Forked Tongues: Alpha Signal – Primitive Vices: Hordes X 2022 interviews
At Hordes X, we like to start strong. We make no secret of the fact that we have great pride in our openers, and 2022 is no different.
The bands kicking off both our stages are notably something special, but each for different reasons. However, as the quest is to find fresh, underground talent, you might not be aware what they are all about. So, we asked them, starting with the first band on Stage 1 this year, Alpha Signal.
Rachel Best (vocals): “Alpha Signal is at its core fun. We are here to put on a show and entertain which I feel we do every time we are on stage. How we do that is by enjoying every moment. It’s such a rush being on stage and we all know not to take it for granted and we all know how lucky we are to be able to do what we love. It’s hard work but it feels effortless when your able to do something you love.”
Having witnessed them live, we can confirm that they are a lot of fun to watch. That said, they are probably the least heavy band on this year’s lineup. Do they often find they are booked with more “metal” bands than hard rock?
Allan Mayberry (drums): “Honestly, we are usually billed with bands who are similar, but since M2TM it’s opened a whole new set of opportunities.“
“I guess with how visceral our on stage performance, is we bring the metal without having a traditional heavy sound. This provides us with the challenge to deliver a big, stonking, new, heavy tune to warm the crowd up, and get the party started.”
As you can see from the video below, bringing that party atmosphere is no challenge for this Glasgow outfit. But what future plans do they have? Where would they dream of playing? And what should we prepare for on September 24th?
Rachel: “Nothing is booked yet, but we are working towards an LP/album soon. Got a couple more tunes to release this year to keep y’all on your toes until that time comes.”
Kevin Pass (bass): “Download is a goal for festivals, but what band wouldn’t want that honour? Reading and Leeds is always a shout too, but it’s a hell of a step up being invited to Hordes X, and we can’t wait to get up and do what we do.”
Liam Brady (guitar): Alpha Signal on stage is like a bunch of kids being given blue smarties and og Sunny D! So, bring your comfy shoes, because your gonna need to jump to the beats, and be prepared to feel the energy of an Alpha Signal set.
Forked Tongues: Alpha Signal – Primitive Vices: Hordes X 2022 interviews
Moving on to Primitive Vices, who will peel back the curtain on the 2nd (heavier) stage, we find a band with a sound all of their own.
You can check out a sample in the track below. Bone Mountain comes from their recent album, Savage Sonic Sermons, but there’s more to it than that.
Dan McVie (guitars/vocals): “Someone described us as ‘stoner thrash’ one time, and I liked the sound of that, and think it fits us well, even if it’s not a real sub genre. Our influences are High On Fire, Mastodon, Gojira, and Baroness to name a few. We love big heavy riffs, infused with melody, cleans, and some progressive elements. The reception of the album has been fantastic! People who have heard it have given very positive reviews, with some people saying it sounds very ‘fresh’ to the local metal scene which we are very happy about.”
As a band, they are pretty new, starting right into covid & lockdown. This always makes one wonder what the writing process was like, particularly for an album. You have to suspect it would bring some significant challlenges.
Dan: “Me (guitar/ vocals), Willie (guitar/ vocals), and Bob (drums) have actually been jamming with each other for about 6 or 7 years. Mainly just an excuse for us to hang out, get stoned and drunk, and play riffs. So most of the songs on the album have been around since those early days. Then when lockdown hit, we really wanted to make ourselves a ‘real’ band and start gigging as soon as we came out of lockdown. So we found Arron (bass/ vocals), or he found us, and started really working on getting gig ready.”
“We only had the music for these songs, as none of us were vocalists.“
“We didn’t really want to get another person in either, so we decided we will give it a go ourselves, and split them up between us, Mastodon style. Once we got lyrics written, and started putting them with the music, it all just came together. Then we had an album worth of material that we were very excited about. Then naturally, we were off to the recording studio to record it.”
So it sounds like they have a lot more foundation than you might think at first glance, but what, ultimately, is most important to them as a band?
DAN: “RIFFS! It’s all about the riffs, having a good time and not taking things too serious. Being in a band is all about having fun and playing the music you wrote with your friends, not to ‘make it’ or think wonders are going to come from it. We do our best to write the best music we can but also being very realistic about it all.”
As first timers, though, we want to know their message for the Hordes. What should we expect when they hit the stage?
Dan: “Listen to the album, get yourself familiar with the songs and get ready to rage! I remember Hordes from 10+ years ago when I was a teenager, so to be playing the fest now in 2022, it’s a really awesome feeling. Expect to see us partying the whole day, and getting down with all the bands. It’s a killer line up, and for sure going to turn into a messy, heavy metal vomit party.”
Event details
Hordes X 2022
Venue: Beat Generator Live, N Lindsay St, Dundee
Date: Saturday September 24th
Doors: 3pm
Ages: 14+
Entry: £25
Artists: Saor, Karybdis, Catalysis, Drekavac, Shadow’s Far, Volcano X, Aeons, H8teball, Bloodthread, Nocturne Wulf, Extort, Primitive Vices, Alpha Signal
Ticket link: http://t-s.co/hord5
Facebook event page: https://m.facebook.com/events/398016725067653/
READ MORE ABOUT HORDES X ON SLOW DRAGON MUSIC
Alpha Signal – Primitive Vices: Hordes X 2022 interviews
