This intriguing Swedish band has been active since
around 2000, building a name for themselves
privately before finally signing to
Spinefarm
Records
in 2006 for the release of their third album,
Redeemer.
Basically, their style is based in power metal but
with a bit of a pop edge, some grandiose arrangements,
and some interesting techno synth effects
(more on that in a minute).
The band has blazed a rather unique trail for
themselves in a couple of ways --
first, they embraced the Internet as a means
for distributing their music well before the craze
of sites like Myspace, uploading scores of freely
distributeable songs prior to their first official
album in 2004 (essentially album-less tracks, they
are still available on their site, as is their entire
second release, a soundtrack to a video game).
Secondly, they incorporate the use of a SiDStation
(apparently,
a device that contains the audio/music chip found in old
Commodore 64 computers) for some of their
synthesizer effects (it is even said that these
guys are the originators of a whole subgenre of
music called SiD metal, though that appears to be
stretching things a bit).
The SiD effect is somewhat subtle,
not nearly as in-your-face as, say,
Horse The Band,
who take a
somewhat similar synthesizer approach from a
completely different angle.
Nonetheless, the chip occasionally heightens the
techno effect that helps to differentiate this band
from what might otherwise be a more ordinary
power metal style.
The other differentiation from power metal are the vocals,
goth rock than power metal, perhaps offputting to some
even though he has a fine voice and again, this is
one more reason not to label this band as just
power metal.
Considering that so many power metal bands stay
within rigid confines, it's refreshing to find a band
like Machinae Supremacy breathe some new life into
the genre.
