So I just learned about this band Antestor and I wanted to know if anyone else knew of them. I got two of their albums from a friend and didn't know a whole lot about them. So I did some research and on Wikipedia I found the following...

"Antestor formed in 1990 in Norway. They released two demos early in their career, and in 1994 they recorded their debut album, Martyrium. They dubbed the style of their early work as "sorrow metal" rather than black metal, due to that genre being associated with Satanism in Norway.

The Defeat Of Satan was their first demo, containing three songs and an outro. The demo was originally released under their first band name "Crush Evil". The band is Christian and over the course of their career have received serious death threats because of this.[citation needed] Euronymous, guitarist/vocalist from 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, Jan Axel Blomberg (better known as Hellhammer, the drummer for Mayhem) was Antestor's session drummer on their latest two releases.

Despair was their first self-released demo, and 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 on a wide scale in 1994 due to problems with their record label. 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 Christian metal record label that also helped start the career of Extol. In 2000, Endtime re-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 a permanent member.

Some members of the Band used to be in a Black Metal Band called Vaakevandring which is now broken up."



So just wanted to know if anyone listens to them, has heard of them or knows anything about them? I would love to get a conversation good started about them.

Well, that is easy. The first and most famous christian BM band is Horde. The second one is Antestor. What you've got from wikipedia says it pretty much, and they are a fabulous band, in the time before the split up and also in the new setting. I could surrely recommend the music

I know band werry good and also Chritian band werry rear and hard to get demo meterials but its one of best band sin nOrway for shore

Heard a few songs, among them Rites of Death. Very good song actually, haven't really gotten very much into them, they're not first on my "band to get into"-list, but they are definetely there.

btw. There is no such thing as Christian Black metal, it is a contradiction. What is the values of black metal is debatle(theistic satanist? pagan? etc..), but black metal is most certainly by definition anti-christian. I think the term "unblack" is quite descriptive for christian metal bands that have black-metal musical style.

"The Return of the Black Death was actually dropped from Cacophonous Records after the label discovered that Antestor held Christian beliefs."

That's pretty fucking lame. It's nice see labels backing their bands through the years. *cough*Midian*cough* People talk about Christians being discriminate towards others, but looks like the pendulum swings both ways.

I've only heard The Return of the Black Death which gets a strange amount of praise considering how inconsistent and mediocre it is. The atmosphere is just banal and it has some really (almost insultingly) horrible lyrics. Got to let it slide a little as I doubt English is their first language, but no matter how well written I can't quite grasp the purpose of someone screeching about how much they love Jesus.

Written by Stigmatized on 20.02.2008 at 16:00
"The Return of the Black Death was actually dropped from Cacophonous Records after the label discovered that Antestor held Christian beliefs."

That's pretty fucking lame. It's nice see labels backing their bands through the years. *cough*Midian*cough* People talk about Christians being discriminate towards others, but looks like the pendulum swings both ways.

I don't know, I think it's nice to see a label draw a line somewhere.

Surely they should be classified as "white metal",how the hell can a christian band be classified as "black"????????????

Written by Stigmatized on 20.02.2008 at 16:00

"The Return of the Black Death was actually dropped from Cacophonous Records after the label discovered that Antestor held Christian beliefs."

That's pretty fucking lame. It's nice see labels backing their bands through the years. *cough*Midian*cough* People talk about Christians being discriminate towards others, but looks like the pendulum swings both ways.

Antestor wasn't really dropped from the label. Antestor has been on Cacaphonous until 2000, then they split up. But the most christian lyrics are kept out of the inlay, because Cacaphonous was a afraid for the reactions. They have kept hte lyrics that satan is a loser, so you could understand that the other lyrics they kept away, often a complete song, like with kongsblod, where very christian.
Antestor, anyway, never called their music black metal, they used the term sorrowmetal. There are a lot of christian bands calling their music black metal, while it is lyricly whitemetal.
This just has something to do with the way they split musical and lyrical content. It depends on how one things about this matter if it is a good or a right decision.
Musically the music isn't much different from the satanic and other kind of BM, the lyrics are clearly different, so it is black and white, depending on what part of it you are looking.

Written by Guest on 19.02.2008 at 14:44

Well, that is easy. The first and most famous christian BM band is Horde. The second one is Antestor. What you've got from wikipedia says it pretty much, and they are a fabulous band, in the time before the split up and also in the new setting. I could surrely recommend the music

Yeah, I would recommend Antestor too. There needs to be more bands like them, that is, with the message they have.

There are a lot of good unblack and extreme Christian bands out there folks, check this site out for a lot links to cool Christian bands Website

Antestor is nice piece of symphonic "unblack" but I still don't listen to Antestor since they bad mouth witchcraft in "Rites of Death" and there christian propeganda.

Written by VPeter on 01.03.2008 at 17:31

Antestor is nice piece of symphonic "unblack" but I still don't listen to Antestor since they bad mouth witchcraft in "Rites of Death" and there christian propeganda.

So it's alright to listen to music that bad mouths Christianity and uses its own propeganda whether it's satanic, atheist, or whatever? Personally, you are acting the same as extreme hateful Christians to me. Same attitude, different name.

no, I think the whole "die for satan!" is even more stupid and I don't listen to it. I also don't like mindless hate lyrics to christians, I don't mind those of pagan black metal bands since most of them are aimed at the rotten core of christianity and not the kind christians.

Hate christians though?;D

let's just say there are a "few" christian who are just asking for it to be hated

Written by Guest on 22.02.2008 at 02:23

Surely they should be classified as "white metal",how the hell can a christian band be classified as "black"????????????

we already dicuss it BM is sound, sound nothing more, how we can say christian DM life metal, or thrash

Link to music downloads, please?

It is called "black metal" because of the musical and lyrical content,not just the sound!

I just found a copy of The Return of the Black Death on vinyl. It is not as good as I was hoping it would be, but I am still happy with it.

Written by Guest on 31.05.2008 at 03:22

It is called "black metal" because of the musical and lyrical content,not just the sound!

Nobody didnt sad BM shood be stanaistic,if fucking Varg and other be chrsitians nwoadys all BM scene be chrsitian

But they aren't,so that isn't even an argument!

But it would be cool if all BM would be christian, wouldn't it?

Written by Guest on 02.06.2008 at 17:59

But it would be cool if all BM would be christian, wouldn't it?

This is not topic about it but yes it would be, but ist be enought if tahy wont be satanistic like Marduk, Gorgoroth and such bands

Written by Bad English on 02.06.2008 at 19:56

Written by Guest on 02.06.2008 at 17:59

But it would be cool if all BM would be christian, wouldn't it?

This is not topic about it but yes it would be, but ist be enought if tahy wont be satanistic like Marduk, Gorgoroth and such bands

The satanic imagery was very much essential to making black metal what it is today. I don't think it would have done so well had the music been christian oriented.

Written by Gordon Freeman on 02.06.2008 at 23:17

The satanic imagery was very much essential to making black metal what it is today. I don't think it would have done so well had the music been christian oriented.

Well Antestor are Christians, so get over it. Go back to discussing the actual band and not what makes tr00 Blaque MeTaL!!!!!!!111!!elevensies!!!!


Anyway, has anyone here seen them in concert? I have been looking for info on any past shows or footage. Can't seem to find any. Is it out there and I am blind?

Written by Dane Train on 04.06.2008 at 03:35

Written by Gordon Freeman on 02.06.2008 at 23:17

The satanic imagery was very much essential to making black metal what it is today. I don't think it would have done so well had the music been christian oriented.

Well Antestor are Christians, so get over it. Go back to discussing the actual band and not what makes tr00 Blaque MeTaL!!!!!!!111!!elevensies!!!!


Anyway, has anyone here seen them in concert? I have been looking for info on any past shows or footage. Can't seem to find any. Is it out there and I am blind?

There's a couple of live vids on youtube, not the best quality though.

Written by Dane Train on 04.06.2008 at 03:35

Written by Gordon Freeman on 02.06.2008 at 23:17

The satanic imagery was very much essential to making black metal what it is today. I don't think it would have done so well had the music been christian oriented.

Well Antestor are Christians, so get over it. Go back to discussing the actual band and not what makes tr00 Blaque MeTaL!!!!!!!111!!elevensies!!!!


Anyway, has anyone here seen them in concert? I have been looking for info on any past shows or footage. Can't seem to find any. Is it out there and I am blind?

I think you missed my point. I'm not saying satanic imagery is required for a black metal band to be legit, I'm just responding to the post that "it would be cool if all black metal bands were christian" I don't think black metal would have gotten anywhere if it started out as christian music. Can you imagine christians listening to something so violent in the late 80's and early 90's, even if it did sing about Jesus or whatever? No, bands like Antestor are an evolved response to bands like Gorgoroth. It wouldn't work the other way around.

Written by Guest on 04.06.2008 at 04:21

Written by Dane Train on 04.06.2008 at 03:35

Written by Gordon Freeman on 02.06.2008 at 23:17

The satanic imagery was very much essential to making black metal what it is today. I don't think it would have done so well had the music been christian oriented.

Well Antestor are Christians, so get over it. Go back to discussing the actual band and not what makes tr00 Blaque MeTaL!!!!!!!111!!elevensies!!!!


Anyway, has anyone here seen them in concert? I have been looking for info on any past shows or footage. Can't seem to find any. Is it out there and I am blind?

There's a couple of live vids on youtube, not the best quality though.

on http://www.antestor.net there are three long vids from 30 minutes up to 50 I believe, and the greatest is Oslo 1994, with some golden oldies from Martyrium