HMT: Greetings Mathias! Thank you for giving us this opportunity to interview you. Congratulations on the release of Exthros! How are things going for yourself and Algaion?
Mathias: Hello there and thanks. Things are going good. Just got back from a trip to Thailand and christmas celebrations here in Sweden.
To readers who are not familiar with Algaion, would it be possible to give us a brief history of the band? What does the band name, Algaion mean?
Mathias: Sure thing. I and Marten started the band back in 1993 when I made some music that just didn't fit in the style of the band we were playing in at the time (Abemal). So the only thing left to do was to start a new band. This became Algaion, meaning "temple of pain" in Greek. We recorded 2 demos in 93-94 and got signed by Fullmoon productions from Tampa, Florida. We released Oimai Algeiou in 1994 on FMP. We signed to Wounded love records from Italy in 1995 and released the Vox Clamentis MCD and General Enmity on that label.
The last album, General Enmity was released in 1997 and between then and Exthros there was only an EP and a demo released. What was it that caused the 13 year break between the 2 full length releases?
Mathias: We recorded another MCD called The Herostratic legacy in 1998 but the label that was supposed to release this went bankrupt and we just lost interest in the band after that so we decided to take a break from the band. But now we're back thanks to the great people at Pulverised.
With the release of Exthros finally after 13 years, how has the response from fans and media been?
Mathias: The response has been surprisingly positive. Many great reviews and many kind and supporting words from fans.
Being a Swedish band, it was unique that the band chose to use Greek album titles, such as Oimai Algeiou, which roughly means the awaiting of pain. Was there any particular reason for this?
Mathias: Yes, the only reason we ever started this band was because of the huge influence Rotting Christ and Thou art lord were on us back in 92-93. The Greek blackmetal scene offered something completely different compared to the scandinavian scene.
Let’s now talk more about the new album, Exthros. Exthros rougly translates to “enemy”. Was there a concept behind the coming up of the album title?
Mathias: Not really. I just thought it was a fitting title for the music and general attitude of the band towards the norms of society.
Compared to the first two releases, Oimai Algeiou and General Enmity, which had straightforward black metal sounds, Exthros seems to infuse more of a folk metal element in the album, which reminds me of Rotting Christ. What are some of the main influences in the writing of music for this album?
Mathias: Rotting Christ. I really didn't like what that band did for a couple of years in early 2000 but after the release of Theogonia I felt that if they can make fantastic music again so could we. But we have always been quite melodic in my opinion. Probably because I've always been very much into bands like Helloween, King Diamond and such.
Correct me if I am wrong, but you and Marten Bjorkman have always been the core members of Algaion. How has the addition of Robert Eng brought a new or different edge to Algaion’s music, in terms of performance and songwriting for Exthros?
Mathias: In no particular way really. Robert is a great drummer bur he had nothing to do with the composing of the music. He did however deliver a far more technical aspect of the drumming than we've ever had before due to the background he came from, playing more technical thrash metal in Corporation 187. And also with Robert in the band we could finally play older songs live which Eric, our former drummer, just could not do.
The album was produced and engineered by Robert as well. What was the experience like, and what made the band decide to self-produce and engineer the album?
Mathias: The fact that Robert had his own studio meant that we had no pressure timewise when we recorded the album. We could take all the time we needed to complete the album without seeing money flying out of our and Pulverised's pockets.
You are also a touring member for Pain. With such a hectic schedule how do you juggle time between touring with Pain and Algaion?
Mathias: I used to be a touring member with Pain and also with Hypocrisy but I have not played with either band since 2002 so this has never been a problem.
Exthros was released on Singapore-based extreme metal label, Pulverised Records. How did this come about, and how has the experience been so far?
Mathias: We recorded 3-4 songs in 2007 and sent them to a bunch of recordlabels and Pulverised made us the best deal so we signed with them. It was an easy choice and we have been very pleased so far with them.
The last show that Algaion played was in 2008 in London. With the release of Exthros, can fans look forward to a tour anytime soon?
Mathias: We actually played a festival in Sweden in march 2010 but a tour is nothing we expect to do anytime soon. But of course. If an offer comes up we will obviously consider it.
Are there any further plans for Algaion with the release of Exthros?
Mathias: Not really. We're just pleased to finally have a new album out that we feel represents what we are today. Older, wiser and stronger than ever.
We have come to the final question, the last words are yours!
Mathias: Many thanks for the interest shown in Algaion after soo many years. Hopefully we will see you guys sometime soon. Horns up!
Thank you once again for taking the time off to answer our questions, we wish you and Algaion all the best! \m/
Algaion on the internet:
MySpace
Pulverised Records
©2011 Heavy Metal Tribune | Clarence
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