INTERVIEW: Barry Chadwick & Donny Hopkins – Antre

Formed in Nottingham, 2017, ANTRE made their entrance onto the UK black metal scene with unrelenting force. Having already played with the likes of WINTERFYLLETH and WODE before the release of an full-length album was a clear message that these need to have eyes on them. Now in 2019 their debut, Void, is now out and having done the entire release DIY we figured it would be a good chance to catch up with drummer Barry Chadwick and guitarist Donny Hopkins to talk to them about their methods, reception of the release and more.

You’ve not long had your debut album, Void, out. What has the reception of the release been like for you?

Donny: It’s been tense. As much as I’d like to be thick skinned and not care, we put so much of our lives into Void over the past year. It’s heartening to see and hear people take it in and enjoy it as much as they have.

Baz: After so much hard work behind the scenes, it’s been great to have it finally released to the world. It generally seems to have gone down well so that has been a fantastic bonus and a huge payoff for all the graft that has got us to this point.

You self-recorded the album in an old church. How did the idea for that come about?

Baz: We’d talked about getting out of the city to a church hall or somewhere out in the country for some inspiration and just a bit of a change of scene. We found a great place about 50 minutes drive from Nottingham city on the way to Matlock with rolling hills all around. We’d been out there to rehearse a couple of times and were struck by the acoustics of the place we found. Once we’d decided we wanted to do the recording ourselves and realised we’d need somewhere to record drums in particular, it was a no-brainer to go back to the chapel.

The lyrical concepts explore the feelings of ‘internal human darkness and destruction’, can you elaborate on that a little more? 

Donny: It’s a cliché, but life is hard. In truth it always has been and it’s probably the best it’s ever been, but that doesn’t stop it from feeling bleak, lonely and worthless sometimes. Having somewhere to channel that and have some catharsis is essential. We choose to do that through ANTRE.

As a band you have a DIY approach, why did you choose that route when releasing Void?

Donny: It’s what we know, I’ve had the label for about 14 years, using it to put out mine and my friends music without any restrictions. We’re not keen on involving too many people outside the band and like to keep a tight leash so that we remain true to what we want to do with as little outside interference as possible.

Baz: A band should be first and foremost a creative and emotional outlet for the members. For us, this extends beyond writing and playing the songs themselves.

The processes of creating the artwork and packaging, as well as recording and mixing the finished product, are intrinsic parts of presenting the music as a whole on our own terms.Would you continue to stick to the DIY approach further down the line?

Donny: I’d like to think so. That could change if the right situation arose and we remained able to do exactly what we want, the way we want it while someone else did the less enjoyable tasks. The biggest hurdles with DIY is it’s fucking hard work, it’s time consuming, it’s expensive, it doesn’t always work and it’s not always fun. But it’s also incredibly satisfying, and something that’s 100% driven by passion for the music. I’d certainly struggle handing that over to anyone else without having a lot of trust in them.

You have already played with WINTERFYLLETH, WODE and THE INFERNAL SEA. What was it like for you to be recognised and believed in before you had even put Void out there for the world to see?

Donny: We’d put out a demo we were proud of that we’d been giving out for free at gigs, we must have passed out hundreds of them! We were playing gigs and toiling away on the album, somewhat blinkered as to what the outcome would be. In the midst of that, luckily people heard what we’d been doing and took a gamble that we’d like to think paid off for them and us, we’re very thankful to those that took an early chance on us.

Baz: After being a fan since around the release of The Mercian Sphere, finding out we were playing with WINTERFYLLETH in particular was a definitely an “achievement unlocked” moment. I’ve got a printed copy of the gig poster up in my office/studio at home. We’re acutely aware we’ve been very fortunate with some of the opportunities that have come our way despite our short history and we’re trying to not take any of it for granted.

In a post on social media when filming the video for Tyrant, you said ‘We are the problem, our demise is the solution,’ regarding the planet. Is that a message you as ANTRE want to spread?

Donny: There’s no message, it’s a statement of fact. The world is a fucking mess and doesn’t look like it’s getting better in our lifetime certainly.

Baz: I don’t think you could call any of us environmental activists, but it’s plain to see that in a lot of ways, the world would be a better place without humans in it.

Do you 100% believe in that statement, or do you think there are other solutions if mankind books its ideas up?

Donny: I’d like to think it’s a rallying call for people to try harder. Mankind absolutely has the capability to turn it all around, I’m still hopeful regardless of what’s happening out there, but I think it’ll likely get worse before anything changes.

What are your plans for ANTRE now?

Donny: We’re currently demoing some new things, there’s a thought of getting an EP or split done later this year and hopefully another full length in 2020.

Void is out now via Withered Hand Records.

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