[Archive] Interview with MARK PALFREYMAN of Australian Prog-Metal Institution ALARUM.
Note: This post was originally published on our sadly dead-in-the-water prior website (RIP ISC dot com, Jan 2021 - NYE 2024).
This is a fantastic conversation with Mark and an Australian act that deserve as much praise as they can receive online. Thus it warranted extracting from the corpse of the old, reinvigorated via the new.
Treat the past-tense as that; I figured it best to preserve the article in its’ original state. Fortunately, Alarum are going strong and have a brand new LP out now too! Check the links below.
Original Post Date: April 13th, 2023.
Rounding out a few interviews with some of the many illustrious acts on Saturday's lineup for The New Dead Festival is one of Australia's cherished progressive metal gems in Alarum.
For me, these guys are as much a hat-tip to late 80's/early 90's progressive death metal pioneers (Atheist, Cynic, Coroner etc) as they are uniquely their own style. Marrying a focus (pun slightly intended, I guess?) on both technical craftsmanship, variety and a fun live show, it's a great feeling to be able to catch Australian vanguards such as these back onstage.
I'm equally chuffed that I get another chance to watch these Melbournites show newcomers how it's done on Saturday. Having just missed the boat on a lot of the bigger '00's metal-fests, opportunities like New Dead give myself and younger metalheads a chance at experiencing absolutely stacked local bills. (Not to mention also catching international acts like Hexis in the process!)
In the lead-up to the event, I threw a few inquisitive questions at bassist/vocalist dual-class sorcerer Mark Palfreyman.
Read on for more, and see below for more details on where/how to catch the bands' links, plus info on New Dead Festival.
Taken by @samuel_phillips_photography (IG Handle) - see our review of the 2023 New Dead Festival for more of Samuel’s fantastic, crisp shots of Alarum and others!
Give the dude a follow while you’re at it.
Supporting the scene also extends to our photography comrades.
Brady: Having last seen you guys live supporting Obscura at the Corner Hotel, Melbourne back in the Before Times, we're coming into a time where shows are back on regularly.
How's it feel being able to get amongst it on the live stage again?
“‘It feels great!!! After years of not being able to do shows and also releasing our last album mid 2020 we are enjoying finally getting a chance to play these songs live. As well as some older tunes too. Also enjoying seeing other bands and people enjoying live music again.’”
Brady: New Dead Festival next Saturday involves a huge array of local, national and some international talent. What's the bands' thoughts regarding the upcoming festival?
“New Dead is the Australian Metal Festival to go to.
Always amazing line ups, extremely well organised and a great time catching up with metalheads that have come from all over Australia.’
’It’s a very important part of the Australian metal scene, an annual show to look forward to, road trips with mates and a party in Adelaide etc.’
’After Metal For The Brain festival ended, the New Dead festival really has helped bring the good times back for many people again.’
’This will be Alarum’s 2nd time playing, I’ve have also attended a few times as a punter and it’s always well worth the trip.”
Credit: @samuel_phillips_photography.
Brady: Regarding the lineup itself, any bands you're particularly keen on checking out, especially for the first time?
“Every band on the lineup is killer and I’m actually keen to check them all out.’
’There’s so many great, different styles.
Will be there early to check out bands from the start and will be there until the end.”
Brady: You're a band with an extensive history of touring, both domestically and overseas. What keeps things fresh with regards to performing and playing after two decades in the biz?
“We still enjoy writing and playing our music.
It’s fun, challenging and we enjoy getting up there and thrashing our instruments regardless of how long we’ve been doing it.’
’We are getting older, however we plan to keep doing it as long as we can continue to enjoy it, and as long as people still enjoy hearing/seeing us play live.”
Brady: Melbourne's progressive metal scene is abuzz with both veterans and new talent, as with many other genres. Do you guys have any current favourites from your local scene?
“There’s so many great bands, a handful that come to mind of different styles that I’ve seen/heard recently are Wallet Inspector, Black Lava, Munt, Munitions, Pizza Death & Nekromudgeon.”
Brady: Circle's End was received with much critical acclaim in 2020, with many fans keen on hearing the new tunes in a live front (self included). Is there any upcoming material in the works from either Alarum or respective projects we can get excited for in future?
“The response to Circle’s End was great and reaction to the material live has been also.’
’We have New Dead show this week, and our show in Sydney April 21st @ Factory Floor. Then, after these 2 shows Alarum will knuckle down on new material for our next album.’
’We have more than an album worth of material so we’ll be sorting that and getting preproduction completed and the new 5th album recorded.”
[Editor’s Note 06.01.25 ] - You saw the link right above! Go listen! THEY DID IT! THEY DID THE THING!
Brady: What's a particularly funny or crazy anecdote the band has from either the live or studio setting?
“Progpower Europe show 2008 was pretty crazy.
We were fortunate enough to get an arts grant that enabled us to play one show only overseas and weren’t allowed to play any other shows as it was a showcase grant.’
’We went over to Holland and played at Progpower Europe along with the band Cynic, who were a big influence in our early years.’
’It was pretty crazy to fly to the other side of the world for one show and then back again.”
Brady: Your music involves a blending of complex styles and motifs, ranging from jazz-fusion to thrash and death metal. What challenges do you face when bringing the recorded material into a live format?
“The challenges that come from the live setting, stage sound, how much we’ve travelled, slept or partied prior etc.
Being in the right state of mind to play the best we can so it’s a challenge to try and balance it all.’
’Our music is varied which keeps it interesting and also keeps us on our toes to stay tight as a band.’
’We’re always looking for new things to bring into recorded material, to challenge ourselves and listeners yet also with the aim to be able to reproduce it live as best as possible.”
Credit: @samuel_phillips_photography
Brady: If a band were to start out today and really wanting to push some musical boundaries, what advice would be most helpful for them?
“Do it to really enjoy what you are doing.
Don’t expect people to understand or enjoy what you do; if they do it’s a bonus.’
’If you want to push boundaries, the band all need to enjoy the results to continue exploring the musical journey.’
10. If aliens landed right in front of you and asked for the single best song created by our species, which would you pick and why?
’Ha, I’ll be sending you emails everyday now as I’ll keep changing my mind!
Right now off the top of my head it would be Spermbirds – Try Again.’
Awesome. Not to fanboy too hard, but Yours Truly is epically excited to catch these guys, among many others, in a few days’ time.”
And there you have it folks. Thus concludes our archived interview with the skilled low-stringer-with-many-strings-plus-vocalist-how-does-he-even, Mark Palfreyman.
If you’re unfamiliar with these guys and have an interest in progressive metal that pushes the boundaries of jazz, death metal and so much more, you truly owe it to yourself to check them out via the links below. Especially since they’ve levelled up and produced another killer album in Recontinue since this piece!
ALARUM CAN BE FOUND AT:
Bandcamp
Official Website
ISC Links: