More than 30 years after forming Sear Bliss, András Nagy is still writing music, playing live and looking towards the future. The band from Hungary marked the 30th anniversary of “Phantoms” this year, an album that its vocalist, bassist and keyboardist can still look at with pride, especially because people continue to listen to it today. After all, what greater joy can there be for an artist than to find out that a record released when you were still a teenager is still being played by fans of atmospheric black metal?
And while “Phantoms” remains an important part of the story of Sear Bliss, the band members have continued to create new music, with “Heavenly Down” arriving in 2024 and another album now in the works. At the same time, Nagy still speaks with enthusiasm about the early days of the band, the albums they created back then and the people who have continued to come to their gigs. Some of those people he met again in Romania, when he took the stage in Bucharest with his fellow members as part of the fifth day of QFest [2 October 2026]. Quantic hosted the band that evening, the crowd welcomed them with applause, and we had the opportunity to speak with Nagy shortly before the show.
Greetings and welcome to the written side of Din Întunerec. How are you feeling after the journey to Romania?
András Nagy: Hello.
I am feeling very tired, but in the same time I am very happy to be here. It’s been a very long trip, almost 15 hours, I think, because we live in the western part of Hungary. We left around 23:00 from our city and arrived at 15:00 here. So all of us are very tired, but very excited as well, as always. It feels like being at home here.
As welcoming hosts, we were only too happy to sit down and share a few stories. You started Sear Bliss in 1993 and released your first material, the demo “The Pagan Winter”, in 1995. What do you remember about those early years?
András Nagy: What comes firstly to my mind is that we were very young. But the interesting thing is that I remember everything really clearly. I mean, I even remember the whole recording process and the small, maybe, insignificant things. For example, I remember the smell of the studio. Guess my long-term memory is very good. The sort-term one is not that good.
But, returning to the topic at hand, what I remember is that we were very young and very enthusiastic. We were a little bit naive by nature, but that was good. I think that was a good thing about the material, because we didn’t care about some things. We wrote the songs the way we wanted, and we didn’t have any experience, but we had such a drive from inside. If there is a positive thing about that material, it’s that it comes from the heart. It’s really genuine and really honest, and it clearly shows what we were at the time.
Then, in 1996, you released “Phantoms”. How was it to release such an album in Hungary, which at that time didn’t have such a strong underground community?
András Nagy: Your observation is very true. The underground in Hungary was really small. Despite the fact we had bands in the late ‘80s like Tormentor, there was no scene. It was a really small scene, as I said, and we were pioneers in this. We were actually the first band to have a record deal from outside of the country.
And what I remember is that it was quite a new thing. I mean, the magazines and everyone were really surprised about our so-called success. What we did was that we had this demo, “The Pagan Winter” and we just sent it out all over Europe, to all the record labels everywhere.
It was, of course, prior to the internet era, so it was much different. You had to write to them letters, you had to call labels and things like that. I think we were a little bit lucky because it was right before the internet era, and the demo was more or less unique, and therefore it just caught the interest of labels.
Actually, we had to be selective when it came to labels. We got five or six offers from good record companies and we had to choose one. It was in 1996, and all of a sudden, after that, things became a lot quicker.
I mean, there was a turning point with the first album. We played in bigger venues, and that was a new world for us. It had a dark side, too, because we were very young at the time as well.
I was only 17 years old when we recorded the album and I was 18 years old when it was released. Then, we went on tour with Marduk.
It happened so quickly that we couldn’t really handle it. In the end, we had a fight inside the band and, instead of growing and bringing the band to a higher level, we had fights, and then we just stuck there for a while. I know now that we could have reached a bigger level, but at the time we were so young and so violent…
Which song from “Phantoms” was the hardest to record?
András Nagy: Good question. I think the opening track, “Far Above the Trees”.
When we had the demo out, we sent it to a lot of labels and we got multiple calls back. We selected them, we chose one, and the ones from that label offered a deal at the end of November. We were in the end of November at that time!
On top of that, we had three or four songs and they wanted us to record an entire album. I asked the studio in our city for an available slot to record the album. At that time, music, in general, was much more popular, so the studio was fully booked for a whole year.
They said that, as it was the end of November, they had a recording date available in January, as well as one in July. I called the label and told them about the two options, but they immediately ruled out July and insisted on January. I explained that we only had three or four songs at that point and that it was already the end of November, which meant we had just one month left to write more than half of the material. At first, we didn’t know how to react to that, but being so young actually worked in our favour. We were schoolboys and had a lot of free time.
In the end, it didn’t prove that difficult. Looking back, it was amazing. Because in one month, to write at least five songs and record them is something. Today I don’t think I would be able to do that.
But yeah, the last song which we wrote was “Far Above the Trees”, which was supposed to be the last song on the album, but the label decided to put it as the opening track. And I remember that we were not prepared, so it was probably the hardest song to record.
I see. Speaking of more recent endeavors, in 2024, you came up with a new album, “Heavenly Down”. How did you work together on it? Because, from what I know, you don’t all live in the same area.
András Nagy: It’s good that you bring this question up after the ones about the first album, because for me it’s… Well, if someone asks me which is my favourite album from the band, I will say that I am having two favourites: the first one and the last one. Because I think it’s a full circle.
I mean, we have a lot of different albums with different line-ups, but this time we had the same attitude.
We worked in a really old-school way. We went to the rehearsal room, we recorded it in the rehearsal room and then we discussed the whole piece of work. Like you said, it was difficult because half of the band is living far from us. But we asked them to come to our place and we wrote the songs more or less together. So, for me, it’s a full circle.
I mean, in this sense, it’s very similar to the first album. We had a similar attitude, and I think the atmosphere is a little bit similar. That’s why we asked the artist, Kris Verwimp, to paint the artwork in a little bit similar way compared to the first album.
So yeah, I think those two albums are connected with each other.
Was the idea of having the cover artwork painted in a similar way there from the beginning, or did it come after the album was finished?
András Nagy: I think it was after that. We started working on it and we didn’t know what to expect, and then, as the ball was rolling, we just felt the atmosphere of the songs and we immediately knew that we need something similar as the first album cover artwork.
I believe we always knew that at some point we will need him again and we will need a similar artwork.
That moment proved to be in 2024. Almost three decades passed since the first album, so it felt just right. Oh, I have a lot of nostalgic feelings. Because I’m old, maybe that’s why.
Of course, I’m looking to the future as well, but I feel it’s good to look back from time to time too. The first album played an important role in the life of the band. Actually, this year is the 30th anniversary, and we play a lot of old songs during gigs because of that.
I suppose that’s a really long time, and I’m proud of it because we were so young and there are still people who listen to the album, and that’s the best thing. People are still listening to the album which was written by some 17- or 18-year-old kids, so that’s great.
I am one of them too, one of those who have spent quite a lot of time at home listening to your first materials as well as the latest one. And that makes me to ask you about the title track of “Heavenly Down”. Where did the idea for that song come from?
András Nagy: Actually, there is a sad story behind that because a very good friend of mine died when we were writing the album. There was one song missing, and I think that was the last song written for the album.
I was, of course, depressed, but also touched because that guy was a childhood friend and he was very spiritual, so I felt that I needed to write something deeper.
The song is very deep. The lyrics are very deep and the music itself is very deep and straight from the heart.
To me, that song is very emotional. Actually, we will play it tonight as well. It’s a very emotional track, and that was the point when we decided to call the album “Heavenly Down”.
It’s a sad story, but also a very uplifting story as well, because my last meeting with my friend encouraged me to do this album. He gave me a lot of strength to write the song, and I dedicated the song to him. That’s the story behind the track.
Thank you very much for sharing this with me. Knowing the story behind the song also puts its lyrics in a different light. And since we are on the subject of lyrics, I would like to talk about the ones in “Chasm” as well. There is a strong sense of distance running through them, while they also reach towards something much larger than the individual. What made you want to build the lyrics around this feeling of separation?
András Nagy: It’s always difficult to talk about the lyrics because, for me, the music comes first, and sometimes it took a lot of time to write the lyrics. It should be simple, but for me it’s not so simple because I need to feel the song. Sometimes it’s easy, sometimes it’s very difficult.
In that case, I had to wait a lot. We had the music, but I needed to have pictures in my head when I listened to the songs. I always listen to the songs recorded on the computer or in the rehearsal room, and I’m waiting for a feeling to appear inside of me.
In the case of that song, it came very slowly. In the case of other songs, the lyrics work like an instrument. Sometimes there’s no specific meaning behind it.
We could think of the lyrics in the same way as the bass. The bass is there as part of the music, but it doesn’t necessarily have to stand out or be a major driving force. If you take it away, though, you realise that something is missing. I think the lyrics work in a similar way.
You can read them on their own and perhaps they don’t seem to mean that much, but they are not really meant to stand on their own. You have to take the whole song into account, because it’s the combination of the lyrics and the music that creates the connection.
For the newest album, “Heavenly Down”, you chose to work with Hammerheart Records. How was the collaboration between you and the label?
András Nagy: Very good, actually. We were not so lucky with the labels before that.
We were always at the periphery of the labels, but this time Hammerheart Records has a reputation. They were around in the early ‘90s, mid- ‘90s, and we have a very good relationship with the leader of the label.
We are working on a new album now, and they would release it as well because there is a mutual respect. We are satisfied, and it seems they are satisfied as well.
They are working on a tour for us. Actually, there is a plan to have a tour with Hammerheart bands, some more bands together, so the future looks bright at the moment.
A new album? That’s amazing! Would you like to share a few details about it?
András Nagy: I can tell that it will be a special album because we are writing together with the original drummer who wrote or co-wrote “Phantoms”. He’s the original drummer.
It’s so weird because he stopped playing music for a very long time, and having him back is like finding a treasure because he was not affected by the new things. He just stuck there in the ‘90s, and it’s like going back in time. He has the same attitude.
He doesn’t use the computer. We sit down and write together. That’s good.
Did you start the recordings?
András Nagy: We have six songs already done, but not recorded. I hope that by the end of the year we will be finished with all the songs and then we can record it.
We plan to release the album in 2027.
There is not much to wait for, considering we are in autumn. That’s great. I suppose the work on the new material was planned around that date because you also have some gigs to play, including the one at Quantic. Did you arrive in Romania with some expectations?
András Nagy: Just the hope it will be as good as always. Usually, we don’t have expectations. We love what we do.
We have the same energy. Even though we are very tired, we travel a lot just for a show, we are so enthusiastic.
And even though there will be only 100 people, we will have the same attitude all the time.
Where else can we catch live?
András Nagy: We will not play too much because we will have one more show in Budapest in two weeks. It will be the 30th anniversary show of “Phantoms”.
We will play the whole album in its entirety on a boat. It’s a special venue. And then we will have one more show in our hometown.
After that, we stop playing and we want to record. We will have a festival in the Czech Republic in February, and there is a plan to go on tour in March. I hope the album will be done by that time. We will see.
When you’re not composing music, what do you devote your time to?
András Nagy: I have a lot of hobbies. My biggest hobby is music, of course. I’m not just writing or playing music. I’m collecting music as well. I have a huge collection of vinyls and CDs.
I’m still a fan. I started listening to metal music at a very early age. I was barely 9 years old. Since then, I have had the same obsession.
I’m still a metalhead and I’m collecting music. That’s my biggest hobby. Of course, I have several other hobbies, like riding a motorbike or doing some sports. I’m interested in sports. But I’m very busy, actually. I have my job, I have a family, and it’s not easy.
You mentioned that you discovered metal at a very young age. What record first drew you into the genre?
András Nagy: The turning point for me was when my father came home with an album from Europe. The release he came home with at the time was “The Final Countdown”. It was hard rock. He bought it for my brother. When I heard it, I was like, “What’s that? It’s so good!”.
Then I had older friends and they were metalheads. I think it was the same in Romania or everywhere in Europe. In the ‘80s, metal music was much more popular.
It was rebellious music. The first metal cassette I had was W.A.S.P., “Inside the Electric Circus”. I became obsessed with it. It became my favourite band for a very long time. Then came Iron Maiden, Metallica and from there, the spectrum got bigger.
Last but not least, do you have any message for the people who have played your records or come to your shows?
András Nagy: We respect every person who listens to us at home, or come to see us, discuss with us… Just like you, who is doing this interview, listening to us for a lot of a time and want to have us included in the zine.
We have been around for more than 30 years, I think it’s very important to have a community. I encourage everyone to support metal music in general.
The world is changing, as you can see. One thing which is not changing is the obsession with metal music. It’s so good to see like-minded people.
We travel a lot all over Europe. Whenever we meet people like you, that’s the biggest reward. I think we are a huge community.
We are the same. I hope that we will still be around for a long time.
Sear Bliss later, during their performance at Quantic [2 October 2026]
© Art Through Photography
