Nero Doctrine trace their history back to 2012, when the band first formed in north-east Germany under the name Dystopia. The name changed later, but the bigger shift was in the music itself. Over the years, the band moved beyond a narrower frame and started writing more freely, pulling melodic death metal, thrash, progressive ideas and darker extremes into the same body of work.
That approach now feeds into Daughter of the Sea, the first release in a planned trilogy. It also comes after a major line-up change at the end of 2023, with Lotti Fust and Robert Shehadeh joining the band in late 2024. Here, Stefan and Marko talk about the move from Dystopia to Nero Doctrine, the band’s writing process, and the Baltic coast that still runs through the music.
“We want to tell stories, and Nero Doctrine does not limit us in that regard.”
Nero Doctrine started in 2012 under the name Dystopia, then changed course after the first album. Looking back now, what did the Nero Doctrine name allow you to express that the earlier version of the band did not?
Stefan: The name change also had technical reasons, because we were at risk of legal issues under the name “Dystopia”, so our label at the time recommended changing it. Marko then came up with the new idea, and we liked it. Beyond that, it is fair to say that Dystopia approached things in a darker way, including lyrically, than Nero Doctrine does. We have all grown up and see things differently now than we did in our early twenties. We want to tell stories, and Nero Doctrine does not limit us in that regard. It gives us more room to work across genres.
Marko: On a musical level, Nero Doctrine allows us to approach things much more creatively and freely than we could with Dystopia. The songwriting has evolved a lot, and the creative input has expanded noticeably, which has opened the door to more complex compositions that come much closer to what we have in mind artistically. After “II – Interitus”, we more or less dropped the limitations imposed by individual genres, because we simply wanted to do what felt right to us, regardless of whether a song leaned more towards metalcore, black metal or thrash. That process developed naturally, and that is still how it feels to us.
At the end of 2023 the band went through a major line-up change, and by late 2024 Lotti Fust and Robert Shehadeh had joined. How did that affect the way Nero Doctrine write, rehearse and hear themselves now?
Stefan: In the previous line-up, we had been playing together since 2011 under the name Dystopia. Over time, musical differences developed, and we eventually parted ways with Schubi on drums and Henrik on guitar. We then spent some time looking for new members, and we were very happy when Lotti joined on guitar and Robert on drums. We set up a rehearsal room at our lead guitarist Christoph’s place, and our studio, where Daughter of the Sea was created, is also located there. Whenever our schedules allow it, we meet once a week to write or rehearse.
Marko: All the material that will be released as part of the EP series was written between 2020 and 2024, so before Lotti and Robert joined the band. Still, we gave both of them the chance to contribute to the material so they could identify more closely with the songs. In terms of rehearsals, we have now built a setup that closely reflects our live sound, which is very practical because it lets us take that rehearsal room sound with us wherever we go. In general, we practise individually for rehearsals and rehearse as a band for live performances. We do not really have the time to jam aimlessly, so we try to use our time well. That shared focus makes rehearsals very productive.
“We think carefully about every single note, whether it truly deserves to be there or not.”
Your sound brings together melodic death metal, modern thrash, darker progressive elements, clean guitars, strong leads and blastbeats. When a Nero Doctrine song starts coming together, how do you know all those parts belong in the same song?
Stefan: As we mentioned earlier, after the second record we no longer wanted to impose creative boundaries on ourselves, because that was what felt right. If a riff or a section leans heavily towards black metal, or sounds modern, doomy or something else entirely, but works in context, we use it. I think you can hear that quite clearly in “The Premonition” and “Of Moon and Waters”. We continue down this path on the following EPs as well, so there is still a lot more to come. The upcoming material once again brings together everything we like.
Marko: When a song takes shape, it usually starts with a spark, an initial idea that then develops further. As the creative process unfolds, more and more parts are added, and for us they have to fit together logically. We are also very critical in that process and think carefully about every single note, whether it truly deserves to be there or not. It is hard to put into words when a part or a song feels right. It is more a sense that the mood or intensity is exactly where it needs to be and supports what is already there. If a piece of the puzzle does not fit, we remove it quite rigorously. In the end, about 90% of what you write as a musician ends up in the “maybe later” pile or in the bin, so you should not hold on too tightly to riffs or sections that simply do not work, because that can block your creativity. What matters to us is the balance between melody and heaviness, because we value both very highly.
Daughter of the Sea is the first part of a conceptual trilogy, which gives it a different role from a standalone EP. Why did you want to tell this story across three parts, and what did the opening chapter need to establish before the next one could exist?
Stefan: Having three parts gives us the chance to tell a story in a more detailed and concrete way. Lyrically, the parts are connected in the sense that they sketch out possible developments. How will we evolve as a species? How do we want to move forward? What alternatives are there? Also, not everything in our world is black and white. There are countless shades of grey in between. That is why I do not see our music as a purely dystopian work, but rather as one possible perspective. Everything has the potential to create or to destroy, and so do we. Daughter of the Sea lays the foundation on which the other two works will be built. We establish an idea of human potential, which is then explored further, whether in a negative sense, as in “Eight Billion Insects”, or in a more neutral or positive way, as in “This Piece is Ours”.
Marko: On a musical level, we try to maintain an overall atmosphere throughout. Each EP is meant to feel cohesive and create a continuous flow, which is why the tracks on Daughter of the Sea move directly into one another. We want to continue that approach on the following EPs. In a way, you could describe it as three large songs, each divided into individual tracks within its own EP. We also work with a certain dynamic arc that sets the EPs apart from each other, moving from wilder and more aggressive pieces to more emotional passages, and then to darker, sometimes slower and heavier compositions. Since we all have a very broad musical taste, we wanted to include everything we enjoy, as long as it works well. From the start, it was important to define the atmosphere we wanted to create and what listeners could expect. The band’s strengths needed to be clear from the first track, which is why “The Premonition” was the right opener for us.
“If you are just playing a role, no one will believe that your music is sincere.”
The title Daughter of the Sea and the line “emotional aggression from the Baltic Sea” tie this material closely to place. How much does where you come from still shape Nero Doctrine’s atmosphere, tension and imagery?
Stefan: We all come from the Baltic Sea coast and still live here. That is why there are clear musical links to Scandinavian bands, which have definitely influenced our sound, such as Ghost Brigade, Katatonia, Arch Enemy and At The Gates. The artwork for all three EPs was also created by a regional artist, Robert Lefold. Recording, mixing and mastering are done in our own studio. In that sense, our sound is strongly shaped by the region we come from.
Marko: Because we live in a rural area and everything is much less hectic than in a big city, that naturally comes through in a certain stoic, calm and focused approach to the music and its atmosphere. Singing about anime characters or playing over-the-top trancecore would simply not suit our mentality, which is shaped by the nature and the sea around us. The connections between bands in our scene are relatively close, mainly because there are only a limited number of venues where the scene can exist. That creates a DIY spirit, and I think that is very important in metal because it makes authenticity tangible. If you are just playing a role, no one will believe that your music is sincere. Since our federal state is still something of an unknown spot on the metal map for many people, we wanted to communicate clearly, and also show visually, where we come from.
Stream or buy Daughter of the Sea on Bandcamp.
