*******Marazene have officially changed their name to MARAZENE MACHINE - welcome to the future*******
Critics around the globe weigh in on Chicago's Machine Metalists MARAZENE!!!
"MARAZENE take the CYBER ROCK THEME that FEAR FACTORY CULTIVATED so well to the next level... [with] dark, aggressive, crunchy,[and] fine-tuned melodies..." --- UK's METAL HAMMER reviewing MARAZENE April 2007
"[MARAZENE is a] ... SEARING INDUSTRIAL PANORAMA... The sterling production skills and visceral intensity of Ministry immediately comes to mind, but a purity from the industrial world as well as a FRESH PROGRESSIVENESS imbue these COMPLEX CONSTRUCTS with STAR POWER well beyond the underground, a zone Marazene won’t inhabit for long." --- Brave Words & Bloody Knuckles
"['MARAZENE is] A... Supergroup of styles. . . A PULSE-POUNDING, GUITARLACED GRIND that’s simultaneously ORGANIC and MECHANICAL... The APOCALYPTIC FURY OF THE TITLE TRACK ['MachiNation'] IS UNRELENTING and stands as a proud torchbearer of Chicago’s industrial roots..." --- Illinois Entertainer
"...Crazy and Extreme as Hell... Diverse and Mechanized... 'SeeThe/sTay aWay' is one of the most unique songs I have heard lately in this genre..." --- Industrialized Metal (Dutch WebZine)
"Marazene... [are] breaking new ground... [with] overwhelming power packed volume... the viciousness does not stop... and never let’s up during the entire CD ['MachiNation']" --- RockEyez WebZine
"[MARAZENE take you] on a trip [of] very aggressive sounds... a Distorted Machine... Industrial metal drive with electronic add-ons... the song 'XecuTe' is supported by a very cool video... YOU WON'T BE DISAPOINTED..." --- Fabryka Industrial Rock (Polish WebZine)
"['MachiNation' is] ...An extraordinary sweet treat for the ear drums... VERY POWERFUL... 'giVe' (SkumF***erz)... is my personal favorite..." --- The Sound Review
"... Marazene takes advantage of melody in order to render an even more criminal and invasive onslaught.. a sweeping debut that is sure [to leave] an indelible sign on your conscience..." --- Dageisha WebZine (Italian WebZine translated)
"[ 'MachiNation' is a] ...GUT BUSTING DEBUT... full of ASTOUNDING TUNES that will violently sweep you off your feet... [and] ...leave you pleading for more..." --- Rock Vision (UK Webzine)
"'MachiNation' is A POWERFUL and SEARING collection of songs... DOWNRIGHT BRUTAL... Well Polished... Well Produced... [MARAZENE is] ONE OF THE HARDEST AND AND MOST IN YOUR FACE BANDS in the scene today..." --- Brian Backlash (Brian Backlash WebZine)
"Marazene is... Twice the speed of Marilyn Manson and not as boring ... NOT FOR THE WEAK... 'XecuTe' makes your blood boil..." --- Digital Steel (Dutch WebZine)
"One of the best industrial albums I've heard in a long time... Songs like 'AnTiThesis' and 'Self-WorTh' are [two] of my all time favorite industrial songs..." --- Vampire Mafia Magazine
"MARAZENE open a new chapter with their new album 'MachiNation'... play[ing] powerful industrial metal... AWESOME... [They'll] make you wish you were in a mosh pit... TAKE A LISTEN..." --- Metal Fanatix Webzine
"[If you]... want something fresh, something that will blow you straight into the next century there is only one answer... MARAZENE... 'MachiNation'... is A MUST BUY of 2006..." --- Obscure R'n'R Promotions (UK Webzine)
"...POWER PACKED INDUSTRIAL METAL... Powerful and Aggressive vocals... My favorite track is... “giVe (skumF***erz)" --- Metal Revolution (Danish Webzine)
If you listen closely enough you can hear it. The trance-like, danceable headtrip laced with violence emerging from the midwest is none other than Chicago-based MARAZENE. Tipping the hat to the sound pioneered by the early 90's Chicago Industrial movement led by MINISTRY, songwriting finesse of the SMASHING PUMPKINS/Billy Corgan, and the crunch heavy guitars and aggression of current Lords of Metal DISTURBED, Marazene take the stage ready to create a new legacy and leave their mark.
Multi-Instrumentalist nIKK_sKUM, Multi-Instrumentalist DieTrich Thrall, and Acoustic/Electric Drummer Kristov come together with purpose and resolve, each of them bringing the experience of life and joining together to create something fresh, exciting, and most importantly NEW.
Building on touring experience with "MUSHROOMHEAD" (Megaforce Records), "PSYCLON NINE" (Metropolis Records), "DEADSTAR ASSEMBLY" (Pure Records), and "THE HUMAN ABSTRACT" (Hopeless Records), and shows with numerous national acts including; "OTEP" (Capital/EMI Records), "AMERICAN HEAD CHARGE" (Nitrus/DRT), "STILL REMAINS" (Roadrunner Records), "DOPE" (Recon Records/Artemis), "SOIL" (DRT Records), "BILE" (Invisible Records), "GENITORTURERS" (Capitol Records), "NOCTURNE" (Invisible Records), "MY LIFE WITH THE THRILL KILL KULT" (Interscope Records), "SCARS OF TOMORROW" (Victory Records), "CELLDWELLER" (FIXT Records), "ACUMEN NATION" (Invisible Records), "FIVE BOLT MAIN" (Rock Ridge Records), "THE ACACIA STRAIN" (Prosthetic Records), "BEAUTIFUL CREATURES" (SpitFire/Eagle Rock Records), "BLACK FLOOD DIESEL" (Core Alliance Records), "FIVE POINTE O" (Roadrunner Records), and "SUBSONIC" (Sonic Wave International) and playing the finest venues in Chicago (House of Blues, Metro Cabaret, Double Door, Pearl Room, etc.), MARAZENE have been quietly (and not so quietly at times) laying a solid foundation based on substance rather than smack. And while expounding on the obvious potential of the music being created may be easy, describing it is an entirely different task altogether. Chicago's Lumino Magazine declare "MARAZENE are ready for the stadium show!" while longtime friend/fan/convert Jason Bowles comments "Just come prepared for something out of the ordinary and very very cool."
"Controlled-Chaos", Nikk_sKUM will say if you were to ask him what Marazene is all about. Paradoxically speaking that two-word description will leave some people scratching their heads but Nikk is quick to stand by his description and elaborate. "Marazene is about more than playing a chord. It's about the song. It's about four people coming together to create one big musical kick in the balls! It's a mood, a thought process, a vibe that has to be seen and heard to be understood."
"Descriptions are meaningless and just a way to categorize you. And that's something we refuse to let anyone other than someone familiar with the Marazene experience do." adds Dietrich. " We all have favorite bands and movies and books and friends and encounters but in the end it's about life. Life happens and when it does it shapes us AND our music. And that means everything from a stubbed toe in the morning, to a car accident, to an argument with a girlfriend, to the daily news, and so on and so forth."
Kris sums it up, "It's the feeling we all get when we're turned up and trancing or jamming a song. It's seductive, addictive, and when we're live and converting a venue full of people who've never seen or heard us before. . . and the heads start shaking and t he bodies start moving. . . We know we're on to something."
The producers of the "Matrix:Revolutions" DVD would appear to agree with that final thought. In 2004, three songs ("XecuTe", InFidel SoCieTy, and AnTiThesis") from the forthcoming Marazene album, MachiNation", were nabbed for the DVD release and subsequent Matrix: ReCalibrated Box Set and while some bands would take that as an opportunity to sit back and examine all that has been accomplished, Marazene have continued to look beyond and set higher standards. "Having several songs selected for the 'Matrix:Revolutions' DVD is a nod by the industry to the quality of the music that is being written." offers DieTrich. "It's a small step in a direction we've been heading in for some time. We want this music to be heard by more than just a few thousand people. Having hundreds of thousands of people hear Marazene on a national and international level is just a means to our desired end."
In early 2005 Marazene took a detour with Director Joseph Elsey of UPressPlay Productions and shot a video for the fan favorite track "XecuTe". The video was shown in August 2005 at two wildy successful SRO viewings in Chicago before being tucked away by Marazene for future use. "The videos primary purpose was to give friends and fans much further away than Chicago the chance to see Marazene perform", DieTrich explainedd. "Now that the album is finished the time for the video has come."
With the 2006 release of their debut album "MachiNation" MARAZENE deal a blow to both the Metal and Industrial genre critics and fans the world over garnering glowing reviews from as far away as Poland, The Netherlands, Germany, and Italy in addition to the United States. Canada's #1 Metal Magazine 'Brave Words & Bloody Knuckles' add the title track "MachiNation" to it's issue #102 Knuckletracks sampler which puts Marazene Music on the street in one Mass Dose: 30,000 copies of the song will hit the streets across the globe in January 2007 and make its way into the homes and CD players of some of the world's most discriminating fans of Metal Music.
2006 also saw MARAZENE hit the road as never before, racking up 40+ shows in seven states on their aptly entitled "SkumF***erz On the Road" (taken from "SkumF***erz", a track on their debut album) tour dates. New fans in new key markets such as Cleveland, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, Detroit, St. Louis, and all points in between are exposed to the growing presence of Chicago's undeniable heavyweight favorite. The MARAZENE Live Experience peaks in December 2006 as Marazene are hand picked to provide support for Megaforce recording artists MUSHROOMHEAD and Capital/EMI recording artist OTEP both locally and outside of their hometown, a feat uncommon with unsigned/unmanaged acts.
As Rockeyez webzine owner Brain Rademacher puts it, "MARAZENE are breaking new ground as they tear into the sociality of ballrooms by releasing their industrial metal which is peeling paint off the walls!" Marazene, by deed, continue to prove they are ready in all the ways that matter for the next big step.
But MARAZENE are only warming up. In January 2007 MARAZENE disappear, recording new material for a proposed second album only to emerge a month and a half later to announce that they have been hand picked as a support act by Megaforce heavyweights MUSHROOMHEAD on their Spring tour. Two more weeks and MARAZENE again defy the odds by announcing a second National Tour with Pure Records DEADSTAR ASSEMBLY. In late April MARAZENE return home from seven weeks on the road. The 100% DIY band have successfully managed the rigorous demands of heavy duty touring and continue to plot further world domination machinations for the rest of 2007 and beyond.
MARAZENE remain, one of Chicago's and the Midwest regions most sought after and exciting/enticing/emerging acts of today.
Witness the Rise of the MARAZENE SkumF***er Nation
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