Machine Men is a Finnish Heavy Metal band inspired by band… Read Full Bio ↴1998-2011
Machine Men is a Finnish Heavy Metal band inspired by bands such as Iron Maiden, Ozzy Osbourne, and Queensryche. Machine Men was born in the fall of 1998, when J-V "Turbo" Hintikka joined Antony Parviainen, Eero VehniÀinen, Jarno Parantainen, and Jani Noronen who played Iron Maiden covers at that time. The first demo songs were recorded on 29 May 1999 in the Watercastle Studio in JyvÀskylÀ; followed by a summer with their first live gigs. In the fall of that year the track "Through My Tomb" on the first demo recording was chosen as one of 24 finalists of 500 applications for the Jyrki Hit Challenge.
The second demo session took place on the 7th and 9th December in the Watercastle Studio once again. This demo received the honourable award "DemosedÀn Merkki". Summer 2000 was spent with songwriting and playing gigs. In winter Antony, Eero, and Jarno had to serve their general military duty for the Finnish army which caused a 6 month pause for the band. In summer 2001 Machine Men took part in a Big Boom-Band contest. Their success on this competition provided them with the opportunity to publish their song "Failed Trick" on a sampler.
Back to the studios in March 2002 where the two tracks "Behind The Wall Of Scene" and "Eye Of The Truth" were recorded. This two-track cd was awarded "demo of the month" in the March 2002 issue of the Finnish magazine Soundi. Machine Men signed a contract with the Finnish label Dynamic Art Records. Immediately after the ink on the contract dried the guys went to the studio in order to record a self titled mini cd of five tracks: "Men Inside The Machine", "Eye Of The Truth", "The Slave Trade", "Enjoy Insanity", and a cover version of Iron Maiden's "Aces High". The mini cd was released in June 2002 and received excellent reviews from several magazines and web zines. After this release Machine Men toured through Finland and played in some more varied locations. The German Rock Hard Magazine published "Men Inside The Machine" on one of their compilation cds.
Machine Men constantly wrote new songs and started a new recording session in June 2003. This produced their first full length album, "Scars & Wounds". After a month the album was finished and the mastering took place in the cutting room in Stockholm, Sweden. Scars and Wounds was released in Finland on the 13th October 2003, and went out to the rest of Europe on the 16th February 2004. At the same time Machine Men signed a deal with T2 Promotions who organize their touring.
On the 18th January 2005, the band entered the studio again to begin work on their second full length album entitled Elegies. Released on the 8th August 2005 in Germany, and then the 22nd August for the rest of Europe. From this album came the single Falling (Finland only 29.6.05) entering the Finnish singles charts at number 4; it remained in the charts for 3 weeks. Read the studio diary for the recording of Elegies here. During 2005 and 2006 the band continued to tour hard promoting the new album and hit the stage outside of Finland for the first time. They supported Sonata Arctica in 2005 and had appearances at the famed "Wacken Open Air Festival" and "Earthshaker Fest" in Germany. In April of 2005 it was announced to the world's metal press that Machine Men had signed a longterm worldwide deal with Century Media. 2006 saw a few gigs in their native Finland, and an invite to play at "Bloodstock Festival" in the UK.
On the 14th August 2006, the band re-entered the studio to begin working on their third album "Circus of Fools", and in October 2006 the album was completed. Read the studio diaries of the recording for Circus of Fools here. Late 2006 the band began a MySpace page to update fans on new videos, songs and information alongside the Official Web Site. On Sunday December 17th, 2006 the band headed to Helsinki to record their first music video. On Wednesday 17th January, 2006 the song accompanying the video "No Talk Without The Giant" was released as a single in Finland taken from the forthcoming album, and you can see it on the aforementioned MySpace Page. The following Wednesday the single hit the Finnish charts at number 2. The album is set to be released on the 14th February, 2006 in Finland and from the 16th to 23rd February throughout other countries in Europe. Watch here for more news on further worldwide release dates.
Courtesy of the Official Fan Club of Machine Men at www.machinemenfanclub.com
Ghost of the Seasons
Machine Men Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'm like a figure in the dark
Wind from the south is a memory
I watch the dead leaves how they fall
from these pale trees
To their tomb and give up with me
Whole nature turns to lifeless grey
All the dreams I loved have sailed away
And I cry a small part of the rain
Who is pulling my strings?
The seasons change and I stand still
It feels like I don't exist
Thoughts are made of sorrow again
I'm like a ghost in the mist
on the path to the end
One wing frozen one left to be found
But when will the sun melt this ice coating the ground?
All the dreams I loved have sailed away
And I cry a small part of the rain
Who is pulling my strings? 'Cos I know it's not me
All the dreams I loved have sailed away
And I cry a small part of the rain
Who is pulling my strings? 'Cos I know it's not me
'Cos I know it's not me
The song "Ghost of the Seasons" by Machine Men is a deep reflection on the seasons of life and the changes that come along with it. The opening line, "The seasons change but I stand still," sets the tone for the rest of the song. It suggests a feeling of being stuck, of not being able to move on with life, while everyone else is moving forward. The singer's metaphorical comparison to a "figure in the dark" represents the sense of being isolated and alone in their struggles.
The chorus, "All the dreams I loved have sailed away and I cry a small part of the rain, Who is pulling my strings? 'Cos I know it's not me," adds to the theme of feeling helpless and out of control. The singer's dreams have seemingly all vanished, and they feel powerless to turn things around. The line "Who is pulling my strings?" suggests that something or someone else is in control, and they are merely a puppet. The overall tone of the song is one of despair and hopelessness.
Line by Line Meaning
The seasons change but I stand still
Even though the seasons change, I feel like I'm not moving forward in life.
I'm like a figure in the dark
I feel invisible and unnoticed.
Wind from the south is a memory
The things that used to bring me joy are now distant memories.
I watch the dead leaves how they fall from these pale trees
I observe the natural world around me and how everything seems to be dying or decaying.
To their tomb and give up with me
Everything around me seems to be giving up or losing hope along with me.
Whole nature turns to lifeless grey waiting for spring days...
The world around me seems to have lost all color and life and is waiting for a time of renewal.
All the dreams I loved have sailed away
The things that used to bring me hope and excitement are now things of the past and seem out of reach.
And I cry a small part of the rain
I feel like I'm just a small part of something bigger and uncontrollable, like the rain.
Who is pulling my strings?
I feel like someone else is controlling my life instead of me having a say in it.
It feels like I don't exist
I feel like I'm irrelevant and unnoticed by others.
Thoughts are made of sorrow again
My thoughts are consumed with sadness and despair.
I'm like a ghost in the mist on the path to the end
I feel like I don't quite belong and am aimlessly wandering towards an unknown fate.
One wing frozen one left to be found
I feel like I'm stuck and unable to fully move forward, but I still have hope for finding a way.
But when will the sun melt this ice coating the ground?
I'm desperately waiting for a time of renewal and hope that will break through the hard exterior of my life.
'Cos I know it's not me
I know that I'm not in control of my life and there's something else pulling the strings.
'Cos I know it's not me
I know that I'm not in control of my life and there's something else pulling the strings.
Contributed by Maya R. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Jouni Neste
Great song and hope we could enjoy more MM music in future, best heavy singer in Finland these days no doupt!
Blackhammer Productions
incredibly under rated band. if i could i would send them a email just to ask them to join us in the UK. incredible voice and a uncanny similarity to Maiden and that's why i don't get how they've not made it huge over here yet. Vocals = Outstanding, Band = Incredible
Manuele Mantovani
holy voice hih i love this band...
Rainer Ihnen
Was fĂŒr ein irre Song!! Suuper Band aus Finnland!! đ€