Interview with ALACRAN
!!!HEAVY / SPEED METAL FROM SPAIN!!!
Welcome to the FILTHY DOGS OF METAL Webzine.
Tell us a few things about ALACRAN (Members, Starting Year etc).
Hey! First of all, thanks for this interview and giving us the chance to tell a bit more about ourselves and our music. From the start, we were another silly band, really. No spectacular biography. No fireworks. Just four young kids with long hair covering a Heavy Metal filled brain still in development. We decided to start our own band about 2012. We were then Christian ‘Oli’ (guitar), Diego ‘Petroski’ (Bass), Sergio ‘Cachorro’ (vocals) and Jorge ‘Judio’ (drums), but Jorge left the band in 2017 to live in Prague so Roberto ‘RK’ arrived. This is the current line up, and we are chugging along… Now we are still four silly guys, but music and time have made us better in many ways. We started the band because we felt that it was the right thing to do and we’ve carried on with the project because Heavy Metal has given us reasons to believe in it.
In 2023 you released your EP ''Luzifer''. What was the feedback from your audience as well as from the press?
Actually pretty good. People already knew us well in our city and we were playing very good shows opening for important bands (Striker, Ambush, Air Raid…), but the previous studio release was back in 2016. Suddenly ALACRAN came back seven years later with a new record where we put in a lotta effort and enthusiasm in and everybody said: ‘‘hmmm hmmm, these guys did something, they truly hit on SOMETHING finally’’. I mean, people felt our message and our proposition perfectly. Reactions came in quickly from everywhere; old friends and usual followers, new ears from Spain, Mexico, Argentina, Japan, Russia, now Greece… Our label, Thundersteel Records, sent our EP to some radios, magazines, shops, etc. Everything was nice!
Label or DIY and why?
Well, both in their own way. As we can see, doing it yourself lends itself to the artistic aspect more, whereas labels today are more concerned with money and marketing (no fancy studios and label producers working with you like in the old times anymore, u know). Our philosophy is giving our sound as much ‘organic’ and personal taste as possible, recording the tracks in our own rehearsal room (a barely soundproofed corner in an old farm by the city). ‘Luzifer’ has been a clear example of it. We also play our regular instruments and, essentially, we are always looking for the same feeling we get at concerts… On the other hand, a label can be a nice support as well. Thundersteel Records helped us a lot with distribution with our last EP, they were such gentle people, and we will probably release our next work with another label too, but always making sure the packaged sound u buy is our bloody, raw sound.
Is there any funny or weird story from the recordings or from your live shows that you would like to share with us?
Hehe… it was a secret for a while, but when u listen to the live recordings from ‘Luzifer’, those noisy, crunchy and obscure last two songs, u are actually listening to the proof of an illegal concert in our dear rehearsal room during COVID. We did a few during that year, taking advantage of the fact that the old farm is on the city’s outskirts. Friends, BBQ, a humongous amount of beers, people having sex on top of the drums, a smoky motorcycle suddenly appearing INSIDE the room… Those are the kind of stories and vibes u are receiving unintentionally. Of course not all concerts are the same, but we wish and we try, believe us we try.
Do you prefer Vinyl, Tape, CD or Digital Format and why is that?
Another interesting double-edged question. As an artistic and classic format, vinyl by far. Cover design takes much more importance on vinyls too, and the sound… yuuuuum, please don’t make me talk about the sound. BUT digital format is good if u wanna discover music. Yes, u can find some people who had enough time and money to reach an impressive collection of vinyl, but with YouTube or Spotify every kid in Spain, Greece, Russia, Korea, New Mexico or fuckin’ Australia can easily listen to anything, from Black Sabbath to Van Halen and all the absolutely underrated and random bands from whenever and wherever, at zero cost even if they get the pirated version of some platforms. That’s great for music, although it has other problems… Finally, CDs for road trips, and let’s not forget that the reliable tapes were always there when u were poor in past decades. Respect!
Your music style is Heavy/Speed Metal. Which are your main influences (Favourite Artists / Bands etc.)
Oh dude, the list would be infinite! But all of us love Judas Priest, Skull Fist and Muro, the main reference for Spanish Speed Metal. Those are the common roots from the early times. Skull Fist had just released the album ‘Head öf the Pack’ when we started to play back in 2012. It was crazy... We grew up under that attitude and sonic experience, burning our pirate CD’s at home, car trips, etc. Today we find inspiration in many different bands, especially from the 80’s. How they lived and made the music when Heavy Metal was not a trend yet, but some rising feelin’. And Judas Priest, my friend, they were the kings of all of that, but not the only ones. We have an important source of inspiration in the Spanish scene as well. Hades, Panzer, Banzai, Evo, Muro, Barón Rojo, Tigres… They were there before us.
Which things do you think a band should sacrifice in order to succeed? Have you ever sacrificed anything in your life for a better future for your band?
Wow! This could be the hardest question of the interview… Well, Music (any Art really) always deserves the best from us. The main problem is: can u actually give ur best if u are unhappy or even angry with ur project? First of all, a band eats up much of ur time and money, and that’s fine because there are thousands of worse ways to waste ur life. Music really matters! But success may require more and more from u. I think that if it hurts, if it is forcing u not to be urself, if what pulls you is not ur inner artist but external forces... It's no longer a band question, it's a question of the industry, and that's the point of no return. We were lucky and we haven't sacrificed truly important things yet. The challenge comes now when the band’s starting to take off. U know, ‘‘It’s a long way to the top if u wanna rock and roll’’.
Describe your ideal live show as a performance band. Have you already experienced that?
It’s Saturday night. We have the perfect stage: big enough for moving freely but not too pretentious and cold like for an Arena Rock Band (we are not Bon Jovi, we are a crunchy and sharp Heavy Metal band, u understand me). Lights are perfect, all the backline is perfect. The sound technician is our friend and knows exactly what to do. Half of the audience are all our friends, family and cool people we know, all the other half are new people coming to see us. Our girlfriends, and all the girls we've ever liked have come. People who hate us have come to criticize, and they stand discreetly in the back rows with their long shitty faces. A rising noise runs through the scene and the concert begins just when someone discovers and exclaims: ‘‘There was LSD in the drinks!!’’. The rest is just rocking… Obviously all circumstances never come together, especially about technical aspects, but we have experienced close situations. We’ve had amazing shows anyways where we were really happy ON and OFF the stage… That’s the ideal show beyond question, it doesn’t matter if u are playing inside a shoe box or into a volcano.
What attributes do you think that a new Heavy/Speed Metal Band should have in order to gain identity and be unique?
Authenticity, authenticity and authenticity. It is clear that we all have a common passion for Heavy Metal, but it is also obvious that each one of us has a different personality, different language and culture, different experiences, concerns, different interests… So why the hell do half the new bands sound pretty much the same??? Heavy Metal is not your late granny’s recipe book, u are allowed to play, investigate and be yourself. Don’t try to sound just like ur favorite band but keep their attitude, follow their sound and also do vital research. You don't have to get experimental and make weird music to look smarter and more innovative than anyone else. We believe that classic and tasty Heavy/Speed Metal still has a lot to offer, but u can't fossilize either!
Do you believe that Digital Platforms help the new Heavy/Speed Metal Bands? Which, do you think, is the ideal way for a band to promote its work?
Yes and no. About early promotion, yes of course. As i told u previously, digital platforms make it possible to be listened to everywhere. How else would u have heard Alacrán? At the moment we don't have the money to go to Greece, so… The problem is that u have another million bands there releasing new things EVERY day. At the end of the day, people have bad memories and tired ears, so the future of a band depends on live shows. How do you know that the guitarist didn’t have just a lucky day or that the drummer is not a robot? Maybe the singer can only sing lying down like Homer Simpson, or the bass player doesn't exist (do they really?). Some years ago the internet was invented in the military for logistical purposes and it has been a brilliant invention, but the war, the real action, has always been elsewhere. Don’t u think?
Tell us a few things about the New Underground Metal Scene in Spain (Bands, Fanzines, Webzines, Metal Clubs etc.)
We do what we can here. Any big city has at least a couple of interesting Heavy Metal bands working, and that’s nice. There are also other genres like Thrash or more extreme variations of Metal music whom are more popular right now. So if u take the complete scene there are in fact many things happening. The great point here are associations like Pounding Metal (Madrid), Metalcova (Barcelona), Metal Bats (Valencia), etc. They keep the spirit alive by several activities and festivals were u have the opportunity to see national and international bands from the current and past underground. The problem today are maybe the concert venues. There are fewer every day due to changes in policies and the lack of loyalty of nightlife entrepreneurs to a genre that by its nature is more demanding and less lucrative than others. We are too many bands for too few stages, and many venues set abusive conditions. But we persist!
Do you know anything about the Hellenic Metal Scene?
Honestly not pretty much, like it’s difficult enough even having a complete knowledge of ur own scene so in the end u only get a fragmented view of the Metal world. Anyway, in this hyperconnected world everything comes around… I had a coworker in a bar who was absolutely smitten by Hellenic Stoner. He said that the scene there was incredible, and from him I found Nightstalker. Also some classic bands like Northwind or Spitfire (we love 80’s early Heavy Metal in any fuckin’ corner of the globe, and the Balkans were an amaaazing place). Exarsis, Chronosphere, Violent Definition or Chainsaw are also more contemporary bands we listen to. Btw, while I was answering this question I found and I’m listening to Vice Human now.
The last 4 years, worldwide in the world, we have faced many dark, strange & new situations in our everyday life (covid, lock-down etc.) Did all of this affect you positively or negatively?
Positively. Not only because of the crazy illegal concerts i told u before. It’s true that the Covid forced us to stop playing and we missed some interesting concerts, but then we came back to the rehearsal room not to prepare the next live show anymore but to compose, spend time together, have some beers (and other secret things), listen to music, etc. We were in touch again with the essence of Heavy Metal, the spirit that remains under chords, screams and leather jackets. It was like coming back to the emotions of the first time playing, 10 years ago, but as better musicians. All we kept inside was cooked in slow fire for a year or two and when we appeared again in an ‘official’ concert it was crazy not just for us but also for people who knew us before. The music, the movements, our connection as a band… A metamorphosis happened!
What are your future plans?
An important Rock and Heavy Metal producer from the old times as Max Norman (Ozzy, Megadeth, Y&T…) recently said that there’s no real point in making a “world-class” record anymore. Well, maybe we are stupid because that's exactly our future plan! We were comfortable recording only some EP’s while doing good concerts till now, live is life, but we really want to release and leave in the world at least one good LP. It is not just about choosing a few songs and put them together so we can say: ‘‘Oh look, here’s our LP!’’ There’s no prestige in that anymore. Everything is about music. After some past idiotic stages, we now have some songs that we really believe in (the sound, the lyrics, the message) and we are working on them to compose a great album, not only from our own ego or ambition, but from the deepest respect towards Heavy Metal itself and towards people who come to listen to our work; nobody who really loves music deserves to have their time wasted or have their ears filled with shit. After this next album,we will see what fate holds for us… Stay tuned!
Thank you very much for your time & keep up the good work! The closure is yours.
Just thank u again for the interview, we hope we weren’t too boring. We will try to continue working for Heavy Metal still a little more (as Kavafis said: ‘‘Hope your road is a long one’’). In the meantime, you can follow our movements also on Facebook or on our Instagram @alacranheavymetal. Un abrazo a todos desde España!!
By Steve the Filthy Dog.
ALACRAN CONTACT:
https://www.facebook.com/AlacranHeavySpeed/
https://www.instagram.com/alacran_heavymetal/
https://alacranmusic.bandcamp.com/album/luzifer
https://open.spotify.com/artist/6zlWJpOJEx4DxcoZJpA1ON