Nemesis Alpha, for the first album it was a one-man band where I wrote and recorded all the music so I wanted something that fit that theme. I chose the name Nemesis Alpha because, to me, it conveyed the idea that although there may not be a full band, the music is just as technical, melodic, and heavy as any full band with multiple members.
What is your name and what do you do for the band?
Me name is Rudy and I write, produce, and record all the music for Nemesis Alpha. Since the debut album release, Joseph Church has been added as my right hand man for writing so it’s really added a new element to the overall sound. Additionally Marcos of Shattered Sun/ ill Nino has been added to contribute vocals along with Bjorn of Soilwork/Nightflight Orchestra.
I’m originally from Texas, but since joining the military many years ago, we have been based out of Fayetteville, NC. The sound isn’t influenced heavily on the scene in North Carolina, but rather our influences from all our favorite melodic death metal and metal core bands around the world.
3.Who influences your sound that would surprise people?
Although we try to remain somewhat in the blurred lines of melodic death metal, we all have a variety of influences that we draw from. It might not show through all our music but we love bands ranging from Depeche Mode, City and Colour and Gunship; to the more apparent bands such as Allegaeon, Soilwork, Darkest Hour and In Flames. We love all great music and at times try to incorporate some variety, but other times just write what we want to personally hear. In our opinion, if it sounds great, it sounds great, no matter the genre.
4.Are you endorsed by musical companies , if so who , and if not who would you like to be endorsed by?
The band itself is not endorsed, but the vocalists both have some endorsements in their primary bands. We do play Ibanez guitars, ESP guitars, use Kemper profilers and Peavey amps, so one day it would amazing to get some type of endorsement. In particular ESP guitars are my personal favorites so that would be a dream come true to get their backing.
5.When you started what was your ultimate goal? And how close to the goal are you now?
So originally I thought I would be a professional, full-time musician, touring and making that my livelihood, but since joining the military it’s been more a secondary means of expressing creativity and creating what I love. My main goal is to be able to write, record and release music on our own terms, how and when we want. We’re not so much worried about “making it big” or making a ton of money with our music, but would rather just get it into the hands of audiences that really enjoy our sound.
6.In today's digital environment it takes creative strategy to keep things moving. What creative ideas do you have to keep your band relevant over time?
We want to release both quality and quantity, so not having it a full-time job with touring provides us the opportunity to create at a much higher volume compared to other touring bands. For example, the debut album had 14 songs and clocked in at over an hour. The second album we are currently working on also has 14 songs and is at over an hour and a half. I love being able to put out records that give the listener a full listening experience and doesn’t leave more to be desired. Most bands these days release 10-12 song albums that are about 45 minutes, which sometimes leaves the listener wanting more.
7.We've all seen a terrible live band that is awesome on CD. Is that cool with you or do you lose respect for bands that cannot pull it off live?
In my opinion, live performance is where you really connect with listeners. Live shows need to have the extreme energy while at the same time recreating what was recorded. One of the best things about my time as a guitarist with Shattered Sun was our incredibly high energy live performances. We took it very serious that the energy of the band needs to mirror the aggressiveness of the music. For slower songs it works to be a little calm, but for intense songs, the performance must match!
I’m not really into the whole plopping of bands and sound into genres because usually limits the creativity. I think it works as a general reference to expand exposure to listeners of specific genres, but overall it tries to fence in what the band actually sounds like. If I had to categorize our music though, I would say it’s melodic death metal with some metal core influence.
9.This is a tough question but a very real reality, Is your band actually talented or just popular?
First of all, I don’t think we’re super popular haha, we are humble musicians that love what we are doing. I feel we do have a lot of talent though, everything from the music to the vocals are innovative and technical, yet melodic. Joesph brings the technical part with some music theory while I informally write what I feel most of the time. Together we blend that to something truly different and bring various other influences to create a unique sound. The incredible vocals of both Marcos and Bjorn really adds the cherry on top of all that also. They both explore different vocal styles than what they do in their main bands.
Many bands make it with a cliche or publicity stunts etc. Would you accept fame even if it was just because of being the “ in” thing or is it actually important to you that you gain favor with talent?
We don’t care for publicity stunts or any”in” stuff to get more followers or listeners. I truly believe having 2k followers that really appreciate and love your music is better than having 100k that don’t really listen or care. I would rather the music speak for itself so the only efforts we really put time into is getting the word to people that love our type of music.
10.Tell us what to expect from you live. Nothing is more boring than watching bands stare at the floor and bob their heads to music nobody but the band knows. What can your band offer in a live setting that people will remember?
Since I’m usually deployed and currently deployed again, our live performances are far and between. When we do get the opportunity though, what we do bring is intensity and technicality. We specifically designed songs to incorporate a little heavy breakdown at times, lots of guitar solos and some clean singing once in awhile. Keeping the audience engaged while still demonstrating technicality is difficult, but in my opinion, if it’s not hard to play, your not trying hard enough.
11. What releases have you put out , When will we see something new?
So the debut album was released August 2017 and had myself and Bjorn of Soilwork writing, recording and performing all the songs. It had a lot of variety, from clean songs to more intense fast metal. This new album is the first time I brought in another guitarist and although at first hesitant, I think it was the best thing that could of happened. The music is much more technical, the song structuring improved and we were both pushed to our limits for playing guitar and overall writing music. I also brought in Marcos of Shattered Sun/ill nino to do vocals which brought a different/unique sound with Bjorn. This album is by far the best thing we’ve ever written and recorded. The 95% complete album is currently in the mixing/mastering phase with Soothsayer Studios and we’re looking at a late March/early April release. I have to give a shoutout to Soothsayer Studios also, having them work on the album has been amazing, they really brought the mixes to life and we can’t wait to release everything!
12. If you have videos where can we see them?
We have videos up in our Facebook page (Facebook.com/alpha9991) and on YouTube for anyone that would like to check them out. We don’t have full on music videos because I haven’t been home long enough for us to shoot one, but they are streaming videos for anyone that would like to hear the music.
13.Everybody has Bandcamp , ReverbNation , Soundcloud , etc
Why do you think this is so important? Doesn't it seem like everyone is giving everything out for free?
So we have Facebook, YouTube, Bandcamp, Spotify, Apple Music, reverbnation, etc. and I think having multiple platforms really helps with getting the word out about your music. Some listeners prefer a certain music platform to hear their music so by having multiple outlets you can allow catering to anyone and everyone’s individual preferences/tastes.
14.Best moment of your career so far?
My best moments were back when I was playing with Shattered Sun and all the tours/shows we did. I loved being out and touring and sometimes wish I could go back to that life, but I also love being able to release music on my own time and not being fully committed to a set schedule and deadlines. I think overall one of best feelings ever was releasing the debut album finally; that feeling of completion and accomplishment was extraordinary, and having such a great reception from fans really is one of the greatest feeling ever.
15.Your message to the fans?
Thanks for all the support and keep a look out for the new album, I guarantee it will not disappoint!!
Bonus Question who do you bring back
Definitely Dime, people can argue on his ability, but he influenced me so much to play guitar. I got to see Pantera one time so I do have that, but he was taken before his time. I still consider the Great Southern Trendkill as one of the best metal albums of all time, and the floods solo still gives me goosebumps to this day!
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