Agrimonia: Deep Into Their Dark & Epic Crust

Agrimonia are a five-piece band from Gothenburg, Sweden, formed in 2005. Blending sludge, crust, post-metal, and dark melodic heaviness, they have built a sound that feels both massive and deeply human: long songs, heavy atmosphere, and a sense of tension that comes as much from punk urgency as it does from metal weight.

This interview is conducted in early 2010, just before the release of Host of the Winged. Agrimonia are still closely tied to the DIY punk and crust scene, but already sound like a band pushing beyond its usual borders, using slow, expansive, and apocalyptic music to talk about politics, friendship, daily life, and the search for something meaningful in a world that often feels beyond repair.

Agrimonia are Björn on drums, Christina on vocals and keyboard, Magnus on guitar, Per on bass, and Pontus on guitar and backing vocals.

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

Magnus: I guess a lot of people, especially people on the right wing, would call me a terrorist. But I 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 that I know of. Terrorism often seems to refer to acts that inflict damage on 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 a moral obligation. When it comes to being 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 are 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, and 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 in it and creating it 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 who wanted to make some kick-ass music with kick-ass people. Since I cannot write very well, or paint, or anything else, music is my way of contributing to alternative culture. We are trying to compose musical landscapes to create a reaction in people. What that reaction may be, we do not answer for, but hopefully some will find it nice and influential.

What is it about playing in the band that makes you most inspired? You’re all punks, so why don’t you play just simple hardcore punk music, but instead do this 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 into the music we create in all of my bands, and that is neither simple nor easy to me. I listen to all types of music, and for me, only playing or listening to fast, un-apocalyptic stuff would 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 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, like 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 specifically. However, the former has let me down quite a few times, so I’d rather not pinpoint myself or our band to any scene at all. I’ll put it like this: there 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 to 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 to see places, meet new people, and hear their opinions of what you are doing. It’s harder physically, at least on 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 it’s OK. We try to make beautiful soundscapes.

How do you maintain your DIY ethics when playing much more complicated music and trying to sound more professional than the usual d-beat crust and hardcore bands? Isn’t it very expensive when trying to reach a better sound and write such long and difficult songs?

Magnus: It is easy: we do everything ourselves! What we don’t do, though, is release the records on our own label. Since Skuld Releases isn’t in any way a corporation that supports exploitative labor or anything else that would interfere with my ethics, but rather shares a lot of my DIY ethics, I feel thankful and glad about the fact that he wants to help us get the music out there for people to get a hold of if they want to.

I don’t think of our band as trying to sound more professional or to make long and difficult songs. For me, I want all the music I am a part of creating to sound as good and as true as possible. And I agree that my guitar and amplifier were expensive, but no more so than those of any other bands out there in the scene. But the stuff we use to record is really cheap in comparison to others. What we invest in is our own personal time, and especially Pontus’ personal time, since he is the one recording all of us.

Pontus: We don’t strive to sound professional. However, we do strive to sound good and present our music at the best of our capabilities. As for expenses, we are not spending much money at all, since we are doing all the recording by ourselves. I’d say we spend a lot of time instead of a lot of money. I don’t feel DIY has to do with the musical expression at all. You could be a DIY symphony orchestra for all I know, as long as you put your dedication behind it.

Christina: We try to do as much as we can ourselves when it comes to the band, from playing to recording to doing all the artwork. That to me is DIY, not what the band sounds like. And we all play in other bands doing other styles of music, so we get our share of hardcore and crust there.

Per: Ethics don’t have anything to do with how a band sounds. If we are professional, I don’t want to see someone who is not, haha! No, we are simple individuals with different ways to approach what we are doing. Agrimonia is a DIY band, and we want to keep it that way. Maybe some of our musical equipment is expensive, but we get that back in feeling and devotion. Our sound needs a little more than a normal rock band.

As we know what effects capitalism, consumerism, and industrialization have on us, how important is it to live an alternative way of life and try to avoid corporate products, support alternative media, buy locally produced and organic food, embrace veganism, etc.?

Magnus: I guess you cannot put an exact price or value on living in an alternative way or on the earth’s resources and well-being, since they are both irreplaceable and invaluable. We only have one life, one earth, and one chance to make it a good one for ourselves and all future beings. For me, the only chance to have the right to protest, or in other words, to try to change other people’s opinions and judgment in matters, is to live as you propose others to do. What I am trying to say is that if you, for example, are going to call yourself a feminist, then you have the responsibility to live as one. I am in constant conflict with today’s society because of this view. Ever since I was born, the structures of this society have tried to force me to live against my views on animal rights, environmental issues, women’s rights, what it means to be a man, and the list goes on and on. You will not make a change and contribute to the liberation of humanity and our fellow beings of this world unless your way of life reflects the ideal you are aiming at.

Christina: I think it is important to do what you can. Capitalism has consumed us all, and I think it is very hard not to take part in that whole circus, even though you do not want to be part of it. I do my best not to spend money on unnecessary things and stay away from the most evil corporations. In the summer, I grow a lot of my own vegetables in my garden.

Pontus: It is important, of course. I feel, however, that the daily choices you make as a consumer are a never-ending stream of compromises. I am vegan, and when I can afford it, I buy organic/ecological food. I try to avoid the worst corporations, etc. I still put money into beer, records, and musical equipment, and if I have to choose between buying new guitar strings or organic pasta with my last money, I’d choose the former. A dedicated environmentalist perhaps would call that hypocrisy. I’d say that even a slight change of habits is a lot better than no change at all, then how far you want to take it is up to yourself.

My personal belief is that I don’t think humanity in general will be able to stray off the beaten path to hell until something very radical happens to the earth and the environment. In a lot of situations, living environmentally friendly is only something you could do if you don’t have to fight for your own survival. A farmer who cuts down rainforest to be able to feed himself and his family—can you blame him? He’s got no choice. It’s better to look to the economic forces and corporations that have created such a situation. It’s all human error: greediness, hunger for money, and complete disregard for the well-being of other people and species. As I said, I am rather pessimistic about the whole situation. However, this does not stop me from making active choices every day about what I consume and support.

Per: It’s very important to me. I find, steal, or get most of my clothes, and if I buy any, it’s second-hand. I dumpster dive most of my food, and I spend very little money in stores. The things I spend money on are records and musical equipment, and it’s a little counterproductive to buy so many records, but they are such small businesses, so they hardly make any money out of it.

What kind of punks are you? Are you involved in activism and social organization? Do you like reading a lot of literature to become intelligent and educated people bringing a message of social and political awareness, or do you just like to make music and waste your lives on drinking and taking drugs?

Magnus: I do not like to categorize myself or others. It just forces you to view your own life and others through boundaries and prejudice. But if I have to, I usually use the self-invented term “fundamental democrat” before any of the established terms such as punk, anarchist, communist, etc. I must admit that my involvement in organizations and different political groups has declined in the last five to six years. I sadly think that a lot of my earlier good faith has been lost on the way, and I wish that it had not. I truly enjoy both studying/learning and “wasting” my life. I have studied actively my whole life, at least up until this summer, when I graduated university after six years and two bachelor’s degrees: one in the science of occupational therapy and one in political science. And through it all, I have been enjoying the benefits of making music and drugs.

Christina: For years, I was setting up shows, going to protests, and the like. I guess due to lack of time, I am not so involved right now. Working as a photographer, practicing with my bands, helping out at the collectively run cinema, and trying to get a fanzine together, I do not really have so much spare time. I would call myself an art punk.

Pontus: I like reading, and I like to understand mechanisms within human society and the human psyche. I don’t do this to educate myself or to be able to “educate” others. I do it because I’m interested. I’m not involved in any organized activism. I am keeping myself occupied with music in various forms, and I sometimes record other, mainly punk, bands.

Per: I am not so personally involved in political activism as I used to be, but I support all who strive for social change. I go to demonstrations for animal rights and housing rights. I feel it’s more about adapting the ideals into your daily life and letting them affect the choices you make. Sure, education is important, but I feel living the life and taking part in the scene is the best way to learn how to be politically aware. It’s all out there.

What keeps you waking up every morning? Are you waking up with the desire to make something to express yourself and your emotions, or to do something that’s going to have a positive impact on other people’s lives, or is it just the same boring day with the same tasks and things to do every day? Are you living the punk way of life?

Magnus: I wake up because I always do, and at that moment I usually want to sleep a little more. But my happiness comes first and foremost from the people whom I love and share my life with. I do not want to settle for anything less than happiness and well-being for all. I do not think it is possible to make it happen, but that doesn’t mean I am not going to try. I see a lot of trouble in the usual nine-to-five way of life and do more or less everything to escape the boundaries of all structures and moral views that I haven’t personally agreed with. And not trying to have a positive impact on other people’s lives would just be meaningless. And by that, I don’t mean that I will be standing passively smiling at the side while a stockholder gets monetary benefit and “happiness” from exploiting the earth or its inhabitants. But any action I may take to hinder this exploitation and injustice has the intention of making a positive impact on all life.

Christina: My passions are doing art, music, gardening, reading, hanging out with my friends and family, and riding my bike. These are things that make me a better person and my reasons to live. I love to express myself through photography, and hopefully my pictures will have a positive impact on at least a few people. I like to live a varied life and not get stuck in the same old habits every day. It is hard when you have a job to live too much outside the box, though. I still have to get up every morning and slave away for someone else.

Pontus: It’s different from day to day. I have to work in order to pay my rent, and workday mornings are usually not filled with any desire at all. It’s rather something that has to be done. I currently work with kids, and it can be quite fun, though, and “morally” I’d say it’s one of the better jobs I’ve had. You’re working with human beings rather than making a profit for Big Boss by building luxury apartments or doing any other stupid job I’ve had. On days or time periods dedicated to the band, travel, or whatever, it’s of course another feeling. You have to take the good and the bad and try to make the nicest cocktail possible, even if it’s sometimes hard to swallow.

Per: Since I don’t have a job, it gives me the luxury of having more control over my time. I try my best to make every day worth living, and most days I succeed. Most things I do have to do with the punk community in one way or another. I like to paint backdrops for bands and make stencil cuts. Reading and listening to music take most of my time when I am not rehearsing with bands.

What do you think have been your greatest accomplishments as a band and individually within the last year?

Magnus: We did our first tour together, and I had a blast. So for me, that is a great accomplishment that we all had an equal part in.

Christina: Definitely the tour we did in March was a great thing for us. For me personally, it must have been learning how to play the bass.

Pontus: We did a European tour in March, which went really well. That, together with the beginning of our new recording, was probably our greatest accomplishment. For me personally, I wrote quite a lot of music and didn’t drink too much.

Per: That we are such good friends and manage to keep a flow in the music, even though we don’t rehearse so much anymore. The tour was crucial for us, since we learned we could stand being around each other for that long a period of time, hehe! Individually, I survived.

How’s the scene in Gothenburg and Sweden right now? Any other bands from your area that you would recommend?

Magnus: The scene in Gothenburg is living and is a possibility up for grabs for anyone who wants to contribute to and evolve it. In my opinion, there are a lot of good alternative forums that you are able to be active in, but unfortunately not enough people are active participants in the scene and its different forums. But I guess there never are and never can be. Bands I recommend are Corrupt, Dörrterror, and Cortex. It’s not a new band and a lot of you probably know about it, but I still recommend it.

Christina: There is quite a lot going on in Sweden and Göteborg right now. Here in Göteborg, we have at least three places that do punk shows: Underjorden, Egalia, and Truckstop Alaska. We also have a really good vegan café that started during the last year and is run in an alternative way by punks. There has also been a smaller squat scene in Göteborg and other places in Sweden. They try to focus on the shitty housing situation in this country. Bands from my area that I can recommend are Leda, Vicious Irene, Contorture, Monachus, and Miasmal. From the rest of Sweden: Våld, Counterblast, Sju Svåra År, and Masshysteri.

Pontus: I’m not living in Gothenburg these days, but check out these bands: Vicious Irene, Insidious Process, Moonshine, and Cashcrops.

Per: I feel the scene is alive and well. I want more raw punk bands, though. I think the musical climate in Sweden is very good and diverse, with good bands from every genre you can imagine. Bands from here that I like are Miasmal, Leda, and Styggelse.

So, you’re playing dark and pessimistic music with a message based on politics, human relationships, and where society in general is leading us. Are your lives full of frustration and grief? Is there a place for a better world? It’s just the beginning of a new year—what are your hopes for 2010?

Magnus: My hope for 2010 is that I will find a good way to get enough money to pay my rent. The way things are going right now doesn’t look too good. And for Agrimonia, I hope for our new record to be released and that we get to have one more wonderful tour. In the case of world politics, I truly hope the bastards of “power” will be forced by us, the people, to at least take some responsibility and stop blaming everything on each other. As they, for example, did at the Copenhagen climate conference. You can think whatever you want about the purpose of such spectacles, but I really want to puke when they point fingers at each other like little babies and get away with it. Where are we, the people? Let’s fire their asses!

Christina: I can agree that we play dark music, but I would not call it pessimistic. I think some good words are dark and epic. I am a really positive and happy person in general. Sometimes things go wrong in life, but I always find my way up again. Surrounding yourself with good friends and meaningful things to do is always helpful. I think this coming year is going to be great for us as a band. We are going to have our new record out, and hopefully a tour will follow. My hopes for Agrimonia are that we hopefully can go and play in the States and also Japan at some point. I think if we all contribute, there is a place for a better world.

Pontus: I’d actually like to view our music as uplifting in a way. Darker music usually helps me feel better about life and not the other way around, otherwise I’d never listen to it! I wouldn’t consider myself particularly grief-stricken lately. However, life is fragile and can be turned upside down any minute. Lots of things should not be taken for granted. My personal hopes are that the new Agrimonia record will turn out great, that we will play a couple of good shows, and that the world will find peace and justice.

Per: I have left my pessimistic old ways for something more lasting. There is definitely a place for a better world. Look at it on a small scale and you will see. Try to make every day the best day ever and be true to what you desire, and see to getting it!

Any last words or advice to the readers you would like to impart? Is there something important that you would like to say, but I missed asking you?

Magnus: Make your own ideals and live by them, or you will end up dying for somebody else! PEACE OUT!

P.S. Thank you for the interesting questions and interview.

Christina: Just a big thank you for taking the time for this interview, and keep up the fight!

Pontus: Thank you very much for the interview and for the interesting and thought-provoking questions!