The Agony Scene interview

The Agony Scene recently released a mighty fine album called "Get Damned". I don't think my upstairs neighbour would think likewise but who cares. She wouldn't know good music if it kicked her in the ass anyway. Read on to see what vocalist Mike has to say. He seemed to be doing the interview on autopilot but that's okay. So did I haha!

PRT: What were you doing the ten minutes prior to answering these questions?

Mike: answering other questions. i have about three more of these after this one.

PRT: Who are you and what is the most agonizing scene you’ve ever found yourself in?

Mike: im mike i sing. probably watching my wife give birth to both our kids, she was probbibly in a much more agonized state than i was tho.

PRT: Who else is in the band and why should/shouldn’t they be damned?

Mike: chris plays guitar and brian playes guitar. rye plays bass and ryan drums. were all going to hell. its just a matter of when.

PRT: Can you give us a quick history of the band written in less than one minute?

Mike: formed in 02, signed in 03, put out a record, toured, broke up, reformed, put out a record toured, took a break, put out a record and toured, that brings us up to date.

PRT: When I was in Texas last summer I heard a lot of jokes about Okies genre "Did you hear that they have raised the minimum drinking age in Oklahoma to 32? It seems they want to keep alcohol out of the high schools!". And I’m guessing you have the same jokes about Texans as well. Any idea where that "animosity" comes from?

Mike: i wasnt raised here so i dont know. i think they are both pretty depressing places to live and dont think either one has the upper hand really. texas has austin tho, and thats way cooler than anything in OK.

PRT: "Get Damned" is already your third album and it’s definitely your most accomplished album to date with the perfect balance between melody and brutality. Do you feel you’ve come into your own with this album as well?

Mike: i think were always a work in progress. this is just where were at now. who knows what the future will bring. i dont know if this is really the definativeagony scene record. but who knows it might be the last.

PRT: The band has been shook up considerably since the release of your last album with members switching instruments and a new drummer. Did things fall into place right from the start with the altered line-up?

Mike: honestly yes. we have people come and go all the time. i mean the guy who recorded drums on 'get damned' was fired after he finished tracking his stuff. we seem to get by with our revolving door of new peole coming and going. as long as me and chris are there were fine.

PRT: You went from Solid State to Roadrunner to Century Media. What’s with all the switching around?

Mike: well we weren't a christian band and then we broke up so we got dropped form solid state. then we didnt sell enough records and we were/are fat so we got dropped from roadrunner. and CM is happy with sloppy thirds. works out well for us.

PRT: Now that your Solid State period is already a couple of years behind you, do you still get a lot of questions along the lines of ‘are you or aren’t you a christian band’?

Mike: not so much anymore. i think we've made it very clear to anyone who pays enough attention that we are not. there's still some who think otherwise so let me set the record straight. nope...

PRT: I saw that you’re coming to Europe with Himsa… what should people over here expect when they’re coming to an Agony Scene show?

Mike: we're gonna be sweaty and drunk and get really worn out near the end of our set. we're good live but it takes alot out of you to perform trying to recover form jetlag.

PRT: Any last words for our readers?

Mike: nope.