Greg Burgess of Allegaeon reveals how the band, which is like “a marriage with five dudes”, balance their desires for extreme technicality versus emotion, while ensuring there is always time for wholesome band bonding sessions over beers and jigsaw puzzles.
Allegaeon, the ManBearPigs of Death Metal, have been “shooting themselves in the foot” when it comes to genre definition since 2008. This quirky new band descriptor is courtesy of guitarist Greg Burgess’ wife, in an attempt to better embody the nuttiness of the band’s musical explorations. From Melodic and Tech Death to Progressive Metal and even a hint of shoegaze, Allegaeon constantly change, evolve, and incorporate new influences into their musical machine.
When the band aren’t recording, releasing, or touring new music, you might just find them gathered around a table doing jigsaw puzzles together. Potentially puzzles with not very exciting bridges on, but Greg can’t quite remember. “When we did the newest album [The Ossuary Lens], we went out to a puzzle renting place and we rented like 20 puzzles,” Greg says, “and every day, instead of partying, we just all got around the table and built puzzles. It’s the most wholesome band activity. Everybody just drinks beer and does puzzles.”
Their first UK tour since the release of their latest album was as support to the green goblin fronted, Melodic Death Metal gremlins, Nekrogoblikon. “It’s a very different market for Allegaeon,” Greg says. “I don’t think they quite know what is going on because we don’t have a guy in a crabsuit anymore. The guys on the tour have a goblin, or it’s Party Cannon. It’s a big party, very visual and weird, and we’re just completely focused on nerding out on our instruments.” So whether it’s nerding out on their instruments or puzzles, it is safe to assume that Allegaeon love a mental challenge.
“For me, music is a giant puzzle,” confirms Greg. “Doing the more technical stuff, the challenge and the mental gymnastics of what’s going on, that is what makes me really enjoy music. That is not how most people enjoy music; it’s about the emotional impact that it has on them. Michael [Stancel, guitarist], for instance, loves sad girl music, like sit in the garage and cry and light some candles…you know what I mean [laughs]. We’ll be driving sometimes, and he’ll just put on whale noises or something.”
Michael learned how to sing during Covid, driven by boredom and the desire to expand his skillset. As well as, perhaps, so that he could really embody the heartfelt, “sad girl” songs. “And I think there were a lot of things that he couldn’t really express in Allegaeon because it just didn’t fit what Allegaeon is,” Greg says. “It’s stupid to have all these awesome tools at your disposal and not use them. So it’s like, ‘Oh, he has this new talent. Well, I guess we’re gonna throw it in too.’” Michael’s clean vocals feature on The Ossuary Lens, and are particularly mindblowing on Wake Circling Above – worthy of appreciating in the garage, with some candles lit, as you let the emotion wash over you.
There is no amount of boredom nor desire that could get Greg to sing, however. “No one wants that. No one wants that,” Greg says. “I have audio processing issues, and I’m very tone deaf. I can hear the pitches are different, but if I’m sharp or flat, I don’t know how to manipulate my voice to hit the right pitch. It’s like a learning disability thing.”
Even though the discovery of exactly why he finds singing so hard and claims to sing so awfully (we sadly did not get a demonstration) was a recent one, it has always been a weak point in his musical studies. “Even in university, you had to do sight singing to graduate, and I flunked out,” Greg says. “I couldn’t do it. But my guitar grades were so good they kind of just said, ‘get him out of here.’” 
Quickfire Questions With Greg Burgess
If all your band gear became sentient, which piece would be most likely to betray you?
“Anything with a lot of buttons. Because, being a classical guitar player, when we get into the electronics world…basically, if I could just poke it with a stick and get it to work, that would be great. But no, I’m just like, ‘Michael, make it sound good.’ Because I don’t know how to work any of it. I play guitar, but the whole gear side is very elusive. Michael saves our asses on a daily basis. He’s the gear guy.”
So the buttons would come for you, and a classical guitar would come for Michael?
“Yeah, maybe. I don’t know. He’s all around gifted. I don’t know if he has any weaknesses. Maybe a social interaction…”
Which member of the band is best in a crisis?
“It’s going to depend on what is going on. If it’s gear, it’s going to be Michael. But there will be freakouts, so stay out of his way. I would think Boo Boo is the best in a crisis. That would be my guess. I think it’s going to be a case-by-case basis, you know. It’s like a marriage with five dudes. Usually, when most people are freaking out, there’s one person not.”
If NASA came to you and said, “We want an Allegaeon song as the first song to be played on Mars”, which song would you choose?
“I think I would go for the cop-out answer of 1.618. Just because it was the song that had the most impact for the band, so it makes sense. That’s like the big hit, if we even have a hit, so might as well give them, you know, the temple.”
What about if you were stuck in a time loop, Groundhog Day style, and you had to wake up every morning to one Allegaeon riff, which riff would it be?
“The most immediate one that springs to mind is the Extremophiles (B).”
Why?
“I don’t know. It just popped into my head. You’re rapid-firing me, I’m rapid-firing you back! That riff though, I always think that riff’s cool.”
You have a classical music background, and you’re in a Metal band. What do you think of the supposed correlation between high intelligence and being a fan of classical and Metal music?
“Obviously, I love it. I mean, in a way, I guess it makes sense, right? Because if we take Bach, for example, a lot of that is going to be a musical puzzle. And as I said before, that’s how I love listening to music. Just the… all the detail work and the lines and the counterpoint and stuff like that, that really fascinates me and makes me really excited about it. Which is just a mental exercise, so maybe it does hold water.”
What is the most unhinged advice that you ever got given when you were first starting a band?
“It’s super weird because I don’t think you remember the bad advice. You remember the good advice.”
Right then, what was the best advice you ever received?
“Don’t take any criticism from anybody you wouldn’t take advice from.”
