It may not be perfect, but we give it all we have

We at the Metalheads Foundation and Metal On Loud Magazine were very pleasantly surprised by the awesome shout-out you did in our community, holding up a sign greeting our members. Stuff like that grabs our attention, great job! Was it a spontaneous action over drinks, or did you plan this?

Great to hear you liked it! It actually came up in one of our rehearsals, as we were invited to the group the day before. We had just won a award in our hometown and got spotted by one of your admins. We got into the group and saw the huge member count; we thought that kind of community deserved a special greeting.

Now that you have our attention, tell us a bit about Annominus, who are you and what do you play?

Certainly! We are five dudes from Denmark who have been going at it, in the current lineup, for about three years. We released our debut album worldwide in November ’14 and have been busy spreading the word about us ever since. In the band we’ve got Jacob on vocals, Morten on lead guitar, Nord on rhythm guitar, Peter on bass and growls, and last but not least, Mathias on drums.

Since you came in our view in a special way, I’d thought let’s return the favor and make this a special kind of interview. You’re obviously looking for spotlight, so I thought let’s see if there are step-by -step programs out there for those looking for fame! And of course there are, this is the internet! You game to see how well you’re on your way to fame?

Always up for a challenge. Hit it!

One of the first tips almost all “get famous” programs list is “be unique”, or “be recognizable”. If I listen to your first release, “End of Atonement” from 2014, I’d say all three apply to you. What can you tell us about your chosen style of Metal music? What makes you unique?

Style wise we are a mix of Rock and Metal, taking the best of both worlds. We have clean vocals, but breakdowns. We have Screamo, but clean passages. We value the opposites and the ride of an album as much as every song in itself, so we had it as a priority to show different faces of the band throughout the album. There’s something for everyone, as it was written by five people who come from very different musical backgrounds. Ironically we didn’t set out to create something unique in the first place, but to create something real. We wanted to create something that came from the heart and not from the computer, or from listening to three different artists and making your own version of it. In short, our goal was to take all the facets we loved about music and create our version of it. We ended up with a unique touch, which we are very proud of.

Is your chosen sound something that just evolved, or is it a carefully constructed sound? How does your writing process work?

A bit of both we would say. It certainly evolved over time and got refined, but a sound always evolves; it always changes. The trick is to keep up with your own pace and see where it leads you. Sometimes you have to stop and look at what you’re doing and try to listen to it compared to your other tracks. We usually do that every 2-3 tracks we write. We record them, listen to them and compare them to the older tracks to see if people can hear it’s us. On the next album—which is being written as we write this—you will see what we mean. We are taking it to the next level, but you can still hear it’s us. It’s more brutal and it’s softer, and in the end it’s a better Annominus than ever.

And while we’re on the subject, can you tell us a bit about your first album?

It was a long journey to create this album as it contains the first songs ever written by the band. The band has been through various iterations until it settled on what we are now, and this album contains facets of all those iterations. It’s about a personal journey of hardship and trials; of forgiving yourself and those around you for the ways you may fall, and in the end finding forgiveness and a better you: an end to your atonement.

One of the next things on almost every “road to success” guide is that you need to create opportunities to shine. Well, you tackled that one as well! What other opportunities besides this interview have you created for yourselves?

Well at this point we have done everything ourselves—it’s the way of the musician in the year 2016. We have paid for the whole album (recording, mix, mastering, printing, etc.) ourselves, we have made all of our artwork on socials media, we handle all the booking and promotion and we make stunts like this one right here. Our distribution of the album is done through a Danish publisher (Mighty Music) but we have paid for the whole thing ourselves. Last year we also went on a Russian tour, where we headlined eight concerts—that was a blast. A word to the wise who wants to get into music today: you have got to be prepared to be on your own and doing it your own way. It will be your own determination that will get you through. Nobody will give you anything unless you’ve fought hard and long for it.

Then there’s the branding yourselves. Having seen your live Annominus trailer with fans singing along, I’d say you even tackled that one. What does your band represent; what should we think of when we see the name Annominus?

The band represents the modern era of Metal and Rock musicians; a bunch of guys doing what they love and having a blast while doing it. We work hard to make sure that every concert we play is a party, whether there are five guys present or five hundred. The fans who come to our shows make it all worth it, and we want to be there in the moment, alongside them. We are not on a pedestal—we are in the dirt, with all of you. When you see our name, think of the picture that we put up in the group; five regular guys who are having the time of their life and invite you along to the journey. We want you there with us, every step of the way.

Talking of live, what’s an Annominus live show like? What do you offer your fans?

It’s intense—we will most likely be sweating just as much as you do at the end of the show. We will be headbanging, jumping, singing and most likely crash into one another on the stage at least once during the show. In short: it’s a party. The way a concert should be. It may not be perfect, but we do give it all we have.

Another bullet point on almost every guide to fame: get the word out! Where can we learn more about your band?

We are on most social media these days. Our main hub is Facebook, but we are also on Twitter, Instagram and Snapchat. Of course you can find both official videos on Youtube, as well as live videos.

Instagram: annominus_official
Snapchat: annominus_band
Twitter: @annominusrock
Facebook: Annominus

Let’s end with a funny one I found in one guide: surprise people with your depth. I’d say our usual last question for our artists is the perfect opportunity for that. Here goes: Do you have any last words for our readers?

We believe there is only one thing left to say: Keep bangin’!

You’re well on your way! Make sure you drop in every now and then to tell us how you’re doing and what’s new! Thanks for taking the time to talk to us.

It was a pleasure, any time!

Metal On Loud!