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Mechina (band)

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Mechina
OriginBatavia, Illinois, U.S.
GenresIndustrial death metal, symphonic metal, progressive metal, cyber metal, djent
Years active2004-present
MembersJoe Tiberi
David Holch
Melissa "Mel Rose" Rosenberg
Past membersKirk Pillar
Dan Haas
Scott Oloier
Jon Oloier
Vince
Randy
Anthony Havemann
David Gavin
Dan Anderson
Steve Amarantos
WebsiteMechina

Mechina is an American independent metal band based in Batavia, Illinois. The band is known for their cinematic symphonic/industrial metal sound and their albums chronicling an ongoing space sci-fi storyline titled "As Embers Turn to Dust".

History

Formed by guitarist Joe Tiberi and vocalist David Holch on January 1, 2004 with the first of two demos, after releasing their debut album The Assembly of Tyrants in 2005 and a re-recording EP Tyrannical Resurrection in 2007, Mechina began their "As Embers Turn to Dust" saga with their next three albums, each released on January 1; Conqueror (2011), Empyrean (2013), and Xenon (2014). A triple-CD pack for those three albums to celebrate the band's 10th anniversary was released on January 1, 2014, the same day as the release of Xenon. Empyrean was received positively for its "more consistently stellar" songwriting compared to Conqueror which was considered "an oft-overlooked industrial death metal tour de force that was nevertheless just flawed enough to fly under the radar of most genre fans."

The band has also released standalone singles that connect to the storyline, one of which, "To Coexist Is To Surrender", was released on June 3, 2014, and serves as the prelude to their next album Acheron. The album was released on January 1, 2015, with cover artwork by Daniel McBride, known for his work for progressive metalcore bands Veil of Maya, Born of Osiris, and After the Burial. Acheron has been given a more mixed reception, as it "further rectifies some of Xenon's problems, yet at the same time delivers new problems." It also introduces Melissa "Mel Rose" Rosenberg as guest vocalist, appearing on tracks "On the Wings of Nefeli", "The Halcyon Purge", and the "strings/piano female vocal-driven ballad", "Ode To The Forgotten Few". The album was followed up by another single, "The World We Lost", released on August 23, 2015, the band's longest song to date at 19 minutes and serving as a prequel to Conqueror, marking the conceptual beginning of the "As Embers Turn to Dust" saga.

The band's next album Progenitor was released on January 1, 2016. The song "Anagenesis" was released in advance on December 26, 2015. Progenitor has been noted to continue the band's streak of "positives and pitfalls", and Mel Rose guest appears again, singing the entirety of tracks "Cryoshock" and "The Horizon Effect". The album was followed by As Embers Turn to Dust, the namesake album of the storyline, released on January 1, 2017. The album was received more positively than their previous three albums, and it is the first album in which Mel Rose was deemed a full-time member.

After releasing their eighth album Telesterion in late 2019 following a nearly three-year gap, its follow-up Siege was released on January 1, 2021, earning both lower-rated and favorable reviews. Although the album's vocal style consists mainly of just clean singing by Mel Rose and David Holch, Conflict vocalist Anna Hel guest appears with harsh vocals on the title track.

The band's next album Venator was released on January 1, 2022. The album has also been given good and bad reviews, the divisive point being the main focus on clean singing, apart from David Holch returning to harsh vocals on tracks "The Embers of Old Earth" and "When Virtue Meets Steel" (also featuring Anna Hel). The album was followed by Cenotaph, released on January 1, 2023. The song "The Grand Hunt" was released in advance on December 27, 2022. Cenotaph was received more poorly than any of the band's previous albums, with criticism towards the aforementioned clean singing being its sole vocal style, along with the metal instrumental track "Broken Matter Manipulation".

Musical style and influences

Mechina and its albums have been described as a variety of genres including industrial metal, symphonic metal, industrial death metal, symphonic death metal, cyber metal, djent, progressive metal, death metal, and heavy metal.

Despite having a prolific discography, Mechina is primarily a studio project, having never performed live except in their earlier years, nor released any music videos or even been signed to a record label. About the possibility of playing live, Joe Tiberi has stated, "In the past days of playing live, we had to resort to backing tracks for the orchestra and industrial sounds. It really is the only way to present that sound live without an actual orchestra. That would be a dream come true though."

Several of the band's influences include Metallica, Dimmu Borgir, Fear Factory, Devin Townsend, Ludovico Einaudi, Meshuggah, Aborted, and Peter Gabriel. David Holch has stated his fondness of sci-fi films like the original Star Wars trilogy and Aliens.

Members

Source:

Current

  • Joe Tiberi – guitars, programming, keyboards, synths, piano, orchestrations (2004–present), bass (2013–present), drum programming (2014–present)
  • David Holch – clean/harsh vocals (2004–present)
  • Melissa "Mel Rose" Rosenberg – clean vocals (session member: 2014–2016, full-time member: 2016–present)

Former

  • Kirk Pillar – drums (2004)
  • Dan Haas – bass (2004–2005)
  • Scott Oloier – drums (2004–2007, small break in 2006)
  • Jon Oloier – bass (2005–2006)
  • Vince – drums (2006)
  • Randy – bass (2006–2007)
  • Anthony Havemann – bass (2007–2010)
  • David Gavin – drums (2007–2010, 2011–2014)
  • Dan Anderson – drums (2010–2011)
  • Steve Amarantos – bass (2010–2013)

Guests

  • Dean Paul Arnold – guitar solos (on "Planetfall", "Telesterion", and "When Honor Meant Something")
  • Anna Hel – harsh vocals (on "Siege" and "When Virtue Meets Steel")

Discography

Source:

Album overview

Album Name Songs Length Released
1 The Assembly of Tyrants 10 46:37 November 4, 2005
2 Tyrannical Resurrection (re-recording EP) 5 31:05 November 4, 2007
3 Conqueror 9 36:42 January 1, 2011
4 Empyrean 11 49:26 January 1, 2013
5 Xenon 10 49:40 January 1, 2014
6 Acheron 11 66:13 January 1, 2015
7 Progenitor 8 50:20 January 1, 2016
8 As Embers Turn to Dust 10 65:25 January 1, 2017
9 Telesterion 8 60:00 November 1, 2019
10 Siege 8 61:31 January 1, 2021
11 Venator 8 51:33 January 1, 2022
12 Cenotaph 9 60:17 January 1, 2023
13 Bellum Interruptum 9 TBA March 23, 2025

Studio albums

  • The Assembly of Tyrants (November 4, 2005)
No.TitleLength
1."Shattered Cry"6:10
2."Reclamation of Mortal Nature"4:10
3."Clash of Cultures"5:10
4."Machine God"7:51
5."Apothica"1:42
6."Skin Deep"3:30
7."After Image"3:47
8."Assembly Intro"2:20
9."The Assembly of Tyrants"7:51
10."Clash YSAF mix"4:06
Total length:46:37
  • Conqueror (January 1, 2011)
No.TitleLength
1."Incipient Tragoedia"2:26
2."Pray to the Winds"5:00
3."Anti-Theist"3:33
4."Non Serviam"3:51
5.""4:30
6."Internecion"5:21
7."The Iron Law"5:27
8."Conqueror"3:28
9."A.D. Astra"3:06
Total length:36:42
  • Empyrean (January 1, 2013)
No.TitleLength
1."Aporia"1:26
2."Asterion"3:34
3."Interregnum"5:33
4."Imperialus"3:18
5."Anathema"5:23
6."Catechism"5:51
7.""0:55
8."Elephtheria"4:21
9."Empyrean"4:53
10."Infineon"4:01
11."Terminus"10:06
Total length:49:21
  • Xenon (January 1, 2014)
No.TitleLength
1."Xenon"7:34
2."Ailthea"4:54
3."Zoticus"4:06
4."Terrea"5:23
5."Tartarus"5:41
6."Phedra"4:55
7."Thales"6:55
8."Erebus"3:28
9."Amyntas"3:49
10."Actaeon"2:55
Total length:49:40
  • Acheron (January 1, 2015)
No.TitleLength
1."Proprioception"3:00
2."Earth-Born Axiom"8:34
3."Vanquisher"6:46
4."On the Wings of Nefeli"7:24
5."The Halcyon Purge"5:04
6."Lethean Waves"4:56
7."Ode to the Forgotten Few"6:55
8."The Hyperion Threnody"9:34
9."Adrasteia"2:57
10."Invictus Daedalus"6:35
11."The Future Must Be Met"4:28
Total length:66:13
  • Progenitor (January 1, 2016)
No.TitleLength
1."Mass Locked"1:40
2."Ashes of Old Earth"6:24
3."Starscape"7:31
4."Cryoshock"6:26
5."The Horizon Effect"7:55
6."Anagenesis"8:19
7."Planetfall"5:57
8."Progenitor"6:08
Total length:50:20
  • As Embers Turn to Dust (January 1, 2017)
No.TitleLength
1."Godspeed, Vanguards"9:24
2."Creation Level Event"6:47
3."Impact Proxy"8:24
4."Aetherion Rain"3:56
5."The Synesthesia Signal"7:00
6."Unearthing the Daedalian Ancient"7:11
7."The Tellurian Pathos"7:40
8."Thus Always to Tyrants"5:31
9."Division Through Distance"5:23
10."As Embers Turn to Dust"4:26
Total length:65:25
  • Telesterion (November 1, 2019)
No.TitleLength
1."The Etimasia"6:13
2."Realm Breaker"7:24
3."The Allodynia Lance"7:56
4."Tyrannos"6:00
5."Gene Heresy"10:40
6."Telesterion"8:47
7."The Archivarius Chaos Ritual"6:48
8."Homeworld Salient"6:12
Total length:60:00
  • Siege (January 1, 2021)
No.TitleLength
1."King Breeder"3:01
2."The Worst in Us"8:24
3."Shock Doctrine"4:33
4."Purity Storm"9:47
5."Siege"6:40
6."Claw at the Dirt"9:23
7."Blood Feud Erotica"8:04
8."Freedom Foregone"11:39
Total length:61:31
  • Venator (January 1, 2022)
No.TitleLength
1."Suffer"9:12
2."Praise Hydrus"8:15
3."Sacrifice Zone"6:12
4."Totemic"5:15
5."Venator"6:28
6."Aphelion"4:09
7."The Embers of Old Earth"5:23
8."When Virtue Meets Steel"6:39
Total length:51:33
  • Cenotaph (January 1, 2023)
No.TitleLength
1."Petrichor"2:12
2."For All to See"5:01
3."Cenotaph"7:44
4."Starlifter"6:52
5."The Grand Hunt"7:28
6."Spasms of Human Tragedy"8:37
7."Broken Matter Manipulation"6:09
8."The Haruspex Sunrise"8:44
9."Andara's Will"7:30
Total length:60:17
  • Bellum Interruptum (March 23, 2025)

Track listing TBA.

Demos/EPs

  • Embrace the Breed (January 1, 2004)
No.TitleLength
1."Skin Deep"3:22
2."After Image"3:52
3."Flesh Fair"5:18
Total length:12:32
  • Demo (April 19, 2004)
No.TitleLength
1."Machine God"7:46
2."Skin Deep"3:52
3."After Image"3:22
Total length:15:00
  • Tyrannical Resurrection (re-recording EP) (November 4, 2007)
No.TitleLength
1."Machine God"6:56
2."Clash of Cultures"5:06
3."Reclamation of Mortal Nature"4:52
4."The Assembly of Tyrants"8:40
5."Shattered Cry"5:31
Total length:31:05

Singles

  • "Andromeda" - 9:22 (May 15, 2011)
  • "Zero Signal" (Fear Factory cover) - 5:46 (January 26, 2013)
  • "Cepheus" - 10:32 (August 1, 2013)
  • "The Moment Between Cause and Effect" - 2:32 (August 25, 2013)
  • "Phedra" - 5:00 (November 1, 2013)
  • "To Coexist Is to Surrender" - 12:33 (June 2, 2014)
  • "Vanquisher" - 5:48 (December 30, 2014)
  • "The World We Lost" - 18:48 (August 22, 2015)
  • "Godspeed, Vanguards" - 9:10 (December 5, 2016)
  • "Realm Breaker" - 7:35 (June 21, 2019)
  • "Siege" - 6:20 (December 4, 2020)
  • "Aphelion" - 4:11 (December 20, 2021)
  • "The Grand Hunt" - 7:48 (December 20, 2022)
  • "Blessings Upon the Field Where Blades Will Flood" - 18:13 (September 9, 2023)
  • "The World We Saved" - 14:23 (April 4, 2024)
  • "When Honor Meant Something" - 7:51 (October 30, 2024)

Boxed set

  • The Compendium (May 25, 2018)

Contains remastered editions of Conqueror, Empyrean, Xenon, Acheron, Progenitor, and As Embers Turn to Dust, with the singles "The World We Lost", "Andromeda", "Cepheus", and "To Coexist is to Surrender" added to the beginning of the first four albums of the boxset, one single per album.

References

  1. ^ "Mechina - New Album Title And Artwork Released". Metal Storm. 2013-06-13. Retrieved 2025-01-09.
  2. ^ "Mechina - Empyrean review". Metal Storm. 2013-01-28. Retrieved 2025-01-09.
  3. ^ "Mechina - New Single Released, Available Online". Metal Storm. 2014-06-03. Retrieved 2025-01-09.
  4. "Mechina - New Album Available For Streaming". Metal Storm. 2015-01-03. Retrieved 2025-01-09.
  5. ^ "Mechina - Acheron review". Metal Storm. 2015-02-26. Retrieved 2025-01-09.
  6. ^ "Mechina - Stream New Single". Metal Storm. 2015-08-23. Retrieved 2025-01-09.
  7. ^ "Mechina - New Song Released". Metal Storm. 2015-12-26. Retrieved 2025-01-09.
  8. ^ "Mechina - Progenitor review". Metal Storm. 2016-03-07. Retrieved 2025-01-09.
  9. ^ "Mechina - As Embers Turn To Dust". Metal1.info. 2017-04-07. Retrieved 2025-01-09.
  10. ^ "Mechina - Siege review". Metal Storm. 2021-02-02. Retrieved 2025-01-09.
  11. ^ "Chicagoland prog-metal band Mechina spin a vast interstellar saga almost 15 years in the making". Chicago Reader. 2021-02-17. Retrieved 2025-01-09.
  12. "Best entry in a long-running science fiction saga by a power-metal band". Chicago Reader. 2022-03-02. Retrieved 2025-01-09.
  13. ^ "Mechina - Venator review". Metal Storm. 2022-01-04. Retrieved 2025-01-09.
  14. ^ "Tireless collaborator Reno Cruz steps out with his debut solo album". Chicago Reader. 2022-01-04. Retrieved 2025-01-09.
  15. "Mechina - New Studio Album Coming Out On New Year's Day". Metal Storm. 2022-12-27. Retrieved 2025-01-09.
  16. ^ "Mechina - Cenotaph review". Metal Storm. 2023-01-04. Retrieved 2025-01-09.
  17. ^ "Mechina - Metal Storm". Metal Storm. Retrieved 2025-01-09.
  18. ^ "Mechina - Interviews - Metal1.info". Metal1.info. 2017-07-26. Retrieved 2025-01-09.
  19. "Mechina - Discography". Metal Storm. Retrieved 2025-01-09.


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