JJ’s Bizarre Blog #20 – We Were Born to Conquer th…

Salutations of us! The Bizarre One is constant the roll with the subsequent entry within the Bizarre Blog collection, the anniversary No. 20 so an enormous milestone certainly! This time, I feel our area mission from final time is not completed but, some far reaches of the cosmos stay unexplored. I additionally promised you just a little one thing one thing on the finish of that entry. So, let’s actually conquer all in our approach with a really particular band targeted weblog entry about one my most monumental discoveries in recent times, my high artist of 2023, one of the vital fascinating and impressive musical tasks ever, the story pushed symphonic industrial metallic titans, codename: Mechina!

So what makes Mechina so particular? Well, to start with, their musical model is exceptionally distinctive! With heavy industrial metallic impressed by Fear Factory as their foundation, with chugging riffs and double kick drum beats galore, they mix this with wealthy symphonic and digital components that create epic and atmospheric music that’s downright cinematic in its presentation, usually in comparison with Warframe or Mass Effect. This shouldn’t be by likelihood, as a result of essentially the most fascinating factor in regards to the band’s discography is that it is fully conceptual. All albums hyperlink collectively and inform one coherent story, referred to as “As Embers Turn to Dust”. It’s a grandiose story of humanity colonizing distant planets, man-made gods and city-sized machines referred to as Titans, in addition to the dramatic battle that unfolds on humanity’s new house. Every album is an idea album, flowing as one coherent expertise and the albums stream from one to the opposite as nicely. Plenty of atmosphere and soundscaping is used to create the surroundings and inform the total story. There are some singles between them that bridge the gaps between albums and fill in story particulars, however these aren’t on Spotify sadly, fingers crossed they get added quickly.

Not a lot public information exists in regards to the band, however what we all know is that they have been birthed from the bustling metallic scene of the Illinois space within the early 2000s, with 2004 cited as their official founding yr. The band consisted of guitarist, keyboardist and first songwriter Joe Tiberi, vocalist David Holch and numerous bassists and drummers that by no means appeared to stay round very lengthy. As a traditional 4 piece band, they launched some demos throughout this time and ultimately labored as much as dropping their first document in 2005, the monolith generally known as The Assembly of Tyrants. This is a extra tough and easy document, very closely Fear Factory-inspired presentation, and it is clear that the band hadn’t actually discovered their sound but. This can be the one album to exist exterior of the primary storyline, though theme-wise it very a lot looks like a prequel to it. The story is extra grounded, figuratively and actually, the epic area battles predated by societal points and technological collapse. There is extra deal with the guitars, the riffs are extra meaty and Machine Head-esque, the vocals are extra in-your-face and nu metally, the keyboards and symphonics are way more minimal and serve a extra background position. Nonetheless, that is an extremely enjoyable and catchy album that has grown on me immensely. Fun consuming recreation, take a shot each time David shouts out “MaAaAaAaN”

After this document, the band would go on a little bit of a hiatus, however solely as a result of one thing large was gestating. In 2011, the quartet got here again in full drive and actually put down Chapter 1 of their grand saga, the mighty album Conqueror. This document is the place the established model actually begins to take form with extra superior symphonics and soundscaping, in addition to making this their first true idea album. Still although the songs are extra cut-down and approachable. The story of this document tells of a distant future and an Earth tortured by a world quasi-religious conflict, as advised by the eyes of a daily soldier out on the sector. Eventually, nuclear Armageddon is introduced forth upon your complete planet, destroying the whole lot endlessly, with our protagonist managing to flee into area aboard the spaceship Andromeda. Our interstellar odyssey begins.

Keeping up this epic streak, in 2013 Mechina launched their subsequent opus, the almighty Empyrean. While the manufacturing high quality leaves a bit to be desired on this one, the songwriting is stellar and the musicianship has ascended to even increased ranges. This can be the final album the band would document as a full 4 piece. The first half is devoted to our protagonist’s contemplations of the last word destiny of the Earth and his need for a brand new starting pushed by justice. The latter half is a large plot twist of how our good friend finds himself on the brand new house of humanity, the technologically linked twin planets of Empyrean and Acheron. A brand new conquest is about to happen. 

The band and story evolution would proceed and attain one in every of its most essential zeniths – the 2014 opus Xenon. At this level, the band would transition into solely a duo of Tiberi and Holch and turn out to be a studio-only challenge targeted fully on producing and distributing their music all on their very own. With this document, the band actually discovered their footing and established their one-of-a-kind sound. The symphonic components have superior to the purpose of John Williams and Hans Zimmer-esque grandiose soundtracks and the guitar riffs have turn out to be particularly heavy, catchy and highly effective, particularly after Joe obtained his arms on his first seven-string. To this present day, this document is the favorite of many followers. Story sensible, that is the true peak, the place we discover out the reality of humanity and what we have now created in our new world and why a mass scale battle has turn out to be a necessity. However, one thing else should be achieved first. 

The very subsequent yr, the subsequent chapter would come forth, a private favorite of mine, Acheron! This begins a collection of prequel data that contexualize the entire lore of this new world and of how the planet Acheron was invaded by their neighbours from Empyrean, sparking the interplanetary conflict. Sound-wise, the document is amazingly epic, fathomlessly huge in its sound, entrancingly melodic and superbly produced. Here we will additionally discover the primary ambient “ballads” that the band likes to often have interaction with.

In 2016, we arrive at in all probability essentially the most monumental document within the band’s repertoire – Progenitor! This album is the proper midpoint of their stylistic evolution and it appears that evidently it was a pure lightning-in-a-bottle second. A number of followers, together with myself, first found the band right here. It’s an ideal mix of epic symphonic components, mighty electronics, crushing riffs, blistering blast beats and superb mix of heaviness and melody. Some tracks even embody samples of Bulgarian people music which was one thing I wasn’t ready for! Also that is the primary document to function Melissa Rosenberg, aka Melrose, who provides some implausible selection and emotion along with her superb voice. Lore-wise, we go even additional again in time to indicate how people obtained from Earth to their new properties of Empyrean and Acheron, how they have been terraformed and the way the travellers to those locations turned the Titanborn, cybernetic warriors with close to God-like energy. 

With the arrival on the brand new planets, the terraforming course of proved tougher than anticipated and this entire journey is detailed within the subsequent document, 2017’s As Embers Turn to Dust. Deliberately named after the overarching plot, this album is the quintessence of what the story is about – humanity reaching new locations and going past limits, figuratively and actually. The document itself is a mixture of proggy prolonged compositions with quite a lot of kinds and sombre ambient ballads. By far essentially the most atmospheric album to this point.

We would return to a extra motion packed sound with 2019’s buzzsaw banger Telesterion. Detailing the formation of the Titanborn, this document is heavy, proggy and epic in scale. While the manufacturing high quality is a bit doubtful, the songwriting stays high notch. This can be the place Melrose first began getting songs all to herself, beginning a development for future albums. 

After a short break, the band would return to kind with the mighty Siege in 2021. This is a really heavy and violent document and the manufacturing high quality was again as much as scratch. This can be the primary fully female-led album. It’s additionally very attention-grabbing from a narrative perspective, displaying occasions we have seen earlier than however from completely different perspective, including much more depth to the lore. Also, this album began the custom of the band dropping new releases on January 1st, for an superior New Year’s prize.

Riding this momentum, Mechina had actually discovered their stride and continued it with Venator the subsequent yr. Sound-wise, it is extra of the identical, which is nice, as a result of what they already had was unimaginable. The solely notable factor is the triumphant return of David Holch and his traditional vocals, duelling with Melrose on many tracks as they sing the ugly tales about how the conflict between Empyrean and Acheron broke out.

Finally, this brings us to our newest chapter to date, Cenotaph from 2023. A wartorn monolithic masterpiece, this album delivers on the whole lot the band is understood for and expands the lore with epic battle stuffed with triumphs, defeats, twists and turns. Banger after banger, Mechina do not miss.

And thus, that is the place the story leaves us at this time. Soon, we’ll make our approach again as much as Xenon and resume the place we left off, inevitable destruction. Everything this band does is so epic and enjoyable, I simply can’t get sufficient of it. Few different acts can constantly transport me to a different place with their music fairly like Mechina. And actually, even when all of the story stuff is not your cup of tea, they’re so rattling glorious which you can recognize them both approach. I can’t wait to see the place we go from right here. Until then, I can at all times return to the previous concepts and immerse myself on this distinctive area fantasy epic. I hope it would be best to accomplish that too now. Stay sturdy and see you once more quickly! 

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