Interview with Nobody
No Light, No Life, No Salvation (2025)
Thank you for making some time to do this interview. And also thank you for the free download code of your 2025 release “No Light, No Life, No Salvation”. Tell us about Nobody’s formation — when and why did the project start? What drew you to depressive black metal specifically?
The project began as an anonymous father-and-son collaboration between Troll and Ulver, created with no defined identity—only the desire to forge a bleak, cold, and uniquely atmospheric sound, free from any creative constraints.
Why did you give part of your music away for free on Bandcamp? How has the feedback from fans been?
We released the music digitally for free, or let fans pay whatever they wished, because I believe only physical merchandise should have a price. This approach also helps us reach more listeners and share our music with a wider audience.
It is your second full-length album after the 2024 “Despair Is Where My Thoughts Swim”. What has changed since then?
Despair Is Where My Thoughts Swim was originally intended to be released under the project Sorry, with all music written by Troll and Ulver—it would have marked Ulver’s debut in that project. The difference in sound was intentional, as we wanted Dimitri to have his own influence on the album, so we allowed him to handle the mastering.
However, as internal issues within Sorry began to surface, I (Troll) decided to leave the project. There were ongoing problems involving Dimitri—such as failing to properly credit musicians, using others’ work without compensation, and attempting to use artwork submitted by a minor, which I was strongly against. Because of these issues, I chose to step away from Sorry, and the project continues to face complications to this day.
“No Light, No Life, No Salvation” is a rather nihilist title. Why did you pick it, and how does it relate to the music?
The music embodies a soundscape of desolation—bleak moments intertwined with a crushing, melancholic atmosphere. Why we choose the title..
To quote your Bandcamp entry: “No Light, No Life, No Salvation is not here to comfort you. It’s the sound of doors closing, of hope rotting in the dark.” What do your lyrics deal with?
Rooted in nihilism and depression—because everyone fades, and everybody is nobody.
One aspect that becomes immediately apparent is the difference in terms of the sound. The new one feels tighter and more intense, while the 2024 one is rawer and unpolished. Was this change intentional, and how do you see the development of it?
As mentioned earlier, we let Dimitri have his own influence on Despair Is Where My Thoughts Swim by handling the mastering. For this album, however, Troll took full control of the mixing and mastering process. We also incorporated more synth and piano elements this time, shaping the mix around those textures to enhance the atmosphere.
Many DSBM projects tend to suffer from weak production, often losing important details in the mix. We wanted to avoid that—our goal was to capture the atmosphere clearly while still offering an enjoyable listening experience. We also aimed to blend aggression with nostalgia and melancholy, bringing a true black metal element into the slower, mid-paced landscapes typical of DSBM. The idea was to strike a balance between the harsh and the delicate, and to use sounds not always found in traditional DSBM or black metal.
The songwriting has also seen a shift. The music offers fewer moments of calmness and more intense moments; blast beats and intense screams. Two bands came to my mind: Shining and Silencer when I listened to the songs. How would you respond to that and how do you see this evolution?
I feel the songwriting hasn’t really changed, because my son and I simply write whatever sounds right to us and build the atmosphere from there. That said, I (Troll) am first and foremost a drummer, though I dabble in everything, and I’ve been playing extreme metal for over 25 years. I’d say a fair comparison would be to Shining or Silencer, as I’ve always loved those bands. When writing this album and the previous one, we envisioned Void on vocals, and I had composed the music with that in mind, though I was originally the primary vocalist for this project. Regardless, we never let anything restrain us—we write what we enjoy and strive to create something uniquely ours.
“The Crushing Weight of Existence” is a bit different, is it not? Why the slight change in sound? How does it fit into the broader scheme of things?
If you go back through our discography, I think you’ll hear threads and influences from all our past music coming together in this track. Lyrically, we don’t concern ourselves with norms—what matters is that we create what we enjoy. If it makes sense to us, that’s all that counts.
Musically, where did it start, and where is it now? Why do you use these extreme screams? What role do they have in your music?
I think Void captures something I can’t always convey with my own vocals, especially with the music I envision. The chaotic, unpredictable nature of his style mirrors the mental instability often expressed in DSBM—reflecting a sense of being truly unwell. It’s not everyone’s cup of tea, but it fits the atmosphere perfectly and brings the emotional intensity we aim for.
What bands have and do still influence you?
These days, I don’t listen to much extreme metal—instead, I gravitate toward ‘80s retro, synthwave, and instrumental music with rich atmospheres. My influences are all over the place, spanning genres and eras, including:
Pink Floyd, Enya, 1349, Lifelover, Shining, Silencer, Lustre, Mayhem
One gets a slightly mocking impression from the cover artwork, as some grimaces appear to laugh in the face of the viewer. How does it relate to the music? Did you have a say in the creation of it?
I enlisted the same talented artist from Despair Is Where My Thoughts Swim, Vasilis Tsoukas (aka Black Wizard), carrying forward the same vision and continuing the thematic journey from the previous album.
A quick glance over the line-up listed at the Metal Archives reveals that two of the band members have a significant number of projects. How is it possible to deal with so many?
I do a lot of session drum work for bands, assisting with recording, mixing, and mastering. I’ve played in bands across a wide range of genres—from brutal death metal to DSBM and symphonic black metal—allowing me to stay creative with my drumming and continually push my own limits. Currently, I’m involved in the live projects Tryblith and Tower of God.
Do you plan to have live performances?
Yes, we’ve added Irritum as a permanent member of Nobody. Both Troll and Void have previously worked with him in Sorry…, and Troll collaborated with Irritum on Sorry…’s largest album, Innocence.Love.Sadness, where Troll also mixed and mastered the album, performed drums, and contributed to the guitar writing.
Irritum will be handling vocal duties for Nobody, and we are currently recording our third full-length album, which will mark his debut as our vocalist. Exciting times ahead—cheers!