Interview: Grauwyler

(Please note: Since completing this interview, the artist has released a new album titled Age of Decadence, which is addressed in the interview.)

Atmostpheric black metal is of utmost priority here at Blacforje, and for good reason. IT’S AWESOME. So, when we come across a new artist that embodies the subgenre we love so much, it’s hard not to champion them and celebrate their work. Grauwyler, a one-man black metal artist out of Texas, is such a gift to the scene, and we know you’ll appreciate the project even more after learning more about what inspires his music.

We were honored to chat with the man behind the music about Grauwyler, the philosophy behind the music, and what we can expect in the future. Enjoy!

First off, it’s an honor to have you join us for an interview! Thanks for making time to share more about Grauwyler. To start off, you’re in Denton, Texas. Correct?

It’s truly my honor, and I’m grateful to be speaking with you. Yes, I’m currently in Denton. I moved here about 15 years ago to be closer to the music scene, and over time I’ve settled down and started a family. These days, music fits around a quieter life, but it remains an essential part of how I process and express things.

In late November you released your first album titled Nullhymn. Can you tell us a little more about what inspired the record and about the thematic elements in your music?

Nullhymn came from a point in my life where I felt the need to make something entirely on my own. I’ve been involved in writing and recording music for many years, but always as part of a group. As I’ve gotten older, I felt a pull to see what would happen if I stripped that away and followed an idea all the way through without compromise or outside influence.

Working alone allowed the record to be more inward and patient. It wasn’t about proving anything but about giving space to ideas that I didn’t yet fully understand myself. One of the conceptual touchstones during that time was the book Neuromancer, particularly the idea of consciousness preserved after death. The book treats these constructs as extensions of the original person, but I read them as something more fragile. Memory without consciousness, presence without agency. That tension became central to the album. Nullhymn explores themes of memory, decay, and absence. What remains when something living is gone, and whether what’s left behind still has meaning. The record isn’t a literal narrative, but there are recurring figures and implied relationships woven throughout, written in a deliberately oblique way that favors atmosphere and suggestion over story.

What inspired this project? Were you in a band previously, or is this your first project in the metal world?

Before Grauwyler, I was involved in music primarily through a band called The Timeline Post. That experience was formative for me, especially in terms of learning how songs take shape collaboratively.

Nullhymn, however, is the first time I’ve recorded metal and the first time I’ve followed an idea through entirely on my own. Working solo allowed me to approach the music more patiently and without the need to reconcile multiple voices or directions. That shift is a big part of what defines the project for me.

When listening to the album, you do not sound like a newcomer to writing music. It’s an incredible record, and one that I enjoyed immensely. What artists and bands have inspired you in your own music?

First, thank you, that really means a lot to hear. I originally picked up the guitar because of Jimi Hendrix, but as I grew older my listening shifted heavily toward punk and punk-adjacent music. Bands like At the Drive-In, Sonic Youth, The Misfits, and Killing Joke were hugely important to me, not just musically, but in terms of attitude and approach and the idea that emotion and urgency matter more than polish.

Later on, that sensibility carried over into black metal. I was drawn to bands like Ulver, Drudkh, Emperor, and others, and to the genre as a whole because it felt incredibly dense and expressive, with room for atmosphere, repetition, and emotional weight. There are too many bands to name, really. Black metal feels like one of the few forms of music where exploration and individuality are still central. Nullhymn grew out of that overlap. The rawness and instinct I took from punk, filtered through the atmosphere and pacing of black metal.

If you prefer to remain anonymous, we totally respect that. If you’re open to sharing a little bit about you as a person, what do you feel comfortable letting readers know about who you are and what motivates you as an artist?

I’ve always been fairly inward and private by nature, and I try to reflect that through Grauwyler. I’m less interested in projecting a persona than in creating a space through sound where ideas can unfold quietly. It exists as a way to process things internally rather than to present a version of myself outwardly.

We love faith, philosophy, and deep thinking around here. Honestly, existentialism and similar philosophies tend to be the driving factor behind a lot of black metal. Do you consider yourself a spiritual or philosophical person in nature? If so, what does that look like for you?

I don’t consider myself religious in any traditional sense. On the surface, I tend to see the universe as vast and indifferent rather than purposeful or centered around humanity. At the same time, I’m very aware of how complex and unknowable it is, and I don’t pretend to have any clear answers about what existence ultimately means.

I try to keep an open mind toward how others understand the world. Many people I respect deeply have faith, and I don’t dismiss that. It seems just as likely to me that there are aspects of reality, consciousness especially, that we don’t yet have the language or framework to understand.

I wouldn’t call myself a philosopher, but I do find myself returning to simple questions about awareness and being, the strangeness of existing at all, and of being conscious enough to recognize that fact. That sense of uncertainty and curiosity tends to inform my work more than any specific belief system.

Do you anticipate making more music in the future?

Yes, very much so. I’m already deep into working on the next record, and it’s close to being finished. I expect it to be completed sometime early next year.

Where Nullhymn was inward and reflective, this next album is pushing outward a bit more. It’s loosely concerned with the idea of comfort and stability, what it takes to sustain a “good” life, and the systems and consequences that tend to remain invisible beneath the surface. I’m not interested in assigning blame or moralizing but in sitting with that tension and acknowledging it.

As with my previous work, the music isn’t meant to argue a position so much as create space for reflection. I’m still following ideas where they lead, and I don’t feel finished exploring that yet.

The last question is the fun question. Since you live in Texas, are there any plans to have a cowboy-inspired black metal album in the future? We’re talking country Western black metal. Thoughts on that?

Haha! That’s actually a great idea, but I don’t think I’d be the person to pull it off. That said, something in the vein of Junior Brown or Bob Wills and the Texas Playboys filtered through extreme distortion and blast beats could be genuinely compelling in the right hands. If anyone reading this decides to run with that idea, they definitely owe you a portion of the royalties.

You can follow Grauwyler on Bandcamp.

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