Progressive modern metal quartet GIZMACHI has debuted a new video for the track “Turned to Dust,” the latest single from the band’s long-awaited sophomore release, Omega Kaleid.
GIZMACHI’s whopping 16-year hiatus was unintentional, as the band initially took a break after the release of their 2005 debut, The Imbuing, to allow drummer Jimmie Hatcher to heal from a painful wrist condition but was then faced with a myriad of setbacks. Finally, after scheduling conflicts resulted in a lineup change, GIZMACHI called on Soilwork vocalist Bjorn Strid, who happily accepted the band’s invitation to help them complete the record.
“‘Turned to Dust’ was written when GIZMACHI’s future was pretty much up in the air,” says guitarist Jay Hannon. “We’d always written our music with the four of us together in the same room, but Mike and I summoned our inner Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson and wrote this song with a drum machine in my old bedroom studio. I think it has a different vibe from the rest of the record because of that. Every time we wrote a drum part, we would ask each other, ‘What would Jimmie do (W.W.J.D.)?’ And once Jimmie got a hold of the song, it instantly sounded like GIZMACHI.”
Founded in 1996, GIZMACHI quickly gained popularity among the local Orange County, NY, hardcore/metal scene. The band caught the eyes and ears of Slipknot percussionist Shawn “Clown” Crahan and signed to his label, Big Orange Clown (a subsidiary of Sanctuary Records) for the release of The Imbuing. From 2005-2006, GIZMACHI spent time on the road supporting The Imbuing, including high profile festivals such as Ozzfest and Rock AM Ring in Europe before going hiatus. Fast forward to 2021 and the return of GIZMACHI with Omega Kaleid, released on March 12, an album showcases the group’s signature sound – a mixture of brutally melodic vocals, odd time signatures and epic guitar solos.
Omega Kaleid was produced and engineered by guitarist Jay Hannon and mixed by Mark Lewis (Devildriver, White Chapel, The Black Dahlia Murder).
Despite the decade and a half absence, GIZMACHI has not missed a beat and has received rave reviews for Omega Kaleid.
- “GIZMACHI are back with a vengeance…” – Metal Injection
- “The real magic here lies in the way GIZMACHI employ all kinds of jaw-wrenching polyrhythms and fucked-up riffs without ever sounding remotely like any other band, Meshuggah worshippers or otherwise. Perhaps a little annoyingly for the band themselves, they were making music this idiosyncratic and skewed 16 years ago too, but somehow it still sounds ahead of the game and yet weirdly timely and accessible at the same time. Not entirely surprisingly, the commanding, charismatic presence of Björn Strid has nudged everything up a few additional notches too, making GIZMACHI’s already nails-hard attack even more punchy, brutish and compelling as a result… Whether anyone was expecting it or not, this is how you make a comeback.” – Blabbermouth
- “‘Omega’ takes the thick concrete riffs and rhythms of ‘The Imbuing ‘and pours on a healthy dose of mathcore and experimental metal, making their sound simultaneously more punishing and more dynamic.” – The Pit
- “Big, massive grooves to equally soaring hooks are sure to initially hook the listener and draw them in, but the intricacy below the surface is what gives it the stronger impact over time.” – Dead Rhetoric
GIZMACHI is:
Jay Hannon – Guitars
Mike Laurino – Guitars/Vocals
Kris Gilmore – Bass
Jimmie Hatcher – Drums
Björn Strid – Vocals
GIZMACHI online:
