Online Magazine - Interviews

AGRIMONIA are a dark hardcore band from Gothenburg, Sweden. In 2008 they self-released a "demo" CD featuring five lengthy and brutal tracks that created quite a buzz in the underground punk / crust community. In 2009 their "demo" was put to vinyl by Skuld Releases and mass released on CD bv Inget Javla Chafs and Detesta Records. The following interview was conducted with AGRIMONIA for the Bulgarian-language webzine DIY.aresistance.net, who have asked us to print the original English version in Profane Existence.

Let's start with an introduction to your band. Who are you and why form the band, are you terrorists, are you misantropes, are you nihilists? Why play music, and more to the point, what are you trying to do lyrically and musically, both for yourself and for your listeners, and adherents of fellow hardcore/punk/crust?

AGRIMONIA is Björn on drums, Christina on vocals and keyboard, Magnus on guitar, Per on bass and Pontus on guitar and backing vocals.

Magnus: I guess a lot of people, especially people on the right wing, would call me a terrorist. But I for myself would not categorize myself as a terrorist since the word is politically and emotionally charged and doesn’t have a clear definition, at least not what I know about. Terrorism often seems to refer to acts which inflict damage to innocent beings and that is nothing I can support. But an act of defiance against any systems or laws of oppression does not for me constitute terrorism but as a moral obligation. When it comes to being a part of the band I guess the possibility to express myself through the use of music as an art form is the primary reason for me to be in the band. But politics and friendship is a part of all I do in my everyday life and since AGRIMONIA is a part of my everyday life it applies to the band as well.

Christina: For me the lyrics are an instrument as well, they add to the overall feeling of the music and they flow together and create something powerful. Of course I want to tell a story as well, but in a more poetic and epic way. I want the listener to create their own meaning to the songs.

Pontus: We are five individuals who share a taste and interest in playing the same kind of music, this provided a great breeding ground for creating AGRIMONIA. My personal reason for playing music is that for me it’s one of the most mind-boggling things I know of, both taking part of and creating myself. Myself I am a failed naiveté in my best years.

Per: We are defenders of true metalpunk as it was meant to be, haha! No, we are just simple people that wanted to do some kickass music with kickass people. Since I can not write very good or paint or anything else music is my way of contribute to the alternative culture. We are trying to compose musical landscapes to make a reaction in people. What that reaction may be we do not answer for but hopefully some will find it nice and influental.

PE: What is it about playing in the band that makes you most inspired? You're all punks, why don't you play just simple hardcore-punk music, but doing that type of slow and apocalyptic stuff?

Magnus: For me the opportunity to surpass myself as a musician and do something else than I have always done is a big inspiration for me to play in AGRIMONIA. And I do play hardcore-punk music in other bands but I don’t think calling it simple is fair, I always put a lot of myself in to the music we create in all of my bands and that is neither simple or easy to me.

I listen to all types of music and for me only to play or listen to fast un-apocalyptic stuff appear to be boring so I try to get as much out of all types of music as possible.

Christina: For me it is about creating something, being a part of something lasting where I can express myself and tell a story. To do this together with my friends is just totally rewarding. Also meeting people all around the world, at shows or just through the net, seeing new places and playing with some good bands. It is also a good forum for me to make art (record covers and t-shirt prints).

Pontus: My interest in hardcore/punk music is no bigger than in any other musical field that I enjoy. To me all good music is good music. My personal connection to the punk scene is more to the mindset than the music in specific. However the former has let me down quite a few times so I’d rather not pinpoint myself nor our band to any scene at all. I’ll put it like this: there a are a lot of good dedicated people out there keeping an underground music scene alive, and a lot of them are active within the punk scene. As for the positive, inspiring aspects of playing in a band, there are two sides of it. One is the creative process, making a record and the work surrounding it which is just one of the best things I know (as long as you get satisfied with the end result of course). Playing live is a whole different thing, it’s a much more social activity, you get too see places, meet new people and hear their opinions of what you are doing. It’s harder physically (at least for tours) and you are dependent on other people a lot of the time. If a gig goes to hell, you won’t be able to repair it but usually it’s a great experience.

Per: I feel liberated and happy while playing our songs and I get inspired by the way we all do something together as friends and punks. It doesn’t really matter so much what genre you put us in but I would be very happy if the punk community likes us. We all play in other bands that are more of a raw hardcore punk sound so we get our share of that. I don’t feel we are apocalyptic at all but maybe we raise that reaction and its ok. We try to make beautiful soundscapes.