SAVIOUR MACHINE INTERVIEW

With the LEGEND concept almost reaching it's end, and with that the band calling it a day, it was time for us to throw some questions across the Atlantic to singer and main composer Eric Clayton in one of the most impressive prog/goth bands of the last decade - Saviour Machine:

Interview by Claus Jensen

Ever since the formation of the band you've been striving to get as far away from the norm within metal as possible - and by today your sound is like nobody else. A lot of bands are content with evolving in "baby-steps" from album to album - or even happy with staying the same throughout their whole career … are you, as the musician, pleased with the evolution yourself, or would you have liked the band to be even further away in it's development by now?

"From the very beginning of SM in 1990, I always hoped that we could evolve to become a musical entity like no other....something timeless and sacred that would inspire and move people in a very powerful way... I'm pleased that SM has become known for making very diverse albums, each album is approached completely different than the others....I really try not to fall into artistic patterns...this happens with many artists and I think that their work suffers because of it....I get bored when artists do not challenge themselves in an attempt to explore new ground...All of my favorite artists/bands, NEVER made the same album twice...I have always appreciated this...it shows integrity and growth! I feel like we have evolved very naturally over the past 10 years...I am pleased with what we have done so far, but as an artist who is always pushing ahead and exploring, I am never completely content....maybe I never will be? : )"

The transition in Saviour Machine, from a "progressive metal band" to an orchestral entity is quite evident to everybody who have been listening to all your albums - but how would you describe this?

"I think that this transition was fairly natural for SM....the orchestral elements were a small part of SM from the beginning....The content of The Legend Trilogy was responsible for bringing the orchestra into a far more important role than the first 2 albums....Because The Trilogy covers such a massive and incomprehensible topic, I felt that a 5 piece "Rock band" was far too limited to create the sound required for such an epic!"

"Legend III:I" is one of the most majestic sounding, over-the-top orchestral albums I've ever heard - and sometimes it's almost "too much" (if you know what I mean) … do you ever get the feeling when composing, that you need to put the brakes in here, and not over-do the orchestral arrangements?

"In composing, arranging and producing The Trilogy, it is always a matter of finding the proper balance for each individual movement (song).....My role is to interpret the content of each chapter and bring it to life through sound....to create a musical landscape....an emotional representation.... There are times when it is important to keep the music more intimate by showcasing the "band" elements and times where I have to go completely over the top with a massive orchestral arrangement, samples, sound fx choirs and programming....it is difficult for me to judge if a piece is "too much," it is all relative...it is how I have interpreted the content....I'm quite sure that at times, it has been "too much" for the engineers that have been faced with the challenge of mixing this Trilogy : )"

The concept of "Legend" is of course based on chapters in the Bible, and therefore needs to be transformed into something huge music-wise … do you feel you have achieved that?

"I hope so...I have always strived for the best that I am capable of...In producing The Legend Trilogy, the biggest challenge has been to create a massive "Apocalyptic Opera" with limited resources, independent recording budgets and time restraints....all these things considered, I

believe that this project is some kind of modern miracle! : )"

Each of the "Legend" parts have had their own sound - with the first one being more laid-back, the second more chaotic, and the new one more aggressive … could you please try to describe the idea behind each part - in concept and in music?!

"Part I was intended as an epic introduction to the story....It focuses on the Nation of Israel, both literally and spiritually as the key to all Bible Prophecy... It introduces many of the key elements of the Apocalypse and covers the events that lead to the final war of this world...The early events in this final war open the door for the greatest tyrant the world will ever know....Legend Part I concludes by foreshadowing the ultimate rise of The Beast, The Antichrist...

Musically, My hope is that Legend part I translates like the first hour and 20 minutes of a great epic...introduction, character development...etc...

Part II was created to reflect the sheer chaos and turmoil of The Tribulation... "The Tribulation" is known as the first 3 1/2 years of the final 7 years of the world...This Final 7 year period begins when The Antichrist and the Nation of Israel sign a peace treaty known Biblically as "The Covenant with Death!" Part II covers the rise of The Antichrist, the breaking of The Seven Seals and a number of coinciding events that culminate in a Second War in Heaven...

Musically, it IS sheer chaos, turmoil and Tribulation...

Part III : I covers and details a large portion of a period of time known as "The Great Tribulation," the final 3 1/2 years of this world...This final 3 1/2 year period consists of many crucial events in the story of the Apocalypse.... "The Covenant with Death" is broken, beginning the reign of The Antichrist... Israel is persecuted on a level that has never been seen before...The 7 Trumpet and 7 Bowl Judgements of the Wrath of God are released upon the Beast, his kingdom and entire earth...III:I reflects the saddest time in human history..

LPIII:I was produced to be a much more intimate and aggressive album than any before it....I think that it IS the "Heaviest" SM album to date.... As where LPII was produced to be chaotic and confusing...LPIII:I was intended to bring the listener out of the chaos and into the element of resolution...Many of the aspects of this story are beginning to come together in LPIII:I....it was important that the music reflect a certain amount of clarity and intimacy within the bombast!"

"Legend II" wasn't that well received by the media and the fans - in fact, it was a bit of a down part in your career (at least here in Europe). Did you put that into consideration when doing the third part of "Legend" in any way? Did you think "Okay, we have to do something to win back our fans"?

"Legend Part II was not well received by the European Metal scene...this was the only scene of our fan bases that it did not connect with....it was very well received by ALL our other fanbases...Ironically, the Prog, Goth and US Christian music scenes considered LPII as our most important and innovative album to date at that time....I knew when I began working on LPII, that its content would translate into a very difficult album for our Metal fans to appreciate....I hoped that it would not alienate our Metal audience but inevitably, I had to produce an album that reflected the content of this part of the story....The content required a bombastic and terrifying "technical chaos," I believe that it was achieved : ) As an artist, I cannot go into any production focusing on things like..."what do the fans want, what does management want, what does the label want from it?" This kind of mentality is responsible for 99% of all mediocrity in music!"

One of the main points of criticism on "Legend II" was the electronic (techno like) elements, the computerized drum sound and the lack of "good melodies" - on the third part, all these things have been corrected; it's more basic instrumentation with real choirs etc. - it's a real drummer this time (and with an awesome production on the drums!!!) - and the album has plenty of great melodies. How do you view this yourself?

"The immense programming, drum samples and percussion were vital to this production....it is not necessarily my "taste" either, but it was appropriate in this case....There are actually tons of great melodies on LPII...it is just very difficult to hear them behind the walls of chaos! : ) LPIII:I is a completely different album than any other before it....I am convinced that it reflects the content of this chapter very accurately... It is a great sounding album....Maybe the best overall production so far... (thank you for the drums compliment) I think that they sound nice too! : )"

The album was done in different studios - and with the choirs being recorded in Germany, the album was in fact recorded over different continents - how did all this happen, and was it difficult to put it all together to get one sound out of it?

"It is always difficult to produce a Saviour Machine album! : ) LPIII:I required a bit more travel than usual...but it was well worth it!"

I've been told that it was sort of a coincidence the way that you got Michael Wagener to join in on the production of the album .. what was it like to work with such a producer-legend?

"It was simply a "twist of fate" in all respects....Working with Michael was a great pleasure...he is an extremely nice guy...very humble and down to earth....Michael is a complete gentleman!"

The music of Saviour Machine is getting more and more "epic and orchestral" as I also started this interview by stating … would it make it more difficult to put the new album out in a live situation? And what are the plans for touring?

"The are no actual tour plans at the moment....SM will perform in Germany on December 9th and again in March of 2002... There are really no other dates available due to the production schedule of Legend Part III:II which will begin next month... Upon the completion of III:II, we may consider a full blown tour!"

I've heard talk about Saviour Machine breaking up once the "Legend" concept is finished - which for me as a fan, makes it a pleasant surprise to see that part III has been divided in two, so we still have something to look forward to - but, is this just a rumor, or is this the way you have it planned?

"Saviour Machine will retire from making albums after the completion of LPIII:II... it has been decided many years ago, that The Legend Trilogy would be our final project as SM....I have no idea exactly what I will do when it's over but I'm sure that I will continue making music in some capacity...only time will truly tell?"

In my opinion Saviour Machine is one of the few original bands on the metal scene - are there any other bands, Christian and secular, that you think have something new to provide to the scene?

"Thank you for your kindness...unfortunately, I am so detached from what is going on in the music world, that I really don't know what is out there?"

What do you think of some of the new bands in the Christian metal scene of today, such as Narnia (I know you must be friends with them, since you've used their guitarist on the new album) or your label mates Balance of Power and Antithesis? Will there always be a market for the Christian music, as separate from the rest of the industry, or do you think that the borders are more and more breaking down between Christian and secular heavy metal bands?

"I am of course, familiar with the music of Narnia...I think that they are really one of the best bands in their genre...Carl Johan Grimmark is one of the most talented guitarists in the world...it was an absolute pleasure to work with him...we will work together again soon!

I am not familiar with the other bands that you mentioned, believe it or not, I hardly ever listen to music...Christian or Secular....I do think that there will always a separate market for Christian music due to the fact that are many Christians who only listen to Christian music...The borders between Christian and Secular music have broken down in some small capacity through the years but I think that it will take significant number of truly innovative Christian artists in order to transcend these boundaries once and for all...."

I guess that your next album will be "Legend III:II", so I'm not going to ask you about the future plans of the band :-) But perhaps you have something to add to this interview, that you think the readers would like to know?

"Legend Part III:II will start production in a few months....it is the final album of The Trilogy....This production will be the most difficult of SM's entire career...I expect that it may take close to a year to complete....If all goes as planned, it could be released in late 2002! Legend Part III:II will cover the final hours of history, The Battle of Armageddon, The Return of Christ, The Millennial Kingdom, The New Jerusalem...etc...The final chapters of The Book of Revelation will unfold over 80 minutes of the most challenging, powerful and Glorious music I've ever written..."

Thank you Eric for doing this interview with me. I wish you and the guys in Saviour Machine all the best of luck, and I hope to see you on tour in Europe soon.

"Thank you also....I appreciate this opportunity to communicate with you and your readers....Take care and God bless! EC."