Defenders Of The Faith, le forum Metal

ONE MACHINE is the brainchild of critically acclaimed guitarist/songwriter Steve Smyth (NEVERMORE, FORBIDDEN, DRAGONLORD, VICIOUS RUMORS). An international metal band with classic and modern influences, it features members carefully selected by Smyth: Mikkel Sandager (MERCENARY) on vocals, Jamie Hunt (BIOMECHANICAL) on guitar, Tomas "O'Beast" Koefoed (MNEMIC) on bass and Raphael Saini (CHAOSWAVE) on drums.

Smyth had often given thought to leading his own band throughout his distinguished career as a member of such bands as TESTAMENT, NEVERMORE and FORBIDDEN. He had written a number of songs for the project, but the challenge of finding the right members to bring them to life remained. After he found a more-than-capable shredding second guitarist in Jamie Hunt, the two began collaborating on the material Smyth had.

"Jamie's playing complements mine extremely well, and we hit it off perfectly when we got together to work on the songs," says Smyth.

A vocalist was found in the form of original MERCENARY singer Mikkel Sandager. His ability to sing in different ways and his readiness to be pushed into new musical territories was a perfect fit for Smyth's new band.

"When our former bands toured together, I got to witness night after night exactly what Mikkel could do; deliver a solid performance with an incredible range, as well as multiple characters in his voice," says Steve. "He's perfect for this band!"

Drummer Raphael Saini, formerly of Italian progressive metallers CHAOSWAVE, whose band Smyth had previously provided guest solos for, was next to join. During the recording process, Saini lived up to Modern Drummer's assessment of him as "a drum assassin; cold blooded, precise, and brutal." Smyth says: "Raph surprised me with his ability in delivering these tracks. He totally killed it!"

In 2012, Koefoed came on board, adding his distinctive sound to the tracks.

"Tomas is, without a doubt, one of the most solid bassists I've encountered in some time!" says Smyth. "He literally added an entirely new dimension to these songs that would not have been possible to be achieved without him."

With the lineup complete, a debut album was recorded and will be mixed shortly. The band has already been offered European festival dates, and expects to make its live debut during the summer.

ONE MACHINE, the brainchild of acclaimed guitarist/songwriter Steve Smyth (TESTAMENT, NEVERMORE, FORBIDDEN, DRAGONLORD, VICIOUS RUMORS), has inked a deal with Scarlet Records. The band's debut album, "The Distortion Of Lies And The Overdriven Truth", will be released on February 18, 2014. The CD was recorded and produced by Steve Smyth and was mixed by Roy Z (JUDAS PRIEST, BRUCE DICKINSON, HALFORD). It was mastered by Alan Douches (3 INCHES OF BLOOD, FIREWIND, SEPULTURA) at West West Side Music, with artwork created by Niklas Sundin from Cabin Fever Media (DARK TRANQUILLITY, ARCH ENEMY), complemented with photography from Anthony Dubois (MESHUGGAH, MNEMIC).

ONE MACHINE is an international metal band with classic and modern influences, featuring members carefully selected by Smyth: Mikkel Sandager (MERCENARY) on vocals, Jamie Hunt (BIOMECHANICAL) sharing guitar duties, rounded out by a powerhouse rhythm section with Tomas "O'Beast" Koefoed (MNEMIC) on bass guitar and Michele Sanna on drums (although former drummer Raphael Saini of Italian progressive metallers CHAOSWAVE played on the album).

Smyth had often given thought to leading his own band throughout his distinguished career as a member of bands including TESTAMENT, NEVERMORE and FORBIDDEN, among others. He had written a number of songs, but the challenge of finding the right members to bring them to life remained. He found a more than capable shredding second guitarist in Jamie Hunt, and the two began collaborating on the material Smyth had.

"Jamie's playing complements mine extremely well, and we hit it off perfectly when we got together to work on the songs," says Smyth. A vocalist was found in the form of original MERCENARY singer Mikkel Sandager. He fit the kind of singer Smyth was looking for, with his versatile ability to sing in different ways, and his readiness to be pushed into new musical territories.

"When our former bands toured together, I got to witness night after night, exactly what Mikkel could do; deliver a solid performance with an incredible range, as well as multiple characters in his voice," says Steve. "He's perfect for this band!"

Smyth, Hunt and Sandager then set about refining and shaping Smyth's original material.

In 2012, Koefoed came on board, adding his distinctive sound to the tracks.

"Tomas is without a doubt one of the most solid bassists I've encountered in some time," says Smyth. "He literally added an entirely new dimension to these songs that would not have been possible to be achieved without him."

Read more at http://www.blabbermouth.net/news/one-ma ... FrA6wUw.99

ONE MACHINE, the brainchild of acclaimed guitarist/songwriter Steve Smyth (TESTAMENT, NEVERMORE, FORBIDDEN, DRAGONLORD, VICIOUS RUMORS), has entered the studio to record its second album, due later in the year.

Commented Smyth: "We have had a great year in 2014, seeing our debut album released, getting it out to YOU the fans, and getting on the road as well! Along that road, we hit a few 'bumps,' and a few people fell out of the cart, so to speak. As a result, we have had to say goodbye to Mikkel Sandager [vocals] and Tomas Koefoed [bass], due to differing but completely reasonable and understandable life decisions for both. We amicably split ways, and wish both of them the best for the future. As a result, we welcome Chris Hawkins (ENDEAVOUR) on vocals, and Stefano Selvatico (ex-SAVAGE MESSIAH) on bass guitar.

"Realistically, Chris stepped in for Mikkel at Royal Metal Fest, and has been with us ever since. His voice is a very welcome addition; he has an incredible range, many distinctive characters to his voice, and incredible stage presence! We are very happy to bring him into ONE MACHINE. You'll hear him soon enough, as we have plans to introduce Chris to you through not only new music down the road, but very soon to songs from the debut, so you can hear EXACTLY this guy is capable of!

"Stefano has spent time with rising U.K. thrashers SAVAGE MESSIAH, and others, and, having seen him play Iive a few times, I knew he had the chops and stage presence to carry this gig like no one else could. Stefano filled in for Tomas on our last gig of the year last December, and with minimal rehearsal (three days), learned our set and came out all guns blazing.

"Now we begin a new chapter in the future of ONE MACHINE, with a new lineup, and we're in the studio working on this second album at Death Island Studios in Denmark! We've been very fortunate to obtain not only a great studio along with the services of Marco Angioni, but we've enlisted Mr. Tue Madsen (THE HAUNTED, SICK OF IT ALL, DARK TRANQUILLITY) to handle co-production, mix and master of the album.

"This album sees ONE MACHINE growing into our sound a little bit more; still retaining the heaviness and thrashiness of before, with big choruses and lots of shredding, but somehow the riffs and songs I've written this time are a bit more darker and moody, and Chris' vocals bring an entirely different range of emotion and delivery to them!

"Stefano is finding his way around the ONE MACHINE sound very quickly, adding his sound and depth, and chops to the songs."

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ONE MACHINE, the brainchild of acclaimed guitarist/songwriter Steve Smyth (Testament, Nevermore, Forbidden, Dragonlord, Vicious Rumors), have set The Final Cull as the title of their second album, due out on September 18th worldwide via Scarlet Records. The Final Cull was tracked at Death Island Studios, with Marco Angioni and Tue Madsen helming. Recording lasted for nine days solid, as the band put in 15-18 hour days on this record.

ONE MACHINE are launching a crowdfunding campaign on Friday July 17th to help offset the costs incurred during the recording, with many great perks soon to be on offer, in addition to regular pre-orders of the album, which will be available in Digital Download, CD, Digipak, and special edition vinyl formats. For more information, please bookmark and visit this link on Friday July 17th: igg.me/at/onemachinethefinalcull

One Machine’s first single release in nearly nine years, “A New Plane Of Existence”, drops today available on all digital platforms for sale and streaming. A video release date for the single has been announced for Friday September 6. Listen to the single below.

Steve Smyth describes the meaning of the lyrics: “The song reflects my current perception of humanity, and the highly immersive digital world we find ourselves in, in 2024, as compared to when the song was written a few years ago. It feels much more dystopian by the day to me. Everywhere we go, we find many people stuck into their phone, tablet, laptop screen, TV screen, and now, visor screens. We are now more immersed than ever, locked into a digital world, where it seems that human contact has taken on a new rôle, in the form of video recordings, texted words, a new distal human interaction. Connected to the One Machine a bit more, day by day, and perhaps not even realizing it. Not all of this is a bad thing, mind you, if it’s being used for positive reasons.

"I decided to take a bit of a different turn with the lyrics for this song, reflecting on how the screens are the new dictator of humankind, and we are merely followers, ones left without a voice, while someone behind the screens leads us. Where or what are they leading us to? Stay tuned for the video to find out!

"It was a very long road to get this far! Our REAL fans, the ones who have stuck around through all of our challenges, with finding a new lead vocalist, the loss of my wife to cancer after a hard fought three year battle, Covid, not being able to tour, can now enjoy our very first bit of new music in nearly 9 years! Enjoy! And I know you’ll stream it first! But it’s my hope that you’ll like it enough to support One Machine and buy the single!"