ONE MACHINE Featuring Ex-TESTAMENT, MERCENARY, Ex-MNEMIC Members: First Webisode

January 22, 2014

ONE MACHINE, the brainchild of acclaimed guitarist/songwriter Steve Smyth (TESTAMENT, NEVERMORE, FORBIDDEN, DRAGONLORD, VICIOUS RUMORS),will release its debut album, "The Distortion Of Lies And The Overdriven Truth", on February 18 via Scarlet Records. 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).

The first in a series of video clips featuring behind-the-scenes footage from the making of "The Distortion Of Lies And The Overdriven Truth" can be seen below.

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."

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