interview by : Hangedman
photographer : Adrian Onsen

Auxiliary Magazine’s Hangedman caught up with Pascal and Jaan of [x]-Rx in Toronto on tour with Aesthetic Perfection to hit this energetic young German duo with the seven deadlies. As the self-described gods of industrialrave, their audio assault is carefully calibrated for the laser swept dance floor. Covered in blood, gore, (and Jack Daniels) the sins are laid bare on this amazing and sometimes enigmatic cyber-industrial pair.

Envy – You have the ability to bend space and time to “steal” a song from a band you admire and call it your own, which band and what song would it be?
Jaan : Andrea Bocelli’s “Time to Say Goodbye”.
Pascal : Time to say goodbye in your face!

read the full interview in the August/September 2012 Issue

interview by Mike Kieffer

Recently releasing mind.in.a.box’s fifth full length album, Revelations on Metropolis Records in the US, and starting their own brand new label Dreamweb Music in Europe, we take the seven deadly questions to the man who has entranced us for the past eight years, Stefan Poiss, the master behind the music and vocals of the Austrian electronic music band mind.in.a.box.

Envy – You have the ability to examine the past “Crossroads” of your life and see where they would have lead you, would you want to know?
Stefan Poiss : No. I like the way how it is going and I wouldn’t want to change something and I wouldn’t want to know how it could be. I think I’m a lucky guy to live in Vienna, one of the best cities in the world, with maybe the best water in the world that you can drink from the tap, only two minutes to the supermarket, the electricity is working, the internet is fast, our waste disposal has it’s own Facebook page, I have my own studio at home and can also work at Adam’s rehearsal space (Adam is my live guitar player). And with my motor scooter it’s fast to get everywhere. So it feels good like it is. Only too much dog mess on the sidewalks here.

Greed – Do you feel the ever evolving internet world and the hording of digital friends will leave individuals feeling “Lost Alone” in the end?
SP : Yes, maybe more than ever. It is something different to have a conversation on the internet than to talk in real life. We all have a body and we are built to use it. We can’t separate the brain, the mind from us. Our mind and the body is a whole and if you only use one part too long you will start to miss something in the world… and then you are starting to be lost alone.

read the full interview in the February/March 2012 Issue

Daniel Graves of Aesthetic Perfection reveals how he sins.

interview by Mike Kieffer

Daniel Graves is the founder and sole creative member of the electro-industrial band Aesthetic Perfection. This past November All Beauty Destroyed was released, the bands third album and first to be released by Metropolis Records. With this release, Graves has carved out a highly addictive album full of witty lyrics, powerful vocals, and smashing beats.

Lust – People magazine puts you on their cover, shortly thereafter young teenage girls deem you aesthetic perfection and therefore the new heartthrob. Explain your reaction and future actions.
Daniel Graves : I think I’d just be really confused and frightened. Teenage girls are insane, I’d probably have to be a hermit and never leave the house at that point.

Sloth – Three separate friends ask you to help them move for the next three weekends, do you help out or come up with excuses? If you do indeed decide to help out, what excuses would you have used?
DG : If all three were really good friends, I’d begrudgingly help them. I’d complain a lot, but I’d help. If we weren’t tight I think I wouldn’t even bother making up excuses. I imagine I’d just tell them that carrying a couch up a flight of stairs for a casual acquaintance is not how I picture a perfect weekend.

read the full interview in the December/January 2011/2012 Issue

Ronan Harris of VNV Nation reveals how he sins.

interview by Mike Kieffer & Vanity Kills

Perhaps the most well known modern EBM/futurepop group of today, Ronan Harris and Mark Jackson of VNV Nation continue on their vigilant quest to spread their music to any willing ear. Automatic is their newest weapon, which is powerful enough to please their fans and pull many more onto the VNV bandwagon.

Wrath – VNV Nation is entered in a fight to the death battle of the bands, who would you want to square off against and what weapon would you choose?
Ronan Harris : Not being a fan of violence or displays of testosteronal inspired violence, this is hard to imagine but if this was a scene in some far-fetched, postapocalypse, low-budget sci-fi movie with Christopher Lambert or JCVD as the cyborg leader whose very word means life or death through the medium of bad acting and interpretational dance, and including some obligatory cliché punk looking folk driving around in chopped up Pintos, firing shots into the air, while inexplicable gas explosions shoot up into the sky around an abandoned factory… etc. (see 1980s for more on this)… I guess I’d go up against Belinda Carlise, if nothing for the sheer bizarreness of it all. Was she a band, even if she was a solo act? Who cares. It’s my answer. VNV vs Belinda Carlisle. Weapon of choice; I think grenades or an MP5K should do it. It’d be quick. The after-party would be awesome.

Envy – If you could put one item on your tour rider that you would always get regardless of price what would it be?
RH : When we started out we used to put “One shaved Golden Condor” and some other necessary items on the rider that you really do need on tour but people didn’t seem to have the sense of humor we expected. Hell, it was for our amusement, no one else’s. If I could put an item on the rider now that I could actually have, it would be one of two things… One, a fabric-lined, wooden box containing a bottle of an ultra rare single-malt scotch that I happen to like, and a collection of handrolled Dominican Republic cigars. After load-out, when everyone’s gone home, the whole crew would all sit around and act like kings of the road, enjoying some fine scotch and discussing the day because our crew’s conversations are hilarious and it would be the high point of the day. Two, an inflatable bouncy castle to be erected in the corner of the hall. You can never go wrong with a bouncy castle. It’s the ultimate icebreaker at cocktail parties and promotes fine conversation covering a wide range of topics. That or people would take their shoes off, get on the thing and re-join the 8 year old mosh pit club, remembering what it was like to smash their nose while flying around on one, though without a parent to run to after.

read the full interview in the October/November 2011 Issue

Former member of Atari Teenage Riot, Hanin Elias revels how she sins.

interview by Mike Kieffer

Envy – What would your reaction be to a fan getting plastic surgery to look exactly like you? Would you consider that self love?
Hanin Elias : I would be horrified! Plastic surgery already gives me shivers of horror when I see someone who had done it. I think you always see it and it just makes the person look very unsure and a poor victim of superficial narcissism and a fear of getting old is something I don’t have and I wish no one would have it. I would begin to doubt if the people really get my messages right…

Gluttony – You enter a food eating competition, what food would you choose to rule over and become the champion?
HE : I would choose maybe raspberries, I can eat tons of them!

read the full interview in the August/September 2011 Issue

Matt Fanale of Caustic reveals how he sins.

interview by Mike Kieffer

Envy – You put out a call for remixes for an upcoming album, your archenemy sends in the bomb of all tracks, how do you handle this?
Well, if the Jonas Brothers want to remix one of my tracks I’d probably release it.  Their fans will buy freakin’ anything from them.  Just kidding.  We all skin pop together and use the same dominatrix (they’re realllly into violent ballplay, which I find creepy). However, I consider my real archenemy [to be] bad oral hygiene, and I don’t even think it has a decent copy of Cubase anyway.

Gluttony – If human was on the menu, would you eat it and who do you think would taste the best?
This is one of those situations where you just do it for the story.  If I had my druthers, or even half my druthers, I’d eat Bryan Erickson from Velvet Acid Christ.  Since he’s a raw vegan he’s probably the healthiest, most organic meat out there in the scene.  If I’m going to break massive societal taboos it might as well taste good, right?  Is he going to take that as a compliment or want to kick my ass for that one?  Oh well.

read the full interview in the April/May 2011 Issue

Liz Enthusiasm and Sean Drinkwater of Freezepop reveal how they sin.

interview by Jennifer Link

Envy -  Twenty years from now a band covers one of your songs and becomes wildly successful from it, what is your reaction?

Sean : Since we would receive all the publishing money and the dollar amount would greatly outnumber any mechanical royalties the artist might receive, our
reaction would likely be, ‘right on.’

Liz : I’d hope they did a good job of it. I’d get a little cranky if they butchered it. But, like Sean said, I guess I’d have my humongous piles of cash to console me.

Gluttony -  Have you ever considered making and marketing a Freezepop freeze pop? If you could put into production any Freezepop branded food or beverage product, what would you make?

Sean : We looked into it but not very deeply. I’ve always thought a Freezepop soda line would be pretty interesting.

Liz : Years ago, an alcoholic freeze pop company got in touch with us about doing some cross-promotion. They sent us some samples, but it never really came together. Honestly, they did not taste ‘the best’. Sean has made some pretty nice drinks using freeze pops as ingredients though. They are quite aesthetically pleasing.

read the full interview in the February/March 2011 Issue

The front man of and mastermind behind Combichrist and vocalist for Icon of Coil reveals how he sins.

Gluttony – If Combichrist was stranded on a desert island, who would be the first member to be eaten for survival? And how long would you hold out until eating them?

I don’t know, the first one to be eaten… I think that would have to be, that would probably be Joey. Because both Z Marr and I are bigger than the other guys, and um… [laughs] Trevor is very good at manipulating so he would probably convince us to eat Joey before him. [laughs] So I guess how long? I don’t know, that would be until we get really hungry I’d guess.

Sloth – You get to plan your ideal vacation with no limitations. Where do you go and what do you do?

I think I would stay at home for a month. And nobody would be allowed to call me. [laughs]

read the full interview in the October/November 2010 Issue