Congratulations with the amazing new album! We want to introduce the band properly in the Netherlands and Belgium. How are you doing at the moment, satisfied with the new release?
Hallo Vera, hartelijk dank voor het compliment! Well, the actual release is still to come, but we’re certainly pleased with the feedback we’ve received so far for our two pre-released singles, as well as the press response. Given that we’ve completely thrown certain expectations (snow, ice, cold, mountains or the Arctic) out of the window – and naturally couldn’t be sure how people would take it – the echoes we’ve heard so far have been truly fantastic and have confirmed that we made the right decision. We’re currently in a rather busy – not to say stressful – phase, as, in addition to the upcoming physical release of the album, we’ve also got the live premiere to look forward to, which naturally involves rehearsals and organisation.

Antrisch was formed in 2020 during pandemic times, but I noticed that several members have been in Kromlek (also a great band!). Can you tell how Antrisch came into being? What were the intentions for musical direction, lyrics and all things concerning a new band when you decided to start Antrisch?
You’re absolutely right; at the time it was formed, 50% of KromleK (Mr Scott, Mr. Шмидт and my humble self) made up 75% of Antrisch. MW: Mr Дятлов, the fourth member of the group, had, however, already been active before Antrisch with Mr Scott and Mr Шмидт in a band called 7th Abyss. With the arrival of Alexander Gordon Laings as live guitarist, another former KromleK member found his way back to us. And to top it all off: the two remaining KromleK members, Julian Dietz and Vitalis Eirich, have both contributed to Expedition III, which effectively reunites the ‘old gang’ for a short while, albeit under a different banner.  But after that brief digression, back to the beginning: Mr Scott contacted me out of the blue sometime around 2019/2020 and asked if I’d be interested in a black metal project (something we’d wanted to do ever since we met); he said there were five songs and he needed lyrics and vocals. As chance would have it (though I don’t believe in chance), I had five lyrics tucked away in a drawer for a mountain drama concept, which were originally intended more as a collection of poems and not for use on an album. The moment the music and lyrics converged, Antrisch was born. It felt like a form of predestination, and it became clear to Mr Scott and me once again that we were probably ‘doomed’ to make music together for as long as we lived. Mr. Шмидт who had already overseen the recording of the five songs (which became Expedition I), was also very taken with the concept, and so one thing led to another and Antrisch found his bassist and producer. As for the intentions behind the Antrisch project, the lyrics of ‘Expedition I’ have basically shaped the direction of our work, as a concept centred on historical expeditions struck a chord with all members alike, and so this concept took shape more and more; and since – as already mentioned – it had always been Mr Scott’s and my wish to create a black metal project, the lyrical and musical visions fitted together perfectly.

The EP ‘Expedition – Dissonanzgrat’ (2021) was still based on a semi-fictional topic. What can you tell about it?
Sure. At the time these texts were written (around 2014), I was deeply engrossed in the works of mountaineering legend Reinhold Messner, and this left a strong, lasting impression on me. I had the idea of telling a fictional mountain drama, which nevertheless contains some references to real events and people, such as Hermann Buhl’s first ascent of Nanga Parbat, Edward Whymper’s race to the Matterhorn, and perhaps even a hint of Petrarca.  The story tells of a reclusive Romantic poet who, driven partly by sentimental infatuation and partly by his aversion to other people and the drudgery of everyday life, joins a rope team of mountaineers in order to escape the mundane world and find himself on the mountain. As the expedition progresses, his infatuation escalates into delusion and the protagonist loses himself in fantasies and imagined jealousy over who will reach the summit first, which is why he breaks away from the group and sets off for the summit on his own. As the story unfolds, he is confronted more and more with the merciless forces of nature in the high mountains and, equally, with the depths of his own soul, until he ultimately meets his death, emaciated and delirious with fever.

Then the full length ‘Expedition II Die Passage’ (2023) told a complete story of something real in the Arctic area. Can you go deeper into that concept?
Well, telling the whole story would probably go beyond the scope of this interview, but I’ll try to get to the heart of it. The historical backdrop to Expedition II is the expedition led by Sir John Franklin, who set out for the Canadian Arctic in 1845 with the two ships HMS Terror and HMS Erebus to explore the as yet uncharted parts of the Northwest Passage, discover the final route through it, and open it up for the British Empire. Unfortunately, the expedition ended in disaster, as the pack ice – which usually thaws or retreats during the summer months to the extent that the passage becomes navigable – did not retreat, and the ships consequently became stuck. This situation did not change in the following summer either, so that (following the unexplained death of Sir John Franklin and several other deaths from lead poisoning) the commander of HMS Terror took the fateful decision to abandon the ships and, together with the crew, set off on foot across the pack ice towards the south, using the lifeboats as sledges, in search of the safety of the mainland. During this march, all the expedition members gradually perished, most of them – despite a few instances of cannibalism – from starvation. The story of Expedition II begins the moment it becomes clear that the ships are stuck in the pack ice. In six chapters, I recount the different phases the crew goes through, from the oppressive monotony on board the stranded vessels, through Sir John’s funeral, to the abandonment of the ships and the inner struggle and mental anguish each individual faces when confronted with the unimaginable situation of having to eat human flesh to avoid starving to death themselves. The fundamental question at the heart of ‘Die Passage’ revolves around is how the helpless and hopeless exposure to an extreme climatic situation affects the inner life of the individual; what it does to you when you find yourself on the threshold between being a rational, moral representative of a highly developed civilisation and an archaic, instinct-driven creature devoted solely to survival. That is the second layer of meaning in the title: the transition.

You call your albums ‘Expeditions’. That evokes the feeling of something unknown, going for an aim you have in mind, but hoping for new discoveries or even surprises as well. Is that the way you approach music as well?
Exactly. Every album is an expedition on multiple levels. The most obvious aspect is the concept or story itself, but for those of us involved, it’s a holistic journey – an expedition encompassing all the highs and lows of the creative process. Mr Scott embarks on his very own musical expedition to use sounds to paint the pictures that my lyrics (are meant to) conjure up on another level.  It’s much the same for me: I immerse myself in the subject matter and delve into the depths of my own soul to uncover parallels, and to infuse these sometimes very sombre events with life, relateability and authenticity. You could certainly see this as an expedition into one’s innermost self. Essentially, two recurring aspects shape and define our artistic approach: the band name Antrisch (eerie, uncanny) captures the character of the music, and the recurring subtitle ‘Expedition’ captures both the overarching concept and the subtle nature of our narrative music.

Who are the main composers in the band and for lyrics? 
Mr Scott is the main composer, and I’m responsible for the concept, lyrics and visual design (though this mainly involves the layout, choosing historically appropriate fonts and so on; we have the artwork painted by Timon Kokott, the trusted and talented artist we rely on). Mr. Шмидт in his role as producer, naturally has a certain influence on the composition process, but essentially we have a fairly strict division of responsibilities.

The new album brings us in Latin America (from the icy arctic to heat) for a concept about quite a controversial conquistador Lope de Aguirre. What kind of man did he was? What happened to him and his men during this expedition?
Whilst the previous two expeditions explored how extreme circumstances bring out extreme traits and, consequently, extreme behaviour, in Aguirre these are already present and evident even before the actual story begins. What appealed to me – apart from the Amazon setting in general – were the complex dynamics that such an extreme character as Lope de Aguirre would bring to an already surreal and bizarre situation like the search for El Dorado and an Amazon expedition of Spanish adventurers armed to the teeth. Lope de Aguirre was a hidalgo from the Basque Country (northern Spain) who, like many of his peers, set off for the New World as a soldier of fortune in search of fame and prosperity. Historians describe him as mad, and his behaviour is characterised by paranoia, uncontrolled outbursts of violence and delusional tendencies. Upon his arrival in Lima, he became involved in the local civil war, though this was not a conflict between ‘citizens’ in the strict sense, but rather a power struggle amongst the resident Spanish colonists. He was also happy to switch sides as circumstances dictated. Once peace was restored, the viceroy decided to rid himself of the rebellious and restless elements by sending them, under the leadership of the veteran Pedro de Ursúa, on an expedition to discover and conquer the legendary land of gold, El Dorado. This expedition, which took place in 1560, forms the backdrop to the narrative. Aguirre emerges as a discontented troublemaker and schemer who, in the course of the expedition, instigates a rebellion against Ursúa and installs the young nobleman Guzmán as the new leader of the expedition. In this fateful turn of events, the expedition – orchestrated by Aguirre – resolves to abandon the search for El Dorado and instead march on Lima, overthrow the viceroy and renounce allegiance to the Spanish Crown. The ensuing odyssey (during which Aguirre kills Guzmán and proclaims himself leader) takes the expedition northwards to Venezuela. An island off the Venezuelan coast called Isla Margarita serves as a refuge for the rebels, where they take the governor and the Spanish upper class hostage and establish a forty-day reign of terror. Under pressure from the royal troops, Aguirre flees with his motley crew back to the mainland, where the final showdown takes place in the town of Barquisimeto. Shortly before this, Aguirre kills his own daughter so that she does not become ‘the mattress of the handsome ones’.  This is also where the Basque Wolf meets his end. He is shot by one of his own men, then beheaded and quartered.