BW&BK; recently hooked up with THE AGONIST vocalist Alissa White-Gluz to dicuss the band's debut album, Once Only Imagined, and the band's extensive tour activities slated for later this year:

“We try to make sure that our live performance is as visually entertaining as possible,” says Alissa, “but also that it sounds accurate to the album. On stage it’s about the energy and engaging the crowd as much as possible, not what we wear or the fact I’m a woman and and my hair is blue (laughs). And on the album itself, we try to make every song a complete package unto itself, a complete experience. That’s what we aim for. That’s why it’s taken so long to get the album and the video (for ‘Business Suits And Combat Boots’) done. We’re very meticulous because we want to make sure we get exactly what we were going for.”

With regards to her vocal style, which seems to owe itself to singers like Cristina Scabbia (LACUNA COIL) and Angela Gossow (ARCH ENEMY):

"I’m the type of person that tries to avoid listening to any one band a lot. If I listen to metal it’s all very diverse because I don’t want to be influenced by any one person. It’s funny, though; people write to us and say ‘You must love Arch Enemy and Lacuna Coil…’ and I tell them that those bands never influenced me. They’re great bands, but I can’t really say I look up to them for inspiration.”

Watch for the full story in BW&BK; #106.

The Agonist's complete tour schedule is as follows:

August

24 - The Underground - Hamilton, ON
25 - The Embassy - London, ON

September (with EPICA, VISIONS OF ATLANTIS)

6 - Webster Theatre - Hartford, CT
8 - Mark's Place - Bedford, NH
9 - Highline Ballroom - New York, NY

September

12 - Palladium - Dallas, TX
14 - The Launchpad - Albuquerque, NM
15 - The Clubhouse - Tempe, AZ
16 - The Key Club - Hollywood, CA
17 - The Galaxy Theatre - Santa Ana, CA
19 - Bluebird Theatre - Denver, CO
21 - Metro/Smart Bar - Chicago, IL
22 - Harpo's Concert Theatre - Detroit, MI
23 - Peabody's Down Under - Cleveland, OH
24 - The Opera House - Toronto, ON

September (with SONATA ARCTICA, FIREWIND)

26 - Salle Albert Rousseau - Quebec City, QC
27 - Medley - Montreal, QC
28 - Chance Theater - Poughkeepsie, NY
29 - The Palladium - Worcester, MA (NO FIREWIND!)
30 - B.B. Kings Blues Club - New York City, NY

October (with Sonata Arctica, Firewind)

2 - The Trocadero - Philadelphia, PA
3 - Jaxx - Springfield, VA

October

6 - Culture Room - Ft. Lauderdale, FL
7 - The Haven - Winter Park, FL
9 - Meridian - Houston, TX

October (with OVERKILL)

11 - The Mad Hatter - Covington, KY
12 - Al Rosa Villa - Columbus, OH
13 - Harpo's - Detroit, MI
14 - The Pearl Room - Mokena, IL
15 - The Rock - Maplewood, MN
16 - Reverb - Cedar Falls, IA
17 - Pop’s - Sauget, IL
18 - Peabody’s Down Under - Cleveland, OH

October (with AFTER FOREVER)

19 - Mark’s Place - Bedford, NH
20 - Jaxx - Springfield, VA

November (with Enslaved, Arsis)

3 - Jesters Pub - Fayetteville, NC
4 - Tremont Music Hall - Charlotte, NC
6 - Crocodile Rock Café - Allentown, PA
7 - Webster Theatre - Hartford, CT
8 - B.B. Kings Blues Club - NYC, NY
9 - Jaxx - West Springfield, VA

November (with ENSLAVED, ARSIS, THE FACELESS)

10 - Mark’s Place - Bedford, NH
11 - Club Soda - Montreal, QUE
12 - Imperial de Quebec - Quebec City, QUE
13 - The Opera House - Toronto, ONT
14 - Peabody’s - Cleveland, OH
15 - I-Rock - Detroit, MI
16 - The Pearl Room - Mokena, IL
17 - Station 4 - St. Paul. MN
20 - Roseland Grill - Portland, OR
21 - El Corazon - Seattle, WA
23 - Slim’s - San Francisco, CA
24 - Galaxy Theatre - Santa Ana, CA
25 - Key Club - Los Angeles, CA
26 - The Clubhouse - Tempe, AZ
27 - Launch Pad - Albuquerque, NM
28 - Bluebird Theater - Denver, CO
30 - White Rabbit - San Antonio, TX

December (with Enslaved, Arsis, The Faceless)

2 - Meridian - Houston, TX
4 - The Muse - Nashville, TN

As previously reported, The Agonist will release their new album Once Only Imagined in Europe on July 23rd and in North America on August 14th via Century Media. The tracklist of the album is as follows: 'Synopsis', 'Rise And Fall', 'Born Dead, Buried Alive', 'Take A Bow', 'Trophy Kill', 'Business Suits And Combat Boots', 'Memento Mori', 'Serendipity', 'Void Of Sympathy', 'Chiaroscuro', 'Forget Tomorrow'. A North American release date is expected to be nailed down soon.

Go to this location to check out audio samples from the album.