www.punkinternational.com

Antisilence: Erdem Capar
interview by Tim Krysko

Explain a little bit of background to Antisilence. When did you form the band, and what other musical backgrounds the different members have?
Well, ANTISILENCE was formed in Izmit in 1992. Barış and Erdem who were close friends started the band, in the beginning the music was death metal and the name was "IMORTAL" (watch out! it's with one "M" not 2 "M"s!). After finding the other members we started rehearsing and the first show was in 1993. In the end of 1993 we recorded a two-song demo but we didn't release it. Then we found HAMMER MUZIK, in September '94 we entered the studio and recorded our first album "New World Order Sucks". Being dissatisfied with the name we changed the name into ANTISILENCE. After recording the album the others left the band one by one. Güray, Barış's cousin, joined the band for the drums and Zafer joined for the bass. After the change in line-up we wanted to change the style of our music. We didn't want to leave our death metal roots, so we started combining punk, hardcore with thrash and death metal. This is how we wrote the songs for our second album "Suffer Hits". In the last 2 years we became a well-known band in Turkey. We opened for OVERKILL, RUMBLE MILITIA, STRATOVARIUS, ANATHEMA and DESTRUCTION in their shows in Turkey. This is a summary of what happened in last 9 years...

Were you active in your hometown music scene as a teenager growing up? How did you spend your youth?
Our hometown was so small and there wasn't a scene there. We tried to build our scene, but then we thought it'd be better to move to Istanbul as there was a scene. After 8 years we realized that there was no scene!!! We spent our teenager years listening to lots of bands from all around the world and learning to play our instruments.

Antisilence has a pretty unique hardcore sound. What are the influences that helped create this sound?
I can't say ANTISILENCE is a hardcore band. We're just a rock'n'roll band with influences of hardcore. We just want to show the aggression and the emotions in us.

Suffer Hits is your newest CD, but what other releases have you made before this one?
The Suffer Hits is our last CD but it's not new. It was recorded 2 years ago and released last year. We only have one more album called "New World Order Sucks", but it was released only in MC format.

From what I read in your CD booklet, you guys are not from Istanbul, but a town further away, where the earthquake hit a few years ago. Do you live in Istanbul now, or do you live in your hometown?
3 of us are from Kocaeli. It's near Istanbul. But, we're not living in Kocaeli because our schools and jobs are in Istanbul. Our parents are still in Kocaeli. Earthquake happened 2 years ago. Some of our friends from school and youth died in the earthquake.

Do you have any plan to release your next CD?
Of course we have. But, nowadays we're interested in playing in different towns. And also we started writing new material for our next CD.

What is the significance of your name, Antisilence? Is it a social or political context?
Both. In political way, we want people to raise their voices against the governments and other organisations. In social way, we tell people not to stay silent against the things offending them in the daylife.Both. In political way, we want people to raise their voices against the governments and other organisations. In social way, we tell people not to stay silent against the things offending them in the daylife.

A lot of social and political tones can be seen in your CD. What are some of the issues in Turkey that you are very outspoken of?
Around these days, the thing we mostly talk about is money! Because, we have a great economical crisis in Turkey, that we lose lots of money everyday. It's the fault of our government!

I have heard Turkey's music scene is pretty isolated from the rest of Europe and even moreso from the United States. Would you like to open it up a little more, possibly release your CD on a foreign label?
European countries or the states are so closed minded against the people from outside. And also we don't have chances to present ourselves to the other countries. Mostly because of economical problems. We don't have enough money to prepare a tour in Europe and in USA.

What else do you do when you're not writing and performing music for Antisilence?
I work as a promotion staff in Hammer Muzik, the label which released our albums. The other members are still attending university.

Do you have any other comments for the readers of Punk International?
I've heard of Punk International by a good friend of mine and I checked it out that night. By Punk International I had chances to find different punk and hardcore bands from all around the world. It's a cool site! Every punk and hardcore fan must check this site at least once. For Punk International readers, keep the unity alive and STAY ANTI!!!