Deep Machine is probably the most mysterious of all New Wave Of British Heavy Metal bands. Back then, in the late 1970s and early 1980s, the London-based outfit was heralded as some kind of N.W.O.B.H.M. all-star band. Almost like (Dennis Stratton's) Lionheart a couple of years later. At the time, at least in the English capital, Deep Machine were almost as popular and as well-known as Samson, Angel Witch, Praying Mantis and early Iron Maiden (having played well over 150 gigs in their original incarnation).
Numerous live tapes were circulating among fans, adding to their 'mystique'. There was only one tiny detail missing to complete the puzzle: They never signed a record deal. Whereas Samson, Angel Witch, Praying Mantis and above all Iron Maiden went on to endure more or less healthy recording careers, Deep Machine remained probably the 'most prominent unsigned Metal band in the universe'. Musicians such as Kevin Heybourne (Angel Witch) and John Wiggins (Tokyo Blade) went through the ranks of Deep Machine at one time or the other. Guitarist Bob Hooker comments: 'Yeah, I think it was a great pity the original band never recorded the songs back in the day. The live recordings we had were low-quality, they were recorded mostly at venues like The Ruskin Arms and The Electric Stadium on a small cassette recorder that Brian Moore and Andy Gregory (of Destroya) used to bring along. But in a way it's worked out well as we currently have a much better result using vastly improved equipment technology-wise all 'round: amps, guitars and the whole digital recording thing, plus of course I think it's fair to say we're better players now than we were back then. So yeah, it's all good!
Now, finally the wait is over! After last year's 12" EP ?Whispers In The Black? High Roller Records is extremely proud to announce the very first Deep Machine studio album entitled ?Rise Of The Machine?. With a superb production and outstanding songs like 'The Gathering', 'Warhead' or 'Black Priestess' the album does not sound a bit dated. It's just pure traditional British Metal the way it should be played. Bob Hooker explains: 'I'm delighted our first album ?Rise Of The Machine? is about to be released. At 30 years it was a long time coming, and I never dreamed it would turn into reality. But here it is .... a great feeling, at long last it's done! All the guys put in a top performance, and we thank our amazing producer DeeRal for working his magic! I'm very proud of what we've put together. ?Rise Of The Machine? is quite literally the result of blood sweat and tears! Just ONE WEEK before we were due to go into the studio to lay the tracks down, our drummer Chas Towler suffered a very bad injury to his finger (ironically, it was our great friend, former Deep Machine and currently Tokyo Blade/Slam guitarist John Wiggins, who accidentally dealt the 'fatal' blow, with a hammer while they were working together). So that was a major set-back as everything had to be re-scheduled. Apart from the studio sessions, there were many occasions when our producer DeeRal would be working into the early hours on the mix. A track that's particularly special to me is 'The Gathering', a new song written by myself and Lenny dedicated to our great friends Debbie Meekoms and Andy Gregory, who ran the venue up until a short while ago in Sutton Bridge Lincolnshire UK. It's also a tribute to the great people we played for there. All the tracks are very special to me. Tthis album quite literally links the past to the present.'
Anybody who has seen Deep Machine going down a storm at Brofest in Newcastle-upon-Tyne in 2013 will know that they are very much a band of the present, and not the past. 'Brofest was a real blast ? we loved it!,' exclaims Bob. 'Great vibe to that show, great response from the crowd. Stuart Bartlett did a great job organising and promoting the whole thing. Every single band gave it all they had. It was awesome and an honour to be a part of it. There's a really strange thing there. We've noticed at all the gigs, Brofest in particular, how all the younger Metal fans seem to know all the lyrics to our songs new and old. We've all noticed it big time when we're playing ? it's really cool to see, and great they appreciate it! I think our original songs still stand up well today, especially with the tweaks we've made to them. I think one of the 'secrets' of Deep Machine sounding so 'current' is the introduction of Nick East to the band. Nick has been involved in Thrash Metal bands in the past (his favourite kind of Metal), most notably Deadbolt with whom he recorded and played many gigs/fests with, and his playing style has brought a whole new dimension to the band. I think that coupled with our natural energy and aggression, together with the songs having been altered for a more modern vibe, and there you have it.'
Deep Machine have some definite plans for 2014: 'Well, we've already started writing new material for the next album. Now we've got the older songs 'out of our system' as such, we aim to write some more current-sounding songs, and yet still try to retain the N.W.O.B.H.M. vibe. The new songs will definitely be heavier!
We would also like to play in Europe more, I really hope this year sees us playing more European gigs/fests, we have had such a warm welcome from the Metal fans in Belgium and Holland the last couple of years. Some come on all you European promoters ... let's hear from you!'
Matthias Mader
