Deus Ex Machina (heavy metal band)
Encyclopedia
Deus Ex Machina is a Singaporean death metal
/thrash metal
band, and is one of the few extreme metal
acts from Southeast Asia that has gained a following in Europe and the United States. They represent a rarity in the Southeast Asian Metal scenes in favouring a more melodic musical approach and concept-based poetic lyrics in contrast to the more aggressive and brutal stylings of the region. They are also a highly internationalized band, with a background of having band members from different parts of the world.
), Subash (Kaliyuga, Truth Be Known), Vivek (Bhelliom), Lord Insanity (Meltgsnow) and Marie Emily (M.E) came on board for this project to lend their vocals, with Ryan putting vocals on one track. The debut album of 7 songs was entitled The War Inside. The album was recorded at TNT Music Studios in Singapore, with KK Wong, Engineering and Co-Producing the album. The first album was humanistic in nature, considering everything from war and religion to books such as Prozac Nation
and The Da Vinci Code
.
Between October 2006 to December 2007, the band gigs with Ryan being joined by new members Shailendra on drums, Mithun on vocals, Daniel on bass and Rory on guitars. They recorded a self-titled EP that was self-released to limited copies, as a prelude to the follow-up to The War Inside. They play shows with international acts Truth Corroded, Sludge, Hydrophobia, Defiled.
Throughout 2008 and 2009, Deus ex Machina commenced work on their second album, I, Human
, with new members Tharenii and Caspar from Stillborn
filling in on guitars and bass respectively. Set in the Death Metal
/Thrash Metal
mould with melodic and Progressive Metal
structures thrown in. The lyrical content of the album deals with the future: Cloning
. Specifically, questions regarding its use, legality, implications and the possibility of a world full of clones fighting to gain their own identity. The concept was based on the medium of Isaac Asimov
's novel I,Robot.
, progressive metal
, and thrash metal
. The band is also known for its intelligent and poetic lyrical concept. The band has indicated their influences to be Martyr
, Death, Carcass
, Meshuggah
, Iron Maiden
, Dream Theater
, Nevermore
, among others.
Death metal
Death metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal. It typically employs heavily distorted guitars, tremolo picking, deep growling vocals, blast beat drumming, minor keys or atonality, and complex song structures with multiple tempo changes....
/thrash metal
Thrash metal
Thrash metal is a subgenre of heavy metal that is characterized usually by its fast tempo and aggression. Songs of the genre typically use fast percussive and low-register guitar riffs, overlaid with shredding-style lead work...
band, and is one of the few extreme metal
Extreme metal
Extreme metal is a loosely defined umbrella term for a number of related heavy metal music subgenres that have developed since the early 1980s. The term usually refers to a more abrasive, harsher, underground, non-commercialized style or sound nearly always associated with genres like black metal,...
acts from Southeast Asia that has gained a following in Europe and the United States. They represent a rarity in the Southeast Asian Metal scenes in favouring a more melodic musical approach and concept-based poetic lyrics in contrast to the more aggressive and brutal stylings of the region. They are also a highly internationalized band, with a background of having band members from different parts of the world.
History
Deus Ex Machina (DEM) was formed in early 2004 when Ryan, the ex-lead guitarist for Azra-el and Bhelliom started writing and rehearsing music with Lincoln on drums and Justin (Fen-rir) on second guitar. Due to their inability to commit, they were replaced by Gene (Truth Be Known, Bhelliom) on drums and Mak (ex-Angel of Sin) on bass. As a 3-piece, the band decided to carry on writing and by the time recording came around, the band chose to enlist different singers to give the album a more diverse feel. Kathi (RudraRudra (band)
Rudra is a Singaporean band which was formed in 1992, and plays a style of black metal-influenced death metal with interpolations and extended passages of traditional Carnatic music. Additionally, the lyrical content is derived from Sanskrit Vedic literature and philosophy with some songs...
), Subash (Kaliyuga, Truth Be Known), Vivek (Bhelliom), Lord Insanity (Meltgsnow) and Marie Emily (M.E) came on board for this project to lend their vocals, with Ryan putting vocals on one track. The debut album of 7 songs was entitled The War Inside. The album was recorded at TNT Music Studios in Singapore, with KK Wong, Engineering and Co-Producing the album. The first album was humanistic in nature, considering everything from war and religion to books such as Prozac Nation
Prozac Nation (book)
Prozac Nation , an autobiography published in 1994 and written by Elizabeth Wurtzel, describes the author's experiences with major depression, her own character failings and how she managed to live through particularly difficult periods while completing college and working as a writer...
and The Da Vinci Code
The Da Vinci Code
The Da Vinci Code is a 2003 mystery-detective novel written by Dan Brown. It follows symbologist Robert Langdon and Sophie Neveu as they investigate a murder in Paris's Louvre Museum and discover a battle between the Priory of Sion and Opus Dei over the possibility of Jesus having been married to...
.
Between October 2006 to December 2007, the band gigs with Ryan being joined by new members Shailendra on drums, Mithun on vocals, Daniel on bass and Rory on guitars. They recorded a self-titled EP that was self-released to limited copies, as a prelude to the follow-up to The War Inside. They play shows with international acts Truth Corroded, Sludge, Hydrophobia, Defiled.
Throughout 2008 and 2009, Deus ex Machina commenced work on their second album, I, Human
I, Human
I, Human is the second full-length album by Singaporean Death Metal band, Deus Ex Machina, and the first to feature a permanent vocalist, giving it more uniformity in contrast to The War Inside, which had a different singer for each track...
, with new members Tharenii and Caspar from Stillborn
Stillborn (band)
Stillborn is a Polish black death metal band.-Band Members:* Killer - guitars, vocals * ataman Tolovy - bass guitar, vocals * August - drums * Rzulty - guitars -Discography:...
filling in on guitars and bass respectively. Set in the Death Metal
Death metal
Death metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal. It typically employs heavily distorted guitars, tremolo picking, deep growling vocals, blast beat drumming, minor keys or atonality, and complex song structures with multiple tempo changes....
/Thrash Metal
Thrash metal
Thrash metal is a subgenre of heavy metal that is characterized usually by its fast tempo and aggression. Songs of the genre typically use fast percussive and low-register guitar riffs, overlaid with shredding-style lead work...
mould with melodic and Progressive Metal
Progressive metal
Progressive metal is a subgenre of heavy metal originating in the United Kingdom and North America in the late 1980s...
structures thrown in. The lyrical content of the album deals with the future: Cloning
Cloning
Cloning in biology is the process of producing similar populations of genetically identical individuals that occurs in nature when organisms such as bacteria, insects or plants reproduce asexually. Cloning in biotechnology refers to processes used to create copies of DNA fragments , cells , or...
. Specifically, questions regarding its use, legality, implications and the possibility of a world full of clones fighting to gain their own identity. The concept was based on the medium of Isaac Asimov
Isaac Asimov
Isaac Asimov was an American author and professor of biochemistry at Boston University, best known for his works of science fiction and for his popular science books. Asimov was one of the most prolific writers of all time, having written or edited more than 500 books and an estimated 90,000...
's novel I,Robot.
Musical style
Deus ex Machina's musical style is derived from a multitude of influences. The genres that the band has been affiliated to would be melodic death metalMelodic death metal
Melodic death metal is a heavy metal music style that combines elements from the New Wave of British Heavy Metal with elements of death metal. The style was developed during the early and mid-1990s, primarily in England and Scandinavia...
, progressive metal
Progressive metal
Progressive metal is a subgenre of heavy metal originating in the United Kingdom and North America in the late 1980s...
, and thrash metal
Thrash metal
Thrash metal is a subgenre of heavy metal that is characterized usually by its fast tempo and aggression. Songs of the genre typically use fast percussive and low-register guitar riffs, overlaid with shredding-style lead work...
. The band is also known for its intelligent and poetic lyrical concept. The band has indicated their influences to be Martyr
Martyr (band)
Martyr is a Canadian death metal band from Trois-Rivières, Québec, founded in 1994 by brothers Daniel and François Mongrain.- History :Formed in 1994 by brothers Daniel and François Mongrain , along with Pier-Luc Lampron and François Richard , Martyr recorded a demo tape in September 1995...
, Death, Carcass
Carcass (band)
Carcass are an extreme metal band from England, who formed in 1985 and disbanded in 1995. A reunion was enacted in 2008 without one of its original members, drummer Ken Owen, due to health reasons....
, Meshuggah
Meshuggah
Meshuggah is an extreme metal band from Umeå, Sweden, formed in 1987. Meshuggah's line-up has primarily consisted of founding members vocalist Jens Kidman and lead guitarist Fredrik Thordendal, drummer Tomas Haake, who joined in 1990, and rhythm guitarist Mårten Hagström, who joined in 1992...
, Iron Maiden
Iron Maiden
Iron Maiden are an English heavy metal band from Leyton in east London, formed in 1975 by bassist and primary songwriter Steve Harris. Since their inception, the band's discography has grown to include a total of thirty-six albums: fifteen studio albums; eleven live albums; four EPs; and six...
, Dream Theater
Dream Theater
Dream Theater is an American progressive metal band formed in 1985 under the name Majesty by John Petrucci, John Myung, and Mike Portnoy while they attended Berklee College of Music in Massachusetts. They subsequently dropped out of their studies to further concentrate on the band that would...
, Nevermore
Nevermore
Nevermore is an American heavy metal band from Seattle, Washington. Formed in 1991, they are known to incorporate elements from styles such as thrash, power, progressive, and neo-classical metal into their songs, and also makes use of acoustic guitars and a wide range of vocal styles.-Early years...
, among others.
Band members
- Ryan Prashant Joseph – lead guitar (2004–present)
- Shailendra Singh – drums (2006–present)
- Mithun MK – lead vocals (2006–present)
- Thomas Leow – bass (2009–present)
- Anand Sinniah – rhythm guitar (2009–present)
Former members
- Tharenii – guitar (2008–2009)
- Caspar Francis – bass (2008–2009)
- Rory Slingo – guitar (2006–2008)
- Daniel Dugard – bass (2006–2008)
- Gene – drums (2004–2006)
- Mak – bass (2004–2006)
Discography
- The War Inside (Album, 2006)
- Deus Ex Machina (EP, 2007)
- I, HumanI, HumanI, Human is the second full-length album by Singaporean Death Metal band, Deus Ex Machina, and the first to feature a permanent vocalist, giving it more uniformity in contrast to The War Inside, which had a different singer for each track...
(Album, 2009)