Alchemist comes from Australia and their dark music feels very interesting. Their guitarist/vocalist Adam Agius was kind enough to answer my questions in the end of june 2003.
History? What have you done before Austral alien(how can I get them and on
which label)
-Adam: We have done 4 full length albums before AA. Our first three are on
shock records and are only available in Australia or on import, they are in
order JAR OF KINGDOM 1993, LUNASPHERE 1995, SPIRITECH1997, our next releases
are available on Relapse they are ORGANASM 2000 and of course AUSTRAL ALIEN
2003.
Please tell me a little about every member in the group, age, family,
interests, and osmething bad about every one?
-Adam: Rod is our drummer he is 32 and likes to fuck around on the computer
making our video clips and go surfing. He is a bald cunt. John is our bass
player and loves to smack that fucking thing all over the stage. He is 32
and a bald cunt as well. Roy is our lead guitarist and he loves to get
stoned and make all our art work. His hair is always shinny but stinks of
perm solution. I am Adam , master of all that is good in Alchemist and I
have no bad points ...I'm a legend.
I think you play a little gothic music, what are you being compared to?
-Adam: Everyone from Sisters of Mercy to Pink Floyd , Killing joke to King
Crimson.
Have you got any reviews yet from your new CD, good or bad?
-Adam: We have already over 50 reviews all good so far.
Which are you believe in most, the bad or the good one?
-Adam: The good ones of course because there have been no bad ones , and I
think the album is fantastic.
Do you care about reviews? Have you never ever changed anything because of
a review?
-Adam: We do care about reviews but we just do our own thing it really does
not matter what the press thinks as long as the fans like it.
How did come up with the excellent album name Austral Alien?
-Adam: Our guitarist Roy came up with the name and it was going to be for a
tour in 2001 we called the Austral Alien tour of Australia { pronounced the
Australian tour } We thought it was way to good for a tour name and so
decided to build a record around that name instead and the end result is
what you hear on Austral Alien.
Is it the way you feel like aliens in the musicbusiness in Australia?
-Adam: It's the way we feel that we are Aliens to the rest of the worlds
music industry , we believe nobody sounds like we do. In Australia we are
pretty popular.
It´s not so many bands in your style there or, here in Sweden mostly
garage bands and punkbands are well known from your country?
-Adam: How does your music been taken in your country? Very well , for this
tour so far we have sold out our shows and the disc is selling over 5000
copies in two months its very good for such a small population.
.Is there any good bands in Australia now?
-Adam: Yes many good bands, I like Pod People and I like Daysend I also
like Frenzal Rhomb and Superheist as well as Destroyer 666.
What do you know about Sweden?
-Adam: I have visited Stockholm and loved it! I am very into the early
Swedish extreme bands like Entombed and I love Katatonia and Bloodbath. I
also love Opeth whom we have just finished a tour with in April...it was
sold out as well. I like the Swedish people especially some of the girls I
saw there and in Denmark.
Have you heard any Swedish bands worth to mention?
-Adam: Oops yep all of the above also In flames and Bathory of course.
How did you came in contact with Relapse? Is it a good label?
-Adam: We just sent them our stuff for years and finally they got interested
in us. So far they have been a great label, we are hoping they will provide
some tour support for us to tour Europe and the states.
Is it good to have so many raw bands as labelmates so you can stick out a
little?
-Adam: We will always stick out as we do our own thing , we don't really
care what other bands are doing. Amorphis are as mellow as us so we feel we
don't stick out in a bad way.
How is a good concert with you?
-Adam: About 500 payers all going fucking mad and singing along with us, We
have had a great time as of late.
Please rank your five favouriterecords, five favouriteconcerts and five
most important things in life?
-Adam: Five records
Pink Floyd ..Dark side of the moon
Porcupine Tree ...Stupid dream
Celtic Frost ..Morbid tales
Voivod ...Nothing face
AC DC…..Dirty deeds
5 concerts
Pink Floyd 1989
Metallica 1989
Slayer 1995
Prodigy 1999
Opeth 2003
5 most important things
Writing music
Playing live
My girlfriend
My family
My Cat
.
First last and the most expensive record ever bought?
-Adam: First record 1983 , Number of the beast Iron Maiden Last record
Porcupine tree the delirium years. Most expensive was No remorse by Motorhead on vinyl in a black leather case it cost me 100 bucks.
Idols when you were small?
-Adam: Paul Hogan , Yngwie Malmsteen , Angus Young.
How is it to live in Australia today, what´s best and what´s worst with
living there?
-Adam: Australia is fucking great every thing is good here except our
conservative government and the fact that we are so far away from the rest
of the world.
When you do a song, which is most important, is it to have a good lyric,
good melody or is it to have a refrain that people remembers?
-Adam: To have a refrain that people remember and the melody or catchiness.
Who do the songs? Only one in the group or do you do them together?
-Adam: We all write together , this is not strict but accounts for 90% of
our music.
Have been outside Australia an played, where is best?
-Adam: Nope only Australia and NZ and Australia is the best so far , not
much to compare it to I'm afraid,
When you play out are you playing with similar bands or do you play with
harder acts?
-Adam: We play with hard and soft bands we play with pop bands we play with
electronic bands we play with rock bands and we play with metal bands,
What have artists like Nick Cave done for your country ?
-Adam: Not much except make us depressed., I love the Birthday Party though.
Which are the future plans for the band?
-Adam: To keep writing original music and to tour the world.
For yourself as a band?
-Adam: Same as above , that's all I want to do.
Wisdomword?
-Adam: Peace
Something more to add?
-Adam: Alchemist fans petition your local promoter to bring us to your
country to play ...we will not disappoint. Also visit www.alchemist.com.au
.....cheers.>>