Saviour Machine

    Saviour Machine

    Los Angeles, California11 reviews across 7 releases

    art rockgothic metalgothic rockmetal
    DiscogsFacebook

    Saviour Machine was formed in Los Angeles in 1989 by brothers Eric and Jeff Clayton. The band combined gothic metal with theatrical hard rock, using deep, operatic vocals, minor-key guitars and lyrics drawn from Christian revelation. Its 1993 debut moved between quick, drum-led passages and the brooding five-part suite "The Revelation," while the stage presentation added masks, robes and symbolic props. Saviour Machine II expanded the approach into lengthy art rock, with piano, keyboard orchestration and segues that favored uninterrupted listening over individual songs. By Legend Part I in 1997, the earlier camp had given way to a more controlled and heavily orchestrated treatment of biblical apocalypse. The later music brought clearer structures and heavier guitars without abandoning the band's slow, dramatic scale.

    Dean Forsyth left during the move into Europe, and Charles Cooper took over bass before the Legend period. The controversy surrounding the band's imagery continued, but European support led Eric Clayton and his management team to establish MCM Music before the group signed with Massacre Records. Legend Part I and Legend Part II were planned as parts of a larger end-times cycle; the project eventually expanded beyond its original trilogy, with Legend III:I appearing in 2001. Health problems prevented Clayton from completing the final installment. The band documented its German performances on Live in Deutschland 2002, then was put on hold in 2012, with Clayton retiring Saviour Machine and the unfinished project the following year. In 2017, work toward new material resumed, and Clayton later performed older songs with Eric Clayton and the Nine.

    7 releases reviewed