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 VehniΓ€inen, 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 JyvΓ€skylΓ€; 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 "DemosedΓ€n 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
Where I Stand
Machine Men Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Reach the sky - be the man of his own life
Broken walls - made of sand so he had to build them of stone
Forced to change his future - write the fate again with the hand of a stranger
Be like someone else...
Sometimes i fight against my own mind
Sleepless nights full of fears of life
I'm searching the answer from my heart - where i stand
When the sun took the place of the moon
All his fears disappeared - left this hollow man into his room
Gazing out to the light after a black cloud - not a storm before the fall
But the umbrella's full of holes
Sometimes i fight against my own mind
Sleepless nights full of fears of life
No place for me on this cold and strange land
I'm searching the answer from my heart - where i stand
The song "Where I Stand" by Machine Men is a powerful and emotive piece that explores themes of struggle, self-discovery, and perseverance in the face of adversity. The opening lines set the tone for the song, as we are introduced to a character who has been blinded by his desire to fight back against the difficulties of life. He has built walls around himself, but they are fragile and made of sand, so he must rebuild them with stone - a metaphor for the idea that true strength comes not from denying our vulnerability, but from accepting it and using it to our advantage.
The chorus of the song provides a clear insight into the singer's own struggles, as he confesses to fighting against his own mind, suffering from sleepless nights and fears of life. He is lost on a "cold and strange land", struggling to find his place in the world, and is searching for answers within his own heart. The imagery of the sun replacing the moon suggests a turning point for the character, as his fears disappear and he is able to look towards the future with a new sense of hope.
Ultimately, the message of the song is one of resilience and determination, as the singer encourages us to keep fighting and searching for our place in the world, even when the road ahead seems difficult and uncertain.
Line by Line Meaning
He was blind 'cos he thought he could fight back...
He was ignorant because he believed that he could resist and win every battle that came his way.
Reach the sky - be the man of his own life
He strives to become successful and in charge of his own life.
Broken walls - made of sand so he had to build them of stone
He faced obstacles that were easy to break and needed to be stronger and more resilient to overcome them.
Forced to change his future - write the fate again with the hand of a stranger
He was coerced into altering his fate and rewriting his story at the mercy of an unknown person.
Be like someone else...
He feels pressured to conform to societal norms and be like someone else instead of embracing his own unique identity.
Sometimes i fight against my own mind
At times, he battles with his own thoughts and inner demons.
Sleepless nights full of fears of life
His fears and worries keep him up at night.
No place for me on this cold and strange land
He feels lost and out of place in this unfamiliar and unfriendly world.
I'm searching the answer from my heart - where i stand
He seeks answers from within himself to determine where he belongs and what his purpose in life is.
When the sun took the place of the moon
When his circumstances took a turn for the better.
All his fears disappeared - left this hollow man into his room
All his fears vanished, leaving him feeling empty and hollow.
Gazing out to the light after a black cloud - not a storm before the fall
Looking towards a brighter future after a difficult time, realizing that it was not a catastrophic event but a minor setback.
But the umbrella's full of holes
Despite his optimism, he still faces challenges and struggles.
Contributed by Evan B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Ramune Masloviene
πππππ€π€π€ππππ
Full Moon
πππππ€π€π€ππππ