“Every appearance of Darkened Nocturn Slaughtercult is a manifestation of our essence and Underground for the Masses holds the promise of such a gathering…”
A malevolent spectacle is looming, as Darkened Nocturn Slaughtercult rises from the abyss to perform at Underground for the Masses II! This German horde, known for raw, unfiltered black metal, will unleash dark enchantments upon the stage, delivering a performance steeped in satanic fervor and occult terror. Here’s a glimpse behind the dark veil, a glitter of the band’s flame and a few echoes from their abyss!
DinIntunerec: Hello, first of all thank you for getting on board with this talk. To start with, tell us a few words about Darkened Nocturn Slaughtercult, supposing some of our readers are not very familiar with the band.
Velnias: Slaughtercult was spawned over two decades ago back in 1997. It was our intention to uphold the torch of uncompromising old school black metal, which is basically what we are still doing today. Creating music that we personally like from the deepest of our heart and soul. This honest and sincere approach resulted in an authenticity that many listeners appreciate and value. If you enjoy Scandinavian influenced black metal back from the nineties you definitely should get familiar with Darkened Nocturn Slaughtercult.
DinIntunerec: It’s kind of a long name for a black metal band… But it must have a story… Can you tell us where the name comes from?
Velnias: When we started as a band we wanted a certain uniqueness. Back then, all too many newcomers chose names from the lyrics of their favorite bands. That’s an easy approach. If you don’t want to put any effort and thought in your bands name, well, that’s ok. But, we simply felt that there needs to be more to it. We had sort of a vision. A midnight mass where different entities gather for arcane and archaic reasons. So, it needed to be something dark and obscure, something nocturnal, well, and of brutal nature. So, the monicker is more of a composition. A trinity of different aspects to mold one multifarious entity.
DinIntunerec: Please, walk our readers through your records, each and every one of your diabolically delightful discs… From start to finish… Also, which is your favorite album and why?
Velnias: Alright, we decided to skip the demo tape stage and made a first CD release back in 1999, entitled The Pest Called Humanity. This release was succeeded by Follow the Calls for Battle in 2001. Three years later, in 2004, our third chapter Nocturnal March came out. Hora Nocturna followed two years later, in 2006. The next chapter, Saldorian Spell saw the light of day in 2009. The sixth chapter, Necrovisio, followed in 2012. Our latest release goes back to 2019 and goes by the name Mardom. Those are our main albums. There are some splits and collectors editions mainly of the limited The Pest CD.
It is difficult to say which one is my personal favorite. Basically we’re only releasing stuff we personally like. Furthermore, for us there is much more to it than just music. Every album is intertwined with good and bad memories. See, an album release is a permanent marker in time. So, if you take two albums, there is a specific time span in between. All those noteworthy moments that occurred during the time are part of the album. Slaughtercult is our lifework. Birthing a new album contains so much of your very being. There is so much darkened „love” in our hearts that we cherish each release equally.
DinIntunerec: People and ideas as well as ideologies change over the years. What is the message behind your music and lyrics? Did the message and ideology change with time?
Velnias: No, it has honestly not changed a bit. Of course, we have aged – and age usually lets you calm down a bit – or in other words, you get „wiser”. Occultism has been the bands prime mover, so to speak. That’s a broad spectrum, which allows enough variety for the lyrical content. As adolescents you will blatantly scream out your hatred and disgust. In due time, you will learn that it is an equally interesting approach to do so in a more intellectually stimulating way.
We certainly don’t want to deliver everything on a silver salver. For those who want to merely consume music shallow lyrical content is fine. But, for those who want to experience more, it is very important to provide content to ponder about. That’s something we want to emphasize by using neologisms. You’re forced to read in between the lines, to see the words behind the words, so to speak, in order to grasp what a song might be about. The important is never really what the artist wants to express… It is what you make out of it. Art – both lyrics and music provide enough freedom for each and every one to plunge into a mirror blank ocean, to delve into the boundless sphere of thoughts. Thus, I’d say that’s one of our fundamental messages “be your true self, with utmost heart and soul”.
DinIntunerec: Twenty-seven years of existence, and apart from Ariovist, the original drummer and a few bass players to come and go, the rest of the band is the same since the formation… What is your secret?
Velnias: Alas, the more it hurts to lose long time members – but that’s another story. After Ariovist left the band, shortly after The Pest came out, Onielar and I were reduced to just guitars. Instead of taking the very first available drummer or bass player, we decided to continue alone, until the right person comes along. “Right” person means a combination of musical talent and personal development. It has no use to have a brilliant drummer whose character doesn’t fit in with the rest of the band.
After all, your fellow band members are usually those you spend a lot of time with. Playing live doesn’t mean you see them only on stage. For a single show you’re usually stuck with them for two or three days. So, unless you are a rock star you better choose wisely. Which means we usually firstly looking for a “good friend” who secondarily needs to be a „good musician”. Musical skills can be practiced and achieved in a rather short time. To sculpt a persons misshapen character is all too often a life’s work.
DinIntunerec: Mardom, your latest album, came out five years ago… When should we expect a new album from Darkened Nocturn Slaughtercult? Are you anywhere close to a new release?
Velnias: We’ve enough new material ready for a whole new album. It just needs to ripe a bit. As this year has barely dawned I’d say a new album will be ready this year.
DinIntunerec: I couldn’t find the meaning for Mardom, but I’m sure there must be one. What is the symbolism behind the album’s title and is there a specific concept that runs through the album?
Velnias: Although Mardom exists in the Persian language it was meant as a neologism that fuses words of different languages to form a new meaning. This fusion transcends mere linguistic construction, creating a symbol that serves as the manifesto of the album: a place where darkness manifests and the unconscious merges with the mythical. The album Mardom becomes a sanctuary for what stirs within – chaos, destruction, and the relentless pursuit of liberation. The accidental resonance with the Persian language is a coincidence. But it reminds us how words and meanings traverse time and space, much like the archetypes of dread and revelation.
Mardom is an invitation to abandon the known, to cross the threshold into chaos, and to seek truth within the darkness. It is a confrontation with the boundless and uncontrollable. Mardom is the domain that opens when we summon the beast that is brimming with the infinite possibility of finding enlightenment within the abyss.
DinIntunerec: Your logo includes a big inverted cross, so it seems obvious to label the band as satanic or anti-religious. What are your visions regarding religion and why is it nowadays still so important for you to spread an anti-Christian message, while there are bigger problems and dangers in the world than Christianity?
Velnias: The inverted cross in our logo is not a shallow provocation nor a mere declaration of satanic allegiance. It is a symbol that challenges dogmatic boundaries and confronts the deeply rooted structures that seek to confine the human spirit. While some may hastily label us as satanic or anti-religious, our vision transcends these simple categorizations. We align with the principles of occultism – a pursuit of hidden truths, of ascending beyond imposed limits, and of embracing the boundless potential of the free spirit. Religion, particularly in its organized and oppressive forms, often acts as the antithesis to this freedom, imposing artificial constructs upon the mind and spirit.
Darkened Nocturn Slaughtercult is a call to shed these chains and rise beyond. As for the ‘bigger problems and dangers in the world’ the influence of religion is far from negligible. It often lies at the root of division, manipulation, and stagnation. By confronting it, we address a fundamental barrier to the liberation of thought and spirit. The message we carry is timeless and transcendent – not confined to the battles of the material world, but aimed at igniting a spark in those who seek something greater. Our music and symbols are a path, an invitation for the listener to embark on their own journey of self-discovery and spiritual ascent. To truly understand, one must look beyond the cross and into the abyss it points toward. There, the answers lie.
DinIntunerec: On stage, a lot of blood is being spilled and it’s a big part of your imagery. What is the meaning behind using real human or animal blood during live rituals?
Velnias: The use of blood in our live rituals is far more than mere shock or spectacle. Blood is the essence of life, a potent symbol of vitality and sacrifice. It serves as a bridge between the physical and the spiritual, the tangible and the intangible. When it flows, it dissolves the veil between the mundane and the sacred, invoking energies that are raw, primal, and unrestrained.
We do not see our performances as mere concerts; they are rituals, deeply rooted in the symbolic and the spiritual. The spilling of blood is an offering – not to a deity or a god, but to the act of liberation itself. It represents the shedding of constraints, the casting off of societal norms, and the raw connection to forces that lie beyond human comprehension. Blood, as the carrier of life, becomes a vessel for invoking the boundless, chaotic energies that we channel through our music and presence.
Our rituals aim to disturb the complacent, awaken the dormant, and challenge those who seek truth to step beyond their own limits. The blood spilled on stage is a reminder of mortality, but also of the eternal forces that transcend it. It is a testament to our commitment to authenticity and the spiritual intensity that defines Darkened Nocturn Slaughtercult.
DinIntunerec: Darkened Nocturn Slaughtercult is a female fronted black metal band, which nowadays is not that rare… But 27 years ago it must have been. How difficult was it to be taken ‘seriously’, let’s say, in the beginning?
Velnias: To be taken seriously has never been a matter of gender – it has always been a matter of unwavering conviction. The early days were not about proving anything to an audience or a so-called ‘scene’—they were about manifesting the essence of what we are. Yes, 27 years ago, the sight of a woman leading a black metal horde was not commonplace. But, true black metal has never been about conforming to expectations. The fire that drives us, the purity of purpose, is beyond such mundane concerns. Those who failed to take it seriously in the beginning either learned their lesson or faded into irrelevance.
We never sought approval. We never asked for recognition. Darkened Nocturn Slaughtercult exists as a relentless force, unyielding and untainted. We forged our path with iron will and bloodied hands, and to this day, we stand unwavering, untouched by the passing trends of an ever-weakening world.
DinIntunerec: Who writes the songs in the band? Is it a joint effort? What is your writing process like?
Velnias: Our music is forged in solitude, channeled through multifarious visions, guided by an unwavering will to manifest the essence of ones true self. While each member brings forth their own strength, the core of composition arises from a singular, disciplined source—an uncompromising vision that dictates the path. Riffs are not crafted; they are evoked so to speak. They emerge from the abyss, shaped by relentless devotion and refined until they resonate with the raw, unyielding spirit that defines Darkened Nocturn Slaughtercult.
Lyrics are not mere words but incantations, carefully woven to complement and enhance the sonority of each composition. It is similar to an alchemical process, a rite of transmutation where language and sound fuse into something greater—something boundless and eternal. Joint effort? No. This is not a process of negotiation. This is the manifestation of a singular will, strengthened by the dedication of those who share the same fire.
DinIntunerec: What has been your best and your worst experience as a musician?
Velnias: The best experiences as a musician are those moments when the barriers between sound and spirit dissolve—when raw energy, unfiltered and untamed, manifests in its purest form. It is when the stage ceases to be a mere platform and transforms into an altar, where the synergy between music and the abyss becomes tangible. A show where the audience is not just watching but experiencing, where the storm of sound consumes all, leaving nothing but devastation and ecstasy—that is when black metal is at its most powerful.
The worst experiences? They are not defined by technical mishaps, failed logistics, or mundane frustrations. They occur when the purity of intent is tainted—when external forces seek to impose their diluted, artificial expectations upon that which should remain untouchable. Moments when the sacred essence of black metal is drowned in triviality, when the fire is smothered by the cold hands of convenience and compromise. But such obstacles are fleeting. They do not weaken, they strengthen. True will is not deterred by inconvenience. The path remains unyielding.
DinIntunerec: What’s the best thing for you about performing live?
Velnias: The stage is no stage – it is a portal, a battleground, an altar. The best thing about performing live is the moment when everything dissolves: individuality, time, the mundane world. When the sound becomes a force beyond control, when chaos and will merge into something primal and absolute. That is the essence of a true performance.
DinIntunerec: Speaking about performing live, you played in Romania a long time ago, in 2015. Now, you are coming back, ten years later, at Underground for the Masses festival. Also, Darkened Nocturn Slaughtercult is not very active with regards to live shows. So, naturally, we are glad and honored that you decided to play in Bucharest. Can you tell us more about that? And also about the way you decide where to play live?
Velnias: Time is insignificant. A decade is but a fleeting moment when one walks a path unshaken by the trivial tides of modernity. Our return to Romania is not dictated by years passed, nor by expectation – it is dictated by the right moment. Darkened Nocturn Slaughtercult has never been a band to follow a conventional path. We do not exist to perform for the sake of exposure or routine.
Every appearance is a manifestation of our essence, a ritualistic invocation rather than mere entertainment. The decision of where to play is not a matter of frequency, but of alignment. We choose places where the fire still burns, where the underground is not a word but a conviction. Bucharest, at Underground for the Masses, holds the promise of such a gathering. Those who come will witness the storm. Nothing less, nothing more.
DinIntunerec: Do you have a favorite moment, a very dear memory related to life on the road or live shows?
Velnias: Darkened Nocturn Slaughtercult does not dwell in nostalgia, yet certain moments stand as monuments along our path. The first time entering the studio, the first strike upon foreign soil, the first invocation before thousands—these are not mere memories, but echoes of milestones carved into the essence of what we are. To look back is not to linger, but to acknowledge the fire that has forged us. Each of these moments was not an arrival, but another step forward, another descent into the abyss of uncompromising devotion. The past is neither a burden nor a crutch—it is the foundation upon which we stand, unwavering, as we continue to manifest the essence of our very being.
DinIntunerec: How do you see the underground metal scene nowadays? Apart from quantity, as it seems there are a lot of new bands emerging everywhere, do you think there is quality too?
Velnias: Yes, the sheer quantity of bands today is overwhelming, but quantity alone means nothing. True quality does not emerge from numbers; it emerges from conviction, from an unyielding will to create something pure, untamed, and devoid of compromise. The underground is not a playground for those who seek recognition, nor is it a marketplace for those who cater to trends. It is the last bastion of defiance, where music is an invocation rather than a product. There are still bands that uphold these principles, that forge their art in the flames of true dedication. But as always, time will separate the transient from the timeless. The underground is not for everyone—nor should it be.
DinIntunerec: What is the most important life lesson that you have learnt so far?
Velnias: No path is straight, no ascent is without its burdens. The most important lesson is not found in passing moments of triumph, nor in the comfort of certainty—it is found in the struggle, in the weight of solitude, in the spirals that lead ever upward, even as they seem to repeat. True understanding does not come without confrontation. To walk one’s path with unwavering conviction means to accept isolation, to embrace hardship, to endure the abyss without losing the fire within. Strength is not measured by how far one has come, but by the will to continue despite knowing the cost. There is no final destination—only the eternal movement, the relentless forging of self, the endless spiral towards higher realization.
DinIntunerec: Thank you for your time, any final words for our readers?
Velnias: The wind does not ask where it howls, nor does fire seek permission to consume. Some stand, some fall, some vanish into nothingness, never knowing they were evanescent embers in a storm beyond comprehension. The hourglass does not turn back. The abyss does not wait. Those who walk forward do so in silence, unshaken, untouched by the decay of time. Beyond words, beyond form—only the pulse of eternity remains.
