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Metal Pit : Greetings Alissa,and welcome to the
Metal Pit.
Metal Pit : First of all let me congratulate you and the band on the
sucess
of the new cd "Lullabies for the Dormant mind" which I think is just an
Amazing cd and a great example of the range and talent of this band
collectively.Where did the title of the cd come from and where did the
band draw inspiration for the songs and concept of the cd?
Alissa: This album
was created through a very difficult and strange process, not at all
what I was expecting to do for a recording. The way a
lullaby is intended
to lull an active mind to sleep, we intend our
songs to awaken a
dormant mind. The concept was pretty much based out of a collective
consciousness; I asked fans to write in to me about
things that
bothered or empowered them, and I drew inspiration to
write about certain
things from that, so the whole album was a very
interactive
process, and it's nice to think that people from all over
the world have
contributed to it's success in many ways. The visuals
were a fusion of my
own ideas and those of artist Natalie Shau.
Otherwise, we
pretty much just did what any band does and created
music together.
Metal Pit : I personally would have thought it difficult to produce a
better
cd than you first one "Once only Imagined" ( which I thought was a
Metal classic ),but the new cd is a step above and I feel takes this
band to the next level,would you agree?
Thank you! Yes, I
would, and I think that the third album will be yet
another step
forward!
Metal Pit : I know you are a huge animal rights activist and some of the
band's songs definitley reflect that, what are some other issues that
inspire you when writing new music?
A lot of social and
humanitarian issues also affect my way of thinking
and therefore my
writing, but I also like to simply explore words as
tools of creation
and write songs that evoke moods and images without
directly stating an
opinion.
Metal Pit : Are you the main lyricist for the band?
Yes I write all the
lyrics.
Metal Pit : Some of my favorite tunes on the new cd are "Birds elope
with
the Sun" , "Globus Hystericus" and "Chlorpromazine", can you tell us a
little about these tunes and maybe which song on the cd holds a special
meaning for you?
All the songs hold
their own special meanings. They are all my babies!
Birds Elope with
the Sun was a very fun song to write and is fun to
perform. It's more
of an abstract, verbose poem compared to some of my other songs. Globus
Hystericus was also interesting and introspective
to write, I toyed
with the lyrics a lot before solidifying them.
Chlorpromazine was
based on a subject suggested by a fan and then
brought closer to
home with the injection of my own personal
relationship with
the subject matter - also one of my favorites. Then
again, I could say
that about Martyr Art and many other songs too.
Metal Pit : The Agonist has been a unique band for alot of reasons but
the main one for me is the fact that you are not an easy band to
catagorize with elements of Death Metal, Thrash, Symphonic and even
some classical and jazz music thrown into the mix,is that something
that you and the band have strived for, not wanting to fit into any
kind of preconceived mold?
It wasn't so much
the desire to break the mold as it is the dislike of
restricting the
creative process.
Metal Pit : Video seems to play a very big part in what this band is all
about and unlike alot of bands who just throw anything
together at the last moment,you guys really take the time to make some
quality vids,is this something you personally enjoy doing
because you seem like a complete natural behind the camera?
I guess that varies
for each band member - as a visual artist I really
concern myself with
and appreciate the imagery associated with music
and therefore place
a lot of importance on the music videos. David
Brodsky is the man
behind all 3 singles' videos thus far, and we hope
to explore and get
more and more creative with our visuals with time.
Metal Pit : Do you like the costume changes and the whole dressing up
thing?
Well, I honestly
don't really have costume changes - I wear the exact
same stage outfit
all tour! But, yes I do like to get expressive with
my wardrobe.
Metal Pit : I thought "Business suits and Combat boots" from your first
cd
was an amazing video and it really got the band quite a bit
of exposure, how did the concept for the new vid "Thank you Pain" come
about?
That concept was
the result of really wanting to stay true to the
lyrics of the song
while visually representing the epic feel of the
song.... lots of
contemplating went into that one!
Metal Pit : I love the idea of you playing all the parts in the
courtroom,very cool idea...,who came up with that?
That was mine and
the band's idea... thanks!
Metal Pit : There seem to be more and more females coming onto the
Metal scene that are using both clean vocals and the growling
technique,in your opinion which technique is harder to do?
Hmm... they are
both pretty easy on a healthy throat, but if I'm sick,
the growling is
more difficult. Because live sound is always so
terrible, it's
probably harder to do the clean singing - because
things like pitch
and key become important and it's almost impossible
to hear anything
but white noise on stage.
Metal Pit : At what age did you decide singing was something you wanted
to do as a profession?
Age 17.. when I
joined my first band.
Metal Pit : What kinds of things do you personally do to take care of
your
voice?
I maintain a
healthy, vegan, straight-edge lifestyle and exercise
regularly. A
healthy body is a healthy throat.
Metal Pit : What band or artist influenced you to get into Heavy Metal?
I'm not really
sure... I only really started discovering all the great
metal bands I now
admire after I had already formed my first band.
Metal Pit : Who are some of the current bands today you would love to
share
the stage with?
Oh man, there are
so many! To name a few, Arch Enemy, Strapping Young Lad, In Flames,
Opeth, etc.
Metal Pit : Women in Metal are more popular than ever and seem to
finally be getting some of the respect they deserve as musicians,
would you agree with that or do you still think there are some
stereotypes that we have to overcome?
I think there will
always be stereotypes hindering progress, really in
any field for
anyone. The scene is definitely evolving and changing
though, and it's
nice to come across a bit more equality in the arts.
Metal Pit : What advice would you offer to young women who may want to
follow in your footsteps and are you comfortable with being a role
model for them?
Honestly, I am
flattered and proud to inspire young women. I would
much rather them
have me as a role model than a lot of the other women
they see (if I can
say that without coming across as totally
ridiculous). Seeing
a young girl gain the confidence to start a band
is one of the
greatest rewards I get in this business.
Metal Pit : The band is about to embark on a tour of Japan,is this your
first time there and are you excited about playing for
your Japanese fans?
It is our first
time, and we are ECSTATIC! We have heard that Japan
is an amazing place
to play and we feel so honored to be invited to
share our music
with a country so far away.
Metal Pit : Where does your tour take you from there?
Only time will tell!
Metal Pit : Where can potential fans buy music and merch from "The
Agonist"?
On our myspace page
there are links to online stores for merch and
music (please write
to us if the links dont work for some reason!)...
but, of course, the
best place is at one of our shows where you can
buy it directly
from us!
Metal Pit : Is there anythng about your self or the band you would like
to
share with us today that maybe we did not cover?
Hmm... well, there
are a lot of things, but this has been a pretty
thorough interview.
Metal Pit : What does it mean to you to be chosen as the Metal Pit's
Metal Maiden of the month?
It's great! Thanks
so much!
Metal Pit : Alissa,on behalf of my self and the Metal Pit we want to
thank
you for taking time for us today.The new cd is great and we wish
you and the band the best of luck in 2010 and beyond.
Horns up brothers and sisters....
Nick Rohm.
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