written by Marko Jakob | 11.02.2022 |
Pix666: Hello Jonas. Thanks for your time. How are you doing these days? How are the other guys of Aphyxion ?
Jonas: Hey! We’re all doing pretty well. Working hard on finishing songs and getting the ball rolling.
Pix666: Recently your new single ‘Memory Trace‘ was released – how were the reactions to this song so far?
Jonas: So far it’s been amazing. I’m always trying to avoid getting too deep in the comment sections, but in general people seem to like it. We’re trying out new soundscapes and directions with our music, and this one is definitely one of the more “experimental” ones.
Pix666: … and where did you shoot the cool clip? I am quite impressed because I am afraid of heights. Are you all free from vertigo?
Jonas: We shot the video on the top of a cathedral located in our hometown, Ribe in Denmark. It turned out so good, in our own humble opinion, and it’s so cool and special to be able to do something like that in our own city where we all grew up. And most of us still live. No one in the band had any issues with it and it’s totally safe to go up there – actually it’s open for tourists. The worst part was to carry all the gear up the stairs!
Pix666: Did you write any other songs during the pandemic besides ‘Memory Trace’? Will there be album number 4 soon?
Jonas: Yes, we did! A lot. We’re still writing as we speak, but are closing in on what will be: Album number 4. We’ve written so many different songs in so many different directions. We locked ourselves up in a house in the middle of nowhere during the Covid lockdowns – completely isolated from the world and just wrote, recorded and tried out different stuff.
Pix666: You have already played over 300 shows in your band history. How much did the situation with the pandemic annoy you? You could no longer travel easily, you could no longer play a show when and where you wanted.
Jonas: It annoyed us a lot! We had so many plans. EU tour, a few shows in Japan etc. Everything just went overboard. Hopefully we’ll get these oportunities again! We started pretty early in the pandemic writing new songs, but as it just went on and on (and on, and on, and on) we all kinda ended up in some kind weird state. We probably just needed something to look forward to, and the pandemic kinda distracted that. Fortunately it started to open up, and we got to play a few shows in late summer 2021. The future is looking bright!
Pix666: I read that you have already opened a show for Metallica at the sold out Royal Arena in Copenhagen. Can you describe the feelings you had in those moments, starting from the day you are told – you are supporting one of the most famous metal bands in the world?
Jonas: That was absolutely insane. It’s very hard to describe because it was so surreal. Our manager called us and told it on the phone, and we were like “yeah, right.”. It’s definitely the biggest thing we’ve ever tried in our career, and we kinda still haven’t realized that we warmed up for Metallica that day. INSANE EXPERIENCE!
Pix666: Were there other highlights in the band’s history that you remember with pleasure?
Jonas: Absolutely. Most of them, thankfully. We played at Wacken Open Air in 2011 when we were only 16-17 years old. That was pretty cool and gave us a lot of motivation to do what we do. Also the Germany run we had with Smash Into Pieces a few years back was very cool!
Pix666: Let’s get back to your songs. How do you create your songs? Is there a certain plan? Who in the band is responsible for what and what themes are the lyrics of your songs about?
Jonas: Usually I write a track and then we meet up, sometimes with an outside topliner/songwriter, and make the vocals and lyrics together. Michael, our singer, is the guy who writes all the words and themes/concepts. Usually we do the melodies and vocal arrangement first without lyrics, and then we work on making the lyrics fit properly. Changing stuff here and there. Of course there’s exceptions here and there – sometimes things happens earlier in the process, sometimes just before it’s sent of to mix. But this is the most common way for us.
Pix666: Your songs have been streamed millions of times. Do you actually look at all these statistics. I can imagine that your music is listened to in almost every part of the world, isn’t it?
Jonas: In the world we’re living in today with Social Medias being your main communication platform, you kinda need to look at the statistics to get to know your audience. Who’s listening, where are they from, what other stuff are they listening to etc. But yes, a big part of the world. It’s quite overwhelming acutally.
Pix666: Are there already plans for a tour this year? After listening to a lot of your songs now, I would really love to go to an Aphyxion concert.
Jonas: We’ll definitely go out and play shows this year. It’s still a bit weird going out of Covid, but it looks way brighter now and we are working on a lot of stuff!
Pix666: Tell me a little bit about your dreams…. In which locations or at which festivals would you like to perform and with which band(s) would you like to go on tour in the future?
Jonas: We’d love to do a full summer festival tour here in Europe. That would be crazy! But also get to the states and to that. I’ve been roadtripping in the states before, and I just loved it. So if you could do it in a setup where you play shows every night and spend times with your buddies it would be crazy. Who wouldn’t want that?
Pix666: How much time do you actually spend with music? Is there still an hour or two for a hobby, sport or something?
Jonas: We spend a lot of time with music. It varies a bit – obviously we spend more time in different periods than others. But yes, there is time. For me, and I know for the other guys as well, it’s important to spend time on something else as well. You need to clean your head sometimes.
Pix666: Do you have any other news, that you would like to share with the fans?
Jonas: We’re just getting started with these new songs. More will come, and it will kick as. Sooner thank you think – and we very much look forward to it. Cheers!
Pix666: Thank you very much for the interesting answers – Good luck for the future and stay healthy!!!
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