I’m always of the opinion that rock/metal music needs new blood and must have young talented people on its ranks for young guys is the future, whether we accept it or not. This time it was a young gifted songwriter/multi-instrumentalist from Norway, called Andreas Nergard that enthused me with his mature musical approach. I’ve had a very honest and thorough chat with Andreas so as to find out what he prefers, what he has in his mind and many other interesting things. For more, just read below…
Hi Andreas… Please tell us how did you come up with the idea to form the music-project Nergard?
A: Well, the idea has been there since I was 13-14 years old. I’ve always imagined playing with my heroes, the once that inspired me to start out with music. It was not until I was 21 that I actually decided to try making an album with all this guys.
After the “The Beginning” EP in 2011, did you have in mind to continue anyway or it happened due to the positive reactions?
A: It was always the intention to continue. “The Beginning” was just released to give people a little taste of the project and the songs from “Memorial for a Wish” while I was working on the album in the studio.
Was “Memorial for a Wish” a natural continuation of the EP or the concept started from scratch?
A: The EP contained tracks written for “Memorial for a Wish”. So far, “Hell on Earth” is the only track that is featured in the “Memorial for a Wish” concept. “The Haunted” may appear in a re-arranged version for the follow-up album.
When did the writing process begin? When did the idea for the second album start taking its shape?
A: The writing process began 1st or 2nd of May in 2010 on the way to Broadway in New York to see Phantom of the Opera. I got this theme-idea for the opening track “Twenty Years in Hell” where the entire band kicks in for the first time. This is a central theme that appears later in the song “Requiem” as well. I started writing the second album in 2011 when I was close to finished with the first album. Some parts for the second album were written as early as in 2010 as well. Since this album is the continuation of the same story it had to be written together with the first one.
Where does the title “Memorial for a Wish” refer to? How is it related with the cover artwork?
A: “Memorial for a Wish” refers to Peter O’Donnell’s failed wish/dream of a happy life with his wife where he gets to see his daughter grow up. The Memorial Monument on the cover is the symbol of this wish and the angel/ghost crying in front of it is meant to be his wife.
How would you describe the album’s music? It has a little bit of everything but it’s a metal album on the whole…
A: I’d call it a fine mixture of Melodic Metal and AOR.
How did you manage to bring all these great vocalists and guitarists together? Was it hard to cooperate with them? Who gave you the hardest and the easiest time on studio?
A: It wasn’t that hard to get them onboard for this project. I sent out a bunch of emails and to my surprise I got responses from all of them, the responses was very positive as well. I remember being in absolute ecstasy to see that my dream actually was going to come true. These guys are extremely professional and none of them gave me a hard time. They’re really nice and talented guys, everyone did such an amazing job.
Can you give us a few words of the concept story… by taking us on a song by song trip…
A: “Twenty Years in Hell”: This is the very prologue for the album. It starts out with a trial where the main character Peter O’Donnell is sentenced to twenty years in jail. Three minutes into the song we meet Peter twenty years later when he is released from his sentence and finds out that his beloved wife died many years ago while giving birth to their daughter.
“A Question of God”: Peter is brought to the graves of his wife and daughter at the cemetery. Some very emotional lyrics by Tony Mills for this one.
“Is this Our Last Goodbye”: He is absolutely devastated after hearing about the destiny of his beloved wife and child. This is a duet between Peter and the friend that showed him the graves.
“Hell on Earth”: The first encounter with the voices in his head. This voice welcomes him to his hell on earth.
“An Everlasting Dreamscape”: O’Donnell is dreaming back to when he first met his wife and tries to get some distance to his intense sorrow for a moment. The memories are his dreamscape for a while.
“Nightfall”: The terrible silence is all there is as the sun sets and the night comes. All alone in an empty, dark room. Two voices battle each other inside his head. One tells him to give up, the other tells him to hang on.
“Angels”: Peter is starting to question his faith in God, the one he believes has lead him into this tragedy. His mind grows darker and the sorrow is harder to deal with.
“Requiem”: O’Donnell is back at the cemetery, sitting at the graves of his wife and daughter. Once again he dreams back to when he first met his wife and fell in love with her. Then his darkened mind gets the grip on him again and he starts to think about committing suicide as the voices in his head tell him to give up.
The continuation comes on the next album...
Where did the recordings take place and who did the production & the mastering of the album? By the way the final result is terrific.
A: The recordings were done in several studios in Trondheim/Norway. That included all the guitar/violin/some vocals and drum recordings. The keyboard and bass recordings were done at my house. Fred Amadeus Zakariassen did the mixing of the album and Jens Bogren did the mastering. Jens is known among most metalheads because of his work with bands such as Opeth, James LaBrie, Pain of Salvation and Soilwork. to mention a few.
There’s already a video out for the song “A Question of God” and you’re already working on a new video for the song “An Everlasting Dreamscape”, is that right? When will it be out?
A: That’s right. We shot the new video on an icy lake in Norway on April 22nd. It was a long day with lots of ice water, wet feet and all that stuff. Andi Kravljaca (Aeon Zen, Silent Call) is also featured in the video. I’m so happy that he didn’t go straight back to the airport when he found out that we were going to shoot the video standing in ice water for 7 hours. Luckily none of us got sick before the show we did in Trondheim one week later. The video will be out sometime during August.
How did the cooperation with Battlegod Productions occur?
A: I’m very happy that I found Battlegod Productions. This is a very dedicated label that really puts its soul into every album that releases. The cooperation begun in December of last year and has been an absolute joy ever since.
What are your future plans for Nergard?
A: Conquering the world off course! We’ll see what happens. I’m planning to go on with this for a long time and the next thing on the Nergard-schedule is to record the follow-up album which I hope is ready for release early next year.
I’ve written: “…“Memorial for a Wish” is an album that can bring the lost glow of the so called “music projects/metal operas” back for it includes passion, inspiration & creativity…”. What’s your say?
A: Well, first of all I'm honoured to hear such kind words! J I think that all kinds of music should be written with a lot of passion, inspiration and creativity. There’s a lot of music that is not written that way, including a lot of all star projects and metal operas. I think that for example Avantasia has found that “glow” again with the new album. I’m not saying that the previous couple of albums are bad but the new one was something different and made me feel like Tobias Sammet put a lot of “new” passion and inspiration into his music on this one.
You’re a young guy that has started his long journey into metal music. What are your major music influences… and do you think that we’re in need of new blood in metal music now more than ever?
A: My major music influences comes from many other genres than metal. I love funky stuff like Earth, Wind and Fire and Tower of Power for example. Film music from composers such as James Horner, Howard Shore and Harry Gregson Williams. I’m also very into pop music with the likes of U2, Keane, A-HA and Manic Street Preachers. In rock and metal it must be Nightwish, Kamelot, TNT and Saxon. Well, there’s always need of new blood, although I think there are plenty of interesting new metal artists out there at the moment.
A: Well, the idea has been there since I was 13-14 years old. I’ve always imagined playing with my heroes, the once that inspired me to start out with music. It was not until I was 21 that I actually decided to try making an album with all this guys.
After the “The Beginning” EP in 2011, did you have in mind to continue anyway or it happened due to the positive reactions?
A: It was always the intention to continue. “The Beginning” was just released to give people a little taste of the project and the songs from “Memorial for a Wish” while I was working on the album in the studio.
Was “Memorial for a Wish” a natural continuation of the EP or the concept started from scratch?
A: The EP contained tracks written for “Memorial for a Wish”. So far, “Hell on Earth” is the only track that is featured in the “Memorial for a Wish” concept. “The Haunted” may appear in a re-arranged version for the follow-up album.
When did the writing process begin? When did the idea for the second album start taking its shape?
A: The writing process began 1st or 2nd of May in 2010 on the way to Broadway in New York to see Phantom of the Opera. I got this theme-idea for the opening track “Twenty Years in Hell” where the entire band kicks in for the first time. This is a central theme that appears later in the song “Requiem” as well. I started writing the second album in 2011 when I was close to finished with the first album. Some parts for the second album were written as early as in 2010 as well. Since this album is the continuation of the same story it had to be written together with the first one.
Where does the title “Memorial for a Wish” refer to? How is it related with the cover artwork?
A: “Memorial for a Wish” refers to Peter O’Donnell’s failed wish/dream of a happy life with his wife where he gets to see his daughter grow up. The Memorial Monument on the cover is the symbol of this wish and the angel/ghost crying in front of it is meant to be his wife.
How would you describe the album’s music? It has a little bit of everything but it’s a metal album on the whole…
A: I’d call it a fine mixture of Melodic Metal and AOR.
How did you manage to bring all these great vocalists and guitarists together? Was it hard to cooperate with them? Who gave you the hardest and the easiest time on studio?
A: It wasn’t that hard to get them onboard for this project. I sent out a bunch of emails and to my surprise I got responses from all of them, the responses was very positive as well. I remember being in absolute ecstasy to see that my dream actually was going to come true. These guys are extremely professional and none of them gave me a hard time. They’re really nice and talented guys, everyone did such an amazing job.
Can you give us a few words of the concept story… by taking us on a song by song trip…
A: “Twenty Years in Hell”: This is the very prologue for the album. It starts out with a trial where the main character Peter O’Donnell is sentenced to twenty years in jail. Three minutes into the song we meet Peter twenty years later when he is released from his sentence and finds out that his beloved wife died many years ago while giving birth to their daughter.
“A Question of God”: Peter is brought to the graves of his wife and daughter at the cemetery. Some very emotional lyrics by Tony Mills for this one.
“Is this Our Last Goodbye”: He is absolutely devastated after hearing about the destiny of his beloved wife and child. This is a duet between Peter and the friend that showed him the graves.
“Hell on Earth”: The first encounter with the voices in his head. This voice welcomes him to his hell on earth.
“An Everlasting Dreamscape”: O’Donnell is dreaming back to when he first met his wife and tries to get some distance to his intense sorrow for a moment. The memories are his dreamscape for a while.
“Nightfall”: The terrible silence is all there is as the sun sets and the night comes. All alone in an empty, dark room. Two voices battle each other inside his head. One tells him to give up, the other tells him to hang on.
“Angels”: Peter is starting to question his faith in God, the one he believes has lead him into this tragedy. His mind grows darker and the sorrow is harder to deal with.
“Requiem”: O’Donnell is back at the cemetery, sitting at the graves of his wife and daughter. Once again he dreams back to when he first met his wife and fell in love with her. Then his darkened mind gets the grip on him again and he starts to think about committing suicide as the voices in his head tell him to give up.
The continuation comes on the next album...
Where did the recordings take place and who did the production & the mastering of the album? By the way the final result is terrific.
A: The recordings were done in several studios in Trondheim/Norway. That included all the guitar/violin/some vocals and drum recordings. The keyboard and bass recordings were done at my house. Fred Amadeus Zakariassen did the mixing of the album and Jens Bogren did the mastering. Jens is known among most metalheads because of his work with bands such as Opeth, James LaBrie, Pain of Salvation and Soilwork. to mention a few.
There’s already a video out for the song “A Question of God” and you’re already working on a new video for the song “An Everlasting Dreamscape”, is that right? When will it be out?
A: That’s right. We shot the new video on an icy lake in Norway on April 22nd. It was a long day with lots of ice water, wet feet and all that stuff. Andi Kravljaca (Aeon Zen, Silent Call) is also featured in the video. I’m so happy that he didn’t go straight back to the airport when he found out that we were going to shoot the video standing in ice water for 7 hours. Luckily none of us got sick before the show we did in Trondheim one week later. The video will be out sometime during August.
How did the cooperation with Battlegod Productions occur?
A: I’m very happy that I found Battlegod Productions. This is a very dedicated label that really puts its soul into every album that releases. The cooperation begun in December of last year and has been an absolute joy ever since.
What are your future plans for Nergard?
A: Conquering the world off course! We’ll see what happens. I’m planning to go on with this for a long time and the next thing on the Nergard-schedule is to record the follow-up album which I hope is ready for release early next year.
I’ve written: “…“Memorial for a Wish” is an album that can bring the lost glow of the so called “music projects/metal operas” back for it includes passion, inspiration & creativity…”. What’s your say?
A: Well, first of all I'm honoured to hear such kind words! J I think that all kinds of music should be written with a lot of passion, inspiration and creativity. There’s a lot of music that is not written that way, including a lot of all star projects and metal operas. I think that for example Avantasia has found that “glow” again with the new album. I’m not saying that the previous couple of albums are bad but the new one was something different and made me feel like Tobias Sammet put a lot of “new” passion and inspiration into his music on this one.
You’re a young guy that has started his long journey into metal music. What are your major music influences… and do you think that we’re in need of new blood in metal music now more than ever?
A: My major music influences comes from many other genres than metal. I love funky stuff like Earth, Wind and Fire and Tower of Power for example. Film music from composers such as James Horner, Howard Shore and Harry Gregson Williams. I’m also very into pop music with the likes of U2, Keane, A-HA and Manic Street Preachers. In rock and metal it must be Nightwish, Kamelot, TNT and Saxon. Well, there’s always need of new blood, although I think there are plenty of interesting new metal artists out there at the moment.
How do you see all this “free download culture” of our time? Do fans/downloaders have the right to claim that if a band wants to make some bucks it must go on tour while it’s their “right” to download the albums for free? What must be done to get people to buy the actual product in the end?
A: Well, I think it’s just disrespectful to claim that the band should make their money through touring and not through selling albums. Downloading an album for free is the same thing as going into any kind of stores, get some stuff and leaving without paying for it. It actually pisses me off that many people expect music to be free, why should it be? It takes so much time, money and energy making an album. If you compare all the hours and money spent writing/recording/mixing the album with the price for the album (13.99 euros) it’s not even close to what it should have cost in my opinion. People just don’t understand all the hard work behind a song or an album. I experienced like so many others before me that the entire album was out on YouTube and illegal download sites even a month before the actual release date. It’s not cool when that happens but I’m sure it won’t affect the sales of my album since I’m a new artist that no one has ever heard about. It would have been a whole different story if it was the new Metallica album for example.
I’m just glad the album is easily available and that people get to hear my music without going through too much trouble. That’s the bright side of illegal downloading; it makes your music more available and in today’s industry we just have to accept this. I think the streaming services Spotify/Wimp and so on are a step in the right direction. But many people find it too expensive to use these services as well which I think is ridiculous. Paying 10-13 Euros each month for unlimited access to music, that’s cheap!!! I’m not sure what could be done to get people to buy the actual product, the industry nowadays is just a mystery to me. (i.n.: I prefer the actual thing over the shitty streaming services that offer nothing at all… and I do feel your annoyance over the free music culture…)
Time for our weird questions!!! If you hadn’t been a musician what else you would have been and why?
A: That’s a hard one, I’ve always pictured myself as a musician and nothing else. Maybe I would be a painter or a director. Something that allows me to be creative and create something, that’s important to me.
Which is the record you wish you had written and why??
A: “Ghost Opera” by Kamelot. It is a 10/10 on my scale. The album is fantastically well-produced and shows some extremely good songwriting. The music on this album awakes feelings in me that few other albums manage to do. The song “Anthem” made me cry the first time I heard it, every time I’ve heard it since gives me goosebumps. There are just well crafted songs on this album and they create an atmosphere I have big difficulties to explain. I just love this album.
If music were banned by law (CDs, Vinyl, cassettes, Mp3s everything), which 3 albums would you risk to hide even if it would be a risky thing to do cuz the penalty would be jail?
A: Wow, that’s a tough one! Well, it must be these 3 albums:
Kamelot – “Ghost Opera”
Keane – “Strangeland”
Nightwish – “Once”
Which is that band that has influenced more bands & musicians since rock music begun…?
A: Hmmm, I’d say one of these: The Beatles, Rolling Stones, Metallica or AC/DC…
What are your 3 beloved songs of all time regardless of any music genre?
A: Keane – “Silenced by the Night”
Kamelot – “Anthem”
Nightwish – “Ghost Love Score”
Would you stop playing & listening to rock music if a girlfriend of yours asked you to?
A: Haha, no chance. I’d kick her out of the house for asking! Rock music and music in general is the girlfriend that never leaves! She’s always with me (i.n.: Spot on dude!)
You need to make a romantic atmosphere so as to seduce a lady. Which 3 songs would you choose to play in a row as soon as she comes in and why?
A: I would go for “You can leave your hat on” by Joe Cocker and just take it from there...
Why is rock (any kind) music better than sex… if it is…
A: Ehm...
You have the opportunity to have sex with the porn-star/movie celebrity of your choice. Who would it be & why?
A: Hahaha, weeeell... that must be Emmy Rossum. She is such a sweet, beautiful woman and has this wonderful, soothing voice. I’m very weak for sweet, beautiful women with wonderful, soothing voices... and... I bet she’s a nuclear bomb in bed...
Imagine that your girlfriend is selling your whole album-collection just to buy an expensive ring for herself. How would you react?
A: What a cruel thing to do!!!!!! I would throw her off a cliff! (i.n.: Make it look like an accident dude!!)
I think we’re done Andreas. Leave a message to our readers and to your band’s fans for the end… Take care dude!
A: I want to say thank you to everyone that have bought my debut album so far, really appreciate it! You help keeping music and new artists alive! For those that have not heard my album yet, go check it out then!
A: Well, I think it’s just disrespectful to claim that the band should make their money through touring and not through selling albums. Downloading an album for free is the same thing as going into any kind of stores, get some stuff and leaving without paying for it. It actually pisses me off that many people expect music to be free, why should it be? It takes so much time, money and energy making an album. If you compare all the hours and money spent writing/recording/mixing the album with the price for the album (13.99 euros) it’s not even close to what it should have cost in my opinion. People just don’t understand all the hard work behind a song or an album. I experienced like so many others before me that the entire album was out on YouTube and illegal download sites even a month before the actual release date. It’s not cool when that happens but I’m sure it won’t affect the sales of my album since I’m a new artist that no one has ever heard about. It would have been a whole different story if it was the new Metallica album for example.
I’m just glad the album is easily available and that people get to hear my music without going through too much trouble. That’s the bright side of illegal downloading; it makes your music more available and in today’s industry we just have to accept this. I think the streaming services Spotify/Wimp and so on are a step in the right direction. But many people find it too expensive to use these services as well which I think is ridiculous. Paying 10-13 Euros each month for unlimited access to music, that’s cheap!!! I’m not sure what could be done to get people to buy the actual product, the industry nowadays is just a mystery to me. (i.n.: I prefer the actual thing over the shitty streaming services that offer nothing at all… and I do feel your annoyance over the free music culture…)
Time for our weird questions!!! If you hadn’t been a musician what else you would have been and why?
A: That’s a hard one, I’ve always pictured myself as a musician and nothing else. Maybe I would be a painter or a director. Something that allows me to be creative and create something, that’s important to me.
Which is the record you wish you had written and why??
A: “Ghost Opera” by Kamelot. It is a 10/10 on my scale. The album is fantastically well-produced and shows some extremely good songwriting. The music on this album awakes feelings in me that few other albums manage to do. The song “Anthem” made me cry the first time I heard it, every time I’ve heard it since gives me goosebumps. There are just well crafted songs on this album and they create an atmosphere I have big difficulties to explain. I just love this album.
If music were banned by law (CDs, Vinyl, cassettes, Mp3s everything), which 3 albums would you risk to hide even if it would be a risky thing to do cuz the penalty would be jail?
A: Wow, that’s a tough one! Well, it must be these 3 albums:
Kamelot – “Ghost Opera”
Keane – “Strangeland”
Nightwish – “Once”
Which is that band that has influenced more bands & musicians since rock music begun…?
A: Hmmm, I’d say one of these: The Beatles, Rolling Stones, Metallica or AC/DC…
What are your 3 beloved songs of all time regardless of any music genre?
A: Keane – “Silenced by the Night”
Kamelot – “Anthem”
Nightwish – “Ghost Love Score”
Would you stop playing & listening to rock music if a girlfriend of yours asked you to?
A: Haha, no chance. I’d kick her out of the house for asking! Rock music and music in general is the girlfriend that never leaves! She’s always with me
(i.n.: Spot on dude!)You need to make a romantic atmosphere so as to seduce a lady. Which 3 songs would you choose to play in a row as soon as she comes in and why?
A: I would go for “You can leave your hat on” by Joe Cocker and just take it from there...
Why is rock (any kind) music better than sex… if it is…
A: Ehm...
You have the opportunity to have sex with the porn-star/movie celebrity of your choice. Who would it be & why?
A: Hahaha, weeeell... that must be Emmy Rossum. She is such a sweet, beautiful woman and has this wonderful, soothing voice. I’m very weak for sweet, beautiful women with wonderful, soothing voices... and... I bet she’s a nuclear bomb in bed...
Imagine that your girlfriend is selling your whole album-collection just to buy an expensive ring for herself. How would you react?
A: What a cruel thing to do!!!!!! I would throw her off a cliff! (i.n.: Make it look like an accident dude!!)
I think we’re done Andreas. Leave a message to our readers and to your band’s fans for the end… Take care dude!
A: I want to say thank you to everyone that have bought my debut album so far, really appreciate it! You help keeping music and new artists alive! For those that have not heard my album yet, go check it out then!