Roll of the Dice is a short interview format with a variable amount of questions. A pair of dice is rolled and the total, between 2 and 12, is the amount of questions we can ask. All questions are given to the interviewee(s) at once, and no follow-ups are allowed. The interview may be lightly edited for content and clarity.
Zurich quintet Nonexister just released the industrial-metal masterpiece Demons. The self-released debut has been garnering attention across Europe and abroad. Vocalist Nik Leuthold joined TGEFM for a short chat in the latest of our Roll of the Dice interview series. Check out what he has to say about the new record, playing live and what’s next for the five-piece.
Thank you so much for agreeing to this interview and congrats on the upcoming debut album Demons. I can’t express how impressed I was by the “Where Does Your Mind Go?” music video and the story told through the single shot of an actress underwater, I found it to be a brilliant idea realized. Apologies for my gushing, haha. What can you tell me about NONEXISTER, the new LP, and what you want to represent to your listeners?
Thank you very much! I think, special about NONEXISTER is that we are not so easy to categorize. We don’t stick neatly to one genre but oscillate between several and are still stylistically stringent, we are always NONEXISTER. And as you noted, the videos are very important and part of our art, reflecting the lyrics in a different way.
Our upcoming debut Demons is a journey through the unfathomable depths of human nature. It is dramatic, possibly disturbing, sometimes ironic, and now and then, quite surprising. There are many pumping grooves, perfect for the mosh pit, but there are eerie, strange things as well, that gnaw on your brain.
The lyrics talk about the demons in our heads. Those that only affect us personally and those that can be a potential threat for fellow humans or even society as whole. The songs are often socially critical. But they don’t just accuse, they always have an internal, self-critical point of view as well. Because we can find most of the demons that cause the atrocities committed in this world, within every one of us. And the best way to prevent them from becoming monstrous, is to question ourselves and have the courage to face them. We don’t preach, we rather try to understand and question things honestly.
And if we can pass on some of this willingness to examine the world without fear of questioning ourselves and our own prejudices and patterns, this is probably what we want to represent. If we can inspire one or the other in our audience to think again and possibly deeper about some topics we address, that would be great.
What album or band or significant singles made you go “Yeah, this is what I want to do” Not just an influence but who or what was the catalyst?
For me there was not one single catalyst. I have been a fan of Industrial, Alternative Metal and Goth Rock ever since and always knew that someday I would do something in this direction. I was just too occupied with making punk and hardcore, haha. But if I had to name the bands that were decisive for me to want to do something like NONEXISTER, it would be The Young Gods, Nine Inch Nails, Ministry, Melvins Tomahawk and others.
One of our obligatory questions in these interviews also tends to be the one I have found most important on a personal level. Who are some bands on your radar that TGEFM readers may not know about, but you think they should?
Foetus, Cop Shoot Cop, Dÿse, La Fraction, Compressorhead
What’s next for the members of NONEXISTER?
To play live. As we do a lot ourselves and publish Demons under our own label, we were almost completely occupied by the production of the album in the last time as well as with the videos and everything that goes with these tasks. Now it’s time to get on stage. And secondly to work on new stuff. We have quite an output, so there will be news from us apart from Demons within not too much time.
Was there anything I missed that you’d like to share or dive deeper into with our readers?
Stay tuned for the next two videos. “Storm” comes together with the album on March 15 and is another stunning work of Dave Bullivant, who already did “How Do You Dare”. And “Kater” will follow in May as the cherry on the cake. Be sure not to miss that one, it is by far the most insane video we’ve made so far, a wild ride through Berlin and its characters by director Garrick Lauterbach.
Bad Dad (occasionally called Ed) has been on the periphery of the punk and punk-adjacent scene for over twenty years. While many contributors to this site have musical experience and talent, Ed’s musical claim to fame comes from his time in arguably the most punk rock Blockbuster Video district in NJ where he worked alongside members of Blanks 77, Best Hit TV and Brian Fallon. He is more than just an awful father to his 2 daughters, he is also a dreadful husband, a subpar writer, a terrible dresser and has a severe deficiency in all things talent… but hey, at least he’s self-aware, amirite?
Check out the pathetic attempts at photography on his insta at https://www.instagram.com/bad_dad_photography/
