Neron interview

 Hi! You describe Neron as looking both inward and outward, while the central attitude seems to be a fairly straightforward disgust with humanity and existence. What happens when you turn that hatred inward? Does the project ultimately become more about self-disgust than misanthropy?

Hello. I would say that it goes both ways. It is, in a way, both an observation of humanity and an introspective; I can't separate myself from humanity being a human myself which ultimately lead me to the realization that I too share all the flaws that can be observed within the human race. The music I create is a conduit through which I channel my emotions surrounding these themes and they apply to both the humanity and myself.

The name Neron comes with a very convenient image: Nero playing his lyre while Rome burns, and you playing guitar while the world burns. But Nero is also a historical figure buried under centuries of propaganda, myth and later interpretation. Did you choose him because of the actual man, or because the legend is simply too good to resist?

It is definitely the latter. I really enjoy reading about history and the image of Nero playing his lyre and composing poetry on his balcony while Rome burned was something that got stuck in my head for quite awhile. Even though I am aware that the whole story is historically questionable and belongs more to the realm of legend and myth, I found the image powerful enough to use it as symbolism behind the project's name. I saw that some people thought the main theme of the project was ancient Rome but that is simply not the case; it is symbolism and analogy that is at work here, nothing more.

There is something almost romantic about the idea of calmly playing guitar while everything collapses around you. Do you see Neron as an observer of human stupidity, or is there a part of you that actually wants to participate in the destruction?

I am already participating in the destruction, whether I want it or not, just like the rest of humanity. I see Neron more as a prism through which my personal experiences surrounding people and the world come through, although that which comes out on the other side is hardly rainbow coloured stuff.

“Misanthropy” has become one of the most overused words in black metal. Half the bands apparently hate humanity, yet still spend their weekends looking for other humans to play festivals with. What does misanthropy actually mean to you when you strip away the black-metal vocabulary?

I wouldn't say that it means anything to me, it's just a part of me, a consequence of substantial dissapointment with the human race. I can recall the time when I was younger and had that youthful, foolish hope that things will get better in time, but as time passed by I realized that all that was just wishful thinking. It was one of those boring clichés: when you think you saw everything and that nothing can surprise you anymore, some new shit storm hits you like a freight train. When it comes to mingling with other people, I must say that I am very selective about the people I choose to surround myself with. This is also one of the reasons I started Neron alone because I require a certain type of people whom I can cooperate with. This doesn't mean live shows are completely off the table, it just means that the process of getting the right people to play with will take some time.

You are originally from Croatia but are now based in Norway. That's an interesting position for a black-metal project. Do you feel that living in Norway changed your relationship with the genre at all, or did moving there actually make the mythology surrounding Norwegian black metal feel less mysterious?

While my first exposure to black metal was indeed via the Norwegian black metal scene, I can't say that I listen to a lot of Norwegian bands today. Nationality is meaningless for me when it comes to music which means that I listen to music from literally all around the world. When it comes to the mythology surrounding Norwegian black metal, I am not sure if I ever felt like there was any mythology there to begin with. I have met a couple of "big shots" from the scene since I moved here which only helped to demystify the whole scene for me. But that being said, visiting Neseblod in Oslo (Euronymous' old Helvete record store) was on my to-do list after I moved to Norway.

A one-man project gives you complete control, but it also removes the friction that happens when several musicians disagree. Do you ever deliberately question your own decisions, or is Neron essentially a dictatorship where every terrible idea gets approved?

I am my own biggest critic, and that means that I question everything. But this doesn't necessarily mean that I strive for perfection, it has more to do with what kind of emotions are being evoked with certain musical cues, this is what matters the most for me. I don't burden myself with over-polished production or technicalities when it comes to making music because the music I make is my emotional response to my surroundings and as such is not meant to be perfect. After all, I am just a human.

You handled the writing, performances, recording and production of Apocrypha in situ yourself. At what point does “complete artistic control” become simply having nobody around to tell you that something isn't working?

I would say that it all boils down to the fact that I am making this music for myself, so in the end, I don't really care if someone thinks that something isn't working as long as it's working for me. People are free to listen to whatever they want and if they don't find my music appealing then it is fine, there is tons of other music out there to listen. I am not about to compromise my work to appeal to the masses, that ain't happening.

The album title Apocrypha in situ suggests hidden, excluded or unofficial knowledge - but “in situ” implies that this hidden material is already sitting there in its original environment. What exactly is the “apocrypha” you're talking about: something humanity refuses to see, or something you believe doesn't actually have an explanation?

It's something humanity refuses to see. And that something can cover several different topics but it all comes down to the realization that our own way of life is man-made and therefore can be changed by us. But humans refuse to see it and refuse to do something to change things, to make our lives easier. We built the chains that are holding us enslaved and the inaction is only telling me that we live during a great Stockholm syndrome pandemic where people get to vote who of the slavers should take control of the whip next.

Black metal has spent decades turning despair, death and human failure into an aesthetic language. What do you think is still genuinely dangerous about black metal in 2026, if anything?

I don't think we can consider black metal as dangerous today as it maybe was in the 1980s and the early 1990s. The modern Western world is constantly pushing for liberalism and inclusivity on all fronts which in turn helps in "ruining" the reputation black metal once had. I think the music in itself should have enough shock value but there are not many left to shock when the world is ready to "justify" your feelings and ideas, no matter how negative or dark they may be.

Your description of the album is very direct: dislike and disappointment with the human race and existence itself. Were there any moments while writing Apocrypha in situ when you discovered that the reality behind those feelings was more complicated than the ideology sounded on paper?

Definitely, I felt at times that the lyrics were not enough to pass the complete thought behind the ideas onto the listener. I must say that I was aware of it, but rather than pushing everything onto those six songs I thought it would be better to use some of the ideas at a later release. And of course, the creative process is always making room for material that can be saved for later.

There is a difference between believing that humanity is fundamentally rotten and simply being disappointed by people. Which side of that line does Neron actually stand on?

I will say that the two are interconnected, at least when it comes to my own experience. My first dislike with the human race appeared in the form of disappointment which, through the years, exponentially grew to the belief that humanity is - as you put it - fundamentally rotten. It is the patterns I keep seeing in everyday life that made me realize that all the wrongdoings of people at the micro level are very well reflected at the macro level or the society level, but most of people are simply blind to this. This too, is one of the topics I mentioned earlier that fall under the Apocrypha the album speaks of. All these things sit right under our noses but people are way too comfortable with their lives to even think of instigating a change.

You chose to release the album independently. Was that purely practical, or was there something appealing about putting a record this personal into the world without a label, PR campaign or anyone else interpreting it first?

It was first and foremost a leap of faith for me. I have never done anything like this before so for me it was like sailing in uncharted waters. The decision to release it independently was there from the very beginning and I never even considered contacting a label. This doesn't mean I have something against record labels, it just seemed practical at the time, and it doesn't mean that I will never consider labels for future releases. It just means that this was a fine learning curve for me and I intend on using that which has been learned in the future.

One-man black metal can easily become very private and inward-looking. How much does it matter to you whether another person actually understands what you are trying to express? Would you be satisfied if somebody completely misunderstood the album but found something of their own in it?

It wouldn't bother me, that's for sure. People are free to interpret my music any way they like and I think it could be interesting to see how others understand it. I am not here to preach and say what is right or wrong, these are my own thoughts and opinions and people are free to criticise, judge, praise or misunderstand them.

If the world really is burning, as your Neron/Nero concept suggests, what do you think is more pathetic: the people desperately trying to save it, or the people happily watching it burn?

I think both groups can be pathetic to a degree, it's just that it depends on what are the reasons for doing these things and, when it comes to the group that is trying to save it - what are the tools being used. The modern society has transformed into a slimy slug that believes that words can solve anything. No one is willing to take action but everyone is the loudest when it comes to chit-chatting about said action. Ideas are being expanded to such extremes where they stop making any sense and everyone is at-the-ready to point fingers at others as soon as the word "responsibility" is mentioned. Hundreds of thousands of years of evolution are being cast into the garbage can and things that kept us alive all those millennia have been suddenly turned into a laughing matter. This has slowed our development and, just like real slugs, what is left behind is just sticky goo and we're all going to drown in it. We are the only species on this planet that will destroy itself because it is not profitable to try to save ourselves.

After making an entire album about humanity and existence being disappointing, what would have to happen for you to write a genuinely optimistic Neron song? Or is that basically asking for a different project altogether?

It would have to be a completely different project and an altogether different genre. Neron is like therapy to me - instead of going to a therapist, I transform these thoughts and ideas into music and words, simple as that. And even though I played in blues and hard rock bands when I was younger, I just can't see myself playing anything else than black metal for the time being.

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