Recently the news was spread that the band Verdelger ceased to exist. Two former members of this band from the Veluwe, Holland, are continuing under a new moniker: Borgazûr. One of them is Knight Ilithrir. From the dark woods of his holiday resort in the Ardennen he was willing to comment on the new developments.

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Why was Verdelger ended?

Because of a huge change of musical direction. Verdelger was quite a bunch of noise, if you ask me. And Borgazûr is of a higher level. That's why we changed the name.

You and Priest Lethrir are continuing under the moniker Borgazûr. How do you get these names?

At the moment I'm working on a fantasy book. These names are derived from that book.

And they are along the lyrics of the CD?

Partially, not with all lyrics. Sometimes there's a text that goes along the lines of the story.

The band hardly exists, yet on May 17th you recorded a demo called Dit Tranendal Verlaten. The demo CD will be released by Sneeuwstorm Produkties. What can tell about it?

I can tell it is very good productionally.

How many songs are on it? A hundred, or two?

There are five songs on it. Three of them are brutal metal songs and there's an intro and an outtro. The songs vary a lot in style. Like Nedergezet In Des Angstig Stof. It's more along the lines of the Crimson Moonlight style. Dood En Bederf Sterf is a vikingmetal song. And In The Gloomy Shadows is a bit old school.

I've been listening to the three heavy songs a lot. They were recorded in Studio Forte. That's not really a metal studio. Are you happy with the outcome?

I'm very happy with the outcome. I've had quite some negative response on the guitar sound, but I'm quite happy about it.

Well, that's just what I wanted to mention. Especially in that song Nedergezet In Des Angstig Stof I think the guitar sounds a bit distant.

Yeah, it's due to the fact that those people don't have much experience with metal. So, we mainly did it because of the budget. It's quite a cheap studio and it's also of some friends of mine. That's why we tried it out there. More came out of it than I had expected.

You play black metal. When I think of black metal in Holland, the name Slechtvalk comes up in my mind first. Are they a figure-head for Borgazûr or do you get inspiration from elsewhere?

We get inspiration from other bands. I'm especially inspired by classical music and by bands like Emperor, Crimson Moonlight and Sanctifica.

Besides Borgazûr you also do a solo project called Bloedoffer. What's the difference with Borgazûr?

Bloedoffer is a very simple project, mainly for when I have some spare time. So, it's for when I want to spend my time in a pleasant way. It's not really meant as a serious project, to sell a lot of demo's. It's just for the fun of it.

And music wise, is it in the same vein or a bit different?

It's a little bit different. A bit more noisy, I think. Playing one and the same riff for two minutes.

Ah, so it's a bit more simple....

Yes, very simple. Bad sound and such. It doesn't represent much.

Since October you're also in the band Duister Maanlicht. There's a new album from that band called Vaandeldragers Van Het Kwaad. This is a recording from the rehearsal room. The rumor goes that the band is going to give a live show for the first time in the three years it exists. What can you tell about this?

I can tell you it's going to be a rude concert. We're going to dress in fake Middle ages stuff and that kinda stuff. And the songs are most likely going wrong, so, that's going to be a lot of fun.

Right! And are you playing with the entire band?

Yes. I will be there as guitarist, and there will be a bassist, a drummer and a singer.

Speaking of concerts, in Borgazûr you play bass and guitar...

And keyboards!

And keyboards too! That sounds like difficult doing that live.

Yes. We want to get more musicians first. But, if we can't find them somewhere, we shall play from tape.

Is that tr00?

Borgazûr has nothing to do with being tr00. Heidendoder (from Duister Maanlicht, mpo) always says, it's quite slicky.

Finally: what else can be expected from the band?

Technical black metal, more in the vein of Nedergezet In Des Angstig Stof. But then with some more death metal influences.

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