On february 13th, 2008, the CD Overworld was released worldwide. It was the second CD released through Spinefarm and consists of 12 tracks, including one cover (''Gimme More'' by Britney Spears). Compared to Deus Ex Machinae (MbD Records, a now defunct label) and Redeemer (Spinefarm), Overworld is a blend between the energetic SID as heard on DXM and the raw sound of Redeemer. Later in 2008 the song ''Overworld'' was featured in a hockey-commercial on the Swedish television. Two songs, ''Bionic Commando Main Theme'' and ''Area 88'' were recorded and released on the band's MySpace as well as on the official Bionic Commando (2009 video game). The ''Bionic Commando Main Theme'' was also featured in a promotional video.
Bionic Commando isn't the first game Machinae Supremacy got involved with. In 2004 they released the well-received and praised 28 track Jets'n'Guns Official Soundtrack, leveling up this side scrolling shooter. The album can be downloaded from their website.
The band released their fourth studio album, A View from the End of the World, on 3 November 2010. The video for the song "Force Feedback" was later released in 2011.
The fifth studio album, Rise of a Digital Nation, was released on 19 October 2012. It was featured on the controversial Swedish file-sharing website The Pirate Bay, leading to a significant increase in the band's online profile.
On 14 March 2014, vocalist Robert Stjärnström announced in the Machinae Supremacy fan Facebook group "MachinaeTribe" that "release [of the new album] won't be until August." The new album, titled Phantom Shadow, was released on 22 August 2014.
Machinae Supremacy has already made their place in history by being one of the first bands to embrace and utilize the Internet and file sharing to gain a huge fanbase without ever having signed a record contract, received airplay or any sponsored promotion. They've reached out to all corners of the world and today their site receives roughly 100,000 song downloads every month.
Machinae Supremacy was formed in summer 2000 by Robert Stjärnström, Kahl Hellmer and Jonas Rörling. The name of the band had existed even before this, but it was only a few months later the band really found the path they wanted to go. Andreas Gerdin, a long time friend of Jonas, joined on keyboards and Tobbe joined on drums. When the band parted with Tobbe in early 2002, Tomas Nilsén, old band-pal with Robert, took his place. When Kahl left for Uppsala in 2005, Johan Palovaara replaced him on bass. Palovaara was replaced by Johan Hedlund in 2007. After signing the Spinefarm deal, Andreas left the keyboards and started playing second guitar. Currently all live synthesizers come from a backing track. The latest change in line-up came about by Tomas leaving the band after 7 years of "pure win and awesome".
Official homepage: http://www.machinaesupremacy.com
through the looking glass
Machinae Supremacy Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Passing through the hourglass
And it shimmers in my eyes
As I linger in the wake
As eternity escapes
I begin to realize
We'll walk a thousand miles just to see for ourselves
Find our hell
And in the light of the sun we go
Through rain and raging snow
To find the things we do not know
I will go
Never laying low
Just tell me how to breathe
And I will make it so
You must know
That this is not for show
And if you are not wise
(It will) Be your demise
Once I walked along a field
Another nightmare in my mind
And beheld the fearful symmetry
Everything was beautiful
Even things that were dead
And I surged with violent imagery
I walked a thousand miles just to see for myself
Looked behind my eyes
And found my hell
And in the light of the sun we go
Through rain and raging snow
To find the things we do not know
I will go
Never laying low
Just tell me how to breathe
And I will make it so
You must know
That this is not for show
And if you are not wise
(It will) be your demise
We come to honor; to stand or die
To pass the hours of our lives
We burn the silence and all the lies
To fuel the fire inside our eyes
We all go!
And in the light of the sun we go
Through rain and raging snow
To find the things we do not know
I will go
Never laying low
Just tell me how to breathe
And I will make it so
You must know
That this is not for show
And if you are not wise
(It will) be your demise
Come to honor
Stand or die
Fuel that fire in your eyes
The opening lines of Machinae Supremacy's "Through the Looking Glass" evoke a sense of life's fleeting nature with the imagery of sand slipping through an hourglass. The singer notes that time is passing, and it shimmers in their eyes as they become aware of it. They are standing in the wake of eternity, and as it escapes, the realization hits them that life is short, and they need to take action before it's too late. The next lines indicate that they are willing to travel a thousand miles to see things for themselves, to look behind their eyes and find their hell. They understand that this journey will not be easy, as they will have to brave rain, raging snow, and other challenges. Nonetheless, they are determined to find the things they don't know and are prepared to make sacrifices.
The next stanza in the song conveys a sense of having experienced trauma or nightmares in the past. The singer highlights their ability to find beauty even in death and violent imagery, indicating that they have been through a lot. They have journeyed a thousand miles to find their own hell and have looked behind their eyes to uncover it. However, this experience has made them stronger and given them a sense of purpose. The chorus of the song reinforces the notion that the singer is willing to work hard to achieve their goals, even if it means never laying low. They are committed to making it happen and warn that failure to take action may be one's demise.
Line by Line Meaning
I can feel the sands of time
I am aware of the passing of time
Passing through the hourglass
Time is slipping away
And it shimmers in my eyes
I am aware of the passage of time
As I linger in the wake
As I stay aware of the passage of time
As eternity escapes
As time continues to pass by
I begin to realize
I start to understand the importance of time
We'll walk a thousand miles just to see for ourselves
We will travel far to experience something firsthand
Look behind our eyes
Examine our inner motivations
Find our hell
Discover the source of our pain and suffering
And in the light of the sun we go
We will continue on our journey despite obstacles
Through rain and raging snow
Despite harsh conditions, we persevere
To find the things we do not know
To discover the unknown and expand our knowledge
I will go
I am committed to this journey
Never laying low
I will persist and not back down
Just tell me how to breathe
Give me guidance and direction
And I will make it so
I will do what it takes to succeed
You must know
It is important that you understand
That this is not for show
This is not just for appearance, but for real progress
(It will) Be your demise
If you do not take this seriously, it could lead to your downfall
Once I walked along a field
I had a powerful experience in nature
Another nightmare in my mind
I had a difficult time mentally
And beheld the fearful symmetry
I was struck by the beauty and balance around me
Everything was beautiful
Even in difficult times, there is beauty to be found
Even things that were dead
Even things that seem lifeless can have beauty
And I surged with violent imagery
I was overcome with powerful emotions
We come to honor; to stand or die
We are here to pay tribute and show courage
To pass the hours of our lives
To use our time wisely
We burn the silence and all the lies
We expose the truth and break free from silence
To fuel the fire inside our eyes
To ignite our passion and drive
We all go!
We all strive towards our goals
Fuel that fire in your eyes
Motivate and inspire yourself
Contributed by Madelyn I. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@TheLoneWolfMaverick
2020, this is still one of my favorite tracks from their 06 album.
@deathquazars9654
I’ve been listening to MC during last 15 years, and as being a huge Metal fan I am to say they’ve got the best anime openings that had never been realized
@de0509
And not to forget credits theme song for zombie movies
@Nephyl2640
The emotions throught the last half, especially the last chorus is insane. I'd say this song is in my top 20 of all-time favorite metal song
@ChuffIed
i cant get enough of that intro! so darn good.
@MajatekZawalski
I'm pretty sure that the music is way louder than it should be, yet for some reason the vocals not only mesh with the music, but also stand on it's own as an incredible feat - Every other song that I've heard that ever has the volume levels like Machinae Supremacy's music does, tends to drown out the vocals. Not so with MaSu. Fantastic work <3
@Henritaavitsainen
I discovered this band like only 5 months ago and have already listened most of their songs couple times and I think this is their greatest by far /,,/_ I think this is my favourite band right now...
@80Dannyla
When this originally came to youtube, i listened it for the whole evening. It still kicks ass!
@fangtimes
machinae is my favorite..... no other band could ever replace them.
@ohhcomely
the solo/duet is amazing. i absolutely love the second guitar.