We have talked about NightWraith on late February dedicating an article to them. Today we are glad to publish our interview we have done to the band where we talk about their upcoming full length, but also about music and Death Metal.
Have a nice reading!

First of all, thank you for dedicating your time to our site. So, to start this interview feel free to introduce the band to our readers in the way you prefer.

Thank you for taking the time to discuss our new album, “Offering”. We put so much love into this album and are ecstatic that we finally get to share it! My name is Benjamin Pitts, I’m one of the founding members of NightWraith and a primary songwriter. Our band is from Denver, CO, USA and we formed the group in 2016.

 Your album “Offering” is about to be released, precisely on March 25th. Your style, a sort of melodic Death Metal with influences such as Thin Lizzy and Blue Oyster Cult, what should we expect from this full length?

”Offering” – Nightwraith
Acquista su
Reaping Scythe Records – Amazon

You can expect exactly what you described in your question, melodic death metal with a lot of classic rock vibes and guitar harmonies. However, don’t be misled by this statement as these songs are the heaviest that we have ever written! In general, we formed this band with no preconceived notion of genre. We didn’t want to box ourselves into a specific sound because we desired complete musical freedom. Our intent was to focus 100% of our energy on creating a quality musical experience, rather than trying to fit a specific sound or image.

 You, instead, as musicians, how do you look upon your future for what concerns your style? Are you influenced by any other music styles except Death Metal and the two important names mentioned above?

Our influences have a wide range because we all have pretty different musical backgrounds. I think this is the main reason that we like to incorporate different sounds and styles into our music. We love everything from Venom to Jaco Pastorius, Carcass to Deep Purple, Sepultura to Pink Floyd, Napalm Death to Lonnie Smith, Neurosis to Joe Satriani, Merciful Fayte to Smokey Robinson, Judas Priest to Sade, and the list goes on. I think many people can relate to enjoying different types of good music. As songwriters, we don’t try to incorporate every single genre into our music, but you can definitely hear some of the influences.

How are you going to promote “Offering”? For example concerts, tours, etc.

We are getting some nice press coverage to start, and we have some pretty rad shows lined up in Denver for the spring/summer of 2022. I would like to play some shows nationally to support the album but we will probably see how the album is received before making any touring commitments. We all toured more frequently in our previous bands, but now we all have more responsibilities that make it difficult to leave home for extended periods of time.

Watching your promotional video “Hedonic Adaptation”, in the end of it you all appear in the typical Black Metal aesthetic style: face painting, black cloths, T-shirts of that genre and spikes. What position do you have in respect to this kind of music which was talked a lot about itself in the past (I’m talking specifically of the infamous facts in Norway)? Excluding Enslaved who are not Black Metal but are into the Norwegian scene since many years, are there any Black Metal bands who influenced your music in a way or another?

We certainly draw inspiration from black metal music and some of those bands, like Emperor and Behemoth, write music that is absolutely crushing and beautiful. I can’t say we support the politics behind some of the Norwegian bands from the 90s, and I do not consider NightWraith to be a black metal band. That being said, some of the best shows I’ve seen in the past decade are bands like Watain, Belphegor, and Immortal. In the video for “Hedonic Adaptation”, our intent was to give a nod to the genre but keep the overall vibe fun and lighthearted.

We are living this historical time of pandemic and in my opinion art in all its forms has taken a massive hit because of the quarantine, restrictions and all the rest we have experienced in 2020 above all. Do you think music, and arts in general, will bear influence by this sad event? I’m thinking of the creative process of an artist, in any field: music, photography, painting, cinema, writing etc.

Yes, the lifeblood of most artists is drawn through live events, which have taken a massive hit and it is very unfortunate because artists generally struggle to find support, even prior to the pandemic. Personally, I tried to make the most of the downtime and channel my creativity in a positive way. In this regard, the lockdowns gave me the time and space to complete “Offering” so I am grateful for that, although many people did share this good experience.

 In early 2021 Caleb Tardio, Keyboards, joined the band. What element has he brought into NightWraith? And how his union happened?

Caleb is a longtime friend of mine, we were actually in our first band together when we were kids. He is an insanely talented musician and I knew he would really enhance our music. We had wanted to add keyboards for a long time, but we weren’t quite sure what type of keyboard/synth sounds to use for this band. We landed on using mostly Hammond B3 organ tones because it’s such a classic sound and when paired with melodic metal, it creates a kind of spooky/churchy atmosphere.

Reading your biography, “Offering” is defined as an experience both aggressive and textural. That’s interesting: what do you mean with a textural experience?

I think the term ‘textural’ refers to the many musical layers that make up our compositions. The goal was for the listener to hear something new upon each listen. We believe that the listening experience is unique for everyone and we wanted to take the listener on a journey with each track.

Let’s talk a bit about Death Metal, which is your main influence and roots. What bands you like most since you stepped into this kind of music? Regardless these bands have influenced your music or not.

NightWraight

Death metal and extreme music have always been a healthy outlet for me, and is its own special form of therapy. I cherish all forms of death metal but always gravitated to the more melodic side of the genre. As a guitarist, the melodies I heard in bands like Opeth and At the Gates were much more intriguing to me than some of the more traditional death metal. Although sometimes, nothing hits quite like the punishing riffs you hear in bands like Obituary and Dying Fetus.

 My interview finished here and I truly hope you have enjoyed. Would you like to leave a message to our readers?
Thank you so much and good luck with “Offering” from the whole staff of Vampire’s Tears!

Thank you very much for your questions, I truly enjoyed answering them! I hope you and your staff at Vampire’s Tears have a wonderful spring solstice!

Cheers,
Ben