Line Up:
Alex Fonar On Vocal\Guitar
Dominik Klesa On Guitar
Radek Bacik On Drums
Well,Friends Of Aristocracy!
We speak again of our newsroom, where in a little while, we will have in all your emotions,the
interview 140 of the Aristocracy.This time, we'll talk to a Stoner Rock band that mixes elements of Punk, Noise Rock and Grunge. Their tendencies are attitudes full of qualities and intensities. We're talking about the Czech band Acid Row.They present us with their second album titled Afterglow. A cohesive answer to their first album made in 2018 which was titled Spikes. Before we start the interview, let's sincerely thank the band for answering our questions. Now yes, follow the full album and our interview with them.
A1:Let's talk about the composition work in Afterglow?
Alex Fornar:We are always really enjoying the songwriting process. Always trying to create some strange, quirky, unplayable construct which makes or not to the end.{Haha!} Anyway,we are big fans of Melvins and their let's say cubist approach to music.But,what the hell.We actually have pretty easy and clear songs in the end.
A2:Not that it's a problem, but no bassists were found for Acid Row?
Alex Fornar:Our former bassist left,so we decided to continue as a three piece. I’ve switched from guitarist to bass-player/baritone guitar player. I play on Bass VI.That's kind of a hybrid between guitar and bass guitar.
A3:How was the work with Samavayo?
Alex Fornar:It was super fun actually! We made it really last minute, so it was also a bit stressful, but I think both bands had a great time doing the record!
A4:It's gratifying to hear and see that even though Venca has left, he's still very close to the band. But, it generates our question. Did he appoint the new drummer for the band or was he found by band?
Alex Fornar:No, we found him all by ourselves! It's a pretty interesting story actually. I think Radek has more to add from his perspective.
Radek Bacik:My old band Trahir played a show with Acid Row a couple of years ago so I knew guys already. Then they approached me at Stone Smoker festival 2021 completely fucked up I gotta add with: “Hey, do you wanna play drums with us?” And I was like: “Yes”,cancelled all my plans for the rest of summer and in two weeks we played the first show. Such a backstory.
A5:How did Manson's macabre real-life story enter the life of a Czech band?
Alex Fornar:He appeared high on LSD with his mom on a fucking hyena!
A6:Do you have realistic, optimistic or pessimistic perspectives on your careers?
Alex Fornar:By now. I’d say pretty realistic…
Radek Bacik:It’s never been more optimistic for me than this, I just gotta concentrate on surviving now.
A7:Some films influence the band?
Alex Fornar:Yeah. Mainly horror films and road movies…
A8:What´s the idea behind atwork´s album?
Alex Fornar:There’s a baby Charles Manson riding a hyena with his mom. We always loved collages and how it connected different meanings together. Basically you can read several meanings from this. Manson as a baby looks almost unrecognizable, pure and innocent. This creates a very interesting reflection in the head of an individual who finds out, knowing at the same time what he actually did later. The hyena with Romulus and Remus underneath predicts his wild and dark future.
A9:Was it arranged or was it spontaneous to do eleven minutes of a song?
Dominik Klesa:We were building individual parts, you can hear like 3 different atmospheres/parts in No Church on Sunday. Then we put them together and found out that it is so long, but every part had its meaning so we didn’t want to change it.
A10:Some other films influence the band?
Alex Fornar:Films were from the very beginning a huge inspiration for the lyrics, concepts or thoughts included in the text/songwriting. F.e Desert Chaser from Spikes was completely inspired by a movie Duel (1971). Music Video for No Church on Sunday is made from an old horror movie Vampyr (1932) by Carl Theodor Dreyer, Hot Rod Super Soul is about the main character Kowalski from Vanishing Point (1971) and there are many more references!
A11:What bands influience Acid Row?
Dominik Klesa:Me and Alex, we had similar music taste I would say since we came through puberty together. It started with punk and grunge(Melvins, Alice in Chains, Ramones, Dead Kennedys), later on it went from rainy Seattle down to California’s desert and to some darkness(Kyuss, Sleep, Electric Wizard).
A12:Why Is your band doing Liquid Lights?
Alex Fornar:Well. We don’t do it often or regularly. The people from Weird Visuals who do the liquid lights are actually really good friends of ours, so this cooperation was kind of exploring the limits and borders of our creative fields. And they also perfectly fit our music video and the style of our graphic designer Divá Bára.
A13:This album is conceptual?
Domink Klesa:We are actually building a concept throughout the history of our band. We were young and punky at the beginning, now the light is slowly fading with “afterglow”. New song is called “On the Edge of the Night” so you can guess what’s coming next.
A14:Does the band feel differences between Spikes and now in Afterglow?
Dominik Klesa:For me, there is a huge difference between every album/single we released.
Every month you learn something new in music or you will get a new perspective about something you already knew. So it is neverending story.
Radek Bacik:I didn’t play on any of these albums so I can judge it as a fan. I can hear a huge shift from punk to a more stoner/doom sound, everything is more polished and also heavier in general. I like this direction.
A15:Would little Charles Manson listen to Acid Row?
Alex Fornar:When he was little, maybe. But later it might have been a problem probably because he was an insane egomaniac {haha!}.
Dominik Klesa:Definitely! But his parents probably won’t be happy about it.
Radek Bacik:Hell yeah, our fans are insane as fuck so he would fit in nicely.