(1) Antaeus, the French Black Metal band, formed in Maisons-Laffitte, Île-de-France, France in 1994. They have released four full-length albums to date: Cut Your Flesh and Worship Satan (2000) and De Principii Evangelikum (2002) released on Osmose Productions, and Blood Libels (2006) and Condemnation (2016) released on Norma Evangelium Diaboli.
About Blood Libels, Todd DePalma of StylusMagazine.com said, "Melody is tempered through vivid motion, recycling a violent conquering of style. Upstrokes rake hopeless feeling across incessant blast-beaten rhythm, falling like copper shavings into an open sore.... Structure betrays a craft in tune with the adamantine will. The mordant efflorescence is reset through ambient refrains, suspiring in the aftermath or else opening like a valve between them as toxic pools reflect a fetid attraction to misery and imprisonment of the body—a spiritual negative condensed in the title track’s provocation to prove we’re 'more than flesh.'" Jeremy Garner of MetalReview.com notes that "the attenuation of mood is absolutely flawless. 'Words as Weapons', 'Here is Punishment', and 'Blood Libels' all act as damn impressive moments flesh tearing guitar lines and pernicious vocals enveloping the listener in a fog of aural torture and despair by creating interesting juxtapositions between atmosphere and the no quarter attitude of songs like 'Cyklik Torture'. When it comes down to it though, there are very few other bands that have such good taste as musicians to not let their music become repetitive or annoyingly overdone."
The current line-up is:
MkM - Vocals (Aosoth, ex-Temple of Baal, ex-Tenebrare, ex-Deviant)
Set - Guitars (ex-Aosoth, ex-Aes Dana, ex-Sublime Cadaveric Decomposition)
According to a recent interview with MkM, Antaeus will never play live again. They remain active as a recording band with the "incomplete" line-up and probably some session musicians in the future.
MkM used to run Spikekult Productions and took part in establishing Norma Evangelium Diaboli. Set is also a member of the band Aosoth.
Myspace/antaeusdpe
(2) A chill/electronica/club music artist (aka Alexx Antaeus) with albums Byzantine Meditation, World Prayer, and Zero4; notable track Palm of the Prophet. Antaeus (aka Alexx Antaeus) has released three albums to date: Byzantine Meditation (2004), World Prayer, and Zero4 (2007), released on Monom and Monom Records.
Byzantine Meditation is a chillout soundscape fusing voices, traditional instruments, electronica, hip-hop, and drum 'n' bass. The title track Byzantine Meditation received significant airplay on Smooth Jazz and eclectic stations and was used in Jacob's Coffee TV commercials. For World Prayer, the Virgin Megastore magazine raved: "Few Greeks up to now have been able to make their presence felt in the international music world. One of them is Antaeus...Sources of inspiration this time are religions from around the world, always with the enchanting atmosphere that Antaeus creates..." Zero4 is his latest release. In it, he blends urban and club beats with ethnic melodies and ambient sensitivity. Palm of the Prophet, one of the album's tracks, has been included in the Buddha Bar VIII compilation. Several songs from the album are receiving airplay on chill, Smooth Jazz, and eclectic stations around the world. In his review of Zero4 at enigmaonline.com, Thomas Martin wrote: "Production is at its...best," and "I'll recommend Antaeus to anyone who owns Paul Simon's Graceland and Air's Virgin Suicide / Talkie Walkie." Professor Marshall J. Cook, Editor of Creativity Connection at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, said, "(Antaeus' music) seems at once unique and familiar to me, and I don't seem to tire of it after several playings."
Alexx Antaeus has been active in the music industry since 1986: he has remixed/produced for Young M.C., Falco, Lonnie Gordon, Malcolm McLaren, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, The Rolling Stones, The Boys, Herbert Gronemeyer, and Earth, Wind & Fire. Some of the club music projects he has launched are Jeek! and Aar. For his work, he has earned several gold and platinum plaques.
Similar artist: Enigma.
Website: http://monomrecords.com/artists/antaeus/
http://www.antaeusmusic.com/
Myspace/antaeusmusic
Other artists who have used the name Antaeus include:
An alternative rock band from Smithtown, USA, who established a freespace website and a facebook page in 1995 and used them for maybe a month. They list members: Tyler Liers (lead guitar/vocals), Brian Kassay (rhythm guitar/lead vocals), Julie Tarry (drums), and Hannah Havemann (bass); and influences: Weezer, The Beatles. www.freewebs.com/antaeusrock & Myspace.com/Antaeus (apparently they got to Myspace first).
Early versions of this wiki mentioned another band named Antaeus, hardcore/metal, based in Oklahoma, and cited their myspace page Myspace/antaeushardcore.
Antaeus is also a Greek mythological figure, the giant son of Poseidon and Gaia.
Here Is Punishment
Antaeus Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You're just souvenirs after all
I just can't make you hang in there
I just can't peel you off my skin
You won't remember
All the pain you caused well
Anyway
You were claiming to say
That never fooled those who listened
Until that day when you prooved us wrong
The wrong matter, the wrong tools
It doesn't matter anymore
It never left our heads, not a word, not a whisper
All kept secret & self deny
We made it sick, we made it wrong
To make it beautiful to go through & so painful for you to breath
The song "Here Is Punishment" by Antaeus is a complex exploration of the aftermath of a failed relationship. The lyrics suggest that the singer is trying to move on from a lover who has caused them a great deal of pain. The opening lines, "I'll fade your self away / You're just souvenirs after all," suggest that the singer is trying to forget about their former partner, to erase them from their memories. However, the following lines reveal that this is not something that can be easily accomplished: "I just can't make you hang in there / I just can't peel you off my skin." Here, the lyrics suggest that the pain caused by the relationship is not something that can be easily forgotten or ignored.
Despite this, the singer is aware that they cannot continue to hold onto the pain and anger caused by their former lover: "You won't remember / All the pain you caused well / Anyway." The lyrics suggest that the singer recognizes that holding onto the pain caused by the relationship is not productive and will ultimately only hurt themselves. However, the lyrics also suggest that the singer is struggling to let go of their hurt and anger: "We made it sick, we made it wrong / To make it beautiful to go through & so painful for you to breath." Here, the lyrics suggest that the singer is struggling to let go of their anger and pain, and that they may be intentionally making the memory of the relationship more painful in order to punish their former lover.
In summary, "Here Is Punishment" explores the aftermath of a failed relationship and the struggle to let go of the pain and anger caused by it. The lyrics suggest that while the singer recognizes the need to move on and forget about their former partner, they are also struggling to let go of their pain and may be intentionally making the memory of the relationship more painful in order to punish their former lover.
Line by Line Meaning
I'll fade your self away
I'll erase your existence
You're just souvenirs after all
You are only memories that I no longer cherish
I just can't make you hang in there
I cannot hold onto you anymore
I just can't peel you off my skin
I cannot forget you completely
You won't remember
You won't recall or feel the pain you caused
All the pain you caused well
You inflicted a significant amount of pain
Anyway
Regardless of everything
You were claiming to say
You pretended to believe
Here is justice, here is punishment, here in me
I am the one who will determine what is just and deserved punishment
That never fooled those who listened
No one ever believed your claim
Until that day when you prooved us wrong
Until the day when you actually delivered justice and punishment
The wrong matter, the wrong tools
The unjust actions that were taken, and the unjust methods that were used
It doesn't matter anymore
They are irrelevant and insignificant now
It never left our heads, not a word, not a whisper
It always stayed with us, without a single mention or hint
All kept secret & self deny
We kept the memory to ourselves and denied its existence
We made it sick, we made it wrong
We distorted the memory to make it less painful
To make it beautiful to go through & so painful for you to breath
To make the memory less painful for us to revisit, but causing you more agony to remember
Contributed by Taylor V. Suggest a correction in the comments below.