背叛比敌人更可怕 - 美国Folk / Black Metal乐队Ozark Shaman专访

今天采访到的是一支来自美国的单人金属乐队Ozark Shaman。2008年，乐队主创Brad Nailling开始尝试为自己的乐队寻找合适的乐手，在几次尝试后，Brad决定由自己进行所有Ozark Shaman创作。2011年，乐队发行了一张融合了黑金属与敲击金属的demo，虽然没有精致的制作，但乐队的创作潜力已经充分展现。2016年，Ozark Shaman发行第一张专辑"Illusionary Plains"，在这张专辑中可以听到来自90年代黑金属与早期Kreator的影响。2026年，乐队终于再次推出第二张全长专辑"A Traitor Is Worse Than an Enemy"，专辑在主题上对古待战争进行探索，并从黑敲转型为更纯粹的黑金属。杂志与Ozark Shaman乐队主创进行了一次关于新专辑的专访。

（V: 代表笔者 B: 代表Brad Nailling）

Today we’re interviewing Ozark Shaman, a one-man metal band from the United States. In 2008, the band’s founder, Brad Nailling, began looking for suitable musicians to join his band. After several attempts, Brad decided to handle all of Ozark Shaman’s creative work himself. In 2011, the band released a demo that blended black metal and thrash metal; though the production wasn’t polished, the band’s creative potential was already fully evident. In 2016, Ozark Shaman released their debut album, *Illusionary Plains*, which features influences from 1990s black metal and early Kreator. In 2026, the band finally released their second full-length album, *A Traitor Is Worse Than an Enemy*. The album explores the theme of ancient wars and marks a shift from black-thrash to a purer form of black metal. The magazine conducted an exclusive interview with Ozark Shaman’s lead creator about the new album.

(V: Author B: Brad Nailling)

采访对象：Brad Nailling（Ozark Shaman乐队创始人）

采访时间：2026.04.14

V: 你好OZARK SHAMAN。感谢你接受本次采访。在正式开始之前，能否请你简要介绍一下这支乐队？目前乐队共有多少名成员？成员们是如何相识的？以及为什么所有成员都离开了乐队，使它变成了你的个人项目？

Hello, OZARK SHAMAN. Thank you for agreeing to this interview. Before the interview, could you briefly introduce this band? How many members does the band currently have? How did the members come to know each other? And why did all the members leave the band and become your personal project?

B: Ozark Shaman最初是一个单人乐队。我早期曾几次尝试扩大这个团队，但都没有实现。我在2008年开始创作音乐，并在2011年发布了一个非常粗糙的演示。然后，在2016年，我在创作《幻觉平原》后聘请了现场音乐家，帮助在工作室录制。在每个人都回到他们的项目之前，我们进行了大约5场演出来支持它。我愿意再次与一些人做同样的事情，把它带回路上。

Ozark Shaman started as a one-man band. I made a few early attempts to expand the group, but nothing ever materialized. I began writing music in 2008 and released a very rough demo in 2011. Then, in 2016, I hired session musicians after writing Illusionary Plains to help record it in the studio. We played about 5 gigs in support of it before everyone went back to their projects. I would be open to doing the same thing again with some people to take it back on the road.

V: 一开始，你玩的是Black/Thrash Metal。后来你改成了Folk/Black Metal。你为什么做出这种转变？你能简要地分享一下你的想法吗

At the beginning, you played Black/Thrash Metal. Later, you changed to Folk/Black Metal. Why did you make this transition? Could you briefly share your thoughts on it?

B: 第一张专辑是在听了很多死亡和挣扎的时候写的，比如Death, Kreator, Sadus和我最终做出了这种转变，因为我一直更喜欢black metal的强度（即使在当时）。不过，我也试图保留一些过去的元素，比如碎片独奏。

The first album was written while listening to a lot of death and thrash like Death, Kreator, Sadus and I ended up making this transition because I’ve always preferred the intensity of black metal (even back then). I also try to retain some past elements though, like the shred solos.

V: 第一张专辑于2016年发行，但第二张专辑直到2026年才发行。这两张专辑之间差距如此之大的原因是什么？

The first album was released in 2016, but the second album was not released until 2026. What was the reason for such a long gap between the two albums?

B: 那段时间我大部分时间都在学习音乐制作，想在再次发布之前完善我的手艺。我还想独立于任何工作室，因为我不喜欢被催促或说教。耐心得到了回报，因为现在发布之间不会有这么长的间隔。

I was studying music production for most of that time and wanted to perfect my craft before releasing something again. I also wanted to become independent from working with any studios because I don’t like being rushed or lectured. The patience paid off because now there won’t be such long gaps in between releases.

V: 从你的音乐中，我能感觉到许多乐队的影响，比如Windir。我不确定这是否准确。你自己怎么看？你认为你的作品主要受到其他乐队的影响，还是主要基于你自己的创作？

From your music, I can sense the influence of many bands, such as Windir. I'm not sure if this is accurate. What do you think about it yourself? Do you think your works are mainly influenced by other bands or are they mainly based on your own creation?

B: 他们（与其他许多black metal乐队一样）曾是一种灵感来源。这张专辑中的许多吉他旋律都是在第一张专辑之前就创作好的，因此新专辑中的一些内容与过去有着某种联系。我正在努力打造一种更加独特的声音。

They were an inspiration along with many other black metal bands. A lot of riffs on this album were written before the first album as well so some things are a connection to the past in the new album. I’m trying to dial in a more unique sound.

V: 你通常是如何创作音乐的？你能谈谈你创作音乐的过程吗？

How do you usually create music? Could you talk about your process of creating music?

B: 在2000年代，我曾经在吉他pro 5中绘制出所有内容，但现在我试图用更新的工具在DAW中将所有内容拼凑在一起。我尽量只在受到启发或有有趣想法的时候玩。

I used to map everything out in guitar pro 5 in the 2000s but now I try to piece everything together in my DAW with newer tools. I try to only play when I’m inspired or have an interesting idea going.

V: 这张专辑的主题是什么？这是一张概念专辑吗？歌词创作的灵感是什么？

What is the theme of this album? Is it a concept album? What was the inspiration for the lyrics creation?

B: 轮回与坚持是主要主题，而背叛则是贯穿始终的共同元素。我非常享受创作歌词和诗歌的过程，灵感来自生活的方方面面。

Reincarnation and perseverance are big themes with betrayal being the consistent one all throughout. I have a lot of fun writing lyrics and poetry, and the inspirations come from all walks of life.

V: 在阅读了这张专辑的介绍后，据说封面是由某人绘制的。你觉得这个封面怎么样？你想通过这个封面传达什么？

After reading the introduction of this album, it is stated that the cover was painted by someone. So, what do you think of this cover? What do you want to convey through this cover?

B: 我原本想描绘两个战士为武器而战。后来，当我选择罗马帝国作为背景时，这个想法逐渐发展起来，因为背叛在罗马帝国内部非常猖獗。封面还触及了条顿堡森林战役的失败一方。这是一个强有力的故事，与专辑的主题有许多相似之处。

I originally wanted to depict two warriors struggling over a weapon. The idea later evolved when I chose the Roman Empire as the setting, since betrayal was so rampant within it. The cover also touches on the losing side of the Battle of the Teutoburg Forest. It’s a powerful story that offers many parallels to the album’s themes.

V: 2026年会有新的活动吗？比如表演或新作品？

Will there be any new activities in 2026? Such as performances or new works?

B: 我目前为下一张专辑写了5首歌并计划在今年年底/明年年初发行一首单曲。我的目标是在2028年之前发行第三张专辑。我还与GlobMetal Promotions合作，帮助在国际上传播这张新专辑，这对曝光率已经有了很大的帮助，所以我受到了鼓舞，继续保持这一势头。

I currently have 5 songs written for the next album and aim to release a single either by the end of this year / early next year. My goal is to have this 3rd album out no later than 2028. I’m also working with GlobMetal Promotions to help spread the new album internationally, which has already been a big help with exposure so I’m inspired to keep the momentum going.

V: 非常感谢你同意这次面试。我也真诚地希望听到你即将到来的作品。那么最后你还有什么想对你的中国朋友说的吗？

Thank you very much for agreeing to this interview. I also sincerely hope to hear about your upcoming works. So, at the end, do you have anything else you would like to say to your Chinese friends?

B: 你太客气了我非常感谢您欣赏这些音乐并将其整理成这样。我向中国的所有朋友们致以深深的爱意。我非常希望能有一天去那里旅游，这是一个非常美丽的国家。

You’re very welcome- I appreciate you checking out the music and putting all of this together. Much love to all my friends in China. I would love to visit someday, it’s a very beautiful country.

Ozark Shaman乐队主要作品：

Ozark Shaman - Illusionary Plains（2016）

Ozark Shaman - A Traitor Is Worse Than an Enemy（2026）

Ozark Shaman乐队官方Bandcamp网站：https://ozarkshaman.bandcamp.com/album/a-traitor-is-worse-than-an-enemy

Ozark Shaman乐队官方Facebook网站：https://www.facebook.com/OzarkShaman