Yesterday we posted up a single off what we, along with everyone else on the Internet including the band's label Century Media, were calling Nachtmystium's final record The World We Left Behind. Mastermind behind the band Blake Judd had said it before that the band would be breaking up due to him closing that chapter in his life (full of addiction and jail time) and the album would be the last. Hell, he'd even announced he'd be starting up a new band called Hate Meditation! Now, due to the investigative work of MetalSucks, we're realizing none of this may be the case.
Judd said in an interview with Metal Mayhem Underground (quote in full below) that he initially wanted to break up Nachtmystium so he could move on with his life, but due to fans generally being sad over the decision he has decided that maybe Nachtmystium can continue on after all. Unfortunately, he also made note that he would not tour with the group, so if you've been waiting for a punch to the proverbial face in this article, there it is.
Now here's the strangest part about this whole situation- this interview was posted last week, which means Century Media would have had ample time to retract the whole "this is the final album" thing or even for Judd to get the word out. Instead, we heard nothing and everything remained the same. So now there's a few variables floating around with this piece of information being revealed, such as what's going to happen with Hate Meditation and will there be an official announcement soon? Or is he going to say that Hate Meditation is Nachtmystium, just under a different name? Nobody knows, unfortunately… but we can take solace this isn't the last we hear from Judd!
“I have actually decided not to end the band. The time I announced that Nachtmystium was no more came after a series of really difficult issues and situations, and I decided it was time for a major change in my personal life. Nachtmystium has dominated just about every aspect of my life and has been extremely consuming of my time. With the touring band lifestyle being what it is, it caused me to get very involved with drugs. I am an addict and have struggled with substance abuse issues for years, but in the last four years or so, it got way out of control and began to ruin my life. I decided that after all the shit hit the fan, I needed to get out of the spotlight for a while, get myself some help, and start a new and more normal life. At the time, I really felt like Nachtmystium needed to end for that to happen. Now that I have had a good nine months to clean myself up as far as my drug problem goes, and have regrouped mentally and made a new life for myself, I’ve been able to really think about what I’m doing and where I’m going with music. Due to the immense amount of feedback I have received from fans on our Facebook page telling me how sad they were that I was bringing the band to an end, I decided that ending the band was not what needed to happen in order to live a new life. I just reprioritized how the band is going to be present in my life, and I have also decided that I will no longer be touring at all. But just hanging up the name, all the momentum and success I’ve had with the band doesn’t seem logical to me now that I have had time to do everything I’ve mentioned. I don’t really care what people say or think about my decision to continue on with the band after announcing that it was coming to an end. I’m sure some people will talk shit, but that is nothing new for me or this band. I’m looking at The World We Left Behind as the end of a chapter in Nachtmystium’s history. What I do next will be something new, theme-wise and musically. I’m not sure what direction I will take, but it’s definitely going to be something new and different.”
