Mnemic
() (also typed as MNE|\ )IC) is a Danish metalcore band, formed in Aalborg, Denmark in 1998. Their music can be described as a fusion between metalcore, industrial metal and progressive metal, with added elements of thrash metal and groove metal, to form a style the band themselves have described as "Future Fusion Metal." [1] Recently, on their latest album Passenger
, the band also incorporated influences from alternative metal and metalcore. Named as one of Metallica's favourite bands, [2] they have opened for Metallica in Europe both in 2007 and 2008.
The band have charted in the Top 100 in Denmark with The Audio Injected Soul
and were the first Danish metal band to open the Orange Stage at Roskilde Festival in 2004, one of Europe's biggest mainstream festivals with 80,000 spectators. They have worked with Down and The Fugees producer Warren Riker on the "Passenger" album, collaborated with Roy Z (Judas Priest and Bruce Dickinson producer) and are featured on the soundtracks of Alone in the Dark, Echo (with Kim Bodnia) and Nordkraft movies.
They have released three full length albums, are working on a fourth, and have toured with bands such as Metallica, Deftones, Machine Head, Meshuggah, Arch Enemy, All That Remains, Fear Factory, The Haunted, Soilwork and God Forbid.
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MNEMIC TICKETS
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Biography
Early years
The band was formed when Mircea Eftemie (ex-
Mercenary) joined Rune Stigart and Brian “Brylle” Rasmussen, both formerly of a local
death metal outfit called
Exhume
in
Aalborg,
Denmark in 1998.
The first line up was completed with the addition of Mark Bai also known as notus bai and dorthe dak, who was on vocals and Mikkel Larsen on bass. Mark Bai suggested the band call themselves 'Mnemic' (the
Latin word for energy), which stands for Mainly Neurotic Energy Modifying Instant Creation. The band went on to record their first demo in 2000 with Jacob Hansen. These songs are blueprints of the later songs, "Tattoos" and "Closed Eyes".
Mnemic flirted with a masked look in some promotional pictures during this period but apparently abandoned the masks after their first live performance wearing them. Mark Bai, finding a strong religious calling, left shortly after to become a priest.
Mnemic were to find their second singer, Michael Bøgballe, on Danish national television who they tracked down and recruited as their first permanent vocalist.
After their second demo was recorded in 2000 with
Tue Madsen, they were offered a contract with
Nuclear Blast Records.
Mechanical Spin Phenomena
and The Audio Injected Soul
This second line-up went on to record the band's critically acclaimed debut
industrial metal album
Mechanical Spin Phenomena
. Bassist Mikkel Larsen left the band after recording the bass parts for this album and was replaced by Tomas 'Obeast' Koefoed, who had earlier played with Tue Madsen in a band called Grope.
After touring Europe in support of the album, the band returned to the studio to record and release their second album, titled
The Audio Injected Soul
in 2004, which charted in the Top 100 in Denmark.
The album contains a cover of
Duran Duran's famous song, "
Wild Boys".
The
AM3D positional audio technology for
headphones was also used on two of the album's tracks, on
The Audio Injection
and on
Deathbox
, but the band have not used the technology again since. The feature was only present on the retail version of the album.
Mnemic toured heavily in support of this album across Europe and North America until September 2005.
Departure of Michael Bøgballe and recruitment of Guillaume Bideau
Michael Bøgballe left the band at this stage, unable to balance the heavy touring with his family commitments, but continues as vocalist with his other two bands
Oktan and
Smaxone, which also features Mnemic's drummer Brian "Brylle" Rasmussen and Tomas "Obeast" Koefod.
Swedish band M.A.N (and former Transport League) vocalist, Tony Jelencovich was recruited on a short stint, filling in on vocals on the band’s subsequent North American tour with
Meshuggah, but Jelencovich and the band amicably parted ways in April 2006.
Michael's permanent replacement was later confirmed to be Guillaume Bideau, formerly the
clean vocalist of the French
technical metal band,
Scarve.
Passenger
Mnemic's third studio album, titled
Passenger
, was produced by
Christian Olde Wolbers of
Fear Factory and Warren Riker, and mixed by Tue Madsen, and was released in Europe on February 2 and in North America on February 6, 2007. A bonus track, titled "Zero Synchronized" is available on the Japanese version of the album. Currently Guillaume has a side-project with Dirk Verbeuren (drummer for Scarve and
Soilwork) called One Way Mirror, which is an industrial rock/metal group.
On July 13, 2007, they were one of two opening acts playing with
Metallica in Aarhus (The other act being
Volbeat).
After the Headbangers Ball tour in Denmark in 2007 the band decided to take a break from touring and start writing a new album, but in 2008 Mnemic where again invited by Metallica to play a few selected shows in Europe, as support.
Sons of the System
The band have announced the title of their new album as
Sons of the System
, and have been working on it since 2008, and is has been stated through the bands Myspace will be released in January of 2010. Furthermore the band is working on a new media, bridging audio, sensor and projection technologies to be implemented into their forthcoming live shows.
Band members
- Guillaume Bideau – vocals (ex-Scarve)
- Mircea Gabriel Eftemie – guitar, keyboards
- Rune Stigart – guitar
- Tomas "Obeast" Koefoed – bass guitar
- Brian "Brylle" Rasmussen – drums
Former members
- Michael Bögballe – vocals (until 2005)
- Mikkel Larsen – bass guitar
- Mark Bai – vocals (until 2000)
Touring members
- Tony Jelencovich – vocals (2005–2006)
- Victor-Ray Salomonsen Ronander - guitar (Mudslide) (-2009)
Discography
| Year of Release
| Title
| Label
|
| 2003
| Mechanical Spin Phenomena
| Nuclear Blast
|
| 2004
| The Audio Injected Soul
| Nuclear Blast
|
| 2007
| Passenger
| Nuclear Blast
|
| 2010
| Sons of the System
| Nuclear Blast [3]
|
Music videos
- "Ghost" (2003, directed by Patric Ullaeus)
- "Liquid" (2003, directed by Patric Ullaeus)
- "Deathbox" (2004, directed by Patric Ullaeus)
- "Door 2.12" (2004, directed by Mathias Vielsäcker and Christoph Mangler; see )
- "Meaningless" (2006, directed by Patric Ullaeus)
References
- Mnemic Biography
- Metallica interview
- Mnemic - New Album In The Making