Formed out of the ashes of the much missed powerviolence kings, Benumb, Agenda of Swine have just released their debut album, Waves of Human Suffering. Lead by Pete Ponitkoff, the record is filled to the brim with the kind of savage riffery and propulsive tempos grind fans have come to expect out of a band on the Relapse Records roster. The Gauntlet recently sat down with Ponitkoff and drummer John Gotelli and chatted about their past, the singer’s time in the military, and the new album.
The Gauntlet: First off, why did you decide to dissolve Benumb?
John Gotelli: The hiatus of Benumb was not a calculated one. There were personals things going on in each of the individual member’s lives that led to us putting everything on hold. At the time, it made sense for the individual members and for the name of the Benumb. Once we decided to pick things up again, Pete had ideas that he wanted to express that wouldn’t necessarily fit in the realm of Benumb and so it was decided to try out these new ideas which finally came to be, Agenda of Swine
The Gauntlet: Benumb’s drummer, John Gotelli also plays in Agenda of Swine. You’ve been in bands together for over a decade so why do you think you guys have such a strong musical bond?
Pete Ponitkoff: Well it’s all because he's the J to the F'n G! Thats what I call him in these parts. But for real he's not only a bro, but an awesome and patient teacher who is willing to try any idea musically regardless how it first appears. He is awesome to work with always. Let’s not forget he also is pretty damn good at what he does and I am not talking BBQ right now I mean his playing.
The Gauntlet: At what stage in the band’s evolution did Relapse Records become involved?
John: We had recorded six songs that were going to be our initial split, 7”, whatever we could put out. We also planned to shop these 6 songs around to various labels and see who would be interested in putting them out ‘as is’ or have us record 6 or so more songs to make it a full length album. The first stop we made was Relapse. We have had many successful years with them and everyone is like family down there, so when they made their interests clear, it was a great feeling. We could not have asked for better. At that point, we all decide to record the additional songs and make it a full-length album.
The Gauntlet: There is a definite less traditional grindcore approach on Waves of Human Suffering to the latter Benumb material. What kind of stuff influenced the writing?
John: Not a whole lot changed as far as influences and overall writing process between Benumb and the new Agenda record. We did not set out to make it a point to grind less or put more driving riffs in. The writing just evolved a certain way, it felt strong and it ended up becoming, ‘Waves of Human Suffering’. There are no limits and the door is completely open. If on the next album, we start writing and it turns out to be 30 one-minute grind songs than that is what it will be. It all depends on what starts to flow, but we definitely have not been trying to take a particular approach.
The Gauntlet: It’s widely known that you spent time in the U.S. military. How did that help shape the lyrical content this time out?
Pete: It helped shape the lyrical content but not in the way one would suspect. While in Benumb I had written a song or two criticizing the American occupation of a certain Slavic country. Because of the lyrical content of those it could be easily translated as objection to the ideals of war. With this translation and my participation in Operation Iraqi Freedom, this quickly embodies the criteria of hypocrisy, and it’s not a fun place to be. So this time around when writing lyrics I made a conscious effort to make sure I would be less likely to be eating my own words.
The Gauntlet: There is a definite anti-American feeling throughout the world since the Bush regime. How did you deal with that when you were serving?
Pete: The world is not as black and white as that. During my time there was still some support towards the administration and probably there still is.
The Gauntlet: Did you keep up with the underground scene while you were away?
Pete: It was more like everyone took time out of there busy lives and checked in with me. I really don’t want to make this into a name dropping session, so I will keep individuals anonymous but people for from the following parties graced me with their correspondence. Individuals from the Burnt Ramen, Gilman Street, Six Weeks Records, Short, Fast and Loud, Prank Records, and Life Is Abuse camps all kept in touch with stuff. I received care packages from the Relapse Records, Fuse, and Metal Maniacs camps. Everyone offered to send care packages. But that would have been an abuse of friendship.
The Gauntlet: Your vocals are definitely still harsh but you retain a clarity that wasn’t there before. Was this a conscious decision?
Pete: I have a limited range and skill so I did the best I could with what I have. Jeff, Emad and John helped me a lot to try new vocal lines. I had to step up my game look with the guys I am playing with! LOL
The Gauntlet: “Conditioned For Failure” has some interesting lyrical stuff going on. Can you talk about that track in particular?
Pete: In a nut shell it primarily addresses, conviction and asking ourselves, though we know the difference between right and wrong how often do we act on it, with the way we treat people. Do fall prey to the stereo types or phobias which we know are messed up.
The Gauntlet: Can fans expect some kind of tour from the band or will it be more of a sporadic thing when it comes to live appearances?
John: It is safe to say that we try to play out consistently here in the Bay Area, as time goes on you will see Agenda of Swine on some of the summer fests and other shows here and there. Everyone in the band works full time and has obligations here at home, so it does become a difficult task to get out on the road as much as we would like. We will definitely be trying to hit up as much as we can with the resources that are available to us.