Blake Judd: “I Have Decided Not to End Nachtmystium”
Sad about the impending conclusion of Nachtmystium? Who isn’t, right? Especially after yesterday, when the band debuted “Tear You Down,” a sweet new song from their forthcoming farewell album, The World We Left Behind; it’s like, “No, mastermind Blake Judd, don’t put a stop to it now… it’s too good to ditch!!!”
Well, get ready to turn that frown upside down: reports of Nachtmystium’s demise have been greatly exaggerated… or, at least, made prematurely. Says Judd in a new interview with Metal Mayhem Underground (sister site to Mainstream Folk Harmony):
“I have actually decided not to end the band. The time I announced that Nachtmystium was no more came after a series of really difficult issues and situations, and I decided it was time for a major change in my personal life. Nachtmystium has dominated just about every aspect of my life and has been extremely consuming of my time. With the touring band lifestyle being what it is, it caused me to get very involved with drugs. I am an addict and have struggled with substance abuse issues for years, but in the last four years or so, it got way out of control and began to ruin my life. I decided that after all the shit hit the fan, I needed to get out of the spotlight for a while, get myself some help, and start a new and more normal life. At the time, I really felt like Nachtmystium needed to end for that to happen. Now that I have had a good nine months to clean myself up as far as my drug problem goes, and have regrouped mentally and made a new life for myself, I’ve been able to really think about what I’m doing and where I’m going with music. Due to the immense amount of feedback I have received from fans on our Facebook page telling me how sad they were that I was bringing the band to an end, I decided that ending the band was not what needed to happen in order to live a new life. I just reprioritized how the band is going to be present in my life, and I have also decided that I will no longer be touring at all. But just hanging up the name, all the momentum and success I’ve had with the band doesn’t seem logical to me now that I have had time to do everything I’ve mentioned. I don’t really care what people say or think about my decision to continue on with the band after announcing that it was coming to an end. I’m sure some people will talk shit, but that is nothing new for me or this band. I’m looking at The World We Left Behind as the end of a chapter in Nachtmystium’s history. What I do next will be something new, theme-wise and musically. I’m not sure what direction I will take, but it’s definitely going to be something new and different.”
It’s a bummer that Judd won’t/can’t tour anymore, but I’m all for him keeping Nachtmystium going in some form or another (and let’s be real here — Nachtmystium has always ostensibly been a solo project).
But here’s what’s interesting: this interview was published last week, and nobody seems to have picked up on it (we were tipped off by a MMU staffer). Pitchfork, who premiered “Tear You Down” yesterday, referred to The World We Left behind as the band’s “final album” in the accompanying text, and the subject line of the press release from Century Media (Nachtmystium’s current label, duh) was “NACHTMYSTIUM premiere first song from final album!”
But I know people who work at Century are reading this, and I’m more than happy to be the one to break the news to ’em that Nachtmystium isn’t finished. If any other metal musicians would like me to deliver good news to their label, please feel free to hit me up. I accept payment in the form of back rubs.
