Dan Lorenzo interviews Karl Agell: A Career in Metal

In 1992 Corrosion of Conformity were starting to break. They were regulars on MTV’s Headbanger’s Ball and were touring with the biggest names in metal. When my band were on tour we played in Raleigh, North Carolina. We saw Karl in the crowd and wanted to approach him about maybe jumping on stage with us to sing a Black Sabbath song. Karl was into it. We asked him how the next COC album was going and he said he was no longer in the band. A mere 27 years later I saw Karl again in Connecticut when our bands played a show together.

A few months ago Danzig drummer Johnny Kelly and I put together a project called Patriarchs In Black. We wanted to have multiple singers. Karl was the first guy I thought of, but I had no way of contacting him. Fortunately, journalist Patrick Whitaker did. Karl sings on the first Patriarchs in Black single, Demon of Regret, out now.

Dan Lorenzo: I always thought of you as a true Southerner, but you were born in Canada and spent a decent amount of time living outside the USA?

Karl Agell: I was born in Montreal to Swedish parents who were working there at the time. My father switched up jobs and moved us back to Sweden for a bit. He then scored a new job which moved the family to Hong Kong. I was there for 10 and half years. My mother remarried to a Scottish man who lived in Connecticut, which brought me to the United States. I lived there and NYC before moving to NC to sing for COC. I guess I’m considered an honorary Southerner, having lived here for 33 years. And there you have it. I’m global, baby.

Dan Lorenzo: What were some of the biggest and most fun tours you did in support of Blind when you were the singer for Corrosion of Conformity?

Karl Agell: Opening for Danzig on the Lucifuge tour with Soundgarden on their Louder than Love tour for 6 weeks was pretty damn awesome. That was pre-Blind, actually. Touring with Iron Maiden for 6 weeks was pretty rad, too. Everyone involved was cool as hell and treated us with incredible respect. I’ll never forget.

Dan Lorenzo: When I wanted to reach out to you to see if you’d be interested in writing some music together…well, you’re not the easiest man to find. Is that by design or does the South not really have internet yet? (laughs)

Kar Agell: I don’t even have running water, my man. I wash my clothes on a rock down by the river. Use a corncob for toilet paper. Where’s my damn banjo?!? Have you seen it, (laughs) I didn’t realize that I was missing but here I am!

Dan Lorenzo: Any New Years’ resolutions Karl?

Karl Agell: Yeah. I’d like to get the word out in 2022 that I am still rocking, can still hit the notes, and still have something to say. Besides this killer project that we are doing together, I have a new band called Lie Heavy. We have over 20 songs written and will be tracking and releasing the best ones this year. So my resolution is to bring the Rock’n’Roll any which way I can.

A bit about Dan Lorenzo

Dan Lorenzo (Hades, Non-Fiction, among others) and Type O Negative and Danzig drummer Johnny Kelly join forces to launch a joint project. In addition, when you can get different singers like Karl Agell (ex-Corrosion of Conformity), Dewey Bragg (Kill Devil Hill), Rob Dukes (ex-Exodus), Mark Morales (Sons of Texas) and John Kosco (Dropbox) to lend their voices to this project for at least one song each.

The album, PATRIARCHS IN BLACK will be released on MDD Records

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