J – OK, so now comes the difficult question for me to ask.. The one around a certain band that some people (I think unfairly) accuse you of being a Suicide Commando copy band. How do you respond to these allegations, and how do they make you feel? This is your opportunity to give your side of the story and answer back to your critics!

C – This is easy to explain.. For me, it’s a blast that people compare us to Suicide Commando, it’s a band with at least a dozen or 20 club hits out. With a new band people always like to compare them with someone already known. When the Fields Of The Nephilim started, people said they sounded like The Sisters Of Mercy, it’s always like that. After our second or third album no one will be comparing us to Suicide Commando. To us people saying that we sound like them is a COMPLIMENT!! If they think we are that good we are really happy! [cue big uproar of laughter.. they are used to this line of questioning and their answering is both humble and honest, a tone that epitomises AGONOIZE today] We also know that Johan [Van Roy of S.Commando] likes the music that Agonoize does, so..

J – That’s one of the things that I found so interesting about the Dark Electro scene, everyone sounds so similar, yet there is no rivalry. There is a deep supportive core of bands, they admire each others music. And I find that really refreshing, it’s one of the things that really turns me on about the Dark Electro bands there’s not the same back stabbing and bitching you get in the rest of the scene..

C – There is enough space for competition.. It’s big enough for all the bands, I mean, Tactical Sekt did a remix for the new EP, and Johan was going to do one but he just didn’t have the time..There’s no reason to have competition, it’s a small scene and everyone knows each other.. so why should we compete? At the end of the day we are all MUSIC JUNKIES so why shouldn’t we like each other’s music?? If they do good music then we like it.. it’s simple!

J – So what do you guys do outside of Agonoize?

C – I’m a freelance worker doing roadie and tour management jobs, PA and lighting also..Eveything I do has got to do with music! I’m also still with Dance Or Die. Mike is a tattoo artist, [note for the record that Mike is covered head to foot in tattoos!]

M – Yes, I’ve been doing tattooing for like 16 years and so I wanted to do something new as well as this and so it was only natural for me to begin in music..My dream is to have music all around me, so all I have to do is the music!

C – And Olli? Well let’s just say that he is in a secret profession.. He is the mysterious one in the band, and he will remain that way.. His secret is safe with us!
Actually all of us could actually live from the music but we like to put all our money back into the music and the bands buying new equipment and everything, so we can produce better and better music.

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