Antestor is the only Christian band to have an album released by Cacophonous Records, which also released records by bands such as Dimmu Borgir, Sigh and Blood Storm, and was actually dropped from Cacophonous Records after the label discovered that Antestor held Christian beliefs.
Antestor (Latin for "call to witness" or "testify") formed in 1990 in Norway under the name "Crush Evil". They released two demos early in their career, and in 1994 they recorded their debut album, Martyrium, although not released until 2000. They dubbed the style of their early work as "sorrow metal" rather than misapply the tag "black metal".
The band is vocally Christian and over the course of their career have received serious death threats because of this. Euronymous, the guitarist of the seminal black metal band Mayhem, once said, "The Militants of Norwegian black metal will force this band to split up." That never happened: Antestor was never forced to split apart and in an almost ironic twist of fate, the reputive Norwegian extreme metal drummer Jan Axel Blomberg (better known as Hellhammer, the drummer for Mayhem) was Antestor's session drummer on their latest two releases The Forsaken and Det Tapte Liv EP.
Their first demo was called The Defeat Of Satan. and contained three songs and an outro. The demo was originally released under their original band name "Crush Evil".
Then came Despair, a self-released demo, which was released under the band name Antestor. The demo starts with an intro and ends with a cover of an old Norwegian hymn, called Jesus, Jesus, Ver Du Hjå Meg ("Jesus, Jesus, Be With Me").
Martyrium was their first full-length album, but was not actually released in 1994 due to problems with their record label. However tape copies circulated in up to fifth generation copies and their audience grew fast. Antestor did not release a full-length album until 1998, when they released The Return of the Black Death on Cacaphonous Records.
The Return of the Black Death was actually dropped from Cacophonous Records after the label discovered that Antestor held Christian beliefs. Because of this, there are not many pressings of the album, and it is now rare. It is still sold at some internet-based Christian underground music stores.
However, The Return of the Black Death was well-received by both Christian and non-Christian black metal fans. Antestor was soon signed by Endtime Productions, a metal record label that also helped start the career of Extol. In 2000, Endtime released Martyrium.
Over the next several years, the band remained somewhat quiet; they did not release any more albums until 2003, when they re-released their two earliest demos on one CD, titling it The Defeat of Satan. By then, they had replaced several of their members as well. Their original vocalist, Martyr, left the band, as did several others. Fortunately for Antestor, the breakup of another Christian metal band in Norway, Vaakevandring, led to several former Vaakevandring members joining Antestor. Namely, Ronny Hansen, adopting the new moniker Vrede, became Antestor's new vocalist, and Morten Sigmund Mageroy (known in Antestor as Sygmoon) stepped in as the new keyboardist. Ann-Mari Edvardsen joined the band as a female vocalist. The drummer, Svein Sander (in Antestor, Armoth), left the band during this time also, and Antestor would not find a new full-time drummer for several more years.
In 2004, Antestor released their first set of new songs since The Return of the Black Death, in an EP called Det Tapte Liv ("The Lost Life"). Det Tapte Liv concentrated less on the black metal aspects of Antestor's style and more on instrumental songs. However, it did show that the band was preparing for their 2005 full-length, The Forsaken. Hellhammer played all drums on both of these releases, with new drummer Tony Kirkemo joining the band later in 2005 as live session drummer. His participation on the recording session caused some controversy among metal press and black metal fans. In an interview with the Russian metal site Metal Library on January 7, 2007, Blomberg says "To be honest, it [playing for Antestor] was a big 'f--- off!' to them all [Mayhem colleagues and record company]. I will repeat again that I decide what I do and I play not only in black metal groups." The band also asked Hellhammer to play live for them, but Blomberg refused. It was not a question about their beliefs, as Hellhammer explains: "In my opinion, black metal today is just music. I will tell you that neither I nor other members of Mayhem never really were against religion or something else. We are primarily interested in music." Ronny Hansen commented on Blomberg's appearance:
“ First of all Jan Axel "Hellhammer" is a total professional. He started up together with the secular scene and worse (laughs) but he doesn't care if it's secular or Christian. He knew from the start what Antestor stands for. And maybe if we get the chance, we are more than willing to use him again. Cause his drumming is outstanding. I think that he is the very best drummer in the scene and we are just very lucky to have borrowed his brilliance.
Some of the members still play in Vaakevandring, who played a reunion gig 2007 together with Antestor at the Endtime Festival. Rumors that Antestor announced their disbandment at the March 31, 2007 Endtime Festival turned out to be false, they only stated that they're going on a hiatus in order to recruit some new members.
In 2009 Ronny Hansen announced that Antestor were looking for new members. By the middle of 2010 they had a band together who were writing songs and beginning to prepare for gigging once more.
Under The Sun
Antestor Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
what I've done with my hands
Worked hard and suffered for
nothing but emptiness
Want to cry to die
under the sun that's why
Wisdom and foolishness
nothing but emptiness
The wise have got eyes in their head
while fools walk about in the dark
But they meet the same destiny
Want to cry to die
Can you tell me why?
Then I said in my silent mind
I've the same fate as the fool
Want to cry to die
Can you tell me why?
Want to cry to die
Is it all a lie?
How can all my wisdom serve me?
The wise must die like a fool
All Man's days full of pain
all he does brings him grief
No comfort just oppressed
nothing but emptiness
All his tears all his fears
under the sun it breeds
Hopelessness wickedness
nothing but emptiness
God has granted Man abundance
a gift of God power to enjoy
He won't dwell upon the passing years
because God satisfies
The lyrics of Antestor's song Under The Sun delve into the existential crisis of the singer as he questions the purpose and meaning of his life. He ponders the fruitlessness of his hard work and suffering, leading to nothing but emptiness. He expresses a desire to cry and die under the sun while contemplating the concept of wisdom and foolishness, ultimately concluding that they too are meaningless. The singer realizes that even the wise and the foolish meet the same fate, leading him to question the value of his wisdom.
He questions why his wisdom does not serve him and, in a moment of clarity, realizes that the wise must die like fools, and man's days are full of pain, bringing only grief and hopelessness. The singer ultimately finds solace in God, who has granted man abundance and the power to enjoy it, and satisfies him. The song captures the universal human experience of grappling with the weight of existence and the search for meaning beyond the mundane and superficial aspects of life.
Line by Line Meaning
I started to think of
I began to ponder
what I've done with my hands
all the work I've done
Worked hard and suffered for
put in great effort and endured pain for
nothing but emptiness
no meaningful reward for my efforts
Want to cry to die
so miserable, I wish to cry or even die
under the sun that's why
due to the vain nature of earthly pursuits
Wisdom and foolishness
the contrast between being wise or foolish
nothing but emptiness
neither grants any true fulfillment
Wisdom is better than folly
it's better to be wise than foolish
The wise have got eyes in their head
the wise have discernment and insight
while fools walk about in the dark
fools lack understanding and are lost
But they meet the same destiny
regardless of wisdom, everyone will die
Can you tell me why?
seeking answers for the futility of existence
Then I said in my silent mind
my internal, unspoken thoughts
I've the same fate as the fool
death is inevitable for all, regardless of wisdom
Want to cry to die
once again expressing misery and despair
Is it all a lie?
questioning the legitimacy of worldly pursuits
How can all my wisdom serve me?
wondering how to find true fulfillment with wisdom
The wise must die like a fool
death is the common fate of all, regardless of wisdom
All Man's days full of pain
the inevitability of experiencing pain in life
all he does brings him grief
nothing seems to bring true happiness or contentment
No comfort just oppressed
without any consolation, but rather burdened
nothing but emptiness
no true fulfillment, just meaningless pursuits
All his tears all his fears
emotional struggles and anxieties
under the sun it breeds
the earth is where such struggles arise
Hopelessness wickedness
despair and moral wrongdoing
nothing but emptiness
neither brings true contentment
God has granted Man abundance
acknowledging the blessings given to humans by God
a gift of God power to enjoy
the ability to find enjoyment in these blessings
He won't dwell upon the passing years
choosing not to focus on the fleeting nature of time
because God satisfies
finding fulfillment in God's provision
Contributed by Peyton C. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@cristophergomez7320
GOD IS WONDERFULL.
@AutumnSage98
The meaning of the song is, being wise and intelligent is no better than being ignorant and foolish? leaving you in a depressing state of suicidal tendencies? And God is the one who is only capable of such a satisfaction?
Very rare meaning to much of anything. Nice belief to have.