Interviews: The Mechanist

In this new occassion we have had the opportunity to interview the Metalcore band The Mechanist, from UK. Check out this band and give them a like on their FACEBOOK PAGE.

1.Where did you get the idea for the band name, you planned it or came out just like that? 

We came up with ‘The Mechanist’ after reading about the philosophy of ‘Mechanism’: 

'Mechanism is the belief that natural wholes (principally living things) are like complicated machines or artifacts, composed of parts lacking any intrinsic relationship to each other.’

We love the imagery conjured from that way of thinking, it’s true how many things in life fit and work together perfectly like clockwork. This also reflects the type of musicic we make. If everything is not perfectly played and precise- if anybody fucks up- the whole machine falls apart. (The Mechanist is also a character in the Fallout game series.. we didn't know that at the time buy we are big fans of those games too!)

2. Why did you want to play this genre? 

Les (Drummer): I've always been into metal, especially prog metal like Porcupine Tree and Tool. Recently I've gotten into tech metal and I've been digging the level of musicianship some of these dudes play at, it's so groove driven and free feeling. For me personally I like having a medium to express the same kind of playing and better myself as a player, and I like to improvise a lot, so it's pretty cool that the other guys are pretty chill about me playing what I want. We enjoy pushing the boundaries of our musical ability while still keeping the sound accessible to a wide audience.

3. Did you know each other before the band was formed?

James (vocalist) and Sam (guitarist) have been close friends since they were teenagers and have been in many bands together. We found Alex (bass) and Les (drums) through good friend Joe Taylor of Pravtias (another great tech band). Jonny (guitar) just sort of turned up one day so we just rolled with it...

4. Each band member favourite band? 

James: Impossible question. I’ll tell you who i’m into recently though- Dance Gavin Dance. We're also all into very similar stuff so i'll let the other guys list a few...

Jonny: The Contortionist, Veil of Maya, Animals as Leaders, Intervals.

Les: I like too much stuff from a few genres to name one. Recently I've been rinsing through Three Trapped Tigers and Meshuggah, but I also love contemporary stuff like Mehliana and Nerve, and I'm big on electronic music

Sam: Erra, August Burns Red, Northlane.

Alex: Monuments, Nevermore.

5. Who or what inspires you to write songs? 

James: The lyrics I write are just very honest reflections of my own emotions and experiences. I can be vey closed and introverted at time, and it's extremely therapeutic to scream my deepest thoughts out into the void sometimes.

Jonny: Bury Tomorrow are a huge inspiration for me in terms of my clean vocals.

6. Most recent gig?

Our last gig was at Bad Apples in Leeds, UK with our good friends On Hollow Ground, Isolate The Witness and Outright Resistance.

7. Where you you like to play?

We'd love to play a festival like Tech Fest or Download some day!

8. Who would you like to feature with?

James: In terms of vocals, I’d love to get Kyle Anderson of The Afterimage involved! His clean vocals are beautiful.

9. Whom not?

We don't want to burn any bridges with this question haha. (teehee)

10. Any of you has ever suffered from stage fright? Any tip for beginners on how to beat that? 

James: For me, I used to always get crazy nerves before going on stage- and i still do, I get shaky as fuck. I go into the mind of a character in the same way an actor does- i pretend to be a badass until everyone starts to believe it! Fake it till you make it bros!

Les:  Yeah I think the best way to deal with nerves is being confident off stage. If you're well rehearsed, know what you're doing and prepare properly on gig day you're already making it much easier for yourself. Although sometimes it's more physical than mental. I got real bad shakes in one of my arms in my grade 8 exam during a really tricky part, but you've just gotta move on and collect yourself, if your head is in the right place then it normally goes away.

11. What bands have inspired you the most?

Sam:  Parkway Drive - coming from small beginnings in a small place in Australia and managing to become one of the biggest metal bands around. Their documentary is incredible.

12. What's the weirdest thing a fan has ever asked you for?

James: I’ve had some bat-shit crazy fans… they don’t usually ask for stuff, but my favourite comment i’ve got was probably ‘You look like you smell good’ which kinda creeps me out a little. I guess it's not too bad though. I smell okay.

13. What do you think of your fans? 

The fans are our absolute backbone. We’d be absolutely nowhere without them and we appreciate them so so much!

14. What do you think of our site?

Breathing The Core is awesome! We especially like the compilation albums you guys make as it allows many bands to get seen who normally might get lost in the crowd.

15. Something to add?

Just want to say a huge thank you to everyone that has been supporting us so far. It’s been such a short time since we put out our debut EP, and already the response we’ve received is nothing short of amazing. Every time we receive a message from somebody who has just discovered us, or those who have been with us the whole journey- we can’t even explain how much we appreciate it and we try to respond to every single message we receive!