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News
12/6/13
ONE MACHINE – DEBUT ALBUM ON SCARLET RECORDS
One Machine, the brainchild of acclaimed guitarist/songwriter Steve Smyth (Testament, Nevermore, Forbidden, Dragonlord, Vicious Rumors), have inked a deal with Scarlet Records for the release of their debut album, ‘The Distortion Of Lies And The Overdriven Truth’, to be released February 18th, 2014.
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, amongst 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. He’s perfect for this band!”
Smyth, Hunt, and Sandager then set about refining and shaping Smyth’s original material. In 2012, bassist Tomas “O’Beast” Koefoed, formerly of Mnemic, 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! He literally added an entirely new dimension to these songs that would not have been possible to be achieved without him.”
‘The Distortion Of Lies And The Overdriven Truth’ was recorded and produced by Steve Smyth. Mixing was handled by Roy Z (Judas Priest, Bruce Dickinson, Halford), mastered by Alan Douches (Three Inches Of Blood, Firewind, Sepultura) from West West Side Music with artwork created by Niklas Sundin from Cabin Fever Media (Dark Tranquillity, Arch Enemy), complimented with photography from Anthony Dubois (Meshuggah, Mnemic).
Follow www.scarletrecords.it and www.feedtheonemachine.com for all the updates.
6/11/11
Two new interviews: Artisan Norway and Metal Sucks.
6/9/11
I am happy to announce that all of my websites have been completely revamped by my good friend and webmaster, Asgeir Mickelson. My main goal with these website revamps was and is to be able to stay connected with everyone, everywhere, as much as I can.
I now have a YouTube channel, which I am steadily collecting and uploading material and content to from my career to date, and plan to make this a more interactive endeavor as well, by posting a ‘riff of the week’ or a ‘lick of the week’ video, so stay tuned!
In addition to the revamps to my personal website and MySpace as well, you can also visit my Twitter page, fan Facebook page. Through all of these sites, I promise to keep in touch and keep you up to date on all that’s happening in my musical world!
Lots of touring dates all over the world coming up with Forbidden, plus some exciting news on the instructional front, as well as news and updates on my new UK based band FIREHEAD, and work on the second album forthcoming from THE ESSENESS PROJECT.
4/12/11
– Forbidden announces 2nd North American headline tour! See tour dates section!
1/13/11
– Steve Smyth Signature 6 and 7 string BC Rich Bich Guitars make their debut at Winter NAMM 2011!
FORBIDDEN guitarist Steve Smyth is pleased to announce the availability of his signature 6- & 7-string BC Rich “Bich” guitar, which debuted two months ago at NAMM 2011.
“After nearly 3 years of effort put in, I am happy to announce that my BC Rich signature series guitars have been released. I chose everything for these guitars, right down to the finish, and I’m very happy to say my wishes have been met! I have been using the Signature 6 series (http://bcrich.com/bcrichNew/models/guitars/Bich/Steve-Smyth-Signature-6-String-Bich/155) – this absolute monster – with the mighty FORBIDDEN for the last few years, and I honestly have to say it slays every other guitar I have, straight up! Solid, consistent tone across all the dynamics I need; the feel is incredible plus it’s really light for having the heavy woods it has. The Signature 7 series (http://www.bcrich.com/models/guitars-and-bass/Bich/Steve-Smyth-Signature-7-String-Bich/156) version of the guitar has been released as well. This has the same woods as the 6, but with 81-7 and 707 pickups, Grover tuners, and a Floyd Rose tremolo as well. I’m loving this thing… it hasn’t left my hands since I got it! This guitar will see use with my new metal band Firehead (debut in late 2011), as well as featured heavily on the new album and live performances coming this year from The EssenEss Project. I hope you’ll enjoy these guitars as much as I do. Check them out!”
Specs for the 6-string Bich:
• Neck Through Construction
• Mahogany Body
• Maple Neck
• Grover® Rotomatic Tuners
• Ebony Fretboard
• 24 Jumbo Frets
• 25 1/2″ Scale
• BC Rich Quad bridge
• EMG® 81 and 85 Pickups
• 2 Volume, 1 Tone, and 1 Three-way Toggle Controls
Specs for the 7-string Bich:
• Neck Through Construction
• Mahogany Body
• Maple Neck
• Grover® Rotomatic Tuners
• Ebony Fretboard
• 24 Jumbo Frets
• 25 1/2″ Scale
• Floyd Rose® Original 7 Bridge
• EMG® 81-7 and 707 Pickup
• 2 Volume, 1 Tone, and 1 Three-way Toggle Controls
Buy them here! http://www.themusicfarm.com/products/BC-Rich-Steve-Smyth-Signature-7-Bich-Electric-Guitar-Onyx-10124.html
1/31/11
– 70,000 Tons Of Metal was an absolute blast! I had a lot of fun performing on this cruise, catching up wth a lot of peers and friends in 4 days, when it would normally take me years to do, and even a special last minute jam with my old friend Victor Smolski and my friends in Rage!
