EMQ’s With ANTIROPE
EMQ’s With ANTIROPE
Hi everyone! Welcome to another EMQs interview, this time with German Alternative Doom Metal band, Antirope. Huge thanks to their Lead Vocalist, and Guitarist, Slaven, and their Guitarist, Patrick, for taking part.
What is your name, what do you play and can you tell us a little bit about the history of the band?
SLAVEN: Hi, my name is Slaven, and I’m the lead singer and guitarist of ANTIROPE. I met Patrick in 2008 when his former band was searching for a singer, and we’ve been making music together ever since. In 2015, we formed a new band that eventually became ANTIROPE. Over time, we made some changes to the rhythm section, and Tobi joined us on drums, while Julie came on board as our bassist.
PATRICK: Hi, I am playing the guitar and I am also the producer of the album.
How did you come up with your band name?
SLAVEN: This is a tough one. I believe that finding a band name is really challenging nowadays because it seems like everything is already taken. We used to go by the name PORT, but honestly, nobody was truly satisfied with it. Plus, if you tried to search for us online, you had to sift through countless references to harbors before stumbling upon our band. It took us a few years, to be honest. Like any other band, we wanted a name that was unique, something we could identify with, and most importantly, a name that was still available for use. After years of struggling, I somehow came up with ANTIROPE. It’s a single word, no other band was using it, and the domain was free. So yeah, we decided to go with it.
PATRICK: Finding a name was more difficult than writing and recording the album… I am so happy that the album is going to be released soon, so there is no option to change the name again… 😀
What Country / Region are you from and what is the Metal / Rock scene like there?
SLAVEN: We are from Munich, Germany. I think the city has a strong music culture and a range of venues that cater to Metal and Rock fans. There are a couple of live music venues, clubs, and festivals that regularly host Metal and Rock bands, providing opportunities for both local and international acts to perform, like Backstage, Zenith, Feierwerk, Strom, and Import/Export. These venues often host both established bands and up-and-coming acts.
PATRICK: Munich has a great rock scene! Bands like “Freaky Fucking Weirdoz“, “Darkseed“, “Lacrimas Profundere“, “Haggard“, “The Notwist“ and many more are from Munich or around Munich… The Scene has always been very alive!
What is your latest release?
SLAVEN: Our latest release is our second single called ‘Dead Sun’ with a video currently out. The album ‘Amnesia’ is coming out on June 30th.
Who have been your greatest influences?
SLAVEN: I find it pretty difficult to talk about my influences because there have been a lot, not only musically speaking. But to name a few that really changed my perspective and the way I understand music would be Led Zeppelin, David Bowie, and John Coltrane.
PATRICK: I grew up with KISS and Ace Frehley has always been my biggest influence as a guitar player. Slayer and Neurosis are a big influence too.
What first got you into music?
SLAVEN: I remember when I finished the first grade of elementary school with good grades (this was in the late 1980s), my grandparents bought me a cassette recorder, and I couldn’t separate myself from it afterward. I started recording myself singing the songs I knew and capturing music from the radio and TV, and I was simply captivated by music. I think that was a crucial moment for me.
PATRICK: When I was 7 years old, I saw KISS on TV. From that day, I was hooked and became a rock and metalhead! I asked my grandmother to lend me some money to buy an electric guitar, and a few months later, I founded my first band.
If you could collaborate with a current band or musician who would it be?
SLAVEN: I think working with Trent Reznor would be interesting.
If you could play any festival in the world, which would you choose and why?
SLAVEN: I would love to play at Rock in Rio because the crowd is really amazing. But there are a lot of great festivals out there, so hopefully, we will have the chance to play at some of them.
PATRICK: I would love to play at Zeytinli Rockfest (Turkey) again, where I played with my former band in front of an awesome audience. But I have heard that the audience in Brazil or Mexico must be amazing too. I also would love to perform at Wacken Open Air in Germany or Hellfest in France…
What’s the weirdest gift you have ever received from a fan?
PATRICK: As we are all kind of weird, there are no weird gifts… Okay, I’m not a big fan of plush toys.
If you had one message for your fans, what would it be?
SLAVEN: Think for yourself.
PATRICK: Be yourself!
If you could bring one rock star back from the dead, who would it be?
SLAVEN: Can I bring three back? Chris Cornell, Peter Steele, Lemmy Kilmister.
PATRICK: Peter Steel! I love Type O Negative and I do also miss the great interviews of Peter Steele.
What do you enjoy the most about being a musician? And what do you hate?
SLAVEN: I think when you are a musician, you enjoy everything that somehow connects to music, and when it comes to hating something, it’s mostly not connected to music.
PATRICK: I enjoy being on stage the most! A band comes alive on stage. I just hate waiting… waiting to go on stage, waiting until the album is out…
If you could change one thing about the music industry, what would it be?
SLAVEN: Erase the word “industry”.
PATRICK: The music industry’s main motivation is, of course, ‘money.’ However, I believe that ‘passion’ is more important. The audience can feel authentic music, but they are being fed more and more auto-tuned ‘products’. In the 70s, there were no computers, and musicians couldn’t record an album if they didn’t have talent or good songs. All the big musicians like David Bowie, Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, Metallica, and many more were real ‘artists’. The music industry facilitated their work, and the musicians focused on their craft.
Name one of your all-time favourite albums?
SLAVEN: Tool – “Aenima”.
PATRICK: Slayer – “Reign In Blood”.
What’s best? Vinyl, Cassettes, CD’s or Downloads?
SLAVEN: I would always prefer Vinyl. I love that warm analog sound. It’s a sensory experience like no other, where every note and every instrument feels more alive and tangible.
PATRICK: I do like the new way of having access to music from everywhere. Streaming makes everything comfortable, I don’t have to think about what music I have to put on my phone or music device before going on holiday.
What’s the best gig that you have played to date?
PATRICK: Zeytinly Rock Fest in Turkey… 40,000 people singing your song and going crazy… That was an amazing experience that I will never forget. I hope the best ANTIROPE shows are yet to come!
If you weren’t a musician, what else would you be doing?
SLAVEN: Looking for a band.
PATRICK: Maybe a filmmaker? I don’t know… Thinking about not being a musician is very depressing…
Which five people would you invite to a dinner party?
SLAVEN: Patrick, Tobi, Julie, Fabi (former ANTIROPE bass-player) and Lemmy.
PATRICK: Ace Frehley, Ozzy Osbourne, Tom Araya, Nikki Sixx and Scott Ian… I think that could be a very explosive mixture for a nice dinner 😀
What’s next for the band?
SLAVEN: We are currently working on the new songs for our second album. There is also Festival in Munich coming up where we are supporting ACID KING.
What Social Media / Website links do you use to get your music out to people?
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/ANTIROPE/
Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/antirope/
Twitter – https://twitter.com/ANTIROPEMUSIC
Youtube – https://www.youtube.com/@ANTIROPE
Tiktok – https://www.tiktok.com/@antiropemusic
Time for a very British question now. As an alternative to the humble sandwich, is the correct name for a round piece of bread common in the UK either a Bap, a Barm (or Barm Cake), a Batch, a Bun, a Cob, a Muffin, a Roll or a Tea Cake?
SLAVEN: I think it’s the same thing, depending on the region. We call them “Semmel”.Thank you for your time. Is there anything else that you would like to add?
SLAVEN: Big thanks to everyone supporting us! Take care.
PATRICK: Thank you!
Disclaimer: This interview is solely the property of Ever Metal. It is strictly forbidden to copy any part of this review, unless you have the strict permission of both parties. Failure to adhere to this will be treated as plagiarism and will be reported to the relevant authorities.
