UN: I was surprised to read that you guys have been together since 1996. With aggressive music bands come and go, but this shows that you guys are dedicated. Do you feel that Comity has come a long way musically since your beginnings?

Alex: Oh yeah definitely. At the beginning it was more a NYHC metal influenced type of music and it evolved to a more complex and technical approach. A lot of things have changed since our debut, both our personal experiences and musical experiences especially the live performances, gave us a new approach to the song writing process, so all of this put together made the band sound different from when it started.

UN: You guys have gone through numerous line-up changes over the years. Is it hard at times to keep everything together? Does it sometimes feel like swimming against the current having to break in new people and teach them all of the older songs? Do you feel secure with the current line-up?

Alex: Well I guess its part of a band's experience to have break ups. Sharing hard times trying to find the right line up ties people together and in the end make 'em stronger and more perseverant... I guess Nietzsche's quote "what doesn't kill you, makes you stronger" is appropriate. As for now, the line up is pretty secure, even though you can never predict if one wants to call it quits for personal reasons, there's a good connection between the 5 of us and we hope we'll keep it that way.

UN: How did things come together with United Edge? Is the band officially signed to the label or did they just license the album for North America? Is the upcoming DVD/EP going to be released by United Edge?

Alex: Well, after the press feedbacks we had for the European release on Terrorizer, Lambgoat and such, we started looking at some foreign labels that might be interested in licensing the album, and after a few contacts we finally came up on a licensing deal with UER for the re-release of the first album and the upcoming effort that'll include some video material. This should be scheduled for late 2005.

UN: What can you tell us about the DVD/EP? I'm sure over the years you guys have built up a pretty big collection of live footage. Is the DVD going to mainly consist of concert footage?

Alex: We don't really know yet what it's going to look like, but there will sure be live footage of gigs in France and Europe, and also a video that we're working on right now.

UN: While I'm somewhat familiar with the scene in France, Comity really stands out amongst what I have heard. Would you say that there is a supportive scene for this style of music or does it mainly cater to the black metal or death metal styles? There seem to be very few hardcore bands that get their name known outside of the country.

Alex: The few bands that really stand out and get to have an echo outside France are tantrum, Amanda woodward and knut , either because they got the chance to be released by a label overseas ( which is the case for AW and Knut) or because thy got the chance to play with some foreign bands that liked what they did and spread the name around. The thing about France, is that bands don't tour a lot especially outside the French territory, so they don't really get the chance to get known abroad. Now regarding the scene, bands like DEP and Converge opened the crowd to a different type of music that mixed the crowd between metal/black/death/hxc, and over here, people are getting to be pretty supportive of that kind of music.

UN: Would you say that there is going to be any chance at the US tour?I'm not sure how much United Edge could offer in the ways of tour support, but having the album out in the US definitely would spark peoples interest in getting the chance to see the band in a live setting.

Alex: There is talk of tour, since it's part of the deal, but not dates have been set yet.

UN: When writing the music for Comity, do you feel like you have no boundaries or rules you have the follow? You guys are harsh one minute and incredibly relaxing the next, covering pretty much the entire musical spectrum in a matter of minutes.

Alex: The only boundary that we try to set our selves is to have a coherent mix and not just a bunch of riffs thrown here and there just to sound chaotic. That's the whole challenge of the writing process, no matter what kind of style you blend in, always make sure it fits in the right place at the right time and adds something truly important to the music.

UN: Do you think that Comity is a band that might take people a fews pins to full understand and appreciate? The heavier elements might sink in right away but to absorb the ambient sections and longer song lengths could take a few listens. Do you think that payoff is much more satisfying when you have to dig into an album and fully explore it? Albums that are instantly gratifying are usually just as forgettable.

Alex: From my point of view, the few albums that truly influenced me are the one's in which you have to dig into. We don't have the pretension of becoming a major influence because of the complexity of the music, but we don't feel like composing it any differently.

UN: Would you say that it's exciting for you guys to have a release out in the US? But a the same time the EP is actually fairly old, are you guys excited to get some new material written and recorded for people to consume? Does the newer material differ in any way?

Alex: We're really excited about the US release, because it shows that people have some interest in what's going on abroad and especially in France which is rather rare especially in music As for the new material, it's going to be somewhat different from the previous album we released. You can have a taste of that on the 2 track EP featuring on the US release which are the latest material we recorded and that sound the closest to what the upcoming album.