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ANTRISCH is a new black metal band that appears inspired by the mountaineer Reinhold Messner and his concept of survival in increasingly difficult environments. The band mixes black metal, doom, dark ambient and djent, all in a way that works very well. Check out a conversation I had with them.
I need to say that the ANTRISCH, for a fresh new band, is an excellent group that catches my attention with a few seconds. For starting our interview, I would like that you speak about how and when you decided to become a metal musician.
MW: Olá Fabio, muito obrigada pelo elogio! Well, it all began very conventionally with a bunch of teenage friends who can only be described as diehard-metalheads. It must have been around the year 2000 when we seriously thought about forming a band on our own. Being strongly influenced by Thyrfing and Falkenbach we wanted to start a Pagan Metal band as well. Back then we were a group of four guys consisting of one guy who bought himself a bass that he couldn’t play, my humble self who couldn’t [and still can’t]play any instrument at all and two cousins who were at least what you would regard as slightly musically skilled. Four years and several bands later I found myself [including Mr. Scott & Mr. Шмидт] forming the Pagan Metal band KromleK in 2004 which had been existing until 2011.
RFS: During the classical guitar lessons in my childhood there were changes regarding my teacher. After the first lessons the new one said that I need an electric guitar. So after getting one, he started teaching me Rock and Metal Songs which are all on the “Never play in a music store“ – list. After a few years of boring rewardless practice in the cellar, Mr. Wilson recruited me for KromleK and the journey started.
For us in Brazil, the name of Reinhold Messner is a bit unknown and I’ve read that the ANTRISCH is a concept based in the antric light. Could you explain more about this name (and if you want to talk about the importance of the legend of mountaineering, feel free).
MW: This is a bit misleading, because the stringent concept of Antrisch is historical expeditions to the most extreme parts of this planet and the impact on the human body, mind and soul when being exposed to isolation, struggle for survival and the untamed forces of nature.
The term “antrisch” is an Austro-Bavarian [German dialect] word that Messner used in one of his books that I read some years ago. It means “eerie”, “uncanny”, “strange” – I think you would translate it to “estranho” – and it instantly got stuck in my subconsciousness. He used it to describe a very strange mood of the light when ascending the Chomolungma – Mount Everest.
Well, Reinhold Messner is the by far most famous mountaineering legend around the globe I presume. He was born in South Tyrol [Italian Alps] and became the first person to summit all 14 eight-thousanders, the first one to summit an eight-thousander solo [Nanga Parbat, where his younger brother died in 1970] and the first one to successfully summit Mount Everest without oxygen supply as well. Also, he was the first to cross Antarctica and Greenland without the help of snowmobiles or even dog sleds. I think that gives you a rough impression of why this man had and has such a great impact on me.
Black metal, for me, is a very creative genre and a lot new inventive bands are appearing in the last years, as Oranssi Pazuzu, Imperial Triumphant, A Forest of Stars, and others. When I listen to ANTRISCH I feel something more traditional, but just a few second I can note some marks of atmospheric music, heavy metal and some modern sounds. What kind of music influences you? How do you describe your music?
MW: Our official description tells about it – this band is a musical and lyrical expedition to the heights of the world and the depths of man. We want to create an atmosphere that derives from our band name. We call it Atmospheric Black Metal, but I think the “Atmospheric” is quite obsolete, because Black Metal is supposed to create atmosphere, that’s the very essence of it alongside the aggressiveness. If you mingle some traditional, cold second wave Black Metal riffing with Djent and Doom Metal, then you got a rough mould. Our music has a very strong narrative character, like you find yourself all alone by yourself in the death zone on the top of the world. Or imagine yourself being lost in the jungle on the brink of starvation.
RFS: The music I write for Antrisch is a mix of different blends of metal in which Black Metal is the basis. For our style the use of Djent and Dark Ambient parts wrapped in cold and rough riffs seem to be a good idea to support the meaning of the lyrics and the story told by Mr. Wilson.
How is the German black metal scene? Here in Brazil we have a living scene in the underground, but the metal audience sometimes prefers the European and the American bands instead.
MW: Quite amusing, because I think every European band dreams about performing in front of a Latin-American audience rather than an European. Well, in Germany we have a very fitting proverb: “The prophet is of no value in his own country”. I think a BM band hailing from Scandinavia – especially Norway – is still regarded differently than a band from Italy, Poland or Germany. The label“Norwegian” is stronger than the music it seems.
There is a very vivid and extremely creative Black Metal underground in nearly all European countries and Germany is no exception. But even the Black Metal genre has divided into so many subgenres and branches that it has become nearly impossible not to lose track.
Could you tell us more about the production of your first EP, Expedition I: Dissonanzgrat ? Because I’ve finished it and the only thing I think is that must have more songs, because it is amazing!
RFS: Thank you! Last year in April we started writing the songs in a timeframe of 3 months during the first lockdown in Germany. The isolation and the tense situation had their advantages for deep diving into this EP. We had recorded it in our self-built studio until November. We spent a lot of time finding the sound we wanted to achieve. We are very satisfied with our debut and the reactions are overwhelming. These are great conditions for further expeditions.
MW: Obrigado. Still, for us it is very disturbing and confusing that an EP is regarded as less valuable than a “full album”. A lot of reviewers wrote that the music is very good and everything fits perfectly, but they can’t assess it properly, because it is “only an EP”. Does the value of a musical work really depend on the length/amount?
Why did you decided to record with German lyrics?
MW: I wrote the lyrics back in 2014, when there was no band or musical project in sight, so it was more or less intended to be a lyrical story or narrative poem for myself. But it turned out to be the perfect fit for Mr. Scott’s music.
With German being my mother tongue language it feels more natural to use it for this sort of Black Metal lyrics. And since I have a certain predilection for enigmatic lyrics, symbolism and ambiguity it is reasonable to do this on familiar ground so to speak. I used to write lyrics in English as well, but the band decided from the very beginning that this is a German Black Metal band in every sense of the word.
An uncomfortable question: pandemic sucks and countries like Brazil are so far to get all the people vaccinated to get their lives. What do you think about this “almost-apocalyptical” world? How COVID is affecting you?
MW: We decided internally not to answer any questions concerning that whole covid issue. I can only say that we’ve been living in strange times all along and this is just another symptom.
The restrictions going along didn’t have a negative impact on our musical work, quite the contrary. Expedition I was recorded and produced during the first lockdown in Germany.
What are the future plans for the band (and for yourselves)?
MW: Currently we’re working on Expedition II and – due to lots of requests we’re working on a solution for a physical release of Expedition I. So keep your eyes open and the binoculars polished… it’ll be worth it!
We are a Brazilian webzine, so I must ask you: do you know any Brazilian bands?
MW: I think you mean apart from Sepultura, right? 😉 Well, I know Angra, Krisiun only by their names; furthermore I know the really great folk rockers of Tuatha de Danann and of course the pioneers of the first wave of Black Metal, Sarcófago.
Thank you so much for this interview. Let a message to our readers!!!
MW: We’re grateful for all the positive responds to our debut and we invite everyone to join us on our forthcoming expeditions. A selva brasileira certamente seria um bom lugar para uma futura expedição … se ainda existe.
Obrigado pela entrevista! Cheerio!
Related links
https://antrisch.bandcamp.com/
https://www.facebook.com/Antrisch