Ex-NEVERMORE/FORBIDDEN Guitarist Teams Up With BIOMECHANICAL, MNEMIC, MERCENARY Members

ONE MACHINE is the brainchild of critically acclaimed guitarist/songwriter Steve Smyth (NEVERMORE, FORBIDDEN, DRAGONLORD, VICIOUS RUMORS). An international metal band with classic and modern influences, it features members carefully selected by Smyth: Mikkel Sandager (MERCENARY) on vocals, Jamie Hunt (BIOMECHANICAL) on guitar, Tomas "O'Beast" Koefoed (MNEMIC) on bass and Raphael Saini (CHAOSWAVE) on drums.

Smyth had often given thought to leading his own band throughout his distinguished career as a member of such bands as TESTAMENT, NEVERMORE and FORBIDDEN. He had written a number of songs for the project, but the challenge of finding the right members to bring them to life remained. After he found a more-than-capable shredding second guitarist in Jamie Hunt, 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. His ability to sing in different ways and his readiness to be pushed into new musical territories was a perfect fit for Smyth's new band.

"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!"

Drummer Raphael Saini, formerly of Italian progressive metallers CHAOSWAVE, whose band Smyth had previously provided guest solos for, was next to join. During the recording process, Saini lived up to Modern Drummer's assessment of him as "a drum assassin; cold blooded, precise, and brutal." Smyth says: "Raph surprised me with his ability in delivering these tracks. He totally killed it!"

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."

With the lineup complete, a debut album was recorded and will be mixed shortly. The band has already been offered European festival dates, and expects to make its live debut during the summer.