Who is answering the questions?
Hey guys this is Frederick, vocalist in Signs Of Algorithm!
Can you tell us about the formation of Signs Of Algorithm?
Yes, definitely! We started as a bunch of guys with a passion for metalcore who just wanted to make heavy music for ourselves and for our friends. A lot has changed in the 3 years that we have been around as a band. Kevin, Didier and me are the only original members who remain of Signs Of Algorithm. In the summer of 2015 Roberto joined Signs Of Algorithm on drums. We gave him a few weeks to rehearse and then he had the ultimate test: a month on tour with Signs Of Algorithm. Everything worked out fine so we found our new drummer. After the New Horizons Summer Tour we needed a new bass player and Yochi was the perfect replacement. Now we finally have a stable line-up with members who really love music and who have the passion to spread it around the world.
How did you get to the band name Signs Of Algorithm, and what does it mean to you?
It was Didier who came up with the idea to become Signs Of Algorithm. Basically, an algorithm is a mathematical term to become a solution out of different parts. Whilst making our music we go through a similar process. We combine different genres, different patterns, different influences to build new songs. So our band name is directly connected to the creation of our very own music. That’s the story behind Signs Of Algorithm.
To an unfamiliar reader, how would you describe your sound?
Our music just got described as “a combination of head-smashing, groovy riffage and breakdowns that’ll make your teeth shatter and your gums bleed” by “Ouch That Hertz” from USA. I think I can agree with this description!
What bands have influenced you over the years, and why?
Since I grew up with bands like Metallica and Sepultura I have always loved harder music genres from a very young age. Throughout the years music evolves and when I discovered bands like Atreyu, Bring Me The Horizon and Killswitch Engage I really got into Metalcore. I loved the melodic riffs and the variation on the vocal parts! This genre motivated me to start a band like Signs Of Algorithm and here we are today!
How did you get to the album title ‘Harbinger’, and what does it mean to you?
Actually it was a tale from The Brother’s Grimm named “Death’s Messengers” that inspired me for Harbinger. In my lyrics, Harbinger is a metaphorical concept based on the fact that people are not always aware of the little things in life that can have big consequences for the further future.
In this concept people are surrounded by messengers in their lives. These messengers send subtle messages that most people ignore or just don’t see so they continue their lives in exactly the same way without thinking about what happens with what exact reason. Then people are surprised by certain events that happen in life but actually they could have seen this coming but they ignored the messages.
The underlying message is very simple: stop complaining, take responsibility and try to be more aware of the things that happen in your life!
Can you elaborate on some of the other main themes and influences that run throughout ‘Harbinger’?
The lyrics on this album contain a wide variety of hard-hitting topics. Think of subjects like terrorism, dictatorship, psychosis, heartache, …
What can you tell us about the recording process for ‘Harbinger’?
Back in the summer of 2015 we played some shows in Italy on the New Horizons Summer Tour and spend some days off over there as well. During our stay in Italy we met the guy from White Tower Records and stayed for a while at his place and recording studio. We had a really good vibe over there and it was a very familiar atmosphere so we decided to sign with White Tower Records and record the album over there. Since we have a tight and familiar partnership with White Tower records it felt like we were recording the album at our own private studio.
What song means the most to you from ‘Harbinger’ at the moment, and why?
I think I can speak for the whole band if I say that Harbinger is our standout song. It is the last song we have written for our debut album and in our opinion it’s the best song we have written ‘til now because of the matching combination between piano, heavy guitars, refreshing solo’s and varied vocals.
What songs are you really enjoying playing live from ‘Harbinger’ at the moment, and why?
“Shadows Remain” is my personal favorite song to play live because in my opinion it is very catchy and it gives me a lot of space to jump around and interact with the crowd during the song. Beside this song we love playing “Harbinger” because a lot of people seem to know this song because of the video clip we recently released.
What was the hardest part about putting ‘Harbinger’ together for you guys, and why?
We didn’t want that all songs sound the same on this album so we used a lot of different stylistic elements. The hardest part was to perfectly weave and mesh all these elements into one cohesive flow.
How did the artwork for ‘Harbinger’ come together, and what does it mean to you?
I can tell you that “HARBINGER” does not stand for a specific entity like you can see on the cover of the album. We chose the entity for the artwork because it creates a very mysterious atmosphere, what we personally like a lot. The actual meaning behind “HARBINGER” is much deeper as I explained to you why we choose Harbinger as album title.
Touring wise, can you give us a couple of personal highlights from your time on the road?
I enjoy our gigs the most in Eastern Europe. Think about Slovakia, Czech Republic, Poland, … People always go totally crazy on live shows. It’s just amazing! My highlights for 2016 ‘til now was our cd release in Nazareth (Belgium) and Yarp Festival in UK.
We played at “The Amphitheatre” on Yarp Festival which is a very cool outside location were people could see us playing with the sea behind us. Really awesome!
How would you say the sound of Signs Of Algorithm has grown/progressed over the years?
If I compare the music we make nowadays to the music we made at the very beginning of Signs Of Algorithm, it’s like not the same band anymore. If I go back in time I remember that all we cared about was to sound as heavy as fuck. The more breakdowns, the better. It seems that our vision on music changes while time passes. We always aim to reach the next level so we try to improve Signs Of Algorithm by creating a better sound for ourselves. Besides we write our music in a different way by spending more time on bringing details to perfection, experimenting with samples and I try to use more variation in the vocal parts. Harbinger for example is the last song we have written for the album and you can hear a difference if you compare it the other tracks on the album. I think this song will definitely have an influence on our new upcoming material.
What sets you apart from any other band out there right now?
That’s a difficult question because there are a lot of bands out there who are doing such a great job. I can just say that when we are on stage we do our best to “live” our songs instead of just playing them. We are always pumped up when we play a show so we release our energy on stage and we put our own emotions in our songs when we release ‘em on the crowd. Beside we try to involve the people as much as possible in our shows.
What is the music scene like in Bruges?
To be honest, Bruges isn’t a really good place for metalcore because it doesn’t have a big scene. This is the reason why we don’t play a lot of shows in our hometown. We are obliged to focus on other cities and other countries.
What else can we expect to see from Signs Of Algorithm in 2016?
We already reached a lot of our goals for 2016! We signed with White Tower Records, released our video clip Harbinger and released our debut album Harbinger. That were out most important goals that we wanted to achieve for this year. Of course we need to promote the album live as well so we still need to tour in a lot of different countries. Last months we already toured in The South Of France, Spain, UK & The Netherlands. In the summer of 2016 we have quite a few festivals coming up in Belgium and at the end of the year we have another tour planned in Eastern Europe.
Facebook.com/SignsOfAlgorithm
