Hi, IM NEBEL. Greetings from Germany! What are you up to these days?
Michael: Hello! There is a lot of preparation going on for the New Year celebrations. So we are all mostly with our families. But we will probably go into the studio soon for another fresh single, which will be separate from the upcoming album.
Would you please introduce your band to our readers who are not aware of your music?
Michael: We're Im Nebel, and we bring you our vision of progressive, avant-garde, symphonic or whatever heavy metal music it is. We did not limit the sonic character of the compositions and tried to combine different musical modes supported by groovy rhythmic patterns into one picture. We hope you will like it!
Could you give us a little insight into the formation of the band? When and how did it happen?
Michael: I have always been interested in making records with a group of musicians and played in various bands before 2004. The resulting records have a more interesting sound or feel, even if some members, including myself are just playing without any other input. Which is something I cannot say about a record made entirely by one man. But unfortunately many lost interest when it came to real work and not just having fun at rehearsals. With the first full line-up in 2006 we had such a strong team that the creation of the first album was possible.
At what age did you guys start playing instruments, and since when have you been into metal music?
Alexandre: I went to music school from early age where I studied classical music and piano. In my teens I experimented with various metal and rock bands as a guitar player, instrument which I learned along the way with some help of private tutors in blues and jazz. It was around this period when I got into black and death metal. Around 2016 I joined Im Nebel and also started playing in a newly formed death metal band Triskelion in which I'm still on vocals and bass.
Grigol: I probably started playing guitar when I was 14, and I think I started listening to heavy metal when I was 16.
Michael: The same. If I remember correctly, I started studying acoustic guitar in my early teens.
IM NEBEL is about to release a new album next year via Octopus Rising. Could you tell us something about it?
Michael: The album is called Hypocrisis and it is about the unraveling of the world around us, exposing the contradictions that make up our reality. We often face things when white is black, even without noticing it. That was paid attention to and put into heavy music without any mystifications or fantasies to recreate the dark atmosphere. In my opinion album has a lot of references to what is happening today.
When and where did you play your first gig? How was the experience of going live for the first time?
Michael: Michael: It was a Metal Attack festival in 2008, we shared the stage with a lot of good bands. It was fun.
Have you ever had an epic fail moment during a gig?
Michael: Absolutely, lots of failures, but the one I can remember now is the one with the smoke machine they use on stage. The operator must have known the meaning of our band name and turned it on at max just as I was about to press the foot switch to get a clean guitar sound. I tried to find a place to press the button on the foot switch and almost slipped off the stage. So this quiet and melodic moment was a complete failure.
If asked to differentiate IM NEBEL from other bands in Georgia, how would you respond?
Alexandre: The thing that sets apart Im Nebel from other Georgian bands, I think, is a unique and harmonious combination of melodic and rhythmic complexity and certain sophistication in various aspects of musicality.
Which bands/artists do you draw your influences from, and which are your favourite local bands?
Grigol: My favourite band is Pantera. Among Georgian bands I like Dismorial, Xresistenciax, Tsre, P4, აქცია, Adrenalin.
How do you guys manage your jobs and gigs, and how often do you gather altogether just for fun?
Michael: It is always difficult to combine work, home and music. But we are all happy to get together to create or just to talk.
IM NEBEL is a very promising formation. Looking at your future, where do you see yourselves in 2 years?
Michael: Thank you very much! In the next 2 years we will probably have the same as today, but with new material, which we could already start producing.
Well, that’s it. Thanks a lot for your time. Could you speak out to all your fans and supporters?
We wish you and your families joy and happiness this holiday season and a Happy New Year.