Behind The Veil ezine (http://www.veilgr.com)

Christine (Greece)

1.   First of all I’d like to congratulate you on releasing such a great and original piece of work! What do you think about it now that some time has passed since its release? Have you traced any flaws or things you’d like to have done differently?

Eddie:  Thanks Christine, I’m really glad you enjoyed the album. To be honest I haven’t listened to the album since I released it.  Throughout the writing/recording process I’m constantly living with the music and obsessing over every note.  The whole process is all consuming and completely draining.  I’m exposed to every artistic aspect of the project including  all the instrumentation, every lyric and every vocal melody.  I personally deal with the CD artwork, the pressing, web design, photo shoots and video footage.  When you are personally responsible for every artistic facet of a project it really is hard not to reach a point of over saturation.  I’m one of those people who puts an album to bed once it has been released, I feel like I’ve given it everything and I’ve taken it as far as I possible can, so at that point I let it go.  That probably sounds very strange but that really is the way I’ve always done things.  By the time an album is release I’ve heard it a million time.  It takes a lot of time and effort to put together this style of music and by the time it is released I’m looking forward to working on the next album.

2.  What happened to the band from the release of “Flat Earth Society” till now?

Eddie:  From my point of view I personally was really happy with the people I was working with when “Flat Earth Society” was released.  They were all good people who could play exceptionally well and we all got along perfectly on a personal and musical level. I believe we could have made a real impact had we continued because the music we were producing was so original and unique sounding.  The problem was not music and it wasn’t personality clashes or anything like that.  It simply came down to a matter of time.  Everyone seemed to be committed to other more important things such as work, family and other band/music responsibilities, and Mechanical Organic failed as a result.  I decided to continue along the musical path I had initially created because I enjoy the process of creating music for Mechanical Organic.  

3. You’ve started Mechanical Organic as a one man band and you continue the same way. Why? Do you think adding other musicians might “ruin” what you set out to do? On the other hand aren’t you “afraid” you’ll start repeating yourself from a point on?

Eddie:   The bottom line is hard to accept, but the reality is that it is extremely difficult to find good musician who are willing to work on music that is gear to a minority.  By that I mean music that crosses genres and can’t be pigeonholed easily. When you write music that is really unique you can’t expect to sell millions.  There will always be a certain level of rejection and a large portion of the metal community who won’t accept what you do for one reason or another.  I personally take responsibility for that reaction because this is my music and my vision. What I can’t take responsibility for is the expectation of the musician I have worked with.  Problems arise when that level of expectation is not met.  The result is resentment and disappointment and then people tend to want to move on.  People loose interest and become disillusioned by what they thought was gold, but in reality tuned out to be just another work of musical art.  Musicians want results, they want to see growth and a positive reaction from others.  People don’t want to wait and build things over time, people aren’t patient by nature, they want everything now and I can understand that.  We live in a very fast paced society where patients isn’t a virtue, it’s a liability.  I think if you want to make a living from producing music you need to conform (to some degree) and write music that is going to appeal to a broad spectrum of listeners.  Easier said than done.  My music clearly doesn’t do that, therefore I can’t expect musicians to be flocking to my door wanting to be a part of it.  I’m happy to continue on my own but I would be open to collaboration if the right people came along, but I’m quite content at the moment.

 4.  Which are the main differences and similarities between your two albums lyric-wise?

Eddie:  I guess “Flat Earth Society” was a little more broad in subject matter.   I simply wrote about what I was interested in at the time. “Permafrost Dreams” on the other hand is theme based and revolves around a common subject.  Each song represents another facet of that theme.   Each full length song has a short introductory piece that accompanies it.  The intro’s basically explains the song that is to come and gives you a clear picture of the songs message.  This kind of intro - song, intro – song approach make the album quite unique.  The album flows from one song to the next making the whole concept sound interwoven and connected. 

5.  Your music is experimental, unique and non conformist… So I’m curious to find out what procedure you follow whilst writing songs…

Eddie:  I personally don’t think my music is all that experimental.  When I think of experimental music I think of really bizarre discordant stuff with a heap of different time and tempo changes.  If you listen closely, my music is made up of very simple musical structure.  However, what makes my music unique is the way I layer these simple melodies.  If you pulled one of my song apart you would find many really simplistic musical ideas that blend together to make a complex whole.  I use a lot of different sounds in the building process and I place each sound individually in the sonic spectrum to create that layered effect.  Each layer will be slightly different in melody, harmony, tone and sonic positioning.

6.  Why should the metallers check you out? What do you think you have to offer to the scene? Do you believe most metallers are open minded to “accept” and “understand” your music?

Eddie:  I’ve been a fan of heavy music since the early 80’s and I’ve seen and heard a lot of music over that time.  There is so much music out there at the moment, more than ever before really, but there seems to be a real lack experimentation and individuality.  The metal scene seems to be saturated with bands that all tend to sound the same, the standard of musicianship is very high in most of these bands but I tend to get a little bored with how similar everything sounds.  As a listener of heavy music I’m attracted to artists who continually try something new, artists that are brave enough to push the envelope beyond what is commonly acceptable.  I look for innovation and I’m drawn towards music that is unique.  One of the hardest things in music, I think, is to produce something that sounds absolutely original without making it monstrously unlistenable.  Everything has been done before so when you find a band or album that is truly unique it’s such a breath of fresh air. 

  Unfortunately my music is unique in a lot of different ways and may not appeal to all.  The simple fact is I don’t write heavy metal in it’s pure form.  The music I write falls between genres and is very difficult to pigeonhole and I think that scares a lot of people.  I do however think that over time my music will become more broadly accepted, it will take time to establish Mechanical Organic in the heavy scene but I’m confident that I can continue to build on the solid foundation of albums that I have released.  I enjoy the process of producing really original sounding music and I’m really looking forward to creating more music in the future that blurs the boundaries of metal.

 7.  Lyric-wise your album is very intriguing and thought provoking. I’ve listened to some interesting stuff in there… Which are your sources of inspiration? Point out the most important topics you like to deal with.

Eddie:  Some of the ideas in these songs are simply concepts that interest me.  I tend to keep my personal beliefs to myself.  This collection of songs is more an overview of a larger conspiracy that some people believe exists.  It really is a up to the individual to delve deeper into each song and figure out their personal belief system.  I find most of my inspiration and subject matter on the internet.  I do however view a lot of this material with a great deal of suspicion and you really need to be selective with what you read and believe.  Having said that there really is some heavy conceptual ideas out there to be discovered and some of it is right on the money as far as I’m concerned.  You really have to do the research yourself and make up your own mind.      

8.  What do you mean with the album title “Disrepair Part One – Permafrost Dream”? That we humans have lost our will to make some changes and that we live in a dream world whilst other, dangerous people pull our strings? This is the main direction my mind is led to every time I think of the words permafrost dreams… Share your thoughts with us…

Eddie:  You nailed it, that’s exactly right.  The “Disrepair” part of the title refers to a system the is broken, hidden from view and beyond our control. We all dance to an inaudible tune, or like you said, we are controlled by a group of dangerous puppet masters. The “Part One” section of the title obviously means that I’m looking to release a sequel to this album.   And the “Permafrost Dream’s part of the title is exactly how you described it.  We live in a cold dream like state of existence while the wealthy few control and manipulate.  

9.  Your lyrics are politically driven and also cover conspiratorial topics… Do you think, if we take for granted (which I think it’s the most logical thing), that a grand scheme to exploit us humans exists, that we humans can wake up form this dream and be able to do something? Even so… do you think most people would be ready and willing to make such a drastic change in their lives? I’m asking this because I see many people who accept certain behavioural patterns just because they got used to them and know what to expect…

Eddie:  Ignorance is bliss so they say.  Sometimes I think you may be better off not knowing.  I really don’t think we as a whole will suddenly wake up and overthrow the puppet masters.  This has been going on for centuries and the problem only seem to be getting worse.  Look, there are a lot of people who are familiar with these types of conspiratorial concepts but they simply don’t believe, then there are others that are completely oblivious.  There are also people who believe much more than I do, people who are much deeper down the rabbit hole than I am.  You can’t believe everything you read on the internet.  I decided long ago that I would draw the line at certain conspiratorial subjects.  I’ve had argument with people who believe all sort of weird conspiracy related stuff but I just try to take a really realistic approach to this type of subject matter.  I also try to keep my personal opinions to myself because everyone has a different opinion and people can get very aggressive at times when you challenge their belief system. I’ve learnt from experience not to confront people with this type of information due to some of the negative reactions I have received. I’ve done a lot research in the past but I’ve always filtered it and developed my own view based on that knowledge.  I discard the info I find too out there and keep the stuff that makes real sense to me.  I encourage everyone to take a look at this type of stuff but be very skeptical and don’t believe everything you read. 

10.  I guess performing live isn’t an option. So how are you thinking of promoting your work?

Eddie:  I’ve never completely ruled out the possibility of playing this stuff live.  The performance would be a slightly different experience to what you would expect from a metal gig but it may still happen, time will tell.   I have a number of different ideas but nothing solid at the moment.  It would be a very large undertaking that would take a lot of planning but who knows, maybe in the future.

  With regards to promotion it really is a case of word of mouth and building a loyal following through the internet.  The world is a much smaller place thanks to the net which really has helped me spread the word.   

 11.  What kind of emotions and thoughts do you want your music to create to your listeners?

Eddie:  Emotion is one of the key elements in Mechanical Organic and the music I listen to in my spare time.  I’m generally drawn to music that expresses a  dark and brooding melody focused emotion and I guess that’s how I express myself as well in Mechanical Organic.  As far as making people think I guess I’m more interested in writing about subjects that interest me first.  I hope people delve into the songs and the subjects that I find interesting but it’s not essential.  I think the music speaks for itself, the listener can delve deeper into the lyrics and overall concept/theme if they choose. 

12.  You’ve also got a video clip for “Mechanical Dreams”, which is by the way one of my favourite songs of the album. With what criteria did you choose this song? The clip contains some beautiful yet dark pictures and images. Who directed it and what does it want to show?

Eddie:  I chose “Mechanical Dreams” based on melody, I thought the song was really catchy in a dark kind of way and I really like the song myself.  I shot and edited the clip myself  and I’m pretty pleased with the results.  The mood and concept behind the clip conveys a sense of dreamlike delirium.  The imagery depicts our out dated belief system and the wars we have fought without understanding the real reasons why we are there.  “Mechanical Dreams” revolves around the  concept of a small group of heartless monsters controlling the world for profit and power.  These people view the current population as useless feeders ready to be sacrificed in their insatiable quest for wealth and control.    

13.  The whole package of this release is extremely beautiful! Whose idea was it to release it in that form? I simply love it! And please also describe the cover artwork… Who is this dark figure? What does it stand for?

Eddie:  Again, the concept of the cover artwork was my idea.  I’m always looking for new images and fresh ways to present my work and this seemed to be a really cool way to release the promo copies of the CD.  The cover artwork is a patchwork of different machinery is different stages of decay and disrepair.  The insects are also in various stages of decomposition and decay.  The beautiful mushroom images was used as a kind of running theme, have you ever heard the expression “kept in the dark and fed bullshit” well that’s the idea behind the mushroom.  I believe we are all kept in the dark and fed a bunch of lies.  The mysterious figure or mask that is on the promo copy of the CD is basically there for it’s sense of mystery.  He’s the figure that controls the broken system, he is the cause of the disrepair. 

14.  Can you think of any funny or weird questions you’ve been asked in an interview concerning the band’s music or your lyrics?

Eddie:  Generally the interviews that I’ve done in the past have been pretty cool.  Most people have been really open mind with regards to this type of subject matter.  If fact I’ve been surprised by how open mind people have been.  

15.  Is there a title or a phrase that can sum up the whole band essence?

Eddie:  Yeah absolutely.  “MECHANICAL ORGANIC”.  The music is a mixture of computer based “Mechanical” elements and on the flip side of that there is a very “Organic” side to the project where there is live instrumentation and vocals.  I guess the band name sums up the music perfectly.

16.  Thank you! Any last thoughts or comments?

Eddie:  Thanks you once again for the opportunity to discuss and present my music.  I greatly appreciate your continue support Christine.