Originally published in ‘zine issue #38, 2007
Take two dashes of Benümb and one of Vulgar Pigeons, add a pinch of fourth member, and you have Agenda Of Swine, Pete Pontikoff’s (yes, the “Get it or Die!” Pete) new band.
While both aforementioned bands have several grindcore releases each under their belts, Agenda Of Swine can toot its own horn: the group plays lots of 16th notes, a few blast beats, and is “a combination of everything,” describes Pete, “mixed in with the old hardcore.” Musically, Pete says, the band is “everything we’ve always loved and enjoyed.”
To give a further indication of Pete’s tastes, his top 10 records of 2006 appeared in Metal Maniacs magazine’s list, and all of the bands on his list are some form or another of extreme hardcore.
On the lyrical side of Agenda Of Swine, Pete digs into areas that get his goat, basically. Besides “dealing with anger and fear” and the psychology behind xenophobia and homophobia (“how the media brings it on, plain and simple”), he also takes on the political agenda based on the religious right wing.
“Let’s cut the crap. Where I’m seriously going with this is, I’m steering away from politics in the sense of foreign policy,” he says, making a reference to subject matter he’s covered in Benümb already.
Agenda Of Swine recorded at Castle Ultimate and are planning a release of the seven songs they prepared for a demo. “We’re hecka stoked on it,” Pete says. And the band can also boast they they are now on Relapse Records.
Contact them at www.myspace.com/agendaofswine. ■
Photo: courtesy Agenda Of Swine
