This article is taken from: The Reckoning

The dying ghost of black metal? - by Sulphur 

Nargaroth is a hot issue in today's black metal scene, some claim the man Nargaroth to be one of the last true black metal bands around, others call him a liar and a poser, while others listen to pop-stars Cradle of Filth. For me Nargaroth has been a powerful experience, and the least I can do in return for Nargaroth is to dispel some of the disillusion concerning this raw yet atmospheric blast of dark music. 
As with most bands in today's scene, Germany's Nargaroth became well-known due to controversy, namely the statement 'a celtae hominis, pro celtae hominis', which as it was loosely interpreted by the media means 'by white man for white man' contained on the mighty 'Herbstleyd' debut. The copies of the album containing these words were meant to be limited to 200 copies, but somehow the official release also featured the words. This statement was later changed on 'Black Metal ist Krieg' to 'for the Nargaroth obsessed and creatures similar to my being only!'. Reading into a lengthy German interview with Kanwulf by Diana Glöckner of Deftone Magazine 1998 (read), many interesting facts can be found in regard to these statements.
Kanwulf has an extreme reverence for Black Metal, one so extreme that he strictly abstains from labeling his own music as black metal, rather an attempt to capture the feel of the music he loves so much. AT first, at first he did not want to ever release his own releases officially, and only handed out to friends and contacts who he knew would appreciate the music for its true value. He was urged by No Colours to release some of the material and from this we have 3 full-length albums to date, while the Vinyl versions were all heavily limited and fetch vast sums online. 
I can truly believe that Kanwulf himself does not have a big ego, thinking himself to be some black metal super star, but it is interesting to note the success of Nargaroth releases though all are far from easy listening. 
A recent No Colours press release stated that 'the neo-fanbase of Nargaroth is full of assholes wearing 'bm=krieg shirts', anarchy symbols on their pants and short hair, who have without brains and justification raised Nargaroth to a cult, which - according to Kanwulf's statements - it does not deserve, and they have consequently blemished Nargaroth as well as the BM=krieg shirt'.' Much of the dislike for Nargaroth by otherwise black metal maniacs seems to stem from this, as several of my own friends within the scene say they find teenagers jumping from hardcore and the like to a band like Nargaroth, and believe themselves to be a part of an elite society. 
Another reason why Nargaroth seems to have gained a bad reputation is in regards to the early demo's. There are countless Nargaroth demo's, such as 'Orke' and early versions of the full-length albums, some which are apparently from 1993 (Black Metal ist Krieg) and even 1989-1994 (Herbstleyd), while long time members of the German black metal scene have never heard of any of these releases and do not remember mention of this band. This is not to discredit Nargaroth in any way, as I personally doubt that a band of this caliber, which can easily back-up its success due to the power of the music, would make up dates for its demo's to appear more 'kvlt'. 
Early actions against Nargaroth were thus started in regards to the above mentioned statement, as well as live concerts being endorsed by 'Darker Than Black' records, run by Hendrik of Absurd, a controversial band that Kanwulf openly promotes as the greatest band out of Germany after Moonblood. During the above mentioned interview, Kanwulf stated that 'I have spent much time with foreigners, I was even close friends with a Vietnamese, and for some time Bhuddism was a release for my soul. But when it comes to music, I have only ever found acceptance, and understanding with those of my own kind. I do not favour the white race at all, whites would possibly even be the worst!'.
The man Kanwulf is certainly an interesting character, from insisting on a murderer to be the best man at his wedding, to the time he spent in jail for manslaughter while still a minor, to suicide attempts at an early age from all my reading I have found that black metal has been his one and only release as Graveland's 'Thousand Swords' helped him continue on to this day. As rumours of his suicide seem to be spreading I look back at some of his statements, 'I promised my wife I would not do it, but I fear being able to keep that promise. I lack a sort of will to live, and I don't know where I could find it'.
The element of death and killing is a central theme to extreme metal, but Nargaroth aims to take this beyond the norm. During live shows Kanwulf has often suddenly lost it, attacking viewers with a knife, or even taking out a gun at a show in Erlangen and firing shots into the crowd. Scenes like these, and also attacking a session guitarist for disrespecting his music on stage, can be seen on several bootleg video's in the underground. 

Actions speak louder than words though, and with Nargaroth, the music is all that matters for an understanding of a complex soul. From the loss and mourning on the mighty 'Herbstleyd', to the strange droning anthems covered on 'Amarok', we come to the dedication monument of 'Black Metal ist Krieg'. Many arguments have surrounded this release, as there are several cover songs of ancient and mostly unknown bands, and a song hailing 'The Day Burzum Killed Mayhem'. I still cannot grasp why people would find this album so wrong, as Kanwulf never forced anyone to listen to it. The basic idea of hailing the bands that started your journey into the genre, of hailing acts from a time 'when black metal was alive. This music, these extreme thoughts contained within, which ended in murder and arson, which at the time seemed silly and childish, yet are hailed today, these no longer exist'. 
Black metal of this age contained a certain rawness, and was free from any pseudo professional mastering, and also a deep satanic element (Kanwulf states that he is certainly not a Satanist). Thus Kanwulf does not attempt to recreate the feel of black metal to teach others, or to be the saviour of a dying sound, but rather captures his own feelings and interpretation, hoping that others who think alike, may understand. These feelings are captured perfectly on 'Black Metal Ist Krieg', from the sorrow of 'Seven Tears...' to the grim groove of 'Possessed by Black Fucking Metal'. 

Kanwulf himself studies Criminal Psychology out of a personal interest, and realises that he himself has left the path of a normal human, instead following where his madness leads him. Whether the man lives and breathes at this moment is unknown, but 20 new songs were recorded during 2001 to be used on several upcoming releases. These include 'Rasluka Part I' on Sombre Records, 'Rasluka Part II' on No Colours, and a new album entitled 'Geliebte des Regens' also on No Colours. As done latelly with some industrial releases (eg. Project Hat), there is an upcoming Box Set entitled 'Semper Fidelis' for which an application form will be needed, and Kanwulf himself will decide, depending on the answers, who will be allowed to purchase this limited box set.
Other future releases include an album entitled 'Jahreszeiten', one named 'Raise again the 1000 swords', the 'Rasluka III' MCD, and LP versions of the demo's 'Bertas Grab' and 'Orke'. Future Nargaroth releases will also not be limited, as many know they sell for very high prices on online auction sites. Thus ends this short article I have created on Nargaroth, and it has not turned out the way I intended. Instead I find scattered thoughts and an attempt to pay homage to a great band, a sound that is dear to my heart in its power and vision, one of the many wonders of extreme music. (UPDATE: By all accounts the suicide was just a rumour)

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