GIZMACHI

Gizmachi biography
GIZMACHI is an American progressive metalcore band hailing from Newburgh, New York, formed in 1996. Initially the project of high school friends Kris GILMORE (bass) and Jason HANNON (guitar), Jimmie HATCHER would later join on drums, with vocalist Sean KANE and guitarist/backing vocalist Mike LAURINO eventually completing the lineup by 1999.

Their first album, 2000's "Melee", was a fairly straightforward nu-metal and hardcore punk hybrid with some flashes of technical flair hinting at the band's future development. They would draw the attention of Shawn CRAHAN of SLIPKNOT, who signed GIZMACHI to his Big Orange Clown label in 2004, and issued their sophomore LP "The Imbuing" the following year. The album showed GIZMACHI's radical change into a more progressive-minded unit, dialing back the nu-metal elements and demonstrating a hypnotic new polyrhythmic style heavily influenced by MESHUGGAH but with more melodic accessibility. During the following year-long world tour in promotion of the record, HATCHER developed de Quervain's tenosynovitis, rendering him unable to play, and after a run of temporary drummers who were unable to commit full time, GIZMACHI went on hiatus.

After several years of dormancy and the rehabilitation of HATCHER's wrist, the band began recording their third LP, and launched a Kickstarter campaign in 2012 to help complete it. GIZMACHI would part ways with KANE and, having befriended the Swedish death metal group SOILWORK during their 2005 Ozzfest run, recruited frontman Björn STRID as their new vocalist. The long-delayed album, "Omega Kaleid", was finally released in 2021, showing GIZMACHI transforming once again, this time into a sleekly-produced modern progressive metal band. The band shed their nu-metal tendencies while keeping their MESHUGGAH-inspired groove and diversifying their approach, with the interplay between STRID and LAURINO's vocals showing inspiration from noted influences ALICE IN CHAINS and PANTERA.

An interesting artifact from the days before the rise of djent, GIZMACHI will appeal to fans of HACRIDE, CANDIRIA, STRAPPING YOUNG LAD, HEAD CONTROL SYSTEM, A LIFE ONCE LOST, SikTh and GARGOYL.

-----Thanks to Gordy for providing the bio and the picture-----