Interview to APATHEION (USA)

1. Hello my friend, for those new to Apatheion just explain the format of the band. Is it essentially a one-man project, right?

That is correct. I am the sole member of the project. I write and record everything you hear.

2. Can you name some of the bands who you first really admired and helped shape your future in music?

If we go way back, the first two were Slayer and Iron Maiden. I had a friend whose older brother listened to metal music. So I got introduced at around 6 or 7 years old. As time went on I got really into Death Metal and Black Metal music. Bands like Deicide and Morbid Angel were big influences on me, as well as bands like Carpathian Forest and Emperor. More recently though Bands like Nargaroth and Judas Iscariot led me toward a depressive and more grim sound. And just to be clear; If they have any radical political views, I do not share them.

3. Before becoming a musician, were you self taught taking private music lessons at a young age or did you fully learn and adapt on your own from there?

I'm mostly self taught as far as Guitars, Drums, and Vocals go. In school I did a year of trumpet and a year of percussion in 5th and 6th grade. Senior year of high school I did get some guitar lessons from a guy that really helped me learn Chord/Scale relationship. After than that I just listened to lots of metal and learned to play the thing I heard. I had lots of Guitar Tablature books, and I practiced a lot when I was young.

4. As a band from Maryland, how has your local music scene influenced your development and growth as musician?

So the town I live in has lots of music going on. A lot of it is metal music, but the scene is all over the place. Living near the nation's capital and near the city of Baltimore we get lots of good metal bands coming through. Most bands that tour in the United States comes to my area. But I'm not part of any particular scene of Black Metal music. Its really just what I love and what interests me the most. There is no other kind of music I would want to make.

5. As an emerging band in the extreme metal scene, what are some challenges you've faced, and how have you overcome them to pave the way for your future?

I am very much at the beginning of my journey with this music project. There are so many one person Black Metal bands out there it is hard to get attention. So far I have just put my music out there and I hope people are checking it out. I have already gotten the attention of Rotten Pages Magazine and thanks to you all I will get more exposure. I have also had Apatheion featured in Legacy magazine in Germany. I hope that I will overcome challenges by making good music.

6. We can find some atmospheric and depressive influences on your music, How did you decided to explore these different influences and how do you balance them to create a cohesive sound?

I love music that is both atmospheric and depressive. I think those two sounds have always worked well together. I started this project with an idea in mind. I started writing riffs and main song ideas the way I had planned and then just sort of let it go where ever it went. I started adding keyboard parts and lead guitar parts to the songs and they became much more than I planned on. I actually intended to do music that is grim and depressive the whole time, but I tend to write music that's melodic. I think that played a big part in my music.

7. Let´s talk about your debut album ”Oὐκέτι“ it sounds really cohesive and with a very solid mix. Were there any elements of the recording that proved particularly troublesome?

Honestly the whole thing was hard and daunting. I'm new to recording on my own. I pretty much figured this whole thing out as I went along. I think a lot of the drums recorded to loud, I had to compress the drums a lot. I currently have this album available with updated sound where I removed some of the high frequencies and added some bass, as well as used some tame emulation for a more vintage sound

8. What do you feel is the quintessential element of Apatheion’s sound?

If I had to pick one element it would be “pain.” Feelings like Loss, Hopelessness, Despair, Fear, and Melancholy are all intended feelings on this album. All these feelings are part of pain to me. This is an aspect of Black Metal I have always identified with. We're all forced to feel the affects of a causal reality, and I suppose I've always been a bit negative about it.

9. How has the reception been for your music so far? Have there been any standout moments or memorable experiences you'd like to share?

I think things have been good so far. This project and my other project “Taartaros” have both been noticed by a few online magazines and printed magazines like this one. A few Black Metal Youtube.com playlists have featured my albums. As a musical project that does not have a live band I'm limited to just putting myself out there and hoping to gain listeners. I am particularly excited to be a part of Rotten Pages Magazine!

10. Are there any external influences on the music? Anything you were listening to at the time – or reading, or watching – which you feel had an effect on the writing process?

I took the name Asterion as my musical identity. He is the Minotaur from Greek mythology. His story is one of tragedy as his creation and the events that led to it were a regrettable stain on the island of Crete. Both of my projects use Greek mythology and Antiquity as a backdrop for the music. Black Metal music I like usually takes you to a different time and place. I decided to do something a little different for my music.

11. What attributes do you think that a new Metal Band should have in order to gain identity and be unique?

This question has more than one answer I think. There is a new modern sound for a lot of Death Metal and Black Metal bands and many new bands are adhering to it. If they do it right it should be successful. But if you ask me its getting overdone. I think bands that return to the core sound of the style they play and add themselves into it will produce the best music. I think this will prove successful as a lot of this new Black Metal music becomes mundane.

12. I want to thank you, sincerely, for your time. Before we end our conversation, is there anything else in particular you’d like to share?

It is a pleasure to be a part of the upcoming issue of Rotten Pages Magazine. I want to thank you Edu, for all the interest you have showed in my music. I wasted a lot of years just working and I had let go of making music. I've now opened a door that will never close. I will continue to write and record music in this fashion and I hope everyone will take a listen and enjoy.

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