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 Vehniäinen, 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 Jyväskylä; 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 "Demosedän 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
The Shadow Gallery
Machine Men Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
overloads it with thoughts unlean
I see things I don't want to see
I feel things I don't want to feel
Who keeps the dark inside my cell?
Keeps me on the road to hell
Playing games with my mind driving me crazy
There's no way out of here - from my shadow gallery
How long the system lasts between love and hate?
Feels like dreams are of glass
-ripping my mind to pieces so fast
The sold soul is on fire again
Too many thoughts that remain
Who keeps the dark inside my cell?
Keeps me on the road to hell
Make me crawl like a slave in chains converting to rebel
Playing games with my mind driving me crazy
There's no way out of here - from my shadow gallery
The shadow gallery
The shadow gallery
Who keeps the dark inside my cell?
Keeps me on the road to hell
Make me crawl like a slave in chains converting to rebel
I see things I don't want to see
I feel things I don't want to feel
Who keeps the dark inside my cell?
Keeps me on the road to hell
Make me crawl like a slave in chains converting to rebel
Playing games with my mind driving me crazy
There's no way out of here - from my shadow gallery
The shadow gallery
The lyrics of Machine Men's song The Shadow Gallery seem to be describing a person who is struggling with the inner demons within themselves. The "machine" referred to is probably the mind, which is overloaded with thoughts that are "unlean" or impure. The singer feels like they are trapped in a dark cell, which could represent the emotional turmoil they are experiencing. They seem to be haunted by things they don't want to see or feel, and the line "playing games with my mind driving me crazy" suggests that maybe they are engaging in self-destructive habits.
The lyrics also reference someone or something that is keeping the singer trapped in their own mind, a "dark" presence that is driving them towards the "road to hell." They feel like they are being treated like a slave in chains, but there is a sense of defiance too, as they are "converting to rebel." The "shadow gallery" in the final lines could represent the dark, hidden parts of the singer's psyche.
Overall, the lyrics of The Shadow Gallery seem to be exploring themes of inner turmoil, self-destructive tendencies, and the struggle to break free from self-imposed mental prisons.
Line by Line Meaning
Playing with my machine -
Operating my mind too much
overloads it with thoughts unlean
Pushes my thoughts into dark and unwanted places
I see things I don't want to see
I witness things that disturb me
I feel things I don't want to feel
I experience emotions that are unpleasant
Who keeps the dark inside my cell?
What force is responsible for keeping my thoughts in dark places?
Keeps me on the road to hell
Leads me towards an undesirable destination
Make me crawl like a slave in chains converting to rebel
Pushes me to rebel against the constraints placed on me
Playing games with my mind driving me crazy
Toying with my thoughts and driving me insane
There's no way out of here - from my shadow gallery
I am trapped in this place of dark and unwanted thoughts
How long the system lasts between love and hate?
How long can the mind oscillate between love and hate?
Feels like dreams are of glass
Dreams are fragile and easily shattered
-ripping my mind to pieces so fast
Causing my thoughts to be torn apart at a rapid rate
The sold soul is on fire again
My soul, which I have given up control of, is burning again
Too many thoughts that remain
Too many unpleasant thoughts persisting in my mind
The shadow gallery
The place where my dark thoughts are confined
Who keeps the dark inside my cell?
Who or what is responsible for containing my dark thoughts?
Keeps me on the road to hell
Directs me towards an undesirable destination
Make me crawl like a slave in chains converting to rebel
Forces me to try to break free from my constraints
Playing games with my mind driving me crazy
Toying with my thoughts and pushing me to insanity
There's no way out of here - from my shadow gallery
No means of escaping this realm of unwanted thoughts
I see things I don't want to see
I am faced with unpleasant sights
I feel things I don't want to feel
Unwanted emotions are affecting me
Who keeps the dark inside my cell?
Who is responsible for ensuring my unwanted thoughts remain confined?
Keeps me on the road to hell
Guides me towards an alarming destination
Make me crawl like a slave in chains converting to rebel
Pushes me to attempt to break free from my restraints
Playing games with my mind driving me crazy
Manipulating my thoughts and driving me to insanity
There's no way out of here - from my shadow gallery
I am confined in this place of unpleasant thoughts
The shadow gallery
The place where my dark thoughts are kept
Contributed by Aaliyah M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Manuele Mantovani
i love this band
Rainer Ihnen
This is Metal 🙏✌
tecla tate
oigan que buena banda me late meresco tenerla en mi coleccion de metal va que va buen metal...orale acatlipa, mor,...a.n.d....more beers..now....¡¡¡¡¡.. y yaa¡¡