Named after The Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch, this Canadian metal machine is out on a quest to deliver music that explores themes such as space and the supernatural to fantasy and war history! Come on an adventure and find out what tales Antioch have to offer!

TheNwothm: Hey there, first of all can you tell us the name of the band and where you are from?

Nicholas: We’re Antioch: a heavy metal band from Ontario, Canada. Thanks for taking the time to talk to us!

TheNwothm: And can you tell us about the origins of the band? How did you form?

Nicholas: One of my best friends from secondary school (and original Antioch guitarist) Alex was the one who originally got me into heavy metal. For years, we tried getting a full lineup together, but could never find a vocalist that fit our sound. Eventually, in my early adulthood, I just said “Screw it!” and decided to start singing myself. I took a few lessons to get the technique down then started singing along to Mercyful Fate to learn how to do falsettos.

Alex and I decided to try finding members. He eventually linked up with a guy named Jordan who was playing bass, while I found a drummer named Brendan. When we decided to meet up for an initial jam, it turned out that Jordan and Brendan were brothers and they didn’t know they were heading to the same jam until that same day. We all just clicked and had a lot of fun jamming covers and writing. It was really uncanny, but it seems like it was fate. 

TheNwothm: What inspired the name “Antioch” for the band?

Nicholas: I’ve always been into military history and the ancient city of Antioch has a great amount of history surrounding it from its founding by the Greeks in 300 BC to being conquered by the Romans, to the role it played during the crusades and beyond. Plus, it’s a cool-sounding name, and that’s half the battle.

…But I’ll tell you the truth: I remember watching an obscure documentary when I was younger about an ancient weapon called The Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch and it really inspired us. Thus, Antioch was born.

TheNwothm: How would you describe the bands direction. What kind of themes do yo like to explore in your music?

Nicholas: When we first joined forces to create music, we were united by a mutual love of Iron Maiden and Judas Priest. Much of the earlier songs were inspired by the legends of NWOBHM. However, as we’ve continued to write more music, other influences have crept their way in. We still get the Judas Priest and Manowar comparisons, but now we’re starting to see names like Alice Cooper, Accept, and Running Wild. We’ll always be unapologetically heavy metal, but we’re not afraid to dip into other sounds like thrash, death, black, etc. 

With Antioch V and beyond, the vocals have gotten a little more distorted, and the sound embodies the raw aggression and energy of those that came before us. Lyrically, our most common themes center around fantasy, space, the supernatural, war, history, with a bit of romance splashed in for the bleeding hearts out there. Sometimes, we’ll just come up with a bizarre character and build an epic song around that idea. More recently, we’ve been heavily inspired by some films and television from Japan. We try to make every song fun, even when the lyrics take a darker turn.

TheNwothm: How do you feel about the Canadian heavy metal scene? There are some big bands in the genre from there such as Cauldron!

Nicholas: We’ve actually had the pleasure of sharing the stage with Cauldron during the early days of Antioch. Really cool guys. Very tall. As for the Canadian heavy metal scene, there’s a great mix of bands. Of course you have the icons and pioneers like Anvil and Thor, and then other staples like Annihilator, Varga, Striker, Iron Kingdom, Skull Fist, and so many more. One of my favourites has got to be 3 Inches of Blood. Cam Pipes and I even have a similar sounding falsetto at times. Canada has plenty of great metal acts. I hope we get to share the stage with some of these names down the line and cement Antioch as one the great Canadian metal bands.

TheNwothm: And what can you tell us about the places you guys are from?

Nicholas: We all grew up in the area of Essex County, just outside of Windsor, Ontario. There’s not all that much to say about the area, but it’s home to us. We’ve made a lot of friends and had some great times here during the early days of Antioch. Our out-of-town fanbase has grown much larger than the one we have here, but there’s always something magical about playing your hometown and seeing all those familiar faces.

TheNwothm: What led Antioch to sign with Iron Shield Records, and how has the partnership influenced the band’s trajectory?

Nicholas: While we wish there was a grandiose tale of sex, betrayal, and triumph in our journey to unite with Iron Shield, the decision to sign was pretty simple: we wanted to get our music out to more people and Iron Shield wanted to work with us and help us do that. With their help, we’ve been able to get more eyes and ears on the band and build and grow our audience outside of our Canada. Hopefully along the way, we’ve put a few shillings in Iron Shield’s pockets as well. We love those guys and they deserve it for putting up with our shenanigans. 

TheNwothm: Can you discuss the bands first EP “Antioch” in 2014 and how has the band evolved musically or creatively since then?

Nicholas: Antioch I was an interesting record. Our first release featuring the songs we first cut our teeth on playing every venue we could. One of which is our most popular song in our hometown. We recorded the entire EP over the course of two days. I still hadn’t really figured out my vocal style or how to sing at that point, so it was very experimental. We were all new to recording but we had a blast being in the studio (despite forgetting to bring a guitar amp and having to use the one in-studio).

We’ve diversified our sound since then and experimented with orchestral parts, different tunings, vocal styles, harmonies, etc. Obviously the production quality has changed too. Along with that, lyrics have become much more of a collaborative effort overall.

TheNwothm: Can you share insight into your musical backgrounds? Where did you all learn to play and sing?

Nicholas: As I mentioned earlier, aside from a few vocal lessons early on, I’m mostly self-taught. I was inspired early on by vocalists such as Eric Adams, Rob Halford, Bruce Dickinson, King Diamond, and Klaus Meine. Later on, I’d find inspiration from artists like Devin Townsend, Udo Dirkschneider, Detonator, Dani Filth, Chumbawumba, and Tobias Sammet.

Early Antioch riffs and licks were heavily inspired by Randy Rhoads and the duo of Glenn Tipton and K.K. Downing.

TheNwothm:”Return of the Warlock” was released as a single in 2016. What motivated the band to release a single, and does it hold a particular significance in Antioch’s discography?

Nicholas: We really wanted to release something on cassette and thought around December would have been the perfect time. We recorded a cover of Judas Priest’s Rocka Rolla (a song that was in most of our early sets) and released it along with the single. A little bit of Antioch lore: Return of the Warlock is an unofficial sequel to the 1970 film Santa Claus is Coming to Town. If you listen closely, you may be able to hear a musical homage to the film near the end of the song.

TheNwothm: Would you describe yourselves as nerds or have a particularly interesting/unusual hobby?

Nicholas: It may not come as a surprise to many of our fans, but I’m a massive nerd. D&D, sci-fi, fantasy, Warhammer, anime. I love all that stuff. It occasionally influences our lyrical themes, but not always. That’s what makes metal so wonderful; you can explore such a wide variety of topics, even if the nerd stuff isn’t everyone’s cup of tea.

TheNwothm: Can you discuss the significance and themes behind the various album releases, such as “Antioch II: First Strÿke” and “Antioch IV: Land of No Kings”? 

Nicholas: We have an assortment of characters and little stories that pop up from time to time in our songs, interchanging themes, etc., but the themes explored are usually random based on when and how we’re writing. There may be a time when we release an Antioch concept album, but it’s not really on the table at the moment. Discussions for the Antioch Movie are currently underway.

TheNwothm: Out of the releases you have put out which one in particular did you enjoy most writing and recording? And do you have any favourite tracks from that release?

Nicholas: The first EP is really special because it was the first time we recorded as a band. Lots of laughs, mistakes, and terrible eating habits. For most of us, it was the first metal album we recorded.

Antioch III is a pretty special album to me as I got to take my time with the vocals and felt that I was really coming into my own identity as a singer. Due to scheduling issues, I had to record the drums for Antioch IV. I would have preferred to have a dedicated drummer do the recording, but the album holds a special place in my heart due to being the first metal album I ever drummed on. Personal favourites Antioch IV are Screams in the North and Gargoyle.

TheNwothm: Can you share some highlights or memorable moments from the band’s journey so far, particularly in relation to the different album releases and performances?

Nicholas: I think just being in a band, playing shows, releasing music, and interacting with fans has been such a blessing for us. We grew up idolizing the bands that inspired us. Getting to do what they did and write some kickass music that people seem to enjoy. 

Personally for me, I got a few guys to start a tickle pit (instead of moshpit) at a show in Toronto. I’ll cherish that memory for the rest of my days.

TheNwothm: What can fans expect from the latest release, “Antioch VI: Molten Rainbow,” in terms of musical evolution or thematic exploration?

Nicholas: The themes have pretty much stayed the same, although there’s a bit more exploration into film-inspired topics.

Musically, this album is a follow-up to Antioch V. I think we’re still Antioch, but there are a few changes that may be noticed from Antioch IV and the previous releases. We’re dabbling with a mix of 80’s inspired metal anthems with huge chorus hooks along with some more darker, thrashy, intense pieces. I think the best thing about Antioch is that we’re not afraid to dip our toes into other subgenres, while still maintaining a sound that makes us who we are.

TheNwothm: Do you each have any particular songs from the latest album that you are particularly fond of?

Nicholas: My favourites from Antioch VI are Hold My Heart, Lucifer in Chains, Defiler, and Imps in the Coal.

TheNwothm: Any what is the story behind the albums artwork? Who created it?

Nicholas: We’ve worked with Oldschool Crew for our artwork since Antioch III. We send them absurd and ridiculous ideas and they knock it out of the park every time. The artwork for Antioch VI: Molten Rainbow is meant to represent the album’s namesake, for which we wanted something a bit more trippy, colourful, and spacey. Most of us were listening to a lot of Rush at the time too so we wanted something inspired from their Hemispheres album. Instead of a brain, we thought a bunch of little guys on a planet traveling through a molten space vortex would be pretty fun. 

TheNwothm: Now we are in 2024 what are your touring plans? Will you be visiting any particular places or playing any big gigs/festivals?

Nicholas: Nothing is set in stone for touring, but it is being talked about. Many fans have been inquiring about it and there’s a lot of places we’d like to perform. Europe, the USA, South America, and Japan are on our radars. It’s been a long time since we’ve played live. We miss it. The more people bring it up to us and reach out about a tour, the closer we get to it.

TheNwothm: What lies ahead for Antioch? Are there any upcoming projects or plans for the band that you can share with your fans?

Nicholas: We won’t give away too much, but we will say that Antioch VII is fully recorded with Antioch VIII in the process of being recorded. We may have a smaller release coming out before our next full-length album so be on the lookout! We’re always working on something. If we’re not traveling and playing, we’re writing and recording. 

TheNwothm: Where can fans buy your music and merch?

Nicholas: You can buy our music and check out our merch on our Bandcamp (antiochmetal.bandcamp.com) All the money we make goes back into the next album or merch run. We’re really fortunate to have built up a fanbase that allows us to keep putting out music. 

TheNwothm: Anything else you would like to mention?

Nicholas: Never cook bacon with your shirt off. Also, thank you for chatting with us and introducing us to your readers. We appreciate it!