THE AGONIST (Eng.)
– Hello, thanks for answering to our questions. What’s THE AGONIST currently up to?
“Well, we just got home from tour, and ‘Prisoners’ just came out this week, so we’re kind of working on some music videos and organizing some more tours for the rest of the year.”
– Really soon you will release your new “Prisoners”, which has already hit the press so, how are the first reactions being?
“So far it’s been really well-received, so it’s really encouraging to see that people are getting it.”
– This effort has been produced by seasoned Christian Donaldson and well-known Tue Madsen. Are you satisfied with their work?
“I don’t think I’ll ever be really satisfied with any work in that sense because that what keeps us improving…most people say that, and that’s what keeps people trying to improve and get better, and Chris says that himself, too. Like, I’d say I’m happy with what we did, but ‘satisfied’ is a strong word, you know? I don’t think anyone ever should be satisfied because you’re going to get complacent.”
– Overall I think this new album has a really heavy sound to it; was this how you envisioned the record since the beginning?
“No, we didn’t plan for any specific sound. We just kind of worked with whatever songs we came up with and obviously, the combination of Tue and Christian definitely plays a part in what the album ends up sounding like, so I’d say it’s largely the result of the combination of people working on it that results in what the album sounds like.
– Maybe this darker sound fits the lyrics on the album? Could you please tell us what are some of the subjects you’ve covered this time around?
“The lyrics, I think, are a lot angrier. They’re not necessarily as motivational as some of my lyrics were in the past. Some [lyrics] are a lot more [about] giving up or accepting the negative things that I talk about. I talk about things that I didn’t necessarily talk about in the past. Some topics that I derived from art history and philosophy and self analysis and a little more of an introverted perspective on things instead of sticking only to social points that I believe in.
– It seems like you have gone even a step further with vocal and guitar diversity. Did you approach both elements on a different way?
“No. I think there’s just a natural evolution that occurs for bands between albums because they’re getting touring experience and this and that, so I think every person is going to have a little more ammo in their gun when it comes to performance. So I think that’s probably what leads it to be a little more diverse.”
– In fact I read, compared to your previous “Lullabies for the Dormant Mind”, this time you have taken more time with each song. How do you think has this affected the final output?
“I think that it’s not as easy as “Lullabies.” I don’t think “Lullabies” is an easy album by most standards, but I think this is even more difficult, which is why I think people who get it probably really appreciate it because they really get the full grasp of it, whereas it’s also easy to turn your back on it after one listen and be like, ‘well, I’m not feeling it,’ but if it you do give it a few more chances, you can really dig deeper into it.”
– Due to this I would also like to know how was the song writing process?.
“For me it was really difficult. I had a really hard time writing these songs, both lyrically and in terms of rhythms and melodies and harmonies. I had to force it. It’s weird to force inspiration, which is why I had to approach it from different angles like automatic writing and sort of looking at philosophical concepts and things like that. I couldn’t write it the same way I wrote the other albums.”
– The final result I think is really dynamic and enjoyable; is this something important for you? As I guess this makes things more interesting not just for you, but also for your listeners.
“Yeah, for sure. Obviously, we want people to be interested in the lyrics and what we represent, but we also want people to be able to enjoy the album. We don’t want the album to be painful to listen to. We want it to be interesting enough that it has longevity, but dynamic enough that it’s fun to listen to, like while people are driving in their cars. Hopefully it has a good balance of both appeals.”
– Could you say creating this new effort has been a challenge for you as artists?
“Yeah, definitely. I can’t speak for the other guys, but for me it was.”
– I personally think you have perfected your own recipe; are things getting easier with each new album?
“No. They’re getting harder. But thank you.”
– All this about “Prisoners” being said; how could you describe it in just 3 words?
“Umm…I guess: anger, despair, and revenge.”
– And finally, what are your near-future plans? Do you plan touring in support of this new release?
“Yeah, we’re planning on putting together some tours when it’s appropriate and getting some visuals done for videos and things like that.”
– That has been everything from my side, thank you once more. If you want to add some final words; last lines are all yours.
“I would just encourage everyone to go pick up the album.”
