Following the release of his distinct and evocative to intense new progressive metal album Anatomy of Angels, we caught an interview with songwriter and musician Primordial Alien, to find out more about the inspiration and process for this debut, where his journey began, what lies ahead, and plenty more. Here’s the conversation in full.
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Primordial Alien – great to catch up with you, and huge congrats for the depth and intriguing darkness of Anatomy of Angels. For those new to your journey, who or what first inspired you to make this kind of music?
Thank you I truly appreciate it! It’s a great honor to be part of this interview.
You know, I was first inspired to make music by Greenday’s Billie Joe Armstrong, just watching him play guitar and sing was the most badass thing ever for me when I was a kid. It was where I picked up my first instrument, the guitar; but my taste evolved to encompass a variety of different genres. This sound in particular I took great influence from Marilyn Manson, Rob Zombie, and a plethora of other inspirations.
What is it about a progressive rock and metal that draws such passion from you, and is there something therapeutic about the creative process in this genre?
I love the guitar riffs, the loudness and raw emotion in it, the community is a huge part of my passion as well, and I admire almost every aspect of it. I find metal and progressive rock to be some of the most fun genres to play.
The creative process is very meditative and therapeutic, you can see me in my zone drooling on my guitar sometimes because I’m so focused. Sometimes when I sing or play an instrument I even cry or become overwhelmed with emotion. It’s a divine experience, and I can’t say I’d be here without it.
What does the title Anatomy of Angels represent – where did the idea come from?
Anatomy of Angels is supposed to be a phrase that sums up the album, it does and can mean a lot of things. It’s an abstract concept album with a story, each part, in a way, exploring what makes angels, well, angels; and humans, well, humans. And it’s also saying in a way that we are angels, even if we’ve strayed from our paths. Even angels are faulted. But it’s an abstract album and is supposed to carry merit for all walks of life. What it means to me doesn’t have to mean the same to you.
Xenograft is a huge opening track, melodic and fierce in equal parts, with a bold soundscape and distinct vocals at the forefront. Why did you choose this song to begin the journey of the new album?
I thought it was a good summarization of the whole essence and meaning of the album and a good starting point for the story. It’s funny because this was one of the last tracks I recorded for the album, but it just made sense to me.
Solipsist is conceptually one that intrigues and relates – what was the inspiration for this?
The album is very abstract and multi-faceted, so take this as you will, but when I wrote the story there were stages of evolution. Solipsist is when the protagonist, or antagonist, depending on your interpretation, becomes a god so-to-speak, and seeks revenge on the higher power that cursed him to resurrect eternally. As he is empowered he begins his war.
There is a lot more to it than that but that’s the gist. Like I said, it’s all very abstract and can take many meanings. So if you see it in a different light that’s cool too.
How do you craft these tracks – is this a solo effort, and are you a multi-instrumentalist?
This is a two-man act I’d say, I hire help for the instrumentation from my friend Ramon Martinez but I have and can produce on my own as well. I just prefer to focus on singing, for it takes quite a bit of effort and time.
Is live performance part of your plans or do you prefer the creative, studio side of creativity?
I would love to do some live shows, it’s just hard to find other dedicated musicians because I can’t play everything at once, haha. I enjoy studio time but never played live yet. I’m thinking I might do a live-stream concert somewhere on the internet, but I’d have to figure out the logistics.
How did you hone such an unmistakable voice – as a singer, but in particular, during those tunnel throat or death growl moments; what’s the process for that?
I’ve been able to perform what is called a fry scream since I was 14 but got much better at it since I got a coach. I train for 1.5-3 hours, 5-6 times a week, always warm up – half my practice is monotonous exercises usually. And I see my vocal coach weekly.
Is there an underlying story or concept uniting these tracks?
Oh yes, as I’ve mentioned, there is a story. Although I’d prefer for people to discover that themselves, because that’s part of the journey I want to create.
Why did you choose to add Waste as a bonus track, rather than simply part of the collection?
Mostly because it’s unrelated to the rest of the album, and a bit different in genre. I will say the Invaderz track is also unrelated, it’s just a bit off-topic, but I like to do that, which makes it fun.
What’s your biggest ambition as an artist right now?
All around just keep improving so I can bring higher-quality content to my fans. I would like to play a concert someday.
Is there anything else we need to know?
Be good to each other, and if you dig my music follow along for more, I’m not stopping!
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Find Primordial Alien on Instagram, Apple, Facebook.
