Interview with Machinemade God frontman Flo Velten

Choirs, acoustic guitars, and orchestral arrangements are not elements typically found on a Death Metal record but that is about to change. Machinemade God has pushed the envelope in the genre and has done just that. By incorporating these musical elements into their newest release Masked they have set themselves apart from the rest creating a fresh well produced record. Don’t get the wrong idea though, if it is metal you are after it is metal you will get! This record is as hard and as heavy as one would expect from Machinemade God, the blast of guitars and drums are present as is Flo Velten’s unmistakable vocal assault. I recently spoke with Velten about the band, the music, and their newest CD Masked.

What is it that gives you inspiration when writing lyrics and was there a theme or themes behind the writing of this record?
Flo: Most of the lyrics are about experiences I made in my life. I actually write constantly whenever I have good ideas or when I am in the mood to write. When we start writing the music I check the stuff I have written and try to find something that fits the music. Then it’s all about re-writing the lyrics and arranging them to the song. Masked is not a concept album, so the topics are really diverse, but still pretty personal.

Many of your songs are so hard and intense that I am sure they translate well into a live environment, taking on a whole new life on stage. How does it make you feel when the emotion and the power you envisioned while recording a song comes to life on stage in front of a live audience?
Flo: Most of the songs appear even harder when we perform them live. We love playing live and we spread a lot of energy on stage. Performing is pure adrenaline and we enjoy seeing the response from the crowd.

What can fans expect when they pick up a copy of Masked?
Flo: A really diverse metal record. We put a lot of time and effort into each single song. It’s hard, heavy, beautiful, melodic, epic and fast.

Different groups have unique ways of writing songs. How do you guys go about writing your music and lyrics? Is it a collective effort or is it the efforts of one particular member of the band?
Flo: Sky is responsible for the main songwriting while I take care of writing the lyrics. When we have the basic ideas together we start working on the details as a whole. Then we record every song and if we like it we keep it, otherwise we re-write some parts or the whole song. When we all are satisfied we keep the song for an album.

The songs on Masked are not exactly typical with this genre of music. You experiment with orchestra arrangements, choirs, and acoustic guitars. What was the inspiration for this and is this a desire to explore new realms of music?
Flo: First of all, we didn’t want to just re-write our debut record The Infinity Complex and release it. We have developed as musicians and as songwriters and we became more mature, and that what we wanted to put on the record. We also wanted to experiment with new features such as the orchestra and we are more than happy with the result. I think the new record is easier to get into. We are really open minded according to music and we don’t mind getting new listeners from other music scenes.

The name of the band Machinemade God is interesting to say the least. I am sure there is a story behind it. Where did the name come from?
Flo: Our old guitar player Holger had the name set already when we started to form MMG. The name comes from the Latin “deus ex makina.” There are different meanings according the band name.

Masked was produced by guitarist Sky Hoff. What led to the decision to have a band member produce the record? How do you feel the band benefited from this decision? Was it difficult not having an outside objective opinion while recording?
Flo: We have done a pre-production of all the songs before we hit the studio, cause we wanted to be 100% ready and not waste time with re-writing the songs or trying out new ideas in the studio. Since we had all songs ready in the way we wanted them we didn’t feel like needing a producer. W e worked really focused and efficient in the studio and we didn’t have a problem at all.

What is the hardest part about being in a touring metal band and what is the biggest obstacle your band faces?
Flo: Spending hours in the van on the road. It can be really annoying and boring sometimes. But arriving at the venue and playing live in front of the kids makes it worth it. Since we are not rich and we don’t get that much money it’s hard to make a living off the band. Nobody of us is working fulltime, cause we wanna be on the road as much as possible and that doesn’t work out with a fulltime job.

I am sure there are all kinds of interesting things that happen while out on the road. Is there one story that stands out in your mind that you wouldn’t mind sharing with your fans?
Flo: There always crazy things happening when we are on tour. Most of the stuff is just funny when you have been there. Our drummer once smoked a cigarette in his hotel room and started the fire-alarm. The whole hotel got evacuated and the firefighters and police showed up. The hotel manager said that it was a technical error that caused the alarm. But we knew better… but also that was actually just funny when you were there.

What is next for Machinemade God?
Flo: Shows and touring, taking new pics and maybe a video. But the focus is on our touring schedule for 2008!  [ END ]