Agathocles (Hluboká Orba #18)

“D.I.Y.” hardcore zine it says on the cover of the issue I have (#18). I got that because it contains a Czech translation of the piece about squatting in Ghent that I was sending around at that time to ask for support after evictions…

Hluboká Orba could be translated as deep/forever plowing. It was edited by Filip Fuchs ‘Phill Hell’ (‘Mrtvá Budoucnost’, ‘See You In Hell‘ guitarist), residing in Brno (in the south of the Czech Republic). Of course he got help from local and international friends. H.O. recs was also the D.I.Y. hardcore punk record-label that Phill ran. His distro was named Eat Your Shit. Professionaly he was a laywer for the Roma community, working for the non-profit organisation DROM. Filip passed away in 2016 (cancer).

The first issue of Hluboká Orba was published in 1993 (soon after Czechoslovakia broke up), inspired and helped by Malárie (Martin Valášek). There were 18 issues during the former century (between ’93 -’99). Several of these are made available online via the (Czech-Slovak) Archive of DIY Fanzines.

#1 (1993) is with ‘Resist’, ‘Trottel, Stres (Cze) & Scum distribution, and has a report on riots in France, etc. #3 (’94) contains interviews with ‘Hiatus’ & ‘W.O.R.M.’, sections with news (entitled “communication not consumption”) and letters; plus an article on poll tax riots, and more. #10-11 (’96) features the Japanese bands ‘Power Of Idea’ & ‘Disclose’, ‘Správny Smer’ (Svk); there’s also a report on riots in Berlin, a talk with animal-rights and environmental activist Rod Coronado, a conversation with Luboš Vlach (Šot recs), a scenereport from Sweden, a report on the Black Hand collective in Prague and a whole lot more. #14 (’97) has stories from scenesters about their workplace (referring to Marin Sprouse’s book Sabotage In The American Workplace), a chat with ‘Disfuse’s Brian Mastrobuno (also ‘DropDead’), fanzine-reviews, scenereports from the Czech Republic & Iran, Felix Havoc (Profane Existence) vs Kent McClard (HeartCore), mucho music-reviews, etc. #15 (’98) contains interviews with ‘Lies & Distrust‘, Simon Gane of Arnie zine & ‘Masher’ (Bra); a scenereport from Brno, a report on the SlapAHam Fiesta Grande & May 1st in Leipzig, … #16 (’98): an extensive interview with ‘Ebola’ (UK), a conversation Eric Tengvall (Spit Teeth zine) had with ‘Active Minds’, a talk with ‘Malignant Tumour’, a reprint of a chat with Luk Haas (reprinted from San Jam #5), ‘Spazz’ interview; travel-report to Belgium, news from Brno, an article on on smoking and the tobacco-industry, Felic Havoc MRR-columns, lengthy review-section and more. #17 (’99) starts off with a variety of guest-columns; there’s scenereports from France & Malaysia, interviews with ‘Bad Acid Trip’, ‘The Public’ (Svk), ‘Konstrukt’, ‘Asmodinas Leichenhaus’, ‘Capitalist Casualties’ & Pavel Pečinka (author of From Guevara To The Zapatistas); an article entitled “supermarkets – new age business”, and loads more.

The issue I have (#18, published in 1999) is with Jaroslav ‘Jarda’ Ježek (Sračka zine), Přemek Hon (Czech concert-organiser), ‘Mindlock’ (Cze), ‘Nula‘ & ‘Agathocles’; news from various scenes (Athens, Berlin, Kutina, Luzern, Mexico City, São Roque, Saint Petersburg, Veneto), concert-reviews, an article on genetic manipulation, etc.

More issues followed in the new century… The www mentions a long conversation Filip had with ‘Bobs’ of ‘Active Minds’ published, in Hluboká Orba #27 (2008). #31 (2016) was a post-mortem issue…

diyconspiracy.net interviewed Filip in 2009: >>I put out the first issue of Hluboká Orba in 1993 but I was already involved in zine-publishing back in 1991. Since the beginning H.O. focuses on D.I.Y. hardcore/punk (both Czech and international) and radical politics. So far I published 27 issues, last four issues are offset printed and published in print run of 600-800 copies. I receive contributions from around 10-15 other people writing columns, reviews, interviews, so it is more collaborative effort and not 100% a ‘one man show’. The zine is written in Czech. Sometimes I send English-written interviews or scenereports to foreign zines.<<

[Translation of the interview with ‘Agathocles’ below; with help of Martin Valášek]

How do you manage to answer all that mail you receive? How many letters do you get every day? What do you do for work? Do you have any free time at all apart from the band and work?

I work as a socio-cultural worker for an organisation supporting people with disabilities. The purpose of my work is to organise employment-preparation for people with disabilities and to help them find a decent job. I also have meetings with employers, where we talk about the work-involvement of these people, their school-education, etc. In addition, I help organise international holiday-camps for children with disabilities. So far we’ve had camps in Belgium, Spain, Italy, … We will have another one in Slovakia in November. First we will go to Bratislava and then spend a few days in the Tatra mountains. Of course, all this takes up a lot of my time. In addition, I also like to travel – to historic cities, forests, lakes, … and spend time with friends. As for the letters: I think I get about 5-10 of them per day, and I answer them all. I think every letter deserves an answer because it took people time and effort to write it. I hate it when someone doesn’t write me back. This whole DO IT YOURSELF thing is based on communication and mutual support.

What d’you think about the future development of grindcore? Isn’t the style a bit unoriginal and repetitive? It seems to me that a lot of bands sound like ‘Napalm Death’ or ‘Agathocles’ these days. Is there still room for originality in grindcore? Any good new grind bands you’ld recommend?

I can recommend a lot of (new) bands in the grind/mincecore style. For example, ‘Denak’ from Spain is a killer band. ‘Armsrace’ from the U.S. are also excellent. As far as Belgium goes: people should listen to ‘Disjonctor’, ‘Loggerhead’ and ‘Bloodsuckers’. The killer ‘LD 50’ from The Netherlands kick some serious ass. ‘Unholy Grave’ from Japan are simply gods. Filip, there are a lot of excellent grind/mince bands out there. And yes, I think there’s still room for originality in the grind/mince movement. For example: ‘Unholy Grave’ sounds a lot different than, let’s say, ‘Rot’ [Brazil]. I think there’s a lot of variation. Grind/mince will never die! That’s for sure. Bands will break up but others will keep the flame burning. For me, it’s not so much about originality. If a band really believes in what they do, has good lyrics and attitudes, then they have my respect and support. I’ld rather listen to a very good ‘Napalm Death’ copy with good lyrics and attitude, than something brand new; unfortunately it’s often true: most “brand new original bands” have an arrogant pseudo-intellectual attitude. That sucks. I think that the problem with originality is everywhere: just look at the millions of socalled powerviolence bands that are growing like mushrooms after the rain. But to tell you the truth: I don’t mind.

You’ve been playing since 1987; where do you get the energy and motivation to continue? Isn’t it depressing as hell to see more and more bands/people losing interest and dropping out of the scene (I hear it’s pretty boring in Belgium now compared to the early 90s music-wise…)? Can you imagine your life without ‘Agathocles’?

No, I can’t imagine what my life would be like without ‘AG’. When we started the band in 1985, I was 13; now I’m 27. This band and lifestyle (‘AG’ is more than just music or a band to me.) already has taken more than half of my life. If I wasn’t in ‘AG’, I would definitely be doing a lot of work related with punk music, social activities, concerts, tapes…which I’m already doing now. My first activities in the underground were publishing zines and tapes. It must have been sometime in the early 80s when people laughed at me for being so young and interested in this shit. Fuck that. I get energy and motivation to continue playing with the band from people like you, Filip, people who are active in the underground and DO IT YOURSELF scene. What we do, really brings change; even though they may be small changes but they still have weight. It’s all about being active, taking your life back into your own hands, doing something yourself instead of the passive consumption that too many young (and older) people fall into. If this system doesn’t give you alternatives, then just create your own. Hmm, yes, it’s sad to see so many people drop out of the scene and choose a different path. But it’s their choice and if that makes them feel better, then that’s fine with me. As for the Belgian scene: I don’t really like the Belgian scene of the 90s. Of course, there are still a lot of great bands and people here, but all in all, the 90s are too artificial and contrived for me. For me the best years were ‘85-‘89 with killer bands such as ‘Violent Mosquitos’, ‘Reign Of Terror’, ‘Extreem’, ‘D.B.C.’, ‘Distress’, ‘Complete Political Disorder’, ‘Youth Crew’, ‘Repulsives’, ‘Capital Scum’, ‘Rise Above’, ‘Disgorge’, ‘Sponky Business’, … Nowadays, Belgian hardcore is dominated by inferior metal, hahaha. Not my cup of tea. I don’t like the modern sound of today’s hardcore.

In my opinion, the three most important (best?) Belgian bands of the 90s are or were ‘Agathocles’, ‘Nations On Fire’ and ‘Hiatus’ – what do you think of the other two? Each of these bands come out of a slightly different barrel – have you ever played together?

I really like ‘N.O.F.’ and ‘Hiatus’. It’s a shame that both bands broke up. I think ‘N.O.F.’ are doing some reunion-concerts from time to time. We’ve played with ‘Hiatus’ many times and they’re great people. I don’t think we ever played with ‘N.O.F.’. We were supposed to play with them once in 1991 but in the end they didn’t perform. They were replaced by the French band ‘Scraps’, which is also a killer band; they also have the same singer. People from these bands are still active: Jaak, the drummer of ‘N.O.F.’ has a health-food store that sells a lot of vegan food and clothing made from natural materials. As for the guys of ‘Hiatus’: some of them play in ‘Unhinged’ and as far as I know they still organise concerts in their city, Liège, in the French-speaking part of Belgium. (In Belgium we have three parts: a French-speaking part, a Dutch-speaking part and a German-speaking part. I speak Dutch).

You already played in the Czech Republic several times; do you still remember the first concerts here in the summer of 1993? (I do!) Do you see any differences between the concerts here and for example in Belgium or other places where you played? And what do you think about people asking for a signature?

About signatures: I used to hate putting them, but now I don’t care. Look, when you make a signature for someone, other people say you’re a fucking rockstar because you sign autographs. On the other hand, if you don’t sign, then you’re a rockstar to her/him too. And no matter what you do, someone will always call you a rockstar, hahaha. I don’t mind signing autographs. I know what I am and so do my friends. so I can’t be bothered when some politically correct fool calls me a rockstar. That’s her/his problem, and despite all these little ‘pseudo-problems’, these dogmatic PC-people don’t see the real big problems. If a signature makes someone happy, why not?

Yes, I remember the concerts we played in ‘93. I have good memories of them. (Except for the experience with the Slovak police; fucking dicks.) We played in Bohumín and Trutnov. Both concerts were, I think, excellent. In Trutnov, Otto, the drummer of ‘Selfish’, sang Miks Haluat Tapella [“why do you want to fight”] by ‘Rattus’. Great! Man, those were excellent times. I always love playing in the Czech Republic and Slovakia. Both countries are very nice and clean compared to Belgium, and your veggie food is totally excellent. The best food we’ve had on tour so far, really! The people are also very friendly and seem interested in what we’re doing. Compared to Belgium, it seems that people here are more involved in D.I.Y. activities, because at concerts in the Czech Republic and Slovakia I see a lot of people selling records, cassettes, T-shirts. I think it’s great. Maybe I’m wrong but that’s the impression I have, as a Belgian.

You’ve also played in quite exotic countries such as Turkey and Sardinia, can you tell us something about that? What’s the scene like there? Any interesting experiences or memories?

Compared to your country, the scene there is very small. People usually only know the ‘big’ (read: mainstream) punk and metal bands. It seems that not many people are involved in the underground and D.I.Y. scene. But everything was réally well organised and the food was excellent. Yes, great vegetarian food. In Turkey, in Istanbul, we were in a shopping-arcade where there were several stores selling punk and metal music. You could buy a blank tape there and for a modest fee the owner would record any music for you. That was really funny because we don’t have that in Belgium. People in Turkey and Sardinia are extremely friendly. Very hospitable. We did radio-interviews in both countries. Haha, it was really funny: we’re banned from the radio in Belgium, hahahaha. I would like to thank all the people in Turkey and Sardinia who made it possible for us to play there and have a great time. Thanks a lot my friends. I hope you’re all well – I haven’t heard from you in ages. I should add that we played in Sardinia in 1992 and in Turkey in ‘96.

You must be a fervent collector of records. How many do you have (roughly)? If there was a fire in your house and you only had time to save three records, which ones would that be?

I don’t know exactly how many records I have. I think around a thousand but I’m not sure. I should make a list of all my records but I don’t have the time. Maybe someday, when I find some spare moments. Man, your question about the three records I would save: that’s awfully complicated. I’ld probably get the ‘Repulsion’ LP Horrified, the Apocalyptie Raids mini-LP by ‘Hellhammer’ and also the Hatred? CD by ‘Unholy Grave’. Man, it’s really hard. If I could, I’ld also take ‘Death Srike’, ‘Neos’, ‘Revenge Of The Whores’, ‘Malignant Tumour’, ‘Niet’, ‘Radegast’, ‘Eskorbuto’, ‘Kortatu’, ‘Lärm’, ‘Celtic Frost’, ‘The Bastards’, ‘Kaaos’, ‘Kuolema’, ‘Sekunda’, ‘Gai’, ‘G.I.S.M.’, ‘Zouo’, ‘Confuse’, ‘On-Birds’, ‘Disorder’, ‘Terveet Kädet’, ‘U.B.R.’, ‘S.O.R.’ [Sistem Organizirane Represjje], ‘S.L.O.D.’, ‘Snot’, ‘Sea Monkeys’, ‘I.R.A.’ [Ideas de Revolución Adolescente], ‘Olho Seco’, ‘S.M.S.’, ‘Rapt’, ‘Electric Deads’, ‘S.D.A.’, ‘Razzia’, ‘D.N.A.’, ‘Bombanfall’, ‘Poison Idea’, ‘Arroganta Agitatorer’, … I’ld rather hope my house never burns down, I guess I wouldn’t choose never.

In one of your lyrics it says “Love is just abstract, it’s something I can’t feel…”; really? Do you happen to have a girlfriend?

Yes, I have a girlfriend. I think we’ve been together for about 6 years now. I think love is abstract. My view of it is more sociological. I see love as a social contract or interaction between two people. It always has to do with giving and taking, making compromises. Ha, that seems like fucking politics. In this relationship, one between two people, both want to feel good and fulfill their wishes and needs, but the third partner is also the relationship itself, which must also be healthy. And in order to be healthy, everyone has to give up something, to get something from the other. Looks like a barter, haha. Well, I don’t believe in unconditional love, because loving someone unconditionally makes you a slave to the other person and (s)he can rob you of all the things that were important to you before. I don’t want that to happen to me because I’ve seen it so many times before. I guess I’m not a very romantic person am I? Hahaha.

‘Active Minds’ state that gore lyrics and graphics are disrespectful and it’s just a substitute for bands that have nothing to say; and ‘Cripple Bastards’ claim that gore is just a different form of expression/art and a way to ‘cleanse’ yourself of violence, to get it out of your system – what do you think about gore TV?

First of all, I see a big difference between ‘gore’ (fiction) and ‘snuff’ (real footage). As for gore: I like it a lot. Movies such as Braindead, Evil Dead, Bad Taste, … are really funny. I always enjoy it a lot. I don’t have a problem with artificial blood. It’s very interesting to see how all the special effects are done. As for snuff movies: I fucking hate them and I definitely agree with ‘Active Minds’ that it’s irreverent and totally perverted. I also have a problem with the graphics of bands that use pictures of people killed in accidents, murders, diseases, … I definitely don’t think that’s funny. How would people who use these kinds of photos react if I put a photo of my mother with her head cut off on the cover of an ‘AG’ record? I don’t think they would consider it amusing or as a ‘work of art’. Here and there are some photos of a stomach and intestines on the cover are perverse but in a way that you can tell which person it iss. At least you can’t recognise anyone.

In your biography you always talk about old bands that influenced you – for example ‘Neos’, ‘Revenge Of The Whores’, ‘Boom & The Legion Of Doom’, ‘EU’s Arse’, ‘Sea Monkeys’, … Could you introduce each of them a bit? I think almost nobody here knows them …

‘Neos’ is an old band from Canada who released two EPs in 1981 and ‘82. This band is simply excellent. They play very fast, biting hardcore with excellent lyrics. Sometimes they remind me of a very fast version of the earliest ‘D.R.I.’. Both EPs were recently re-released on a cheap CD. Get it if you see it somewhere. I think the ‘Neos’ bassist now plays in ‘Mexican Power Authority’, another great Canadian band. ‘Revenge Of The Whores’ [‘The Corporate Whores’ is the band; Revenge… is their album from 1984] is an old band from Germany who, as far as I know, only released one demo (in 1982). This band just rocks. The music they played back then is now referred to as powerviolence. Yes, powerviolence from 1982!!! It has the same song-structure, vibe, intensity as the powerviolence bands of the 90s, but it’s even better in my opinion. It must have been crazy to see them live back then. They’re so extreme. Their demo is only 5 minutes long. ‘Boom & The Legion Of Doom’ is a U.S. band. They released some stuff in the mid-80s and it sounded like rough, dirty and fast, chaotic hardcore. It’s difficult to compare this band with any other. ‘EU’s Arse’ are a cult band from Italy. I think they released some recordings in 1982, e.g. a split EP with another Italian cult band, ‘Impact’. The drums of ‘EU’s Arse’ had that typical ‘Discharge’-beat, the guitar was maniacally strummed, and the vocals were unbelievably rough and raspy. They sang in Italian. I love this band. [Brob: They’re still active.]

You’ve released dozens and dozens of recordings on many labels, have you ever had problems with rip-offs? How often does it happen that a planned ‘Agathocles’ record doesn’t come out? Are you planning to re-press the ‘prehistoric’ split-singles with ‘Riek Boois’, ‘V.N.A.’ or with ‘Blood’?

As for repressing the old stuff on vinyl: I definitely hope that it will happen one day. Yes, we have plans to re-release them but nothing definitive yet. There is an ‘AG’ CD coming out called Mince Core History: 1985-1990 which will have these singles and other stuff. But that will be a CD and of course vinyl is much better. We don’t know exactly yet when that will be released. As far as rip-offs go: yes, there have been some recordings where we’ve been ripped off. I won’t mention the names of the labels and the people behind it because they know who they are and don’t deserve to be mentioned, hahaha. And yes, it happens quite often that there’s a plan for a split-EP, that we record new stuff, send everything that is needed to a label or a person who says they will release it and then nothing happens. Not even a reply after millions of letters from our part. I hate it when this happens. Sometimes we don’t even get our DAT and cover-art back. Can you believe that? (Red.: Unfortunately yes.) We spend a lot of time and money preparing all these things and then it’s all useless. But otherwise we’re very happy that most people are trustworthy and honest when it comes to releasing ‘AG’ stuff. Thank you all for your support and interest.

Tell us a bit more about your collaboration with Morbid recs. Do you have a contract with them for a certain number of records (e.g. that you have to do one record for them every year or something like that)? I don’t know much about Morbid but what I’ve heard disgusts me; for example, that they forbid selling to other distributors at concerts organised through Morbid (the Grind Over Europe tour) or their ads in commercial metal magazines… Where do you draw the line between D.I.Y. and the the commercial rock scene?

I know and I’ve heard that some people don’t like Morbid recs, but as far as we’re concerned, they’ve always been very fair with us; I mean: ‘AG’ is a band established on autonomy and D.I.Y., and we don’t want to be puppets in the hands of some label. The contract we had with Morbid recs (I write “had” because we no longer have one with them.) was to release two studio-albums on their label. Those were the CDs Thanks For Your Hostility and Humarrogance [both 1997]. We’ve known Morbid recs for a very long time. The first record they released for us was the split-LP with ‘Lunatic Invision’ in 1991. That’s a long time ago. And we’ve been in touch ever since. Working with Morbid recs works well for us because they dón’t own us, you see. We don’t have any exclusive contract and shit like that. We can do whatever we want, release records with anyone, anytime. We see Morbid recs as any other mates in the network of friends that make up the D.I.Y./underground scene. We love working with them and they will release our next studio-album after the To Serve…To Protect [both 1999] studio-album which will be released by Vacation House recs from Italy. Morbid recs also exchange records with people who can’t afford the high western prices and that’s one of the things I really respect. I think people are too quick to judge without knowing all the facts. That’s sad. Otherwise, I consider them friends who are really into the underground and D.I.Y. but as you know, there are many different opinions about D.I.Y. and the underground.

Speaking of commerciality: what do you think of ‘Napalm Death’? They were supposed to play here and in Poland some time, and some HC bands were competing to play before them. I heard that ‘N.D.’ have changed and are now (again) D.I.Y., that they’re great guys, play for little money, etc. What do you have to say about that?

I really don’t know what to think of them. I stopped paying attention to them in 1990. Yes, I heard they went back to their roots, etc. I give them a lot of credit for their Scum LP and their old demos and live shows. And I have respect for some of the band-members because they stayed together for so long. Ha, ‘Napalm Death’ don’t actually have any original members anymore but that doesn’t matter. It’s good to see a band that’s been around for so long. From what I’ve heard, ‘Napalm Death’ still speaks out against the commercial rock-business at concerts and against fascism. If that’s true, then they have my respect. But musically, I can’t say anything about them, because I haven’t heard any new stuff from them. But you’re posing me that question, Filip. I should listen to some of their new stuff, perhaps I’ll start to like them again.

Your lyrics show a strong political engagement: d’you think they have any direct impact on people? Do you know someone who changed their views/lifestyle (e.g. stop eating meat) thanks to your lyrics? You often oppose vivisection; don’t you think that smoking at concerts is “vivisection on non-smokers”?

Hey, smoking is bad for us all. I know that and I smoke myself. I’m thinking about quiting but so far I can’t. So forgive us, we’re all ignorant stupid smokers and we deserve to die, hahaha. No really: I smoke but I try to respect other people’s opinions on this matter. If they respect me. I don’t need a naive, brainwashed straight-edge ‘kid’ knocking a cigarette out of my mouth and kicking me. Unfortunately, this happens all too often. I mean: isn’t respect an important thing in life? I will respect people who respect me! But I won’t be a slave to someone’s dogmatic thoughts, which is sometimes the case. Otherwise, when it comes to our lyrics: yeah, I truly believe they have an impact. Maybe they don’t change someone’s behaviour but it changes the mindset, which is the beginning of behaviour-change. I know a number of people who’ve become vegetarians thanks to the information in our lyrics. That’s great to see. But we’re not trying to change people, we just wanna give them information and let them know our opinions. We can’t change people – that would be a forcible change – people can only change themselves. Everyone should take responsibility for themselves and do what they want with their lives, of course without disturbing or harming the freedom of other people.

A few years ago you published a leaflet against the nazi-party Vlaams Blok, in which you wrote that if the they won the local elections, it could threaten the existence of local youthcentres where concerts are held, etc. Has this happened somewhere? Have you ever had problems with the local authorities regarding concerts? And how popular is the Vlaams Blok in Belgium today?

Yes, the Vlaams Blok is still popular here in Belgium. In community-councils they never had the power to close youthcentres, but in a town not far from Mol, they created a big ‘scandal’ because some artists performing in the local youthcentre didn’t fit their “traditional values”. The Vlaams Blok wanted to boycott this youthcentre and called for its subsidies to be cancelled. Fascist censorship. We had elections here a few years ago and the Vlaams Blok got a little more votes. But, fortunately, they’re not yet part of the government. The bad thing is that the liberals are now the strongest party in Belgium, which really annoys me. Liberal politics in Belgium just means more money for the rich and less rights for the rest. We recently had problems at a concert with metalheads supporting the Vlaams Blok. When we played, we had a big anti-fascist banner behind us on the stage and these heavy metal fuckers started shouting “Marxist rats!” at us and they sieg-heiled. We stopped playing and explained to them why we thought it was stupid to act like as idiots, and warned about the dangers of far-right politics. We urged them to stop in a friendly manner but they continued. So in the end they were kicked out by force but the fight continued. Someone called the cops and then four police-cars arrived. We tried to explain them what happened. The result was that the pigs claimed that we had provoked it all and that we should have ignored those “good fascist guys”. (Of course that’s not exactly what they said, haha.) Do you understand? In the end, the idiots still defended the fuckers. They picked them up but didn’t take any other measures (In Belgium it is illegal to shout ‘sieg heil’ with a stretched arm in public.) At another concert where we were supposed to play, about 20 nazi-skinheads wearing T-shirts with captions like “Albanian filth, get out of Kosovo, support ethnic cleansing in Kosovo, white power…” and similar shit turned up. They threatened a black friend of ours and continuously shouted ‘sieg heil’. We told the concert-organiser that if he didn’t do anything about it, we wouldn’t perform. We were the only band that stood up against this shit by refusing to play and leaving the venue, but the other bands played like nothing had happened. In addition: the concert was in the socialist centre; can you imagine? The organisers didn’t do anything and in the end they were glad that we didn’t play because otherwise there would have been a big fight. So the situation in Belgium isn’t all a bed of roses. The fight continues.

I recently read somewhere that in the early 1980s there were terrorist attacks on supermarkets in Belgium, led by some right-wing militia, and that some police-circles who wanted to move towards a more rightist political line by means of these attacks were supposedly involved. Can you tell us something more about it?

Yeah, these things happened in the early 80s. These were not terrorist attacks but extremely violent supermarket-robberies. Many people got killed during these attacks. The robberies were always very well organised, a lot of people died and at the same time the amount of stolen goods was very small (each time around 20.000 CzK [ca. 800 Euro]). The fact that each time so little money was taken and so many people were killed, may mean that it was all an attempt to create an atmosphere of menace so that the state of Belgium would need a hard right-wing government to solve these problems. It could’ve been the work of Belgian far-right movements, including the police and state-security. But no one knows the real facts. The gang that carried out these raids was called ‘De Bende Van Nijvel’, which means ‘the Nijvel mob’ (Nijvel is a town near Brussels). One of the members of this gang was caught and ended up in prison. He wanted to testify and admit everything in court. But that didn’t happen – he committed suicide in prison. Of course, he was actually killed by a higher power, a superior political force. He was just used as a tool, serving those above. To this day, it’s not known what occured and why it all happened. But we’re sure that the bastards who were behind it, are part of the government today.

And once again reagrding political issues in Belgium: what can you tell us about the recent scandals related to dioxins and the contamination of coca-cola?

I think it’s just a political game. I think that food-poisoning happens all over the world and that politicians know all about it, but they don’t wanna tell people about it so as not to spread panic. Do you know how this ‘scandal’ came to light? Our old government was led by christian-democrats and they were responsible for issues related to food, alimentation, etc. The liberals were not in the government at that time, they were in the opposition. It already looked like the christian-democrats would win the election again but then the liberals came up with evidence of dioxins in the food-chain (maybe they stole the documents about all that ???). Of course, the dioxin-scandal made the headlines in the media and the christian-democrats lost the confidence of the Belgian voters. The result was that the liberals won the election and that was only because people voted for them in protest against the christian-democrats. The politics of the liberals are absolutely shit!!! They’re only there for the rich, for no one else. And about coca-cola: ha, that was to be expected. I mean – I don’t drink coca-cola, I don’t know how these things happen but I think it occurs all over the world. It’s just a coincidence that it gets in the media here in Belgium. Maybe in other countries they manage to keep it a secret.

This question is more for Burt: tell us something about his label Uxicon recs and especially about the festival in Zichem. When did it start, what year was the best and why didn’t the festival take place this year? Are there any plans to revive it (perhaps in a different location)?

The Wee Lawaat [dialect; meaning something like “hellish noise”] festival started in Zichem in 1991. It was held in a field owned by Burt’s grandmother, right behind our rehearsal-space. The last time was in 1998 because there were problems with the neighbours and with the city-council. It’s a pretty fucked up affair because nothing ever happened during the festival. No problems – éver. So, this year Wee Lawaat didn’t take place but maybe we will organise it again next year – also in Zichem, but in a different location. Some farmers (there are a lot of them in Zichem) have already offered Burt a part of their land to organise the festival. People in Zichem don’t have any problems with the festival, they like it, with the exception of a few intolerant bastards who always spoil everything. Let’s hope next year will be peaceful. Burt’s label Uxicon recs released several singles by ‘AG’ and a CD by the Belgian death-metal band ‘Aborted’. An ‘AG’/‘Grind Buto’ split-EP will be released at the end of September [’99]. ‘Grind Buto’ is a grindcore band from Indonesia. Burt also has a great distro/mailorder and he always likes to exchange (Red.: And you can obtain dozens of AG recordings from him!). So if you want his distribution-list, just write to: Burt Beyens; Vest 36, 3271 Zichem, Belgium.

Can you describe the first concert of ‘Agathocles’? (If you can still remember it at all). How old were you when you started the band?

The roots of ‘AG’ go back to 1985. I was 13 then. Drummer Erwin [Vandenbergh] was still in the band at that time; later he played bass for a while); he was also 13. I think our first real concert was in 1987. It was in Belgium and the line-up was: Jan [Frederickx] – guitar, vocals, Ronny [Wiedijk] – bass & Erwin – drums. I remember we played together with the Dutch death-metal band ‘Pestilence’. They didn’t even have a demo out back then. Ha, that concert was really funny and shocking at the same time. People had never heard that kind of music (?) before and reacted like “Fuck, what’s that noise?”. I remember that the sound-engineer was afraid that we would blow his speakers with our distorted bass and grunting vocals. Great fun, hahaha. We also handed out leaflets about McDonalds there. We went to that concert by train because we were still too young to drive. On the train, Ronny and Erwin emptied an entire bottle of whiskey together. Maybe they were too nervous, hahaha. But they did very well. We played about twenty minutes: our own songs and covers by cult bands such as ‘Seven Minutes Of Nausea’, ‘S.S. Decontrol’, ‘Straight Ahead’ (N.Y.C.), ‘Siege’, … Yeah, those were great times and I remember them fondly. It was all spontaneous, full of friendship, fun…

How’s life in Belgium? Good/bad aspects of life for you? How d’you see your future – any plans, resolutions for the third millennium?

I like living in Belgium. One of the best things about Belgium is our social security system. If you don’t have a job, you can receive money from the state (which is, of course, our money, what we pay in taxes); when you’re ill and can’t work, you also get money from the state… At the beginning of this century anarchist, socialist and christian labourers fought and died for these rights here in Belgium. They fought for these rights ágainst liberal capitalists. But now the liberals are the strongest political party in Belgium. It’s sad to see how quickly people forget. When the liberals have enough power, they will limit these rights. That’s why I hate liberals – because they’re nothing but capitalist bastards who just want to exploit the rest of the Belgian population. I’m sure that when it comes to restricting social security rights, there will definitely be mass riots here and I will be in the frontline!!! In addition to the fact that Belgians have rather limited views on things happening around them, I think they also lack foresight. I behave very impulsively, I act without thinking about the consequences of my behaviour.

We also have a lot of nice places to visit in Belgium. Cities such as Bruges, Ghent, Virton, … are really nice. And we also have wonderful nature. As for my own future, my partner and I are trying to buy a house (Red.: What?! So that will be the end of the classic address Asberg 8, Mol?! It’s a piece of grindcore history!!!), where I would like to set up my own studio. With ‘AG’ we will continue what we are doing now. Let’s wait and see what the future holds.

I’m running out of sensible questions and I don’t want to waste any more of your valuable time, so let’s wrap this up. Any final comments?

Thank you very much for your interest in ‘AG’ and for giving us space in your life, Filip. I really appreciate your support. Thanks, my friend, for a very interesting and thoughtful interview. It was a great pleasure for me to answer your questions. Good luck with the fanzine in the future and of course with your great band. I look forward to meeting you again sometime. Thanks to everyone who took the time to read this. I hope it was at least a little interesting. I would like to say something to all of you: please try to be a little more tolerant of each other. I know that there are many different fractions in the underground that are separated from each other, due to different musical tastes, small differences of opinion. (Why the contradictions between vegetarians and vegans? We’re all fighting for the same thing.) I know it sounds stereotypical and sloganesque but we should all stick together, forget our small differences and create one big, united front against our main enemies such as fascists, racists, capitalists, homophobics, … There’s also a big problem with organisations and movements that fight for the same thing but don’t want to co-operate because of minor differences of opinion. We will definitely never win with this attitude. We have to stick together, organise and focus on our common goals and interests. That’s the only way to win. I know I don’t always act like this myself, but I try. And if everyone tried just a little bit harder, maybe we would achieve some better results and who knows, maybe we would come up with new and more effective methods and ideas! Anyway, I wish you all the best, keep being active and creative, support D.I.Y. and the underground. Thanks again, Filip, for this decent interview. MINCE CORE FOR ACTIVE MINDS.

BIOGRAPHY

‘Agathocles’… Just an inadvertent mention of this ominous name rips your brain out and gives you a headache…

We return to the past of the band: on August 24^th, 1987, a fatal accident happened somewhere in Belgium. A woman was ripped her guts out when she fell on a sharp object and died of the severe injuries. For ‘Agathocles’ it was an excellent opportunity to get together with the core of the band. That’s how this sinister act grows to become one of the strongest, most enduring and most obsessed bands in Western Europe. They started following gloomy paths and several noisy, heavy projects of Jan Frederickx and Erwin Vandenberg – such as ‘Hellsaw’, ‘Mayhemic Squadron Of Dead’ (‘M.S.D.’), ‘Menstrual Garbage’, ‘Extreme’ – might seem forgotten.

Erwin opted for the drums and occasionally swapped guitars and drums with Jan. Then a capable bassplayer, Ronny Wiedijk, was found. They were motivated by the huge success of their first hits. The trio managed to work intensively on their own compositions. Later they teamed up with guitarist ‘Jakke’ [Jan] Wygers and Jan could therefore focus on his own progress. Concerts with other Belgian bands such as ‘Ear Damage’, ‘Tyfoon’, ‘Distress’, ‘Extreem’, ‘Mind Exit’, ‘Youth Crew’, ‘Chronic Disease’ followed, and also with foreign ones such as ‘Chronical Diarrhoea’, ‘Scum’, ‘Crowd Of Isolated’, ‘Cry Of Terror’, ‘Extreme Noise Terror’, ‘Napalm Death’, …

The music of ‘Agathocles’ is influenced by bands such as ‘Majesty’, ‘Repulsion’, ‘Terrorizer’, ‘Fear Of God’, ‘Carcass’, ‘Bathory’, ‘Slayer’ & ‘Hellhammer’.

…In other words, the noisy crushing of skulls and screeching travels quickly through the brain, chains rattle at supersonic speed. Their style tries to constantly identify with lyrical themes that are mostly traditional hardcore topics such as sects (Mutilated Reguritator), nuclear war (Big One), religion (Christianity Means Tyranny & Squeeze Anton), shame (Introtyl), etc. Of course, the damned story can be repeated and this is described in the song The Accident…

In 1988, these 4 ‘fools’ entered the recording-studio for the first time (Caballic Gnosticism), containing 9 ripping tracks, from torturous mutulations to humanitarian stuff.

‘Agathocles’ also works on new bestial material such as Lay Off Me, Forced Pollution, Playing With Lifes, Treshold To Senility and Deceased.

P.S.: According to the latest data from the Belgian Statistics Office, as of September ‘99, ‘Agathocles’ have 35 split-singles, 8 singles, one double single, 5 split-LPs, 5 single LPs, 2 double LPs, 7 split-CDs and 10 single CDs. Listing them all specifically is a job for a masochist. If you would like to write to Jan: the old, well-known, verified address is: Jan Frederickx, Asberg 8, 2400 Mol, Belgium.

MINCE FOREVER!

Insane Society Records

‘Agathocles’ recorded their side in the spirit of old Swedish crust/punk and ‘Unholy Grave’ do covers of old punk bands such as ‘The Varukers’, ‘Anti-Cimex’, ‘Asocial’, … in their classic interpretation of course!!! Unconventional recordings of two grind-/ mince-core legends!!! Release: late October ‘99.