Industrial metal project Nordstahl reimagines Norse mythology to expose the collapse of modern society. Ragnarök in Berlin is a call to confront truth, embrace discomfort, and reclaim strength.
1.
Nordstahl — your name evokes strength and industrial grit. How did the concept
for Ragnarök in Berlin take shape, and what personal or political events
triggered its creation?
The concept crystallized during the pandemic years when I watched society's fragility exposed. People retreated into echo chambers, abandoned critical thinking, and chose comfortable lies over difficult truths. The name Nordstahl represents that fusion of Nordic strength and industrial precision - the marriage of ancient wisdom and modern power that this album embodies. It wasn't one event but a cascade of realizations about how we've collectively chosen weakness over strength, convenience over courage.
2. The album transforms Norse mythology into a scathing critique of modern
society. Why did you turn to ancient myth to comment on contemporary failure?
Mythology
provides the perfect distance for uncomfortable truths. When I sing about
Thor's silent hammer, people can engage with the metaphor without immediately
feeling attacked. Norse mythology deals with cycles of destruction and renewal
- it's not about good versus evil, but about the consequences of choices and
the inevitability of change. These ancient stories understand that collapse
isn't failure - it's opportunity for rebirth, but only if we're brave enough to
face it.
3.
Figures like Thor, Loki, and Midgard are reimagined with symbolic weight. Can
you explain how each character was chosen and what aspects of today’s world
they mirror?
Each figure was chosen for their specific failure modes. Thor represents those who have the power to fight injustice but choose silence. Loki embodies the intellectual dishonesty of moral relativism - the idea that all truths are equal, which leads to no truth at all. Midgard, the human world, sleeps through its own destruction, representing willful ignorance. Jörmungand, the World Serpent, symbolizes endless circular discussions that never lead to action. Each character mirrors a specific way modern society avoids responsibility.
4. The phrase “the apocalypse isn’t coming – it’s already here” frames the
album. What do you see as the most glaring signs of societal collapse right
now?
The most glaring sign isn't economic crisis or political upheaval - it's intellectual cowardice. When people refuse to engage with ideas that challenge their worldview, when they demand trigger warnings for reality itself, when they choose comfortable lies over difficult truths - that's collapse. We've created a society that prioritizes emotional comfort over intellectual honesty, and that's unsustainable.
5. You’ve chosen to write and sing entirely in German. Was this decision
driven by artistic authenticity, political intent, or both?
German carries weight that English has lost through overuse. It's the language of both industrial precision and romantic depth. When I sing about societal collapse in German, it carries the historical weight of a culture that has faced its own Ragnarök and rebuilt. It's also more honest - this is my authentic voice, not a performance for international palatability.
6. Ragnarök in Berlin merges industrial metal with orchestral elements. What
role does that contrast — machine vs. myth, digital vs. primal — play in your
sonic vision?
The contrast is deliberate - industrial precision representing our mechanical, soulless modern world, while orchestral elements evoke the organic, mythological truth we've abandoned. The machine sounds show where we are: efficient, cold, disconnected. The orchestral passages show where we could be: powerful, emotional, connected to something greater than ourselves. The tension between these elements drives the entire album.
7. The album doesn’t just ask listeners to feel, but to act. Who do you see
as your ideal audience? Is there a particular mindset or demographic you hope
to awaken?
I'm speaking to people who feel the disconnect but haven't found the vocabulary for it. Not necessarily metalheads, but thinking people who are tired of being told that all opinions are equally valid, that comfort is more important than truth, that asking hard questions makes you the problem. Anyone who's ever felt like they're taking crazy pills watching society choose weakness over strength.
8. There’s a deep sense of frustration and urgency in your lyrics. How do
you walk the line between critique and cynicism — or is embracing discomfort
part of the mission?
The difference is hope. Cynicism says "everything is fucked and nothing matters." Critique says "everything is fucked and here's why it matters." The album ends with "New Seed" - the idea that from destruction comes opportunity for something better. But only if we're willing to do the work. Discomfort is absolutely part of the mission - growth requires discomfort.
9. Why Berlin? Is the city symbolic of broader societal tensions, or does it
serve as a literal and figurative stage for the unfolding of your “Ragnarök”?
Berlin is the perfect metaphor - a city that has literally been through Ragnarök multiple times and rebuilt itself. It's also a city that represents both the heights of human achievement and the depths of human failure. Modern Berlin, with its comfortable social democratic consensus, its refusal to confront difficult truths about immigration, energy, or geopolitics - it's Midgard in microcosm.
10. Industrial and metal scenes have a long history of dissent. Do you feel
today’s heavy music still confronts power effectively, or has it lost some of
its teeth?
Metal has become too comfortable, too commercialized. When Rage Against the Machine sells out arenas while the machine they're supposedly raging against profits from every ticket, something's been lost. Real dissent requires sacrifice, requires saying things that might cost you followers, might get you deplatformed. Most metal today is performative rebellion - all the aesthetics of danger with none of the actual risk.
11. If a listener could take away just one core message from Ragnarök in
Berlin, what should it be?
Stop
waiting for someone else to fix things. Stop pretending that problems will
solve themselves if we just avoid thinking about them. The courage to face
uncomfortable truths is the only thing that has ever changed the world for the
better. Individual responsibility is the only path out of collective collapse.
12.
Finally — is this album a standalone concept, or is Nordstahl building a larger
narrative arc? Can we expect more myth-driven, socially-charged work in the
future?
This album
is the beginning of a larger exploration of how ancient wisdom can guide us
through modern crises. I'm already working on concepts that use other
mythological traditions - Greek, Celtic, Germanic - to examine different
aspects of our current predicament. The mythology changes, but the core message
remains: we have the power to choose strength over weakness, truth over
comfort, action over endless deliberation. The question is whether we'll
use it.
Martin Boris Jässing (@nordstahl79) • Photos et vidéos Instagram
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