Interviews: Algebra

On this new occasion, we have had the opportunity to interview the Thrash Metal/Death Metal band Algebra from Switzerland. Check out the interview and follow the band on their FACEBOOK PAGE.

1. Where did the name Algebra come from, and what inspired you to choose it for a thrash metal band?

We were fans of bands like Metallica, Pantera, Sepultura, etcetera, and for some reason, we thought of the word "Algebra" which also had an "A" at the end. It was kind of silly, but we found it somewhat memorable. So we went with it and somehow managed to have it take on different meanings as we kept on going, with themes like science, algorithms, and A.I. that are very present on our 2019 album "Pulse?" for instance.

2. Looking back, what does the Chiroptera era represent in the band's history?

It was particularly important to me for several reasons:

1) It is the first album we made after the 3 other founding members decided to leave the band to focus on other priorities.

2) It is the first album with my buddy Nick Abery on guitar. Our main challenge was trying to keep the Algebra blueprint, while incorporating more of Nick's and my own styles into the equation. We decided to down-tune our guitars to D standard (more suited for my vocals) and add even more influences outside of the realm of old-school thrash.

3) We got to work with great people. We were honored to have Victor Brandt (i.e., Dimmu Borgir, Entombed AD, etc) play bass on 4 songs, since we are huge fans of all his bands. We also had my good friend Sébastien Pittet (ex-Augury) play bass on two tracks, and another buddy Florent Duployer (Kakothanasy, Anachronism, ex-Cenotaph, etc) deliver some fantastically technical drum work. We got to record drums and vocals with our good friend Raphaël Bovey, who is a brilliant producer who also mixed and mastered our latest "Live at RKC" album. Our buddy Dave David (guitar tech of no less than Richie Blackmore, Hypocrisy, The Haunted, At The Gates, and many more) helped shape the guitar sounds of the new Algebra 2.0. And of course, Andy Classen (ex-Holy Moses) did a great job mixing and mastering "Chiroptera" as well as the previous 3 studio albums.

In the end, "Chiroptera" turned out to be a very challenging album, given all the changes that had occurred and the weight on our shoulders to create something that would be up to the standards of what we had done with the original line-up. After we finished and released it just in time to go on tour with Vektor, Cryptosis, and Comaniac, I was rather burned out. I don't think I managed to answer any interviews or promote it properly, so for that reason, it is really nice to have a chance to look back and discuss it during this interview.

3. Why was the show at The Rocking Chair selected as the performance to document and release?

We talked to our friend Robin Grangier from Retrovizer, who wanted to put a mini festival together in our area. We thought it would be a great time to capture the performances of all the bands, so they could all make a live album out of that evening. You can go check out Shrooms Circle, Retrovizer, and DarkFlow's videos from RKC as well. For us personally, it was the right time to record the last concert of the "Chiroptera" cycle, before moving on to new things.

4. What made “S.O.B.” the right choice for the first live single and video?

As the first song the band ever wrote and recorded with vocals, it is an important part of our history and kind of a template for what the future Algebra would be. It is quite old-school and thrashy, and usually works quite well live. This song was chosen as a tribute to the history of the band and its past members. And while the lyrics are quite basic and naïve, they were the first ones I ever wrote for Algebra.

5. How different is the energy of Algebra in a live environment compared to the studio?

It is much less controlled than in the studio, which gives it a spontaneous charm. We don't use any click-tracks or overdubs, nor do we plan any choreographies or speeches. This way, it's different at every show. In the studio, we are usually more focused on getting everything tight and on how to play or sing certain parts with the right intention. On stage, it's just all about having fun and trying to get the crowd moving.

6. What do you remember most vividly about the January 20, 2024 performance captured on Live at RKC?

There was a good turnout, which was encouraging. We were concentrated on pulling through the mistakes and technical issues we encountered, because we had decided beforehand to publish a live album. In the end, we managed to keep all the songs. You can hear some issues and imperfections, but it turned out better than expected. Hopefully the imperfections add some charm, especially in this day and age where music seems to be a bit too perfect.

7. The recording feels very raw and authentic. How important was it to preserve the imperfections and real atmosphere of the show?

We wanted to give a live rendition of the songs and incorporate as much of the live atmosphere as possible. There were some mics to pick up the crowd that didn't really work as intended, so our drummer suggested that we incorporate the sound from some of the cameras as well. That added a lot of depth to the mix. Our mixing and mastering engineer, Raphaël Bovey, definitely helped to make this a great live album. A lot of people commented on how good it sounds, so we have to acknowledge what an incredible job he did.

8. Thrash metal has always thrived on live energy. What does a great thrash crowd look like from the stage?

You know the show is going well when the crowd is headbanging and moving. That's one of the main reasons why we do this: to share some crazy and fun moments together with the crowd.

9. How has Algebra evolved musically since the band's formation?

Technically speaking, our endurance, speed, and tightness are probably better now. Musically, I think we are more versatile from all the experience we acquired in different bands and the influences we try to incorporate. I think the best is yet to come!

10. Your sound combines classic thrash aggression with groove and death metal influences. How did that blend develop naturally over time?

Since we all liked a variety of styles, we felt like adding parts to make our songs and albums more dynamic. We might, for instance, add a groovy chorus, a brutal breakdown bridge section, or an acoustic part with a melodic solo to surprise the listener and keep things interesting. We also didn't shy away from melodic singing now and then. Another thing we've tried to do since the beginning is take a riff or melody and twist it in different ways, to repeat the same themes within a song, but also add an element of surprise to them.

11. Which bands had the biggest influence on your songwriting and playing style?

The DNA of our music was passed on to us by old-school thrash bands like Metallica, Slayer, Exodus, Megadeth, Testament, Sepultura, Forbidden, Exhorder, Dark Angel and so forth, but we also tried to incorporate more modern elements of death metal, groove and prog from bands like Suffocation, Morbid Angel, Death, Nile, Pantera, Meshuggah, Gojira, Nevermore, etc. There might even be a bit of grunge in there at times.

12. What challenges come with capturing a live performance for both audio and video release?

If we didn't have such a competent team, this thing would not have looked or sounded good. Given that half of the cameras started to die after the 5th song, our bassist Jon did a remarkable job editing the video and made the whole thing look quite dynamic. Then there was the lack of proper crowd mics, which was solved by adding some camera sound into the mix to make the whole thing sound more intense and live. And finally, there were the issues on stage: Nick's stage monitor had way too much of his guitar at one point, which almost made us mess up at the beginning of our set. There are a number of mistakes we made that we have to live with, but in this case, I think there was nothing worth scrapping the project for.

Jon Emery played a major role in the video production. How important was his contribution to bringing this project to life? He spent about a year on this video, putting in a lot of his free time. His hard drive broke, and he almost lost the whole project when it was 90% complete. Out of all the challenges we had, he probably suffered the most. The choice of cameras started to get slimmer as they started to die out. All of the cameras were at fixed angles, so despite these limitations, he did a great job capturing the right moments and making the whole thing feel quite dynamic. We owe him a lot for the success of this project.

13. The cassette edition is limited to only 50 copies worldwide. What inspired the decision to release such an exclusive physical version?

We contacted our friend Andy Lutz from Oss Da Mord Records, because we loved working with him on our Pulse? and Chiroptera albums. Cassettes are kind of a hard business nowadays, and live albums are even harder to sell and promote, so he suggested just making a limited series. We also got our friend Alex Fontanini from Metalworld to release a super limited edition CD digisleeve version, which also looks super cool. There are only 99 copies of the CD, hand-numbered, with about 60 copies signed by the band. We love how the CD and cassette turned out.

14. In an age dominated by streaming, what makes physical formats like cassettes and CDs still meaningful to you?

If it is well-made, then it's a nice object for fans to have. On top of that, some people prefer boycotting streaming services or may find that music sounds better on cassette or on vinyl, for example. To us, it feels great to send something to people who still care about getting the physical object, knowing that they will take the time to look through it, place it into their record player, and perhaps actually listen to it until the end.

15. How involved was the band in the visual and artistic direction of the release?

We didn't have too much work here because we had some very competent people who nailed it right away. We talked a bit with them, and they made it happen. First, our friend Mike Cotton-Russell came up with the cover, which we wanted to be based on the "Chiroptera" painting by Adam Burke. His first proposal was perfect: a stripped-down and darker version of the bat. Then, the layout of the cassette and CD was done by Andy Lutz (Oss Da Mord Records) and our friend Rayan Gregoir.

16. What was it like working with Adam Burke, Mike Cotton-Russell, and the rest of the creative team behind the artwork and presentation?

Adam Burke is an amazing artist I've had my eye on for a while. I found the artworks that would end up on Pulse. and Chiroptera on his website. The rest of the band were immediately convinced when I shared these with them. And Mike is a childhood friend of Nick and mine, so it is really easy to communicate and do these projects together. He is a very nice guy and a multi-talented artist. Andy Lutz (Oss Da Mord Records) and Rayan Gregoir are also great people who nailed the layouts of the cassette and CD right away.

17. How has the Swiss metal scene influenced Algebra's development over the years?

I'd say the bands that had the most influence on Algebra started in the 80's, i.e., Coroner, Celtic Frost, Poltergeist. But personally, I am also a huge fan of more modern bands like Nostromo, Unfold, Herod, and also a band I just joined a few years ago called Impure Wilhelmina.

18. What do you feel sets Algebra apart from other modern thrash bands?

Not sure exactly how unique we can claim to be, but we try to keep it thrash while not limiting ourselves to thrash. And if you were to hear the demos we have in the works, I think we are going further in the direction of branching out.

19. Looking beyond Live at RKC, what's next for Algebra?

We are going to take a break from live shows. The writing for the next album is quite advanced now, so we will focus on polishing up the songs and try to have it recorded this year. There is also a lot of extra material that could show up on later albums, so lots of exciting work ahead!

20. If someone has never heard Algebra before, what song would you play for them first, and why?

I would probably show them Resuscitation (the first single from "Live at RKC"), since it has all of the main elements of Algebra: fast/aggressive thrash, death metal parts, groove parts, and a progressive structure: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WCA5QIE61nY

Thank you, Breathing the Core Zine, it was a lot of fun answering these questions!

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