Interview with ANTAGONIZOR
!!!EVIL METALPUNK FROM THE USA!!!
We had a conversation with Sarah (Guitars/Vocals). Enjoy!
Welcome to the FILTHY DOGS OF METAL Webzine.
Tell us a few things about ANTAGONIZOR (Members, Starting Year etc).
We are a metalpunk band based out of Gainesville, Florida, USA. We started the band in 2022. We started as a 3 piece all-female band with our drummer Michelle, Tzu Wei on bass, and Sarah on guitar and vocals. Our original sound was more dbeat/motorcharge punk influenced heavily by Discharge and Motorhead. Over time, we integrated more thrash and heavy metal elements in our music. In 2024, we parted ways with Michelle in order to find someone who could commit more time to the band and go on tour. Fortunately, we were able to find the perfect victim, I mean CANDIDATE, for the band. Tzu Wei and I went on a routine trip to Guitar Center to pick up some strings and stuff, and we came across a tall, bald man who was relentlessly banging on the drums, annoying everyone in the store. We were not annoyed, but rather impressed by his skills on the drums. We threw some shackles on him, dragged him out of the store, and forced him into our van. Now we have our drum slave, Mykel, whose life is
completely dedicated to the band, whether he likes it or not.
You have recently released your single ''Into the Fire''. What is the feedback from your audience as well as from the press?
We have received a lot of good feedback from our fans, old and new. The site "That's Good Enough for Me" described the song as "evil and thrashy". We were so excited to finally release something that represents our new sound. I'm thrilled at the response so far, and can't wait to unleash the full length at the end of February (2025).
The cover artwork has a sick atmosphere! Tell us a few things about it.
The art was done by Tony Rot (rot_blackened_art on Instagram). They did an amazing job emulating the evil vibe we desired. The song is about being condemned to hell, and being unafraid of spending an eternity in flames. There are also demonic themes in the lyrics, so the imagery is perfect for this song.
And what about the lyrics?
I grew up Evangelical unfortunately, and was constantly bombarded with fear mongering tactics from Christians telling me I must turn to Christ or I would spend eternity in hell. I have since rejected Christianity and have dedicated my life to blasphemy and to being a relentless force against Christian oppression. I don't believe in hell, but if there is a hell, I'm not afraid of it. I fully believe that since I have dedicated my life to Satan, I would be enthroned in hell and placed in charge of my own fleet of demons. But I ultimately believe that hell is a fictional place used as a tool to scare people into being controlled by religion. I do not believe in life after death and I do not fear death.
You are going to release your new album "Edgelords From Hell". Tell us a few things about this project.
Edgelords from Hell will be released on February 28 th , 2025. Guitar, bass, and vocals were recorded by our drum slave Mykel. The drums were recorded by War House Recordings. The final tracks were mixed and mastered by Danger Room Recording Service. We created the album artwork ourselves. We are releasing a run of 100 CDs ourselves, and we are currently courting labels to do cassettes and (hopefully) vinyl. This is our first full length album, and it is primarily a heavy metal album, although there are 2 hardcore punk songs on there. We don't plan on discarding the punk sound, as the band is rooted in punk, and our fans still love the punk songs we create.
Are you in searching for a label and what do you prefer most, Label or DIY and why?
As I said, we are currently courting labels for this release. We definitely have a DIY attitude when it comes to recording, but it can be helpful to have a label or even several labels on board to help with promotion and distribution.
Is there any funny or weird story from the recordings or from your live shows that you would like to share with us?
We have quite a few memorable shows that we have played in the past, as we like to think of ourselves as sort of a “shock rock” band. We definitely rely on theatrics to surprise audiences. When we opened for Savage Master last year, we had a staged show down between Jesus and the devil with boxing gloves and all. The devil won, of course. There used to be grindcore band/gang of rogue wrestlers called Shining Wizard who were our rivals until they eventually disbanded. We have had several altercations with them at shows, where trashcans were smashed and fluorescent light tubes were broken over the singer’s head. That motherfucker had a big mouth, so he got what was coming to him. When we played the Fest in Gainesville, we had burlesque performers dancing to our songs. And just about every show, our drum slave does something to piss me the fuck off and fuck up our set, so you’ll typically find me flogging him with a cat-of-nine tales onstage during our shows.
Do you prefer Vinyl, Tape, CD or Digital Format and why is that?
Vinyl is the dream. We were fortunate enough to have a live/studio split released on vinyl through DCxPC. We still have a few of those lying around. But we are really, really hoping someone will release Edgelords from Hell on vinyl for us.
Your music style is Black MetalPunk. Which are your main influences (Favourite Artists / Bands etc.)
I’d say that’s an accurate description of our sound, but I like to think we are somewhat genre-defying. We blend a lot of different sounds/influences. Recently, we are very influenced by Venom, Bulldozer, The Plasmatics, Acid, Motorhead, and even NWOBHM like Judas Priest and Saxon. I’d say our biggest influences for our punk sound would be Negative Approach and MDC.
Which things do you think a band should sacrifice in order to succeed? Have you ever sacrificed anything in your life for a better future for your band?
You definitely have to sacrifice time and energy. It takes a lot of practice to be able to play a tight set, and we make sure to put in that time. We practice multiple times per week, basically as much as we can. I go through cyclic depression, and there are times when I don’t feel like going to band practice. But it’s kind of like forcing yourself to go to the gym. The biggest struggle is getting there, then the rest is easy. Even if I’m depressed and tired, playing music pretty much always gives me wind in my sails. We’ve had to sacrifice our own money on occasion to make it gigs and to make merch, but usually we make that money back in no time. We also have to sacrifice sleep. Sometimes we get asked to open for really cool bands on week nights when we have to work the next day. We don’t turn these gigs down, and just go to workall tired and feeling like shit. It’s worth it.
Describe your ideal live show as a performance band. Have you already experienced that?
The ideal show is when we play a super tight set and the crowd is moshing and going crazy. I’d say we’ve achieved that. There was one hometown show we played where the crowd was going absolutely wild, doing the “we’re not worthy” bow to us, and moshing to like every song. That’s the shit right there. When we played in Taiwan last year, the crowd was going absolutely nuts. Getting to play in another country was really cool, and we are hoping to do that again this Summer of 2025.
What attributes do you think that a new MetalPunk Band should have in order to gain identity and be unique?
I think you have to have something that sets you apart from the others. A distinctive sound. There are a million bands trying to sound like Motorhead, and I guess we are kind of one of them, but we also have other elements in our music that make us our own unique brand of metalpunk. I’d also say it’s helpful to have some sort of visual appeal. It’s important to have a striking image and not just look like a bunch of average Joe’s. I’d say it’s also important to have something about your live performances that make an impact. You don’t necessarily have to be as ridiculous as us, but it’s important to have energy onstage, to move around, headbang, etc. Don’t just stand there like a goddamn mannequin!
Do you believe that Digital Platforms help the new MetalPunk Bands? Which, do you think, is the ideal way for a band to promote its work?
Yeah, I’d say so digital platforms make it a lot easier to promote your band. Social media, webzines, and sites like Bandcamp make it easy to spread your music. I think these days it’s important to have a good social media presence. This is an unfortunate aspect of living in the digital age. People want to see content on social media, so if you want to have a broad reach,you kind of have to play that game.
Do you see any differences between the US Metal Market & the EU Metal Market (Labels, Bands, Fans etc)?
So we live in Florida, and there are absolutely no bands in the state that sound like us. Although there are two or so NWOTHM bands I’m aware of on the rise in Florida (Midnight Vice and Stunner), I’d say there’s more of a scene for music like ours on the West coast and definitely in Europe. I’m not saying we are NWOTHM necessarily, but we have some of those elements in our music. I don’t really know what scene we belong in to be honest. We are too punk for the metal scene and too metal for the punk scene! I think we’d win a lot of new fans if we could play in Europe or get distribution through a European label.
Tell us a few things about the New Underground Metal Scene in Gainesville, Florida (Bands, Fanzines, Webzines, Metal Clubs etc.)
So there isn’t really a huge metal scene in Gainesville. There are a few death metal bands such as Plasmodulated and Grave Filth, we’ve got Stunner brining us some kick ass heavy metal, but other than that, it’s mostly punk and hardcore bands. There are a few good venues downtown like the Wooly and Loosey’s. The Ox is an awesome DIY space run by some of our friends. Although the metal scene is small, we have some great friends in it, and there are some really talented folks in Gainesville bands.
Do you know anything about the Hellenic Metal Scene?
I mostly know about Hellenic black metal like Varathron and Rotting Christ. I’m a huge Varathron fan, and they’re a big influence on the black metal I write. I suppose now is a good time to plug our black metal projects! We (Tzu Wei, Mykel, and I) also have a black metal band called Necrophila. Additionally, have a black metal solo project called Infernal Blasphemer. Releases can be expected this year from both of these projects. The Hellenic black metal sound is remarkable and I can’t help but channel some of that with the music I write.
What are your future plans?
World. Takeover. We plan to spread our music like a virus. This March (2025), we are touring a few southern states in the US. This summer, we are hoping to play shows in Asia, specifically Taiwan and Japan. We already have a new EP recorded which will be released in the next few months here. I’m a song writing machine, so we will probably have another full length ready to go by the end of the year. We have fans on both the east and west coast of the US that we need to reach, so probably we will do a bit more touring if possible. Unfortunately, we all have day jobs we have to work around.
Thank you very much for your time & keep up the good work! The closure is yours.
Thank you for featuring us in your zine! If you’re reading this, make sure to go check out our music! Shout out to all our fans and a nice hearty FUCK OFF to all our haters! Edgelords likes are bound to ruffle some feathers! Love us or hate us, we don’t give a fuck honestly. We are just here to make noise and raise hell! Wish us luck as we continue to do so!
By Steve the Filthy Dog.
ANTAGONIZOR CONTACT:
https://www.facebook.com/Antagonizor
https://www.instagram.com/antagonizorfl/
https://antagonizor.bandcamp.com/music