colombia. Today I’m lucky enough to be talking to Drako from Puerto Rican band Niohoggr...

Hey Drako, thanks for taking the time to talk to our readers...

1) Tell us about Niohoggr... when/ where/why/ was the band formed?

First, Niohoggr is honored and would like to thank Jay Parker for granting this opportunity to share Niohoggr insights with the legions across the world. Niohoggr was created by me (Memphist). I’m the creator and founder of Niohoggr, the band pillars that were born in Puerto Rico around 2004. After a trajectory within the black metal scene of PR I continued my work in NJ, then NY which is my current location now. Thus, Niohoggr was created by me as a solo Black Metal band due to my personal and specific expecifictions of how I wanted my music and sound to be, which I always wanted it to have a raw and necro sound. The context surrounding Niohoggr is anti christianism, pagan extreme music and the lyrics are strong aspects that can be heard within Niohoggr.

2) Why did you decide to play black metal?

Metal has always been my music of choice. But black metal has been and is my solid ground and way of wrathful expression, It identifies me fully.

3) Run us through your releases and tell our readers where they can buy them.

Well, Niohoggr’s trajectory has been quite extensive, so far 8 albums have been spawned since Niohoggr began its unholy conquest during the years under my underground Black Metal label Somberwolf Legions, and thus these albums can be acquired on Bandcamp. Here are the names of the albums in order since 2017, The Reckoning of thy Elders , Berserker, Unholy Sonseed, Wrath of the Seidmar, Thy Kings ov Oblivion. Heathen arcana and Ulvekriger are the last end to end albums done in 2022 . But indeed an alliance has been brooded, so let’s see from now, what is to come.

4) Niohoggr is the Dragon that gnawed at the roots of Yggdrasil... are your lyrics inspired by Nordic themes? Tell us about the lyrics you compose…

Indeed! Niohoggr thy consumer of unworthy souls. Well as I said, my lyrics and context are into extremism, anti christianism and pagan grounds. Those are subjects really strong on thy lyrics due to my personal views and practices; reason why I entwine these aspects within my music.

5) Tell us about the music... who writes the guitar and bass parts? Who plays the drums? The songs have some outstanding riffs...

Honored for thy brutal complement. Well, all music is performed and recorded by me, mainly I play guitar and vocals but for the recordings, I play and record everything. For a live performance I gather with members, practice as long as everything is secure and make it happen. In other words there have not been permanent members except when I was living and was fully active in PR on the black metal scene which I keep representing here in NY. Since I moved to the USA permanently, I stayed alone as a solo black metal band, and used my time to create my independent black metal label Somberwolf Legions and recorded at last my albums.

6) What are your plans for the future? I understand we can expect your first album to be unleashed soon?

My future plans are to continue Niohoggr war summons and to keep spreading Niohoggr chaos.

Concerning my albums and music right now I’m moving thy new alliance to re-unleash my materials and my first work once more really soon with more empowerment.

7) Tell us about your musical influences... What did you listen to growing up? What bands do you listen to now?

Honestly at first I grew up listening to Death Metal “old school’, Obituary, Deicide, Malevolence Creation but years later I began to discover Black Metal and bands that really influenced me, musically and lyrically with their extreme impact and happenings, Dark Funeral, Gorgoroth, Darkthrone, Carpathian Forest and Ragnarok were some of the bands that influenced me to start playing black metal. Thy reason I got more involved and identified with black metal was because I share points of views and aspect insights with black metal, anti Christianism, extremeness, chaos. I was defined mentally and personally with it. About what bands I listen to now, I keep mostly with the first, second wave but indeed keep discovering and supporting new brutal bands that keep raising chaos in black metal as it should be.

8) I know you started out in Puerto Rico, now based in New York... how do the scenes compare? Recommend some good bands from both scenes...

Well the scenes are different indeed, Puerto Rico had and has a quite notable Black Metal scene. Here in NY I do know there are brutal black metal bands in the black metal scene and the metal scene in general for as little as I’ve seen so far, it is really talented and the support is unbreakable, a perfect example of how it should be. About PR, in which I know bm bands and shared the stage with them. I can say there are a few bands from the past and new bands as well that I respect and know them personally. Bands like Serpenterium, Necronomic, Sepulchral, Godless and Carpathian wrath among others. Puerto Rico and EEUU. Indeed diverse countries but nevertheless, both share their blackmetal ways.

9) What are your expectations for the future? What are your long term goals as a musician?

My expectations and long term goals as a musician go side to side. Continuing moving Niohoggr music and keep creating more unholy war songs.

10) What have been your best and worst experiences so far as a BM musician?

Best experience was a Black Metal fest on the 2015 in Puerto Rico in which I had the privilege of sharing stage with somes of the BM elite bands of the scene, not without mentioning the extremities of performance that was performed those nights. Worst experience was my first Niohoggr debut which was a disaster due to an unpleasant moment in the performance due to an unexpected mishap with an ex-member. Obviously I stopped the performance and thus the presentation had to be contained from further chaos.

11) How do you think BM will evolve over the next few years? Do you see it as a healthy scene at the moment?

Honestly, in my opinion Black Metal is Black Metal. Evolve? That’s relative depending on the point of view of people.

12) What advice would you give to any young musicians reading this that may be looking to follow in your footsteps down the left hand path to Black Metal Darkness?

Never stop aiming the goal and reaching the purpose you want to complete musically speaking. Never lower the sword.

13) Would you like to add anything for our readers?

Keep on the brutalness of black metal burning. Thanks for this opportunity Jay Parker and for accepting to be gathered with Niohoggr, also I would like to thank Julian Lopez from Underground Florida for the blasphemous and incorruptible support to Niohoggr. Remain extreme legions!

A massive thanks to the Mighty NIohoggr. Hails 666