Drummer Brian's Agonizing Journey

Agonize er et dansk death/thrash band fra Vejle. De udgav i oktober sidste år killerdemof "Fall" (se anmeldelse side 8) Her kommer et interview med forsanger Ole Holm:

**N.M.-Hvornår og hvordan startede Agonize?**

Ole-AGONIZE blev oprindelig startet i nov. 89, hvor jeg gik med i et sym. band der søgte sanger. Siden da har der været flere navneskift, endnu flereudskiftninger af musikere, og her står vi så i dag som AGONIZE, selv om vi stadig mangler en 2. guitarist.

**N.M.-I hed før ALBERATOR, hvorfor skiftede i navn?**

Ole-Vi tog navnet ALBERATOR fordi vi syntes det var fedt, men fandt med tiden ud af at "ator" var blevet lidt af en klische, så vi skiftede navn, samtidig med stil.

**N.M.-Er I tilfredse med "Fall"?**

Ole-Ja, vi er meget tilfredse med Fall. Man har visse forventninger til hvad man kan præstere, mens vores forventninger til Fall, syntes vi selv at vi, til trods for omstændighederne, har o.s.v. er blevet indfriet. Dog skal det siges at vores næste demo bliver langt bedre.

**N.M.-Inspirationer/favoritbands?**

Ole-Det er svært at svare på, da det er utrolig forskelligt hvad vi hører. Vi hører faktisk alt slags musik, hvilket også er vigtigt hvis man vil udvikle sig. Inspiration får vi primært fra vore egne ideer og tanker.

**N.M.-Da jeg bestilte "Fall" skrev I at i regnede med snart at spille i Aalborg. Ved i nu hvor og hvornår det bliver?**

Ole-Siden da har vi fået ny trommeslager, Brian Sørensen (ex. EAGLES PREACH og CORONERTO) , og har haft travlt med at sætte ham ind i materialet. Vi spiller første gig med ham d. 8/5 i Sebbersund sammen med MASTER og FURIOUS TRAUMA, og har derefter plan om at spille så mange gigs som muligt, bl.a. i Aalborg sandsynligvis med EXTREME FEEDBACK.

**N.M.-Jeg ved I søger en ny leadguitarist. Har I nogle interesserede - eller har I fundet en?**

Ole-Ja, vi har haft enkelte kvalificerede endnu, men håber snart at få fat i denne, for vores nye materiale kræver to guitarister.

**N.M.-Tilbage til demoet. Hvorfor valgte du at bruge Jacob Hansen som producer?**

Ole-Jacob er en god ven af bandet, og vi aftalte for længe siden at Jacob skulle producere det, og der har han jo virkelig gjort godt. Udover det producerer han også producerer vores satte ham.

**N.M.-Har I anbefalinger til andre bands?**

Ole-Man bør generelt af dem-t-ande. Jeg kan I anbefale andre bands at:

For det første vil vi klart anbefale BORSING RECORDINGS til andre, da det er utroligt godt studie. Ligeledes kan vi anbefale Goodbri om at give det check på at lave lyd.

Derudover anbefaler vi alle bands at få en order klar setlist, og finde ud af hvad man vil optræde med andel ksharp he-aldelius.

Vi fik Jacob til at lave en meget komprimeret master og leveret markeret, og det vi ville du bare. Vi har brugt meget tid på produktionen, bl.a. pga. så dens re-ny over, og kan klart kun anbefales, indtil videre. De nye numre er mere tekniske, aggressive, og gennemført end de "gamle".

Interview with Ole Holm of Danish Death/Thrash Band Agonize

After having heard AGONIZE's brilliant "Fall" demo, I decided that I had to know more about this brilliant band! So I sent vocalist Ole Holm some questions, which he gladly answered.

- **Some AGONIZE bandhistory...**  
Well, to make a long story short: AGONIZE as it is, was formed in the autumn of 1990, when Marco joined the band. Since then we rehearsed for about a year, when we recorded our debut demo in October '91. We're now working on new material, and playing as many gigs as possible.

- **Recently you've released your first demo, "Fall", are you satisfied with it?**  
Yeah, we're extremely satisfied with the way "Fall" turned out, as well as the good response we've gotten. However, our next release will be much better!

- **What do you think about being in studio?**  
I think it's really great being in a studio, it's just like a great holiday, something you'll always remember with joy. Being in a studio is also a great learning experience for a band, it's a real challenge showing how good a band works.

- **How much time did you spend in the studio during the recording of "Fall"?**  
In all, we spend 3 days in the studio: 2½ days on recordings, and ½ day of mixing. Compared to other bands that's really short, but then again we didn't have anymore money!

- **How has the response on "Fall" been, and how many copies have you sold?**  
We've gotten incredibly good response on "Fall", and that's really great! However we're not selling particularly many copies, which really sucks, since we owe a lot of money away. All in all we sold about 200 copies.

- **How has the 'zines received "Fall"? Have you send any demos to labels? Has any labels showed interest in you?**  
I can only say that we've gotten really good killer-reviews so far! Everyone seems to like "Fall" very much, and that's really great. We've been contacting many labels, and we've been contacted by 6 labels, so far, among them are: METAL BLADE, RAGE, TURBO, NUCLEAR BLAST and WILD RAGS.

- **Do you think that you're ready for a deal?**  
Well, that depends on what kind of a deal we get. At the moment we're not quite ready for a LP, since we don't have enough good tracks yet. An EP deal however would be great!

- **How many songs have you got?**  
So far we've only got the "Fall" tracks, and one new track. Recently we replaced our drummer, and have been busy with teaching him the songs, so there hasn't been much time for new material.

- **Give the readers an insight of your lyrics!**  
Our lyrics are quite complicated lyrics. They are to describe the psychological ways of man in different depressive situations. The lyrics on "Fall" all describe ordinary individuals, living in their lives. "Fall" I read a lot of psychology and philosophy, and writing these lyrics gives me great satisfaction.

- **How would you describe AGONIZE's music?**  
I think I would describe our music as Death Metal, but then that's just my opinion. If people consider it Death Thrash or whatever, that's ok with us. We don't want to label ourselves. I think we've found our own style, and what you might call it doesn't really matter.

- **What inspires you?**  
We're mainly inspired by our own thoughts and ideas, but also the music we listen to.

- **Are you only into Death Metal?**  
Not at all, we all listen to all kinds of music, mostly progressive and original music. Being open-minded is very important.

- **How many times have you played live? What do you think about playing live? Are you planning to play outside Denmark?**

Discovering AGONIZE: An Interview with Vocalist Ole Holm

N.M.-sidste tilføjning.

Ola-za, tak for interviewet, håber dit blad bliver en succes. Ang. vores demo, støt den danske undergrund.

Køb "Fali" for kr. 40,- hos: Ole Holm  
Boulevarden 5 St.  
7100 Vejle  
(tlf. 17-79)  
Fab. Holm  
Petersmindevej 26  
7100 Vejle

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![Image of Band]

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Logo

fajj  
DEMO 1991  

POWERFUL ORIGINAL FAST AGGRESSIVE  
RECORDED IN PROF. 16-TRACK STUDIO  
PRODUCED BY JACOB HANSEN – INVOCATOR  

GET AGONIZED BY THIS SUPREME DANISH  
DEATH METAL!

Support Danish Underground: Get Agonized by Supreme Death Metal

- **What will your next release be?**  
  Well, I guess we'll release a promo-tape for labels and 'zines in order to get a deal. We'll record it sometime within the next 6 months.  

- **How does AGONIZE's future look like?**  
  AGONIZE's future look very bright indeed. We are all very enthusiastic and 100% into the band, and our hard work has really payed off. We intend to take it as far as it goes.  

- **Any closing words for this int.?**  
  Yeah, thanks to you Bjarke, for the interview! Good luck with your 'zine! To the readers: Buy our demo NOW! You won't regret it.  

And so ends this interview. I suggest you to follow Ole's advice and send 40 Dkr. or 6$ (World) to:  
AGONIZE  
c/o Ole Holm  
Petersmindevej 29  
7100 Vejle  
Denmark

Looking Ahead: AGONIZE's Plans and Enthusiasm for the Future

Howcome haven't I heard about AGONIZE before? This sure is agonizing death-thrash with a high technical skill! This demo belongs among the very best danish demos ever!! The music, the sound, the cover - everything is just so professional! The only thing that I don't like about this demo is that they have overdubbed the vocals far too many times. Sometimes it's almost impossible to read the lyrics while they're being sung, 'coz they are being sung/overdubbed so extremely fast! But I don't see any reason why you shouldn't order this great demo! 40 Dkr or 6$ (world) to  
AGONIZE  
c/o Ole Holm  
Petersmindevej 29  
7100 Vejle  
Denmark

Discovering AGONIZE: A Danish Death-Thrash Gem

Ole Holm is answering, so read on:

**Bandhistory?**

"AGONIZE was formed in the fall '89, but back then it was a fun-band, with another name, with another musical direction and line-up. Since then there has been some big big changes in the band. It's hard categorizing our music, because it's a mix of many different styles. We think of ourselves as a fast deathmetal band, you can decide for yourself."

**Why are the band called AGONIZE?**

"We have chosen the name AGONIZE, because it represents our music and lyrics, and because it’s memorable, which is important if you want to move on."

**Lyrics?**

"The lyrics are concepts, and the theme is fall. Every single lyric is about individuals, who're living in the fall of their lives. We won't tell what every single lyric is about, otherwise no one would read them. I'm responsible for the lyrics, but the other members contributes with their feelings, thoughts and ideas."

Exploring AGONIZE: A Journey Through Music, Name, and Themes

AGONIZE  
"Fall"  
(Demo 1991)  

This is a brand new demo. Recorded in the middle of October. It's a 4 man band from Denmark, but why the fuck I haven't heard about these dudes before, I don't know. Suddenly they come out of the shadow and blows minds off! Really impressive death thrash from Denmark and probably the most promising. They play very controlled and seems so tight. They added some slow parts, which really makes it all much better. Taking some influence in ATHEIST and SADUS (and INCUBUS...). The vocalist sometimes reminds me of Tony from VIOUR (SINDROME), just a bit more growly. The riffs, some of the best I've also played thrash years ago so that I know what they are hearing. They encourage the dying Death Scene here, these dudes really have a chance in the future to be one of Denmark's best. Costs are 40 Kr or $6.  

AGONIZE / Ole Holm / Boulevarden 5 3th/ 7100 Vejle/ Denmark  

*KB

Emerging Titans: Denmark's Thrash Metal Revelation

Agonize: Fall

WOW!!!

Dette demo fra danske Agonize beviser virkeligt at standarden på de danske bands er fuldt på højde med andre europæiske bands. Fall indeholder 4 killere kaldet "Innopyaphobia", "In Absence Of Comfort", "Forsaken By Sanity" og "The Diclosure", og varer knap 20 minutter. Agonize har i "Innopyaphobia" en feeling af gammelt Sepultura over sig. Stilen er brutalt death/thrash og er indspillet i 16 spors studiet Borsing Records med Jacob Hansen (Invocator) som producer. Håber snart de får lavet en pladekontrakt i land. Buy or Fall!!!

40Kr - Ole Holm, Boulevarden 5, 3th, 7100 Vejle.

M.L.

Agonize's 'Fall': A Testament to Danish Metal Excellence

played live 5 times. Playing live is the greatest thing. We hope to play tons of gigs in the future, and already we've planned some. If any of them would be outside Denmark, we don't know yet.

- Recently you played a gig with MASTER, but it didn't turn out as planned, please tell, what happened?

Well, the gig was fairly good. The problem was MASTER and especially their manager. I guess they've completely forgotten that once they weren't bigger than we are. They were a good example of typical star-fuckers. Their show was a real failure, and I guess they didn't like, that a couple of people came to see us.

- What do you think of the Danish scene?

The Danish scene is growing fast, and that's really great! There are lots of bands, and some of them are really good. I think it's great, and I think that if you have the will, you can get far.

- Did you use any vocal-effects on your demo?

No, we didn't use any vocal effects because that really sucks! What wouldn't people say, if they heard you live, and your voice wasn't nearly as brutal as on the tape. So, we don't use any effects.

- I know, that you practice a lot, how do you get time for it? Don't any of you guys work?

Well, we're 100% into the band, and so much practicing is natural for us. We are all students, except one, but myself and Christian are done this summer, and we'll probably start practicing even more!!

- I've heard a lot of people complaining about your logo (no offense!! ed.), why is it the way it is, and have you ever considered changing it?

Well, I'm sorry to hear that, we all think our logo is quite good, and fairly original. I suppose it's a little hard to read, but then again it's much easier than most Death Metal logos! You don't say, what people was complaining about, so we wouldn't know what to change! Besides that is just a logo. Take logos like SLAYER, DEFECTED, PSYCHIC etc. They are not really nice, but that's just the way they are. It's something you never think about.

Emerging Band's Experiences and Aspirations in the Danish Music Scene

-AGONIZE interview continued...-

**Are you satanic?**  
"No, we are not satanic, but atheists like most other people. That's just the way we are. If you were forced to be religious, I think I would be satanic, because it's the most realistic religion, that sees humans as humans. I've nothing against satanists, but I find it ridiculous when someone think it's cool to be satanic, they don't seem to understand what it is all about."

**Future plans?**  
"Right now we're busy playing live, making new trax, and promoting ourselves. We try to be successful, and make better trax for the next demo."

**Merchandise?**  
"We don't have anything for sale right now, we plan to make t-shirts as soon as possible, but people have to buy our demo before we can afford it. (They have made t-shirts now—totally cool by the way—write for prices—CM). We will also make stickers, they are free with the demo, the demo costs 40 dkr./6$."

**What do you think about the Danish scene?**  
"The Danish scene is growing, that is really great, because many Danish bands have potential to become big like INVOCATOR, who're the first Danish death-thrash band to break through."

**A last word?**  
"Thanks for the interview, it's cool to be on the tape. To everybody: buy our demo, you won't regret it!!"  
(We agree—CM)

Fall (1991)

AgoNisse

Necroticism # 2 page 3

Necroticism # 1 page 13

Nagual # 1 page 24

Necroticism # 1 page 14

Nagual # 1 page 25

Nagual # 1 page 56

Cannibalistic Masturbation # 1 page 10

Trechoma # 2 page 19

Necroticism # 1 page 8

Cannibalistic Masturbation # 1 page 10

Nagual # 1 page 25

Necroticism # 1 page 14

Cannibalistic Masturbation # 1 page 11

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Promo demo 1993 (1993)

Fall (1991)

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