Antiquus Scriptum's interview for Valhalla Promotions by Lennard Kamischke

Hello Sacerdos Magus, thanks for doing this interview with Valhalla Promotions.- Antiquus Scriptum have released 3 full-length albums plus various compilations so far - are you satisfied with your work?

Hello Lennard. Thanx so much for this opportunity, I'm very grateful to thee! Yes I am, I think that Antiquus Scriptum has evolved much since its begining in the late 90's and we're going in the right direction! If you listen properly all our works, you'll see that... I think that's the result of many work and dedication through all these years and as any dedicated project, we've been evoluting positively as musicians and persons. Compilations are fruit of that effort as well, mine and of all the labels I've been worked with... As I don't play live, I must unleash Antiquus Scriptum's material often, to claim the project.  

- What does music mean to you? How important is music for your life?

Wow man, music is everything to me! Since very young that I paid attention to all kind of music, especially to the Pop / Rock of the 80's, when I was a child... Later, now as a Rock 'N' Roll fan, I entered into Heavy Metal in 1987 and my life was not the same anymore... But I also enjoy Classical Music, Folk, Abiental and all that stuff... I just don't like plastic music, as the modern Pop, actually... I bought my first guitar with 15 years old and I realised then that I was born to play Metal and more... Not only one instrument but several, eheheheh... And then I realised that I had to make my own projects... I started with Punk, Thrash, Grind and then Black Metal with the early 90's boom... My fate was traced!  

- Have you ever made a live performance with Antiquus Scriptum or do you have any plans about doing that?

Yes, we did a gig in 1999 with the initial formation but soon I continued with the project as my own one-man-band... The odds of make a live performance are low, every members that play in the Atiquus Scriptum have their own life and our music is not properly easy to reproduce live... Would have to be needed many months of hard work to arrange everything to a live set and that's complicated this days!... On the other hand, I love the spirit of projects like Bathory, Burzum & Darkthrone that don't ever played live and I want to have that spirit with Antiquus Scriptum as well!...

- Do you have any active side projects at the moment?

Well... We returned to the problem... I have a side project called Fangorn with my buddy Nyx Sludgedweller that participates in Antiquus Scriptum as well as solo guitar and record & produce all the albuns I have... The project's is inspired in Tolkien's sagas and the sonority is supposed to be something in Folky Black / Thrash Metal, however very ispired in Blind Guardian... The problem is that Nyx has is own life and things are going slowly... We all give more attention to our main bands and the rhythm is not the same for Fangorn, unfortunatly... We have our jobs, we study and we have our own lifes, it's not easy to have side projects operating fast... However the ideas for music and artworks are already advanced and we use to be fast recording music... Maybe in 2013 we have our first album ready to show you guys!... 

- What does the name "Antiquus Scriptum" mean and why did you choose it?

Anttiquus Scriptum's is Latin to "Ancient Scriptures"... I've taken it from a phrase of the Mayhem's song "De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas" that said: "De Grandae Vus Antiquus Mulum Tristis Arcanas Mysteria Scriptum"... I took the words "Antiquus" & "Scriptum" and that's it... I personally like the name and I think most people like it as well, it has meaning and a felling of something ancient and arcane, that's what it is to me!

- How would you describe the progession of your music during the past years? What do you think about your earlier releases?

The earlier releases are sacred, man!... Antiquus Scriptum's now much developed that in 1998 or in 2002... The sonority is much mature, fortunatly but the early demo "In Pulverem Reverteris" and the first album "Abi In Malam Pestem" are very important to me and very nice souvenirs I have... "Immortalis Factus" of 2008, I think it's a rung risen and "Conclamatum Est" of 2010 is the best album of the project in my humble and suspected opinion... The progression is natural and evolutive, I think... In the beginning I wanted to get more extreme, using velocity to mark my direction and now is not only that that counts... I got more technical and I don't give priority to velocity no more, despite of continuing making very fast songs.

- What do you think about the current Black Metal scene in Portugal?

There are a lots of Black Metal bands this days here in Portugal and all over the globe, I think... From what I've heard there are very good bands in the gender actually, musically speaking, the problem is that everyone talks about Satan all the time and that's not much imagination in the contents of these bands... Some bands play nice music, but are weak in subject and the kids now don't have the spirit like we had some years ago... There's a lot of envy and bad character between the bands and everyone thinks that have the better Black Metal project in the whole world! There's much falsehood and fanaticism here and generally, bands don't help each others out... Fortunatly there are still a few standing of the old guard and we keep going...  

- A compilation entitled "... Recôndito É O Nocturno Covil Do Misantropo... (Tristeza & Honra Em IV Capítulos)" has just been released. What would you like to tell us about it?

As you know, Antiquus Scriptum used many intros, interludes & outros between the themes in the albuns, most of them Ambiental / Folky and this is a compilation of those bridges together with three news tracks, there shall be used in the next album "Ars Longa, Vita Brevis...", here in advance... It's a kind of conceptual work with four chapters, with many participations of some friends of mine in several instruments, being each chapter about one of them... The result is a Ambiental / Folk album, resulting very fine! It will be available in a few days through SBRT Records from Italy. 

- What can you already tell us about the upcoming album "Ars Longa, Vita Brevis..."?

"Ars Longa, Vita Brevis..." Its going to be the mature album of Antiquus Scriptum! Its going to be a very nice work, very developed and adult... It's probably the best album we did since the beginning and I think the reactions shal be positive. I already have label for it, it's the Portuguese Luci Dist and I'm very pleased with this deal! The album shall be released in early 2013 and shall be done 500 hundred copies in professional CD of it, tape version, there will be t-shirts and all that stuff... I think that Antiquus Scriptum shall climb one more step with this album!

- Besides "Ars Longa, Vita Brevis", what are your plans for the future?

Well man, due the bad situation we live here in Portugal this days, I just want to record this album, unleash it and have my job... That's not an easy thing here in Portugal right now... Complete my studies and carry on with the project for some long years more! I live one day at the time and still have to be like this!... The expectations don't have to be too much higher and we keep going slowly... Persistence and determination shall speak up!... There are many releases of Antiquus Scriptum to be released this year and I think the project shall make a stand in the furure... Things are fitting slowly and doors are opening with the time for this humble Lusitanian project! Let's see...

  Thanks a lot for the interview, Sacerdos Magus! Is there anything you would like to add or do you have any last words for our readers?

Thanx so much one more time, Lennard! Great opportunity you giving me to express some ideas and I want to wish you luck with Valhalla Promotions... Great work you guys doing actually and just keep going with it!... For the folks I want want to thank to those you have suported Antiquus Scriptum since its beginning and for those whom are not into it, just check out this humble Lusitanian project and I think that you guys shall not regret! Thanx so much to all of thee!