Last song of the last show of the MARDUK / NACHTMYSTIUM / MERRIMACK tour in 2009. We did about 35 dates in North America. All three bands shared a bus. One of the most fun periods of time in my life personally, and without a doubt tied for the best tour ever (alongside our 2011 'Creatures From the Black Abyss' tour as direct support to UK legends CRADLE OF THE FILTH)

This photo shows Jan Desaegher (aka Terrorizt - original singer of Merrimack) and I performing GG Allin's "I Kill Everything I Fuck" with Jan on guest vocals. He and I had been tape trading friends as teenagers from before either of us were in a band....10 years later we were doing this on a Saturday night to a sold out Gramercy Theater in Manhattan.

What a moment.

Rock Hard Italy feature, sometime from spring / summer 2010. Covering our first ever show in Italy where we played on our 2010 co-headlining European tour with legendary SWANS vocalist, Jarboe.

Rock Hard Italy feature, sometime from spring / summer 2010. Covering our first ever show in Italy where we played on our 2010 co-headlining European tour with legendary SWANS vocalist, Jarboe.

Nachtmystium keeping good company with a cover mention alongside Robert fucking Plant / Led Zeppelin and a bunch of other legendary bands for Rock Hard Italy, summer 2010.

Rock Hard Italy feature, sometime from spring / summer 2010.

Blake performing in Germany, summer 2011 at Party San Festival.

Blake 'Azentrius' Judd, circa 2002 at his parents house in his basement room, where the earliest Nachtmystium recordings happened.

This photo was used in the booklet of the Candlelight Records CD editions of 'Reign of the Malicious' re-released in 2007 (EU / Asia) and 2008 (North America)

Blake and a hardcore Nachtmystium fan from the UK named Damian Fowler (if you're ever reading this - send me a msg on Instagram or Facebook, bro!) He was the first person i'd ever met with a giant Nachtmystium tattoo....he had the cover art from the 'Demise' album plastered on one of his forearms in full color. We became good buddies after meeting him in 2008. This is in April, 2010 while stuck in England after a tour on account of a volcano in Iceland exploding and halting all trans-atlantic air traffic for 10-12 days.

I spent most of my days drinking at the (now-closed) legendary London metal dive, CROBAR.
We're here at about 4 PM for happy hour, drinking 5 quid bottle of shitty red wine.

Great memories.

Nachtmystium playing at Downtown Music, Little Rock AK in March, 2012 on our way to our first (and only-ever) South X Southwest appearance a day or two later.

That time Blake Judd was featured on FAMILY GUY doing blow with Louis and some other unnamed scuzzy character. There's a funny story to how this came about, I'll share in a video or a book someday.

A very young 17 year old Blake 'Azentrius' Judd performing at his second-ever show (as a member of EZURATE, about a year before NACHTMYSTIUM was formed) in Nashville TN opening for regional band EPOCH OF UNLIGHT.

Show was booked by Mike Meacham, owner (at the time) of now-defunct USBM label WAR HAMMER RECORDS and funeral doom band LOSS. We met in 1996 through a personal ad in the "Shorts" section in the back of every issue of METAL MANIACS magazine. I was looking for Emperor videos. Never would've forcasted we'd both play such big rolls in the underground throughout our lives.

A young early 20's Blake Judd, drunk on tour with 1349 and Goatwhore in April, 2007

Nachtmystium in the John Dee room at Rockefeller Oslo, performing our headlining set for that particular stage on the Saturday night of INFERNO FESTIVAL, 2010. Amazing moment for us.

Our touring drummer (Marduk tour 2009, Pentagram tour 2009) 'Iron' Bob Fouts, also known as the drummer in BURN IT DOWN and THE GATES OF SLUMBER. Bob was a great guy and a great drummer. He, like Blake, struggled with heroin addiction around the same time (early 2010's) Unfortunately, Bob's addiction killed him in 2017 when he died from an overdose during a relapse.

I miss Bob to this day. Rest in peace, brother. I'm sorry we never got to make a record with you.

First ever promotional photo for Blake "Azentrius" Judd as a 17 year old black metal musician, taking pictures for the first-ever album he'd play on - Chicago black metal band EZURATE's 2000 debut, 'Infernal Dominatio' (released in 2001 on now-defunct U.S. label Forever Underground Records)

Recording 'Ancient Howls of Dawning Fury' LP, Chicago, IL February, 2001

Blake Judd, Pelle Forsberg (Watain), Pelle's then-girlfriend, and (ex-Nachtmystium guitarist) Jeff Wilson at the Nachtystium / Battle Kommand Records compound in DeKalb IL, summer 2007.

Nachtmystium opened for Japanese black-thrash legends, SABBAT, in San Francisco at their first-ever U.S. show, hosted by Yosuke Konishi / Nuclear War Now! Productions at the legendary SF club, The Elbo Room.

Wrest from Leviathan played drums for Nachtmystium at this gig. One of four or five times he filled in live, and the first I believe.

Nachtmystium's first ever out-of-state show. One of three gigs we did in Southern California on our first mini-tour in October, 2005.

This gigs line up was fucking insane...cult hordes NIBIRU and NOSVROLOK were absolute highlights for me and, to this day, are two of my favorite American black metal bands.

Booked by Chris Hatewar! Friend of the band for nearly 30 years now.

Flier from the 2010 European Nachtmystium / Jarboe tour.

For those unaware, Jarboe is the legendary female vocalist from the glory-years of experimental art rock band, SWANS.

This is one of the proudest experiences of my life, to get to have someone from one of my favorite bands ever supporting my band...eternally grateful to Jarboe for her support!

First ever Nachtmystium show with legendary USBM cults such as MANTICORE, BLOOD STAINED DUSK and FOG!

November 3rd, 2001 in Harvey, IL (south Chicago)

This show's performance was recorded (ooorly) and released as the live cassette release, "Live Onslaught", 2001.

Blake Judd destroying an enthusiastic audience at a small DIY warehouse show in Providence, RI in December 2006 while touring with our great friends, the now-defunct doom band ZOROASTER from Atlanta GA (who were on Blake's label, Battle Kommand Records, at the time!)

I recommend to anyone reading this to go check out the ZOROASTER s/t MCD (2006) and their debut full-length 'Dog Magic' (2008). Great records made by great dudes. I miss this band. We toured together 3 times!

Blake Judd performing with Nachtmystium at DNA Lounge, June, 2009 on the Pentagram / Nachtmystium US tour.

Bobby Liebling (Pentagram) and Blake Judd (Nachtmystium) during the bands co-headlining US tour, June 2009.

Blake Judd, Oslo, Norway performing with Nachtmystium at Oyafestavalen, summer 2011.

Blake Judd recording for side project, TWILIGHT, in March 2009 at Semaphore Recording Studio, Chicago, IL during the sessions for "Monument to Time End" LP #2 from Twilight. (released on Southern Lord Recordings, and later reissued and currently still available on CD/ LP / artbook 2xCD packaged w/the debut also by Prophecy Productions) https://www.prophecy.de

Blake Judd, promotional photo. London, UK, 2010. Photo by the legend herself, Ester Segarra.

Blake Judd and Bobby Liebling, on their shared tour bus on the 2009 Pentagram / Nachtmystium US tour. Pentagram's first ever tour in the United States after 30+ years. To say it was an honor to be a part of this would be a gross understatement.

Also, Pentagram and crew are some of the nicest, most honest people you'll ever meet. Great band too. What great memories.

Blake Judd / Marduk / Nachtmystium / Merrimack US Tour 2009. Taken at Sonar in Baltimore, MD.

Blake Judd performing with Nachtmystium in Octobre, 2008, Chicago IL at Reggie's during the Nachtmystium / Wolves in the Throne Room tour. What a trip! We were supporting "Assassins: Black Meddle Pt. 1" and WITTR were supporting "Black Cascade". A really special time in the USBM underground.

Azentrius (Blake Judd), promotional photo for the 2001 Nachtmystium / Zalnik - Split demo (our 2nd demo release and last before our debut full length)

Photo taken in Lincoln Marsh woods, Wheaton, IL, Summer 2001. Photo by Rebecca Clegg.

Blake Judd / Marduk / Nachtmystium / Merrimack US Tour 2009. Taken at Sonar in Baltimore, MD.

Daniel "Arioch" Rosten (or Mortuus, depending on if he's in Marduk or Funeral Mist on any given day), Bob Fouts (RIP!) and myself on Thanksgiving day, 2009. Day off in New Orleans! Only time I've been there, to this day. What a funny night. We got wasted and all three of us threw our arms / shoulders out playing the stupid punching bag game that they put in bars for idiots like us to waste money on hahaha. Great times.

Bob Fouts was our touring drummer in 2009, he performed on both the Pentagram / NM tour in June and the Marduk / NM / Merrimack tour in November / December, 2009. Bob, like many of us, struggled with heroin addiction. He succumbed to the disease in spring of 2017, mere months after I'd spoken to him for the first time in years. He sounded like he was doing great and had turned a corner, but sadly, the addiction reared it's ugly head and we lost one of the sweetest, most dedicated and just overall decent and passionate people in the midwest underground scene. Bob's resume he left behind includes roles in seminal hardcore band BURN IT DOWN, and doom pioneers (and Metal Blade Records recording artists) The Gates of Slumber.

We miss you, Bob.

Blake Judd at Inferno Festival, Oslo, Norway, April 2010.