Ater (Chile)

Interview with Fernando Bühring (vocals & bass)

https://www.facebook.com/atermetal/

Austin Griswold from Secret Service Publicity reached out to us with a request of doing an interview with Ater. The band hails from Santiago, Chile, and they’re about to release their sophomore eight-tracker album, Somber, on April 19th 2024. After listening to the whole album once, and first single “Ignis Immortalis” multiple times, I decided to schedule a spot and talk to band’s vocalist & bassist Fernando Bühring. Fasten your seatbelt and enjoy this short presentation of this extreme and heavy trio from Chile.

Metal Revolution: Hey, pleasure talking to a band from Chile.
Fernando: Pleasure is ours! Glad to talk to you.

MR: Would you be kind to introduce your mighty band and current line-up?
Fernando: Sure. Ater is a three piece extreme metal band with base in Santiago, Chile. The current line-up was formed in Los Angeles, California. The line-up consists of Josh Seguin on backing vocals and guitars, Stephan Seguin on drums and me, Fernando Bühring on main vocals and bass.

MR: How would you describe your sound to someone who’s never heard of Ater? Just an extreme and brutal heavy metal or…?
Fernando: To me personally is a bit hard to describe our sound because we melt various elements of different metal sub-genres. But I guess I would say, Ater falls within the confines of progressive, epic, black metal.

MR: When and where was the band formed? Have you guys been involved in any other projects before Ater?
Fernando: The band was formed back in 2010 in Santiago, Chile with a different line-up at the time. Josh and Stephan currently play in Shrednobi, also both played in P.D.P. I am a former member of chilean post-hardcore band Chances.

MR: You’re just about to release your sophomore album, Somber?! What can you tell us about this record? How many songs on it?
Fernando: Somber consists of 8 songs. It turned out way heavier and darker than our debut album Eternal Gray Spiral, you can expect the same dense ambient sounds dressing all the songs, but with heavier elements like lower tuning, crazy fast metal drumming, and demented vocals.

MR: Probably too early to ask, but do you have any personal favorites from Somber? Which song resonates with you personally the most and why?
Fernando: I think right now my favorite one is “Sæculi Fine”, the last full song in the album. Probably the heavier one and very epic as well.

MR: How does your creative process work – do all members contribute equally or is there one main songwriter? What’s the creative process like when you make a new song?
Fernando: I am the main contributor to the band’s material and I wrote most of the songs with my guitar in my bedroom. Towards the end of the writing process we found ways to write together in the rehearsal space, and we created one song in collaboration for this album (“Through The Portal”) I am very excited to write more songs together as a band. As far as the lyrics, Josh wrote all the lyrics for “Ignis Immortalis” and I wrote the lyrics for the other tracks.

MR: How long did it take to record Somber? Utilized any new recording techniques when recording this one, compared to the things you recorded earlier in your career?
Fernando: The whole recording process was very delayed. We were ready to hit the studio right when the Covid-19 pandemic hit the world. We figured out a place to track drums in June 2020 and Stephan tracked all the songs in just two days. The pandemic made it difficult for us to continue the recording process because some of us had to relocate. A whole year went by before we were able to records rhythm guitars and bass for the album in the band’s now former rehearsal studio. Some vocals were recorded there as well but most of them I recorded on-the-go at different locations in Mexico City, Santiago de Chile and California during 2021 and 2022. Then I mixed the album at a studio I was running in Mexico City, and was sent to Ted Jensen at ‘Sterling Sound’ for the mastering.

MR: What can you tell us about album’s first single “Ignis Immortalis”? What can you tell about this particular song and its lyrical content?
Fernando: We chose “Ignis Immortalis” as the first single in advance of the new album because it showcases well the overall sound of the album. Lyrics were written by Josh, he was inspired by the Sun and its power, its life cycle and its ultimate destiny.

MR: What other artists or bands do you draw inspiration from? I think I can hear some inspirations and elements from the likes of Meshuggah, Septicflesh, Batushka, Hate, Belphegor and similar acts. Do you agree on this?
Fernando: I absolutely agree with the bands you mention!

MR: You released your debut album Eternal Gray Spiral in 2018. Now speaking from this time distance is there anything you would have done differently? Something you’re unhappy for? Are you pleased with the reaction of media & fans upon the release of Eternal Gray Spiral?
Fernando: Eternal Gray Spiral was not supposed to be an instrumental release actually. After years of searching I did not find a vocalist that worked for the project and ultimately decided to release it as instrumental. This motivated me to learn and practice vocal technique on my own and now with Somber I became the vocalist of the band while retaining my bassist duties.

MR: I hope we’ll not have to wait another five years before you release third full-length?! Thus, I’ll ask you where do you see yourselves in 5 years? What are future plans for Ater?
Fernando: I am currently working hard on new music and I would like to release a new album within 1 or 2 years from now, tops. There is touring plans we will be announcing soon and we hope to play many shows and tours this year and the following. I hope in 5 years we are more established in the global metal scene and we are able to keep releasing music constantly and playing as many tours and shows as possible.

MR: What’s been the most challenging part of your career in music so far?
Fernando: Good question. Definitely being from a far-away country made it difficult for me to find musicians to play with, but the most difficult so far has been to spread the word about the band and to find good opportunities for live shows.

MR: If you could go open a show for any artist who would it be?
Fernando: We would open for Meshuggah and that would be a dream come true for all of us. I also think we would be a good opener for Behemoth!

MR: Thank you so much for taking the time to do this interview! Would you like to add anything to the readers of Metal Revolution?
Fernando: I would like to thank you all at Metal Revolution for the interview and the opportunity to share a few words. To our fans, keep an eye on our socials for shows and touring announcements soon! Cheers!