MACHINES OF GRACE Featuring SAVATAGE, METAL CHURCH Members; New Song Available

June 16, 2009

The song "Innocence" from MACHINES OF GRACE — the new band featuring drummer Jeff Plate (TRANS-SIBERIAN ORCHESTRA, SAVATAGE, METAL CHURCH),lead singer Zak Stevens (CIRCLE II CIRCLE, SAVATAGE),guitarist Matt Leff (guitar) and bassist Chris Rapoza (bass) — is available for streaming on the group's MySpace page. The track comes off MACHINES OF GRACE's self-titled debut album, which is scheduled for release this summer.

"It's just a pure, solid melodic rock sound," Stevens says about the project. "It has infectious grooves and its own brand of outright power. To me, it's got great songwriting with a hard rock edge and strong commercial appeal."

Leff and Stevens have a lengthy history, spanning back to their days as protégés at GIT/VIT, respectively. Their first band, WICKEDWITCH, also introduced the talents of drummer Jeff Plate, who clinched the lineup and formed the backbone of today's brainchild: MACHINES OF GRACE.

During a considerable hiatus after the demise of the WICKEDWITCH project, Zak Stevens had gone on to front SAVATAGE (and more recently, CIRCLE II CIRCLE),and later recruited Jeff Plate, who performs regularly with the TRANS-SIBERIAN ORCHESTRA and METAL CHURCH. Meanwhile, Matt Leff had formed TRIGGER EFFECT, and with bassist Chris Rapoza, had toured as an opening act for IRON MAIDEN, QUEENSRŸCHE and HALFORD.

Time had clearly hit the afterburners. Call it chemistry, fate or pure coincidence. A WICKEDWITCH fan suggested that the founding members revise, rethink, record and release the original material, and voila — MACHINES OF GRACE was conceived.

This band accords a shot of rock and roll that infuses several music genres with an innovative twist of smoldering vocals and bludgeoning guitar riffs. Blend that with an explosive rhythm section and you've got an exceptionally powerful elixir. "I'd say we're a mix of melodic metal, hard rock, modern rock and acoustic rock," explains guitarist Matt Leff. "The current rock climate is calling for modern production, strong vocal melodies and memorable songs from guys that can really play. I think we fit that description." Bassist Chris Rapoza agrees: "The CD has an amazing vibe that just flows really well and makes you want to listen to it all the way through. To me, songwriting and recording with that same quality always makes for the best type of album."

Jeff Plate tops off the sentiment: "The music is metal, but not thrash. Rock, but not pop. We could be compared to a number of different bands, and each song will give you a different impression, but in the end the sound is distinctly MACHINES OF GRACE."

That sound is likewise attributed to the talents of veteran mixologist Paul David Hager. Credited with engineering, mixing and producing studio work by acts such as the GOO GOO DOLLS, AVRIL LAVIGNE, PINK and TRACY BONHAM, Hager brings to the table a record destined for the spotlight, and plenty of industry accolades.

Live, this band brings new meaning to the term full throttle. The killer studio version of the music not withstanding, MACHINES OF GRACE takes a live performance experience to a whole new level. Fans will really enjoy the dueling guitar and vocal arrangements, while the second-to-none rhythm section welds them together perfectly. Zak promises, "You'll hear the emphasis on the album, the way the mix very closely depicts how this band actually sounds when we plug in."

For more information, visit www.machinesofgrace.net.

Find more on
  • facebook
  • twitter
  • reddit
  • email

Comments Disclaimer And Information

BLABBERMOUTH.NET uses the Facebook Comments plugin to let people comment on content on the site using their Facebook account. The comments reside on Facebook servers and are not stored on BLABBERMOUTH.NET. To comment on a BLABBERMOUTH.NET story or review, you must be logged in to an active personal account on Facebook. Once you're logged in, you will be able to comment. User comments or postings do not reflect the viewpoint of BLABBERMOUTH.NET and BLABBERMOUTH.NET does not endorse, or guarantee the accuracy of, any user comment. To report spam or any abusive, obscene, defamatory, racist, homophobic or threatening comments, or anything that may violate any applicable laws, use the "Report to Facebook" and "Mark as spam" links that appear next to the comments themselves. To do so, click the downward arrow on the top-right corner of the Facebook comment (the arrow is invisible until you roll over it) and select the appropriate action. You can also send an e-mail to blabbermouthinbox(@)gmail.com with pertinent details. BLABBERMOUTH.NET reserves the right to "hide" comments that may be considered offensive, illegal or inappropriate and to "ban" users that violate the site's Terms Of Service. Hidden comments will still appear to the user and to the user's Facebook friends. If a new comment is published from a "banned" user or contains a blacklisted word, this comment will automatically have limited visibility (the "banned" user's comments will only be visible to the user and the user's Facebook friends).