Mithraic Magazine

Nidhoggr is the first in our series on one-man black metal bands whose creators are no longer with us, a journey into the shadows of a genre known for its secrecy, extremity, and often tragic figures. Black metal has always thrived on myth and mystery, but some artists have slipped even further into obscurity, their stories fading into whispers among those who were there. In this piece, we speak with those who remember Nidhoggr, attempting to separate truth from legend and uncover what remains of a project lost to time.

Part II is out now, make sure to check that out next where we talk to Behemoth from Aske about Pervogoat.

An Introduction: Frozen Landscapes, Black Metal, and the Hollowed Psyche of Finland

To exist is to endure, to walk a path carved by indifferent hands, where the promise of meaning collapses beneath the weight of nothingness. Finland, a land of vast and silent expanses, has long been a cauldron for those who would stare into the void and find only silence returning back. The forests, endless and impenetrable, whisper only the truth of solitude. The lakes, like black mirrors, reflect the still calmness of the eternal void that finds us all in the end. It is here, in the frostbitten womb of eternal dusk, that a new sound of black metal did not merely arise but was willed into being – an affirmation of decay, a hymn to the futility and banality of existence.

Isolation is not a condition but an inheritance. The Finnish soul has been shaped by the penetrating winter, the coldness of a sky that neither weeps nor rejoices, and the unspoken understanding that, in the end, there is only oneself. In the 1990s, this isolation deepened into a sickness, a nihilistic fever that spread through the veins of the youth like frost that creeps across the landscape. Suicide was not an act of desperation, but almost a philosophy, an act of severance from the grotesque charade of life. It was the final expression of a people who had long since abandoned the lie of salvation.

From this pit of desolation, black metal arose not as a protest but as a revelation. Bands such as Beherit, Impaled Nazarene and Horna did not seek to rouse the spirit, nor did they cloak themselves in self-pity or mourning. They stood in defiance, sharpened their sound like steel, and wielded it against a society whose values they rejected. Their music was not simply raw; it was stripped of all pretensions, a sonorous wound cut open so that the rot of existence could be laid bare to fester. This was not a rebellion – it was devotion. A funeral hymn not for the dead, but for the living soon to join them.

Although the rates of self-termination would eventually begin to fall with time, the forests still whisper, and the lakes remain black and endless. Finland, ever the altar of resignation, still breeds those who understand that to be alive is not a blessing, but a test of endurance.

Similarly, black metal endures. No longer merely a scream into the abyss, but a dialogue with it. Those who hear its call do not seek salvation, nor do they necessarily crave oblivion. They walk the path between, clad in shadows, wreathed in misanthropy, unburdened by the illusions of meaning. The hymn continues, and the void listens.

Preface:

Today we’re joined by Pete Desecrator, who has generously agreed to help shed some light on some of the mysteries of underground 90s Finnish black metal project, Nidhoggr.

Pete is best known for his time masterminding Diaboli, but has also been a part of projects like Depravity, Tormentum, and Psychopathic Terror.

Nidhoggr, on the other hand, was a one-man black metal project from Finland in the second half of the 90s.

Albeit one of the more obscure projects to many, the diehards among us recognise Nidhoggr’s place in the annals of black metal history; as evidenced by the fact over 1000 maniacs have joined a Facebook group for a man and project that finished existing in the late 90s, and released only one demo during that time.

Although the parallels aren’t exactly perfect, I still believe Nidhoggr deserves recognition as an early pioneer of DSBM, even if unintentionally. Years ago, I wrote about how the distinction between Strid’s End of Life and Nidhoggr’s Ravens Over the Road of Kings was largely semantic. When compared side by side, both releases are similar in age, length and exhibit remarkably alike levels of aggression, shrieking, and overall atmosphere. (And, of course, the suicides…)

But I digress, as someone who died so young and left us only the excellent Ravens Over The Road Of Kings as a memento for their time in existence, almost nothing is known about the man behind the project.

Luckily today, I get to ask some questions to the only other person we know to have known and worked with Nadrach during his short time on this Earth.

So, let’s begin!

Nidhoggr Interview (Interview With Pete Desecrator From Diaboli, Jan 2025 by Vipoig)

Obviously, I know who you are, but let’s pretend I don’t. In your own words, who are you and how did you know Sami, aka Nadrach?

My full name is Petri Ilvespakka and I knew Sami (Nadrach) back in the day because we both lived in Pirkkala and hanged with the same people. He lived about one kilometer from my parents house. At some point in 1993 or 1994 he had a couple of songs written and was looking for a drummer for the demo tape he was planning to do, so I said I’ll play the drums. I wasn’t really a drummer, but I had been recording some Diaboli demo songs with my 4 tracker and managed to play drums ok.

Tell me about black metal in Finland in the 90s, how did it compare, if at all, to its Norwegian counterparts? What would you say were the defining differences between the two at the time?

It was basically the same situation like in Norway, both had very few but original bands, Norwegians just had a couple more of them. They had Mayhem, Dark Throne, Burzum, Emperor, Enslaved and Immortal in the beginning, we had Beherit, Impaled Nazarene and Thy Serpent. Later on for example Barathrum made great albums, but I wasn’t personally impressed with their earlier material from what I heard of it. And the Norwegians took things to a bit more extreme level with some activism outside music.

You worked with Sami, aka Nadrach, for a moment in the early 90s. What was that like? Do you have any good memories of Nadrach or your time recording with Nidhoggr that you can share?

It was easy to work with him. He had the songs ready for ”Ravens Over the Road of Kings” demo and we rehearsed them at my parents storage for a couple of months I think, me playing the drums and he playing the guitar. I also recorded the demo with my 4 tracker there.

What was Nadrach like as a human being? Very little is known about Sami so I’m curious what traits and characteristics you associate most with him? What kind of person was he?

He was quote normal guy, after school he educated himself some more and then went to army. We started to rehearse a couple of new songs after he came back from the army, and there was a plan to record the second Nidhoggr demo, but unfortunately that didn’t happen, as his suicide came out of nowhere and was a shock to everyone.

On Diaboli’s Unseen Age of War, Nadrach is listed as a songwriter on Point of No Return. This was recorded in 1999, by which time Nadrach was no longer with us. Was this a song you and Sami had written together previously? Was it always supposed to be for Diaboli or was it originally going to be released under another project shared by the both of you?

One of the new songs which we were rehearsing for the second Nidhoggr demo was ”Point of No Return”. After Nadrach died I thought that was too good song to go to waste. We had rehearsed it a few times, so I knew how the guitar riffs and song structure was. I decided to make it a tribute to Nadrach, so I wrote lyrics to it and recorded it for Diaboli. The guitar riffs, drum beats and song structure are exactly like we rehearsed them.

Speaking of Unseen Age of War and fallen black metal musicians who are no longer with us, it would be rude of me not to talk about Hrim Grimn’r. Like Nadrach, his contribution towards the early Finnish black metal scene deserves recognition, and like Sami, I feel not much is known about him, so I’ll ask the same questions. What are the characteristics you associate most with Grimn’r, what kind of person was he? Any favourite memories of that period of Diaboli’s history?

I can’t really speak of the old times as there was some crazy things going on sometimes, but let’s just say he was a maniac, 100% black metal person, but listened to all kinds of music too. We had some differences so I kicked him out of the band in 1995, but later on things were cool and he recorded vocals for ”Anthems of Sorrow” album in autumn 1998.

Do you think there is any other unreleased Nidhoggr music waiting to be found? Was Sami a member of any other projects we don’t currently know about? How about Grimn’r?

Unfortunately there isn’t any unreleased Nidhoggr material as we didn’t manage to record that second demo, and he didn’t have any other projects either. There are a few unreleased Sigillum Diaboli songs as we recorded 10 songs in march 1994 with Grimn’r, but I re-recorded those for ”Mesmerized by Darkness” with new lyrics so I don’t know if there is any point to release them. Sometime around 1996 Grimn’r was vocalist for Azazel for a short period of time, but I don’t think they recorded any material with that line up.

Thanks for taking the time to answer my questions about Nidhoggr, now let’s turn the spotlight onto Diaboli. What’s going on with the project right now? Is anything new in the works?

Yes, new material have been recorded and will be released later this year.

I enjoyed Tulen Synty from Pagan Gods Rise, can you tell me more about the18th century Finnish poem the lyrics are taken from? Are there any other Finnish poems from centuries forgotten that you think deserve some recognition?

Glad to hear that, thanks. The lyrics (a bit edited) are from a book called Mythologia Fennica. ”Kiwuttarelle” lyrics are also from there. Kalevala is always recommended, and nowadays there is quite good collection of books about Finnish paganism printed, but they are in Finnish language.

Finally, two random ones for you. You used to run a zine called Pure Fucking Hell in the early 90s. The internet tells me the first issue was called Gray Apple? Is this true? If so, I’ve got to know, why Gray Apple? It feels like such a juxtaposition to the name which came next.

Yes, the first issue was done with Gray Apple name, and there were almost ten people involved with it. To my defense I can say that the name wasn’t my idea, but that’s how it is in democracy. After that issue, the others weren’t interested in doing a zine anymore, so I changed the name to Pure Fucking Hell (inspired by Mayhem of course), and continued myself as the dictator of the zine.

Lastly, most people might not know this, but you have close ties with some members of Korpiklaani and Sonata Arctica, I assume through your time with Depravity? Do you think that project will ever return? Silence of the Centuries is an underrated Finnish death metal classic! On that note, how about Tormentum? Is there anything new being worked on there?

I’m afraid not. Depravity played a couple of gigs some years ago but I passed them as I haven’t played live for years and don’t have the routine for it. Most likely no new material from them. Probably no new material from Tormentum either, we haven’t rehearsed for years.

Thanks for taking the time to answer the questions, Pete. Any final comments, thoughts, projects you’d like to mention?

Thanks for the interview and have a good new year 2025. Some new Diaboli material will be released later this year, info can be found from https://diaboli.webnode.fi.

During one of our email exchanges, Pete mentioned that Sami had once conducted an interview with Varg Vikernes as part of the Pure Fucking Hell zine. Surprisingly, this interview can still be found online 30 years later, and is hosted on Burzum’s website, if you’d like to read it next.

Sami Leskinen
1976 – 1998

HTBLOF.

Editor’s note: in the off chance you’re reading this because you knew Sami, if you have any photographs of him and would like them to be included here reach out via email: contact@mithraicmanagement.com.