Alexander “Alle” Hagman – Raised Fist (Audio Interview)

Posted on August 2, 2016 by Paul 'Browny' Brown

For well and truly over two decades Sweden’s Raised Fist have been brutally taking over the world with their hardcore sound and message and fans have been lapping it up everywhere they go, but no mater how many years pass, the band have showed no signs of slowing down or easing up anytime soon. Witnessing these guys in concert (especially front-man Alexander Hagman) is a sceptical in itself as you wonder how they can produce such a high impact and full on energetic set, yet still be able to hit every note played and still sound as good as they have since day one back in 1993.

Talking to Alexander (or Alle) we discussed how getting old has never got in the way of his on-stage craziness, but over time he’s found a way to be able to manage both his performing persona and his chilled out and relaxed behind the scenes lifestyle which fans might not get the opportunity to witness:

“During the show days, it’s pretty much work because we have a hectic live show which takes about 99% out of you when you’re done with that. {When touring Australia though} You start off with massive jet lag, then you go on tour and you just break yourself every night. What we do [now] is we tour and then after that we stay for a while and fly our girlfriends over, so that’s how we’re gonna do it this time.”

Which pretty much means go hard or go home during all those tour dates then sleep soundly for days after and fit in some sightseeing if possible. And why wouldn’t you, with such a long distance to travel (25 hours), most bands like to get in and get out on tours of Australia, they forget to take in and spend some quality time with our beautiful country. But when you’re in a band that has been doing the rounds for the better half of the past 23 years it becomes easier to mix the business side of touring by adding some simple pleasures and not overdoing yourself. It may not seem like the case with these guys but they’ve mastered it.

A lot of newer bands (especially those in the hardcore/heavy scene) could take some advice from Raised Fist and how they’ve managed to maintain such a successful career and full on gig performance, but when it comes to bands that have stuck out for Alle over the years, apparently he hasn’t really had too much time to notice any of late:

“I haven’t really followed the hardcore scene for the past 10/15 years. We started out really hardcore and that’s why we played fast music in the beginning, because we came out at a time when hardcore transformed from fast paced music to the slower things… and it was very important for us to do our own thing and not try to end up in any average kind of scene where every band sort of sounds the same… I mean no one will remember these bands”.

Harsh but true when you think about it, there are so many bands in the hadrcore/metalcore/ melodic genre nowadays who could be passed as the same band, I mean ask yourself this: “Have you ever thought you were listening to one band only to realise it was a completely different one?” If you answered yes to that, it goes to show how similar the influx of acts has been around the world, especially over the past 10 years. And will these bands stand the test of time? Some will if they change things up and others will unfortunately fade into oblivion trying to emulate and compete with other bands who have a very similar sound and message to what they’re trying to achieve. Raised Fist on the other hand have stayed true to their style, beliefs and dedication to make awesome hardcore punk music with a unique style that resonates with fans all across the globe and keeps them coming back for more.

Evidence of this will be shown when the boys make their triumphant return to Australia in December for a string of headlining shows you know will be brutal as fuck. The FOMO will kick in soon after if you miss out on this one so get your tickets asap and get ready to be punched in the face by one of the best heavy bands the world has had the pleasure of experiencing. Check out our full interview with front-man Alexander Hagman below