Due to a great delay i submit only now the interview with Antares Predator, anyway this predator and top-destroyer is far far away from here… Antares is a star in the galaxy, haha. Warach (Øyvind Winther), the guitarist replied and gave me the parameters to my questions and to the meandering in the unconquered galaxy. 3 2 1… blastoff!

At first, thank you very much for the interview! Where are you from, Trondheim or Oslo?

Me (Øyvind–guitars) and Mikal (bass) grew up in Trondheim but we moved to Oslo around 2003. Personally I am somewhat rootless, and could probably live anywhere in the world without feeling a sense of belonging.

Some people define your music thrash-black, but the Twilight of the Apocalypse has massive industrial influences. What do you think about it?

Honestly I don’t think we have much industrial influences even if some perceive our sound that way. It is quite a paradox as we usually prefer to use organic sounds, samples and would definitely do a 100% analogue album in every respect if we had the resources needed to do it. The only semi industrial influence we have would be Strapping Young Lad. We do have a high focus on perfection and an ultra tight performance, perhaps which takes some of the organic feeling away… I’m not sure.

How could you perform your music live? Because in the album I often feel the studio sounding…

When recording an album you have the option of creating music using all kinds of sounds, effects and arrangements but with a live performance I tend to like the idea of doing a “no bullshit”, “in your face” show with no samples or tricks. Performing songs live exactly as they are on the album seem quite meaningless for us, and it is all about trying to present the essence of the material I think. On the album there are quite a few orchestrated parts which I prefer to re arrange for the guitar instead of triggering samples for example. Many bands prefer writing material with live performance always in the back of their heads, and I have to admit we didn’t focus too much on that. Most songs were anyway hammered out in the rehearsal room and technically they are no problem to perform live for us tough old goats.

Haha, wine or beer?

I prefer to stay away from both. Single malt whisky on the other hand is a different matter. Both I and Mikal are deeply into the pleasures of whisky exploration, topped with a Whisky festival in Dufftown, Scotland each September. Much of the Twilight album was recorded with the help of The Balvenie 15 y.o single cask whisky to keep the fingers warm and to maintain an open mind.

Are you satisfied with your label? Who did the cover artwork?

We are very satisfied with our label Battlegod Productions. They are a relatively small label, but do a very thorough job of keeping us informed about everything that is going on at any time. They were also quite forthcoming when we worked on hammering out a contract that would work for both parties. The distribution process seems to work out better than expected so we’re all satisfied for the moment. The artist that did the artwork for the cover is the very talented Swedish artist Pär Oloffson, which also recently did the cover art for Immortal‘s “All shall fall” and many other brilliant ones. It was very cool to work with him presenting him ideas and seeing how he made it all come to life. Steffan’s (vocals) band Harm also had Pär doing their cover recently and it is just amazing what this guy can do.

Almost all members have side-projects besides the band. Could you tell me something about them?

Steffans band “Harm” is a very hard hitting thrash trio based in Mandal – Norway, which soon will release their 2nd full length. They have been around for quite some time and are known to deliver excellent live shows. I would really keep an open eye for their upcoming album Demonic Alliance due sometime this summer probably. Jan Benkwitz I see more as a session drummer for the time being, but he has done drums for Italian black metal act “Absentia Lunae”, brutal Greek death metallers “Cease of Breeding” and live drums for “Belphegor” to mention some. Jan is a freelance drummer trying to work his way up and he is a rock solid and extremely talented drummer. Mikal has been with Antares Predator for quite some time and haven’t really been involved in other significant projects. He is a sound technician by profession and is equally interested in what’s happening on both sides of the mixing table.

Your lyrical concept has an important part, the apocalypse. There’s really no way out? Is the dying the only future for the world?

The title does not refer to the traditional end of the world prophecies of Nostradamus, 2012 or the like. Dying is fundamentally the only way out for all of us and the concept “end of the world” and the Apocalypse is mostly a religious invention. Sooner or later our existence will end; it is the natural cycle of things. The lyrical concept of our album is more about how we as a race are our own worst enemy. We invent the concept apocalypse and we make sure it is self fulfilling by our actions. We are the twilight of the Apocalypse thus all songs on the album deals with the darker aspects of our race without being directly connected to each other.

And please, list 5 albums from metal scene, which you like!

Pantera – Cowboys from Hell
Ensiferum – Ensiferum (2001)
Bathory – Under the sign of the Black Mark
Emperor – Wrath of the Tyrant
Soilwork – Stabbing the Drama

What do you choose? Being a far away star in the Universe, or a lonely soul in the roof of a skyscraper?

Most elements in nature, the iron in our blood and the calcium in our bones were synthesized inside stars that lived and died billions of years ago. In that sense you can say we all tried the concept of being a far away star in the universe already. The very elements that make up our bodies have been through billions of years of chemical evolution to develop self awareness. I’m going to enjoy my puzzlement over this matter being conscious for as long as I can, be it a lonely soul in the pits of Oslo or on the roof of a skyscraper. Regarding far away stars I’d like to quote Carl Sagan: “Who are we? We find that we live on an insignificant planet of a humdrum star lost in a galaxy tucked away in some forgotten corner of a universe in which there are far more galaxies than people.”

What could you say to the readers of Femforgács, or say something at the end?

First I would thank you for wasting a brief moment of your time by checking out Antares Predator. If you for any reasons at all would like to contact us, feel free to do so by sending an e-mail to 666@antarespredator.com. For those who think it is about time atheist and anti theists of the world unite and make a stand against religion and start promoting skeptical and rational thinking… check out Richard Dawkins “Out Campaign”.
Thank you for the interview.

Thank you for the answers, keep your shining on the Milky way…

Zoli