Line UP:
Tijn Bosters: Vocals
Kevin van Geffen: Guitars & Backing Vocals
Ralph Lentink: Guitars
Rens van de Ven: Bass
Martijn Paauwe: Drums
A1:How was is won the Wacken Battle?
Martijn Paauwe:It is still quite surreal to be honest, but in the best possible way! Quite a few of us have been to Wacken several times and have always dreamt of playing there, so it to becoming true is definitely one of the things to tick off the so-called bucket list
A2:When we see a new job from Nephylim? (Assuming this is about writing new material) Martijn Paauwe:There is no definitive date as of yet when new music is coming out. We are definitely in the process of working out new ideas, and working out these ideas into songs. We are quite the perfectionists so writing is a long process, and we are also working day jobs so we don’t always have the time/energy to focus on writing after. Our intention is to go back in full writing mode after this summer full of festivals and Wacken, because we are ready for new songs as well.
A3:Talking about the composition work in Severance of Serenity?
Martijn Paauwe:Kevin and myself wrote and arranged the whole album within my home studio. We met up every week or two weeks and just started recording ideas, and when we felt the ideas had potential, we fleshed them out into songs. Usually with Ralph (guitar player) and/or Rens (bass player) present giving external input when needed. After recording the ideas or even during the day I programmed some basic drums for a more global idea where the song is going, and worked those out further. Kevin also wrote and recorded the bassguitar, since Rens was away for a long trip to New Zealand when recording started. Vocal and lyric wise Kevin and Ralph wrote the most lyrics, and I have contributed writing a few lyrics as well. Jon Phipps who has worked with bands like Amorphis, Cradle of Filth and Moonspell to name a few did fantastic work on 3 songs with orchestrations.
A4:Are there glaring differences in Torn and Severance of Serenity?
Martijn Paauwe:Absolutely! First of all, Torn had 3 songs which were pretty much done when we formed the band back in 2015 and the songs were written in the rehearsal space, we did not pay too much attention with pre-production at the time for instance. With SoS everything was written from scratch and took way longer to finish, first of all since there are more songs but also, we took our time with perfecting everything in the details until we felt the album was done. Musically I definitely feel we have grown a lot in that period. The songs have gotten more complex, we had more confidence in ourselves as writers and were open to experiment a bit more. For instance, the album is more dynamic in comparison to Torn, the softer parts have gotten softer with the use of acoustic guitars, orchestration and real violins. The brutal parts have gotten more brutal, being it faster or just doomier.
A5:Did the Supernatural show inspire the band in addition to a few books?
Martijn Paauwe:Supernatural was not an inspiration for us, although personally I enjoyed that show quite a bit! Quite a few of us are avid lovers of the Harry Potter/Game of Thrones/Lord of The Rings/The Witcher books and or films/series as well.
A6:Why the provisional stop in 2016?
Martijn Paauwe:Looking back, I think it was necessary to keep the band alive really. There were quite a few line-up changes in 2015-2016 and after a short while me and Kevin felt that we had fallen in two camps with separate visions of what the band is and what it has to become including all the drama and verbal fights. Kevin was ready to step out of the band, but we turned it around and fired the rest except for me and Kevin. It wasn’t the prettiest solution, but we had to turn the tables and start over anew. This included a break for quite some time, one of the main reasons I still worked evenings and weekends, but also to recharge the battery so to speak. After a while we got back together and start jamming for the fun of it, and concluded that we really wanted to keep it going
A7:What´s bands influence Nephylim?
Martijn Paauwe:One of our main influences are definitely bands like Insomnium, At The Gates, Omnium Gatherum, Be’lakor and Enshine to name a few. Above that we all have varying music genres we love, but all coming back to the melodeath genre in general
A8:Why the band have this name?
Martijn Paauwe:I think I just saw the name whilst listening to one of my personal favorite bands Katatonia. The song is called ‘Nephilim’ At the time we were in dire need of a band name and that name really stuck with me and also the meaning behind it. Which can be interpreted as giants or fallen ones in the Hebrewic Bible. Since there were quite a phew Nephilim’s we decided to rename it Nephylim.
A9:This album is conceptual?
Martijn Paauwe:I don’t think the album is conceptual in the traditional sense of the word, but it has a recurring theme lyrically. Ralph and Kevin have beautifully woven this theme within the lyrics so I can only give you my interpretation of it but it is for everyone else to decide and what you recognize in it. The global idea of this album is that we used disasters or tragedies, man-made or not as metaphors of how we are destroying nature and destroying ourselves. But also, that there is light in us all and that we can change how we’re doing things to us and nature. One of my favorite lines is ‘Sometimes it needs to burn, to heal again’ from The Bitter Inheritance.
A10:Are the new challenges keeping energy and motivation high to play wacken and make the second album?
Martijn Paauwe:That is a tricky question really, we’re definitely going to give our all at Wacken and make the best show we possibly can. As for challenges within making the 2nd album after that, I don’t think Wacken is a particular reason for that. The real challenge is to write a good follow up album that makes sense after Severance of Serenity but without repeating ourselves musically or lyrically.
A11:What´s the idea behind Severance Of Serenity Artwork?
Martijn Paauwe:Jarno Lahti has made a fantastic album cover, interpreting our lyrics and music very well. What the exact meaning behind is different for everyone else. Is the woman in the front cover accepting her fate and finding peace while the ocean is coming over her? Or is she calling for the ocean to wash herself and the rest of us away so everything can be reborn? Personally, I think the mystery and how it can be interpreted in many different ways is way more interesting than having a fixed meaning behind it.
A12:Why an new version for "DUST VEILED SKY"?
Martijn Paauwe:Kevin himself recorded the vocals for the album, at that time Cezary Van Der Veen had just barely joined us, but the dates were already booked for recording and it was impossible for him to learn and record everything within such a short notice. We did had some time for him to record backing vocals which can be heard in the album. Unfortunately Cezary passed way the same year within a tragedy. After a while of grieving and moving on, our current vocalist Tijn Bosters heeded the call of becoming our vocalist, as he knew him too and knew what we had been through. At the time it felt right to re-record the vocals with Tijn because that’s the way how we sound live, and his performance is quite different then the album version. The rest of the instruments are the same as the album version, only re-mixed by Kai Stahlenberg of Kohlekeller Studios.
A13:Are rehearsals over for the Let The Bad Times Roll Open Air? Martijn Paauwe:Yes they are! We are really looking forward to that festival as well.
A14:What kind of subject don´t deserve a Nephylim Song?
Martijn Paauwe:I wouldn’t rule out any subject per se, but I don’t think rap/teenage pop-based subjects or topics would really suit us.
A15:Attention, look at this sentence! It is clear that evil exists, but what we must question is whether there is good?
Martijn Paauwe:Well, shadow cannot live without the light can it? So it’s the same with good and evil in my opinion.
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