It’s that time of year where we set out to interview as many of the Sophie, New Blood, and Jager bands as we can in the lead-up to one of the most anticipated festivals of the year, Bloodstock. Answering our questions here are Mechanized who play the New Blood on the Friday evening.
Simple things first – where are you guys from?
We’re all from different parts of Devon and Cornwall, but Plymouth is kind of the centre point and where we rehearse so it would be our de facto hometown.
How long have you been playing together as a band?
Jamming together and practicing as a band? Around 2019, but our first performance in front of a live audience wasn’t until December 2021 because of numerous cancellations and problems as a result of the pandemic – we even had one show cancelled by a storm! We were starting to feel cursed but knuckled down to getting razor tight so we could hit the ground running.
Where does the name of the band come from?
After a long brainstorming session in the pub bouncing ideas back and forth we felt were locked in a stalemate, then sudden inspiration of tanks breaking through the lines struck and Mechanized was suggested and stuck.
Describe your music. What makes you unique?
In of our overall sound musically and melodically, we’ve incorporated influences from many our personal favourite bands in numerous different sub-genres, from early-modern thrash and death metal, to the more modern melodic death metal, and even hints of tech and fusion at times – there’s even a somewhat classical element to our guitar work too. You’ll hear snippets of everything from time to time, but while keeping things as seamless as we can so that it feels natural. Many of us have previously toured in various bands so our combined influences and experience in our opinion gives us our unique flavour!
What’s your live show like? Why are people going to watch you instead of another band?
We like to keep things as real as possible, no gimmicks, just a few guys on stage giving it their all and feeding off the crowds energy. Expect a high octane heavy assault with plenty of opportunities to go absolutely nuts in the pit or us in some real rubber necked headbanging along to some crushing riffs. We like to think we leave people wanting more after each and every show!
If you like what we do, consider ing us on Patreon for as little as £1 per month!
Have you been to Bloodstock before? What did you think?
We’ve all been to BOA at least once before over the years as fans, and one of us has performed there in previous bands! Easily our favourite UK metal festival – the lineup, the overall community feeling on site, and the perfectly convenient layout of the festival grounds all makes it an amazing experience every time. We just overwhelmed to be able to perform there in the short time Mechanized has been on the scene!
Which M2tM region did you win, or did you come through other channels?
We won the Devon and Cornwall finals held at a fantastic venue called Livewire in Saltash! The quality on display in the final was outstanding, made us proud to be part of a great scene.
Can you put into 10 words or fewer how it felt when you realised you were heading to Bloodstock?
Absolutely over the moon, gobsmacked, humbled, and proud.
What sort of setlist can we expect?
A fast-paced, intense, but thoughtfully-crafted barrage of straight up metal!
Which other bands do you most hope you’re not squished up next to so you can see them play?
Red Method, Hellfekted, Sleep Token, GWAR, Exodus, and Testament to name a few!
What are you working on at the moment?
We’re working on a couple more singles as we speak and then will be releasing our first physical release in EP form soon under Mirror Break Records. Dates are unconfirmed as of yet but our social media pages will be updated with all relevant info!
What’s the wildest thing you’ve seen or done at a live show?
We’ve only had a handful of shows as a band so nothing too crazy just yet at our own shows other than some surprisingly serious pitting in small spaces! We saw someone jump from the s for the Snickers Tent at back in 2006 – rumour was they broke one or both legs.
Dave whilst drumming for a previous band once threw up on stage mid-set due to heat exhaustion and somehow didn’t drop a beat.
What drink do you throw back to get yourself fired up before going on stage?
Mostly we won’t hit it hard prior to going on and just have a chilled pint of beer. Dom is partial to a pre-show shot of Jägermeister though.
Don’t fancy Patreon? Buy us a one-off beverage!
Mechanized: facebook | instagram | bandcamp | youtube
