Machinae Supremacy
Machinae Supremacy |
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Machinae Supremacy (pronounced "muh-sheen suh-prem-uh-see", /məˈʃiːnsəˈprɛməsiː/[1]) is a band from Luleå, Sweden that combines modern heavy metal and alternative rock with chiptunes. Self-defined as SID metal, many of their songs use a SidStation that features the SID chip of the Commodore 64. They have released a considerable number of songs for free download on their site, 32 original recordings, with approximately 100,000 downloads a month.[2][3]
Deus Ex Machinae, the band's first commercial album was released in 2004 through MbD Records UK. The band is currently signed to Spinefarm Records, through which they released their second studio album, Redeemer in 2006. Their third album Overworld was released on February 13th, 2008.
Band history
Origin: 2000–2001
Machinae Supremacy was formed in summer 2000 by Robert Stjärnström, Kahl Hellmer and Jonas Rörling. The name of the band had existed before this, but it was only a few months later the band decided a specific style they wanted to pursue. Andreas Gerdin, a long time friend of Rörling, joined on keyboards and Tobbe joined on drums. Together they recorded their first song, Cryosleep.[4]
Defining an original style and being fans of the Commodore 64, they settled on using the SID chip from the machine in their music, later becoming known by the term "SID metal". In their music they attempted to carry a vibe of self-confidence, enlightenment and encouragement for people to take control of their own lives.[5][6]
Promo: 2001–2003
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The band saw the internet as the best way to reach a wider audience, forgoing the traditional method of sending demos to record labels. In 2001 their official website was launched, boasting around nine freely available songs. The band used the free audio codec Ogg Vorbis, as well as MP3, to distribute them.
The band attempted to reach out to the Commodore 64 community in an attempt to gain a larger fan base. It was during this time "The Great Gianna Sisters" was released, a cover of the theme to Great Giana Sisters composed by Chris Hülsbeck. Releasing this song onto various Commodore 64 remix sites proved to be instrumental in granting the band's early success,[7] which was later increased by the follow up, the Sidology series. Machinae Supremacy would also go on to perform their first show abroad, at a nightclub in Soho during the Back in Time Live event.
During 2001 Stjärnström and Hellmer, together with friend Tomi Tauriainen formed the short-lived punk rock side-project, FLAK.[8] Intending to express a political side,[9] only three songs were released; parts of which would later go onto influence Machinae Supremacy songs.[10] From an interview with Stjärnström "FLAK is... aggression and pain! :] It's a band, but it's nothing serious, just a means of expression."[9]
Kahl Hellmer also worked on a side project, LifeForce, during 2001. LifeForce was an electronic band composed of Kahl Hellmer, Mithra Sedaghati and Erica Öberg. Erica Öberg, the vocalist, has more recently done lyrics and vocals for the band Inja.
In 2002, Tobbe left the band and was replaced by Tomas Nilsén, who is a long time friend (and previous band mate in Garden Of Concrete[6]) of Stjärnström's. Over the next few years, they would go onto freely release 25 songs, around two albums worth of material, before they began work on their first studio album.
Deus Ex Machinae: 2004–2005
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In May 2004, the band announced the release of their first commercial album Deus Ex Machinae through Music By Design Records Ltd. (MbD).[11] The album's first print of 1000 copies sold out within a year, leading to a second print being released in 2005.[12] Shortly after the release of reprint of Deus Ex Machinae, MbD ceased trading and the band were without a record label for the then-in-development second album. This album would not see the light of day until 2006.
The band would also contribute to other projects that year; they worked on the soundtrack for the video game Jets'n'Guns by RakeInGrass software. The Jets'n'Guns Soundtrack was released freely on December 4 2004. In that year three of their songs were included in the In the Groove series of dancing games; "Hybrid", "Bouff" and "Cryosleep".
2005 was a relatively quiet year, owing to the band's focus being directed towards finishing and finding a way to release their second album. "Ghost (Beneath The Surface)" was released, as an outtake from the album, and was very well received. They would later work with the German gaming magazine GameStar to produce and release 2 songs, "Loot Burn Rape Kill Repeat" on June 25 for a World of Warcraft special, and "Multiball" (a medley of themes from the Pinball Dreams series) on November 20 for a Battlefield 2 special.
Later that year, Hellmer moved away from Luleå and could no longer take part in the band. He was replaced by Johan Palovaara.
Redeemer: 2006–2007
Early in 2006, on January 9 the band was able to release "Sidology Episode II - Trinity", finally completing their Sidology series, as well as announce a sister production company Hubnester Industries, which would handle future soundtrack and commissioned work.[13]
2006 marked a turning point for the band, they were able to independently release their second commercial album, Redeemer on March 18 through their own merchandise web site and store using Hubnester Industries as their own record label.[14] Then on September 27 of that year it was announced they had signed to Spinefarm Records[15] in a 4 album record deal and would remaster and re-release Redeemer to retail on November 8.
In late 2006 the band, with Hubnester Industries, worked on the soundtrack to the now postponed PC game War Angels,[16] developed by Moonpod, and their third studio album.[17][18] On November 27, 2006, the line-up was changed, with the hope of improving the quality of live performances, with Robert Stjärnström passing his guitar duties to Andreas Gerdin and replacing the keyboard with pre-recorded samples.[19]
In 2007, it was confirmed that the band would produce their first music video for the song "Through The Looking Glass".[20] It was directed by Tomi Tauriainen and was released after several delays later that year.[21][22]
It was during this year that the band were asked to perform with the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra during the Play! A Video Game Symphony concert in Stockholm, part of the world-tour event featuring music from video games. They played during the song "Dancing Mad" from Final Fantasy VI.[23][24] Following the success of this concert, they were asked to return to the event in Oslo, Norway with the Norwegian Radio Orchestra and the Oslo Philharmonic Choir where they played, among other songs, Metallica's "One" during a Guitar Hero segment.[25]
Overworld: 2007–present
On October 9, shortly after the band released their first music video for the song "Through the Looking Glass", it was announced that Johan Palovaara was leaving the band, "Due to different priorities, Johan Palovaara is now leaving the band to pursue other ambitions."[26] It was later revealed it was over the bands decision to perform at events such as Play![6] Johan Hedlund was hired as the band's new bassist.[26]
Production began on the third album, Overworld during 2007. Periodic updates on its status were released via their official forum.[27] The first radio single from the new album, a cover of Britney Spears' "Gimme More", was premiered on the Finnish station YleX in late November.[28] The album was released on February 13, 2008. Later in the year after a web site redesign the Ogg Vorbis audio files were replaced with lossless FLAC files.
Members
- Born May 6, 1978, also known as "Gaz", is vocalist and frontman for the band. He previously doubled as guitarist. He is an accomplished comic and graphic artist, having done most of the band's art work, including all album art.[29][30] He was previously in the bands Garden Of Concrete, Masugn and FLAK. Stjärnström was one of the senior producers at Hubnester Industries, alongside Jonas Rörling.[31]
- Jonas Rörling - lead guitar (2000–present)
- Born July 27, 1976, also known as "Gibli", is the lead guitarist for the band. Jonas was one of the senior producers of Hubnester Industries.[31]
- Andreas Gerdin - keyboards (2000–2006), rhythm guitar (2006–present)
- Born January 11, 1976, also known as "Gordon", and is the band's rhythm guitarist. Gerdin provided the Commodore 64-style sounds for the tracks using a SIDStation, alongside using traditional musical keyboards until 2006 when he took over guitar duties from Stjärnström. He was the manager and CEO of Hubnester Industries.[31]
- Tomas Nilsén - drums (2002–present)
- Johan Hedlund - bass (2007–present)
- Also known as "Dezo", and plays bass for the band. Before joining the band he was a "pop" composer for Hubnester Industries.[31]
Former Members
- Kahl Hellmer - bass (2000–2005)
- Born 1979, he was previously in the band LifeForce.
- Johan Palovaara - bass (2005–2007)
- Tobbe - drums (2000–2002)
Discography
Webography
Also known as the "Promo" tracks. Listed by year originally released.
|
2001
2002
|
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
|
Albums
| Title | Release date | Notes | Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| Deus Ex Machinae | 2004-05-01 | First studio album | MbD Records UK/Hubnester Industries (reprint) |
| Jets'n'Guns Soundtrack | 2004-12-04 | Jets'n'Guns soundtrack | Independent/internet release |
| Redeemer | 2006-03-18 | Second studio album | Hubnester Industries/Spinefarm Records |
| Overworld | 2008-02-13 | Third studio album | Spinefarm Records |
Other releases
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Bouff" (Original .xm of Bouff) | 1:07 |
| 2. | "Chuck Rock" (Theme tune of video game Chuck Rock) | 2:39 |
| 3. | "Derelict Intro" | 2:00 |
| 4. | "Metallica Ain't That Leet" | 0:07 |
| 5. | "Origin (v2)" | 4:45 |
| 6. | "Sidstyler Tricky" | 3:11 |
| 7. | "Smooth" (Original .xm of Hero) | 4:24 |
| Total length: | 18:13 | |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Blind Dog Pride" | 5:57 |
| 2. | "Fury" | 5:11 |
| 3. | "Hero" | 4:23 |
| 4. | "Insidious" | 5:02 |
| 5. | "Origin" | 4:07 |
| 6. | "Winterstorm" | 3:39 |
| Total length: | 28:19 | |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Hero (Remaster)" | 4:26 |
| 2. | "Nemesis" | 4:57 |
| 3. | "I Turn to You" | 5:19 |
| 4. | "Winterstorm" | 4:06 |
| 5. | "The Wired" | 4:41 |
| 6. | "Origin v2" | 4:38 |
| 7. | "Fighters from Ninne v2" | 3:13 |
| 8. | "Earthbound" | 4:50 |
| 9. | "Anthem Apocalyptica" | 3:25 |
| 10. | "Masquerade" | 4:53 |
| 11. | "Hybrid" | 3:56 |
| Total length: | 48:42 | |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "The Great Gianna Sisters" | 4:34 |
| 2. | "Kings of the Scene" (With SounDemoN) | 3:29 |
| 3. | "Timeline" | 4:37 |
| 4. | "Follower" | 3:17 |
| 5. | "Missing Link" | 4:34 |
| 6. | "Arcade" | 5:50 |
| 7. | "Sidstyler" | 3:15 |
| 8. | "March of the Undead 2" | 4:30 |
| 9. | "Attack Music" | 3:45 |
| 10. | "Cryosleep" | 5:49 |
| Total length: | 43:40 | |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Bouff" | 3:16 |
| 2. | "Soundtrack to the Rebellion" | 6:00 |
| 3. | "Legion of Stoopid (Remaster)" | 4:53 |
| 4. | "Multiball" | 6:45 |
| 5. | "Hubnester Inferno" | 4:15 |
| 6. | "Loot Burn Rape Kill Repeat" | 2:41 |
| 7. | "Fury 2007" | 5:10 |
| 8. | "Steve's Quest" | 3:21 |
| 9. | "Sidology 1 - SID Evolution" | 5:48 |
| 10. | "Sidology 2 - Trinity" | 12:50 |
| 11. | "Sidology 3 - Apex Ultima" | 7:00 |
| Total length: | 61:59 | |
References
- "Machinae Supremacy About". Official biography (archived). Retrieved 2007-07-09.
- ^ Stjärnström, Robert (2003-05-26). "How to say Machinae?". Stjärnström explains how to pronounce "machinae". Retrieved 2006-11-20.
- ^ "About". About the band. Retrieved 2008-05-04.
- ^ "MACHINAE SUPREMACY Signs With SPINEFARM RECORDS". News of signing. 2006-09-29. Retrieved 2008-05-04.
- ^ Stjärnström, Robert (2003-08-24). "Re:Fighters from Ninne v1". Machinae's first recorded song. Retrieved 2007-06-21.
- ^ "Machinae Supremacy - About ..." Biography (archived). 2003-12-09. Retrieved 2007-07-09.
- ^ a b c "Biography". Official biography. Retrieved 2008-05-04.
- ^ "Great Giana Sisters (c64 Remix by machinae supremacy)". Giana: All-Time rank: 2. 2001-10-04. Retrieved 2007-06-21.
- ^ "FLAK". FLAK official website (archived). 2002-03-09. Retrieved 2007-10-04.
- ^ a b Carr, Neil (2002-05-12). "An Interview with Machinae Supremacy - Remix64". Robert Stjärnström interview. Retrieved 2002-05-12.
- ^ Stjärnström, Robert (2005-05-30). "Flak? old band..." FLAK influences Machinae songs. Retrieved 2007-10-04.
- ^ "Music by Design - News". Deus Ex Machinae released date (archived). 2004-05-03. Retrieved 2007-07-21.
- ^ "Machinae Supremacy - News". Deus Ex Machinae sold out/reprinted (archived). 2005-02-06. Retrieved 2007-07-21.
- ^ "Hubnester Creative Arts Collective". "Hubnester Industries was born as..". Retrieved 2007-11-08.
- ^ "Machinae Supremacy "Redeemer Underground" (Independent CD 2006)". Redeemer Underground at the official shop. Retrieved 2007-11-08.
- ^ "Spinefarm signs MACHINAE SUPREMACY". The band signs to Spinefarm records. Retrieved 2006-11-06.
- ^ Hamish (2006-03-03). "Feb/March/whatever dev diary". War Angels development diary. Retrieved 2006-11-06.
- ^ Stjärnström, Robert. "Re: Give us some news on the new cd". Stjärnström gives some details on the third album. Retrieved 2006-11-06.
- ^ "List of info about the next album". Collection of details on the third album. Retrieved 2006-11-06.
- ^ Stjärnström, Robert (2006-12-23). "Machinae Supremacy Line-up Change!". Announcement of line-up change. Retrieved 2006-11-27.
- ^ "MACHINAE SUPREMACY Finishes Filming 'Through The Looking Glass' Video". video news. 2007-05-03. Retrieved 2007-11-18.
- ^ "MACHINAE SUPREMACY: 'Through The Looking Glass' Video Available". Through The Looking Glass video released. 2007-10-03. Retrieved 2007-11-18.
- ^ "MACHINAE SUPREMACY "Through The Looking Glass" Music Video". Ttlg video, Director: Tomi Tauriainen. Retrieved 2007-11-08.
- ^ "MACHINAE SUPREMACY to perform Dancing Mad". Performance at PLAY!. 2007-04-23. Retrieved 2007-05-01.
- ^ "MACHINAE SUPREMACY Goes Classical". Report of Play! concert. 2007-04-23. Retrieved 2007-11-18.
- ^ "PLAY! - a Video Game Symphony - Tickets". Performance at PLAY! in Oslo. 2007-10-26. Retrieved 2007-11-07.
- ^ a b "MACHINAE SUPREMCY/Latest news". Official website news. Retrieved 2007-11-08.
- ^ "Official Machinae Supremacy Forum - Index Music Video". Official forum. Retrieved 2007-11-08.
- ^ "Soittolista". Retrieved December 10.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=(help); Text "YleX" ignored (help) - ^ Stjärnström, Robert (2004). Deus Ex Machinae (Media notes). England: MbD Records Ltd. pp. p. 12.
{{cite AV media notes}}:|format=requires|url=(help);|pages=has extra text (help); Unknown parameter|albumlink=ignored (help); Unknown parameter|bandname=ignored (help); Unknown parameter|mbid=ignored (help); Unknown parameter|notestitle=ignored (help); Unknown parameter|publisherid=ignored (help) - ^ Gaz (2006). Redeemer (Media notes). Spinefarm Records. pp. backcover.
{{cite AV media notes}}:|format=requires|url=(help); Unknown parameter|albumlink=ignored (help); Unknown parameter|bandname=ignored (help); Unknown parameter|mbid=ignored (help); Unknown parameter|notestitle=ignored (help); Unknown parameter|publisherid=ignored (help) - ^ a b c d "HUBNESTER Computer and Video Game Music Production". Hubnester Industries (Archived). Retrieved 2008-05-05.