Saviour Machine is an American Christian gothic metal band that formed in 1989. They have released five studio albums and two live albums on Frontline and subsequently on MCM Music, distributed through Massacre Records. Saviour Machine's music and lyrics deal with war, death, and personal introspection as it relates to prophecy and divine revelation.

History

Formation and early years (1989–1993)

The band was formed by brothers Jeff and Eric Clayton in mid-1989. By the time of its first tour in 1993, the band was Eric Clayton – vocals, Jeff Clayton – guitars, Dean Forsyth – bass, Jayson Heart – drums, and Nathan Van Hala – keyboards. The band took its name from a song on the David Bowie album The Man Who Sold the World. Saviour Machine recorded and released their first demos in 1990. A theatrical stage show featuring pyrotechnics, images projected onto a background screen and other props attracted a growing fan base in Southern California.

In 1993, with the help of Deliverance frontman Jimmy P. Brown II, Saviour Machine signed with and released their first full-length album on Intense Records, an imprint of the Frontline subsidiary of Roadrunner Records. Musically, the band developed a guitar-driven rock music sound, featuring melodic riffs and extensive solos by Jeff Clayton.

Despite critical acclaim from the mainstream press and a growing number of fans nationwide, people in some conservative circles reportedly felt threatened by Saviour Machine's lyrical direction and stage presentation, most prominently the white make-up and jewel worn by vocalist Eric Clayton. During their 1993 tour with metal band Deliverance, the controversy spilled over at a concert at the New Union, a club in Minneapolis. Several songs into their set, the power was cut and the performers were ushered from the stage. This was followed by an announcement from New Union management stating they were uncomfortable with the content of the show. However, many in the crowd gathered with the band shortly after at a local White Castle restaurant to show their continued support.

Studio transition (1994–1996)

Confusion and political upheaval at Intense/Frontline led to less-than-ideal conditions for the recording of the band's next album in 1994, Saviour Machine II. Musically, the addition of pianist Nathan Van Hala resulted in a classical music-based sound. Many songs featured piano compositions and keyboard orchestration. Charles Cooper also joined the band at this time after Dean Forsyth left.

With the release of Saviour Machine II the band began to pursue new representation. A growing following had developed in Europe, particularly in Germany. This led to the formation of MCM Music, an independent label for all Saviour Machine projects, by vocalist Eric Clayton and his European management team. The band also secured a deal with Massacre Records, a German label that specializes in death metal and other heavy/extreme music. Saviour Machine was given full creative control on all future projects.

Multiple tours of Europe followed in 1995 and 1996. During a 1995 performance at Owen Teck Rocknight, a music festival in Owen, Germany, Saviour Machine recorded their first live album. Live in Deutschland, released in 1995, featured selections from Saviour Machine I and Saviour Machine II. It was after this tour that the membership of Saviour Machine changed with the replacement of Jeff Clayton by Joshua. They performed at Wacken Open Air festival in 1997.

The Legend trilogy (1997–2007)

Saviour Machine next turned to the Legend trilogy. Legend was advertised as "the unofficial soundtrack to the end of the world" in promotional materials On May 27, 2007, Eric Clayton released a statement on the Saviour Machine MySpace blog saying that, due to health problems, he would not be able to finish Legend III:II in time to make the July 7 release date. He released samples of rough mixes of each song on Legend III:II on SeventhCircle.net throughout July.

Most of the lyrical content of the Legend series is based on the Book of Revelation and other Biblical prophecy. Legend II continues where part one ended - the rise of the antichrist.

Members

Current members

  • Eric Clayton – vocals <small>(1989–present)</small>
  • Jeff Clayton – guitar <small>(1989–present)</small>
  • Nathan Van Hala – piano <small>(1993–present)</small>
  • Charles Cooper – bass <small>(1995–present)</small>
  • Samuel West – drums <small>(1992–1993, 2011–present)</small>

Former members

  • Chris Fee – drums <small>(1989–1992)</small>
  • Dean Forsyth – bass <small>(1989–1995)</small>
  • Jayson Heart – drums <small>(1993–1999)</small>
  • Victor Deaton – drums <small>(2000–2001)</small>
  • Carl Johan Grimmark – guitar <small>(2001–2004)</small>
  • Thomas Weinesjö – drums <small>(2001–2004)</small>

Timeline

Discography

{| class="wikitable"

!Year

!Title

!Label

!Other information

|-

|align="left" valign="top"|1990

|align="center" valign="top"|Saviour Machine (demo)

|align="left" valign="top"|Independent

|align="left" valign="top"|Re-released on MCM Music in 1997

|-

|align="left" valign="top"|1993

|align="center" valign="top"|Saviour Machine I

|align="left" valign="top"|Intense Records

|align="left" valign="top"|Re-released on MCM Music / Massacre Records in 1996

|-

|align="left" valign="top"|1994

|align="center" valign="top"|Saviour Machine II

|align="left" valign="top"|Intense Records

|align="left" valign="top"|Re-released on MCM Music / Massacre Records in 1995

|-

|align="left" valign="top"|1995

|align="center" valign="top"|Live in Deutschland 1995

|align="left" valign="top"|MCM Music / Massacre Records

|align="left" valign="top"|CD and VHS

|-

|align="left" valign="top"|1997

|align="center" valign="top"|Legend I

|align="left" valign="top"|MCM Music / Massacre Records

|align="left" valign="top"|Review

|-

|align="left" valign="top"|1998

|align="center" valign="top"|Legend II

|align="left" valign="top"|MCM Music / Massacre Records

|align="left" valign="top"|Reviews

|-

|align="left" valign="top"|2001

|align="center" valign="top"|Legend III:I

|align="left" valign="top"|MCM Music

|align="left" valign="top"|Exclusive first pressing; Limited to 2,001 hand-numbered copies

|-

|align="left" valign="top"|2002

|align="center" valign="top"|Live in Deutschland 2002

|align="left" valign="top"|MCM Music / Massacre Records

|align="left" valign="top"|2 CD and 2 DVD; DVD includes re-release of Live in Deutschland 1995

|-

|align="left" valign="top"|2006

|align="center" valign="top"|Rarities / Revelations

|align="left" valign="top"|Independent

|align="left" valign="top"|4 CD; limited to 500 hand-numbered copies signed by Eric Clayton

|}

References

  • Official Facebook page
  • Official YouTube channel
  • Old website on WebArchive.org