Abandon Agony’s journey began with Tobias Järvelä’s melodic vision in 2023, evolving into a powerhouse of aggressive yet atmospheric melodeath. With their latest track "The Truth," they’re just getting started!
1. Your
journey as a band has been quite unique, starting with Tobias Järvelä’s vision
in early 2023. Could you walk us through how each member joined and shaped
Abandon Agony?
Toby: I had written a few songs and was
thinking about starting a melodeath band. I had probably talked to Robin about
it since I already played with him in our previous band Memoria, and he was
interested in the idea and liked the songs.
I was at
the bar one night and quite a few beers down, Uruz was bartender that night and
I knew he was a bass guitar player, so I asked him if he was interested in
joining a melodeath-project. I played him some of my songs from my phone and he
immediately said yes. I don’t know if he knew how serious I was about it since
I was drunk out of my mind that night. I blame the server *blink*.
Some time
later, me and Robin went out for a coffee with Christoffer to discuss a video
he was going to make for Memoria. The result of the discussion ended with me
showing him the new music I was making, and he was also immediately interested.
We started
playing together and I asked Johan if he was interested in joining us since I
knew he had a strong stage presence and a great voice, we played together in
Memoria. He said no since he had no previous experience with screaming or
growling.
We tried
out a couple of singers, but no one felt like the one. Eventually I succeeded
in convincing Johan to come and at least try a rehearsal. He did a great job,
and he became the singer and frontman for Abandon Agony.
2. The
process of finding a vocalist sounds like it was challenging. What was it about
Johan Hedström that finally made him the right fit for the band?
Toby: He had no experience with growling,
and he was struggling in the beginning. We knew that was a risk since he didn’t
even listen to this kind of music, but we saw that he was working hard to get
better. He was right away writing amazing lyrics to the songs and his dynamic
fit well with ours. We always have a great time together and that, together
with working hard towards our goals is what we value most. When we play live,
he really gets the crowd going and his stage presence is magical. Choosing him
as frontman for Abandon Agony was the best thing we could have done. And we are
lucky that he chose us back.
3. Your
new track “The Truth” has just been released along with its video. Can you tell
us about the inspiration behind the song and its message?
Toby: Before Abandon Agony was even
formed, I was walking around with the chorus for The Truth playing in my head
all the time. I finally sat down and recorded it. I was very pleased with how
it turned out and built the song around it. It was the first Abandon Agony song
ever written. I actually think that it was the song I showed Uruz at the bar
that night. We started rehearsing this song before we had a singer, and I sang
the chorus since that was the only lyrics that was written. I started to write
the rest of the lyrics.
The meaning
behind the lyrics, for me at least, is about inner struggle, search for
meaning. The light that you are chasing is blinding, you realize that you are
left all alone in the cold. The path to finding meaning, “the truth” within
yourself while facing personal battles and struggle might be eternal.
4. What was the creative process
like for “The Truth”? Did each member contribute specific parts, or was it more
of a collaborative effort?
Toby: I basically had the song already
written when we started rehearsing. Christoffer added his touches to the lead
guitar parts, Robin has his own style of drumming and it came together as a
more complete song when everyone, incorporated their own elements. Johan
refined the lyrics so the phrasing would fit the song the way he envisioned it.
5. The music video for “The Truth”
features some intense visuals. How did the idea for the video come together,
and were there any memorable moments during filming?
Christoffer: In February, when we released our
first music video, we didn’t have the time to make that video as I would have
liked. I’m a filmmaker myself and right now manage our videos and social media.
Last time we filmed in a basement where we rehearse, using some basic studio
setups for that video.
This time,
I thought it was important to include shots with the full band, at an actual
location somewhere, and I had some ideas involving fire. After two weeks of
planning, I think this production became memorable for everyone.
We had
planned well for this, but we didn’t think that the smoke from the fire baskets
would be so intense. Since we had wood burning, we could have been poisoned by
the smoke. After three shots, we had to stop. The rest of the video was filmed
in other "rooms" at the same location for our single takes.
Sometimes
your ideas can get out of hand. But nobody got hurt, everything was fireproof
on set, and it's not every day that you almost kill your own band, haha. We
managed to finish the recordings, and you know what they say: all for the art!
6. Abandon Agony seems to have a
strong chemistry with influences from each member's past projects. How do your
previous experiences in bands like Memoria and Dragon Steel influence Abandon
Agony’s sound?
Toby: Since I come from a power metal
background, my writing tends to lean towards melodic stuff, epic choruses, lead
melodies. Since Christoffer is the king of writing amazing riffs it becomes a
great combo. When our writing comes together it becomes the sound that
identifies Abandon Agony. Melodic, core-ish, aggressive and intensive yet atmospheric
and emotional vibes. Me, Robin and Johan have played together in Memoria and
that influence give fast pace melodic voicing to our songs, I believe.
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7. Your band bio describes Abandon
Agony as a ‘fetus’ growing into a ‘monster.’ What qualities make Abandon Agony
stand out in today’s metal scene?
Chrisoffer:
It's hard to be
unique today, especially when it comes to music. We write the music we love to
play, and we work hard to give something special to the audience when we step
onto the stage.
I think our
strength as a band is that we enjoy playing together and that we genuinely like
each other. We have fun on stage, and we've received a lot of feedback that
shows people can feel that energy.
I'm still
surprised by the responses we get from the audience when we play. When you see
fists in the air, people headbanging, moshpits, and all of that, it feels like
we’re really delivering something from the stage. Hopefully, people want to see
us again and connect with our music.
8. With
“The Truth” out in the world, what reactions have you received so far from fans
and listeners? Did any feedback surprise you?
Toby: Very positive reactions and
feedback so far! The song seems to be very liked among our fans. One surprising
piece of feedback was from my mother, she wrote to me and said she actually
liked the song! She’s usually not into heavier music, so it caught me a bit off
guard, but meant a lot to me. I think it shows that we’re doing something right
if even those outside our usual audience can appreciate it.
9. Each of you brings distinct
styles and skills. How do you balance everyone’s influences while maintaining
Abandon Agony’s unique identity?
Johan: Abandon Agony’s identity is defined by the
unique blend of our different musical backgrounds and styles. Each of us brings
something own and unique to the table: Tobias’s solos add intensity and depth,
Christoffer’s lead guitar work brings melody, while Robin’s powerful drumming
and Jonathan’s raw bass energy drive our sound forward. The vocals complete the
picture, adding a layer that makes the sound unmistakably ours. Though we draw
inspiration from the different music we all listen to, our individual strengths
come together naturally to create what we recognize as Abandon Agony. Instead
of trying to squeeze into one uniform sound, we embrace each member’s style,
making it our identity as a band.
10. The process of coming together
sounds like a journey filled with interesting stories. Is there a memorable
moment or challenge you faced that stands out since forming the band?
Christoffer:
I haven't been in a
band for 12 or 13 years or so. When we started rehearsing together, we only had
one song, which was actually "The Truth." We played it over and over
for hours, and it felt great to play in a band again.
But we were a quartet for only a couple of months. We had a really hard time
finding a singer. I remember that we reached out to a few people we knew. Some
of them didn’t have the time, some suddenly didn’t respond, and we had one
singer who rehearsed with us twice. He was a talented and nice guy, but we felt
the personal chemistry wasn't quite there.
On top of all this, Toby and I had submitted an application to play in a
"mini-tour" competition called Livekarusellen, which is an
opportunity for artists/bands to perform together for three shows. This was in
May, and we thought it wouldn’t be too hard to find a singer by the first show
in September, if the application was accepted.
Johan had been asked to sing with us when the band was coming together, but he
hadn’t screamed before and wasn’t sure if he could handle it.
I don’t remember when we got the message that we were accepted to play in
Livekarusellen, but it was a bit stressful because we still didn’t have a
vocalist. However, Johan had been thinking about it, practiced, and auditioned
with us two weeks before the first gig.
He became a permanent member from the very first rehearsal, and even though the
first show was more of a "controlled chaos," we felt that there was
something great about the band.
On top of all this, we actually advanced from those three shows and played at
the national festival in Livekarusellen, alongside bands from all over Sweden.
We had some struggles in the beginning, but it turned out to be a great start
for us.
11. Can fans expect any live
performances soon, and do you have any special plans for bringing “The Truth”
to life on stage?
Christoffer:
We recently played
our final gigs for this year. There are some dates planned for January and
February next year here in Sweden. Since it’s not official yet, we can’t share
them right now, but if anyone is interested, there will be an announcement on
our social media in the near future.
"The
Truth" was the first song written for this band, and we’ve been opening
with this track for the last 12 shows. People who have seen us before may
recognize it. I hope the audience will be more familiar with the song now
that it’s been released. Time will tell how the reaction will be in front of
the stage.
12. Lastly, looking ahead, what’s
next for Abandon Agony? Are there any upcoming releases or projects you’re
excited to share with your fans?
Johan: We’re just getting started! With “The
Truth” and our EP “Dark Matter” out, we’ve been thrilled by the response and
are already working on new material. We’re always pushing our sound further,
aiming for each release to reflect our growth as a band. Fans can look forward
to more singles coming in 2025, and we’re even starting to lay down tracks for
a full-length album. We’re exploring new creative ideas together, so there may
be some exciting music videos on the horizon to bring our next tracks to life.
And, of course, we can’t wait to reach more listeners and keep growing our fan
base wherever our music takes us.
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