It’s been a very long time since your last release in 2004, ‘Serpent’s Embrace’. Can you tell us what has happened in the period between then and now? And why did it take so long?

Sathonys: Well, a lot of line-up changes, sadly! Our old vocalist Frank "Akaias" Nordmann moved to Norway, our drummer Matthias left due to personal reasons, the work with bass player Eddie also became problematic, and our intermediate vocalist Jonas also left after a while. All this prolonged the writing process and led to frustration on my side- such things can suck the energy out of you, I can tell you! But with the new members, everything slowly went back to normal, and recordings for 'Phoenix' could proceed.

Can you tell us something about the new members in the band?

Sathonys: Our drummer Manuel Steitz is drum teacher, our guitarist Jan currently studies music to become guitar teacher, and our vocalist Ashtrael did play in some local bands here; we had a lot of auditions for the vocalist and he made the best impression. All are very motivated and cool musicians!

Is the music on the new album all written by you, or do others have some influence too?

Sathonys: Haha, no. Actually, I rather concentrated on the lyrics than on the musical aspects on 'Phoenix'. I was too fed up with all the changes through the past years. And our new guitarist Jan for example had lots of cool ideas, he contributed a lot; it's also a known fact that every musician in the band can contribute ideas, so it's always a group effort. Therefore we have a very wide range of styles and sounds.

What makes your new album ‘ Phoenix ’ different from the one you released in 2004?

Sathonys: Hm, every new album is different from the one before. The new material is a little more complex in detail, but rather straight in structure. There's more variety, bigger diversity. But we also had an eye on the traditions, the aura and atmosphere of the songs. It sounds different in many parts, surely because we have a new lead vocalist now (which affects the sound colour usually quite a lot), but it still sounds like Agathodaimon.

Why is it called ‘Phoenix’?

Sathonys: You probably can guess that at least one aspect deals with a certain way of rebirth; we actually refer to it as a certain kind of renewal, a refreshing of energy. Not necessarily a new start, as another aspect of the phoenix is its continuity, dying and rebirth is going in continious circles, such as the release and recording of an album.

Who is responsible for the production of the album? Are you satisfied with the result?

Sathonys: We recorded again at Kohlekeller, as we did with the last two albums already. Working with Kristian Kohlmannslehner is like working with another band member, and we know that we can rely on his skills as sound engineer.

Your songs have influences from many different styles in them, what bands or styles is the band influenced by? I for example should say: Children of Bodom, Type O Negtative and Cradle of Filth. Are there more?

Sathonys: Well, concerning Children of Bodom - this is surely one band that I wouldn't consider as influence. Surely they can play like hell, but I never liked their songs that much. I don't know if it's that easy to name influences, as influences rather come from your subconcious, we don't plan to sound like a specific band or borrow elements from others. It just comes naturally that way, as metal has its limitations, although we sometimes try to bend those a little.

I read constantly the term dark metal in your info-sheet, what is the definition of dark metal?

Sathonys: Haha, it's just a weak excuse concerning the need of journalists to have a certain label to express the style of a band with just one word. Dark metal to us means that we feature a lot of styles, but all in all, the music still has a dark and sinister atmosphere. There's elements of Death, Black, Thrash, Gothic and Heavy Metal, plus some other musical styles as well in our music.

Agathodaimon means a “good spirit” or “a personal ghost that protects you”. Probably there are more meanings, why did you choose the name?

Sathonys: Well, those would be some very, very short explanations for the meaning, hehe. The historical and mythological aspects actually go deeper, but we often also referred to the so-called riddle of the Agathodaimon, of which it is said that the one who's able to solve it, would be initiated to the wisdom of the gods. As this riddle was held in ancient Greek, no one nowadays is sure how to translate it correctly, so it will remain unsolved. To us, it's a symbol to strive for perfection, knowing that real perfection never can be reached. But we do our best.

There is more variety in the vocals on this album, do you agree?

Sathonys: Yes, because Ashtrael also can handle clean vocals, so we mixed those a lot; and he's also able to do cool grunts besides the typical "screams".

Are there plans to tour this spring and summer?

Sathonys: We're currently trying to book a tour for Summer and Autumn, check our myspace-site regularly for updated news on this!

Why should metal fans buy your cd from their hard earned money  instead of the other 200 which come out every month?

Sathonys: HaHa, good question! I'd say the reason is simple: We offer value for money. If you look at our ltd. Edition digipack, it's a 6-page digipack with a 20-pages booklet and more than 72 minutes playing time. The songs are done with passion, they vary a lot, and you'll enjoy them for a very long time as there's a lot to discover. Various moods, styles, atmospheres, sound colors.

Suppose there is life after death, which 5 albums should you definitely want to take with you to that place (heaven or hell or how you want to call it)?

Sathonys: Iron Maiden - Live After Death; Queensryche - Operation Mindcrime; Alice in Chains - Alice in Chains/Tripod; Morbid Angel - Alters of Madness; Agathodaimon - Phoenix (hehe).

Your last words to our readers are:

Sathonys: We know that we've been "away" for quite a long time, but we're back with a good album, an album in which we put a lot of effort and energy. I hope the old fans will give it a change and check out some songs- as usual, no song sounds like the other, so there's plenty to explore. And of course, we hope to see you on one of our gigs this year!