To-Mera
Encyclopedia
To-Mera are a progressive metal
band from South Oxfordshire
in the UK. The band plays a technical style of metal characterized by long songs, multiple time changes and jazz interludes.
/ Disgust / Mussolini Headkick) following her departure from the Hungarian progressive metal band Without Face
. At the start of 2004 they began searching for full-time members and Akos Pirisi, a huge fan of Meshuggah
and a master of polyrhythm
ics, was brought in on drums. Later Tom MacLean was found after he, a big Without Face
fan, recognised Julie and introduced himself at a Dillinger Escape Plan
concert. After the band's demo was recorded, To-Mera finally found a full-time keyboard player in the shape of Hugo Sheppard.
The idea for starting a new band came to Julie Kiss immediately after her departure from Without Face. However, it took nearly two years for the final line-up to take shape. The word 'To-Mera' has been loosely translated to mean "The Land of the Pyramid", as cited in 'The Secret History of Ancient Egypt' by Herbie Brennan. However, the true meaning of the word is in some dispute.
) on a laptop, and it was mixed in France by producer Brett Caldas-Lima (Kalisia / Malmonde
/ Fairlight
).
The demo was sent to many webzines and magazines, where universal acclaim was given. The band received "Demo of The Month" at Organ Magazine, Zero Tolerance magazine and Imperiumi.net (Finland). These, and many other, great reviews led to a number of interested record labels getting in touch. Candlelight Records
made a multi-album, worldwide deal with To-Mera, which was signed on 7 January 2006.
To-Mera recorded their debut album Transcendental
in May/June 2006, again with producer Brett Caldas-Lima. Drums, guitars and vocals were recorded in Veszprem
(Hungary), while the bass and keyboards were recorded in London (England). The audio mixing
and mastering
took place at Tower Studio in Montpellier
(France). The album was released in Europe on 11 September 2006 and 3 October 2006 in the USA.
, soon after replaced Hugo. Hen is renowned for his use of 8 finger tapping and always playing out of the key.
magazine as well as a full-page feature, which was a huge step for a new metal band. The Kerrang! feature gave the band greater notoriety and as a result they garnered a lot of interest from promoters wanting to book the band for live shows. In the end the band chose to sign with The Agency Group, who specialise in promoting gigs at a large number of international venues. The Agency Group has also expressed interest in getting To-Mera to play over in the USA.
, was released on February 18, 2008.
A few days after the release of the album, bassist and founding member Lee Barrett announced his departure from the band, stating that he would be "unable to fulfill any possible future touring or musical commitments" due to his other work. A replacement had quickly been found in Mark Harrington. The band played several shows in support of the album, including a headlining slot at the Dames of Darkness festival in Birmingham
, England
.
EP, which was released in October. The band are currently working on their third album.
, Evergrey
, Symphony X
, Dream Theater
and Pain of Salvation
. Julie Kiss' interest in Egyptology
gave the band their name.
Progressive metal
Progressive metal is a subgenre of heavy metal originating in the United Kingdom and North America in the late 1980s...
band from South Oxfordshire
South Oxfordshire
South Oxfordshire is a local government district in Oxfordshire, England. Its council is based in Crowmarsh Gifford, just outside Wallingford....
in the UK. The band plays a technical style of metal characterized by long songs, multiple time changes and jazz interludes.
Current members
- Julie Kiss - Vocals
- Thomas MacLeanThomas MacLeanThomas MacLean is an English born guitarist and bassist. He is best known for being the guitarist in the progressive metal/jazz fusion band To-Mera, and also for being the bassist for the progressive metal band Haken....
- Guitar - Mark Harrington - Bass
- Paul Westwood - Drums
- Richard "Hen" HenshallRichard HenshallRichard "Hen" Henshall is a British Progressive metal multi-instrumentalist. He is best known for being the guitarist and keyboardist for the bands To-Mera and Haken...
- Keyboards
Formation of band
To-Mera was formed by Julie Kiss and Lee Barrett (ex:Extreme Noise TerrorExtreme Noise Terror
Extreme Noise Terror are a British crust punk / grindcore band originally formed in Ipswich, England in 1985. The band are widely considered one of the earliest and most influential European grindcore bands, and particularly the forefathers of the crustgrind subgenre.Notable for one of the...
/ Disgust / Mussolini Headkick) following her departure from the Hungarian progressive metal band Without Face
Without Face
Without Face were one of the most famous internationally known Hungarian progressive metal band. They were formed in the city of Veszprém, Hungary in 1997. The band featured a dual female and male vocal line-up similar to that of gothic metal, with progressive metal and thrash metal overtones and...
. At the start of 2004 they began searching for full-time members and Akos Pirisi, a huge fan of Meshuggah
Meshuggah
Meshuggah is an extreme metal band from Umeå, Sweden, formed in 1987. Meshuggah's line-up has primarily consisted of founding members vocalist Jens Kidman and lead guitarist Fredrik Thordendal, drummer Tomas Haake, who joined in 1990, and rhythm guitarist Mårten Hagström, who joined in 1992...
and a master of polyrhythm
Polyrhythm
Polyrhythm is the simultaneous sounding of two or more independent rhythms.Polyrhythm in general is a nonspecific term for the simultaneous occurrence of two or more conflicting rhythms, of which cross-rhythm is a specific and definable subset.—Novotney Polyrhythms can be distinguished from...
ics, was brought in on drums. Later Tom MacLean was found after he, a big Without Face
Without Face
Without Face were one of the most famous internationally known Hungarian progressive metal band. They were formed in the city of Veszprém, Hungary in 1997. The band featured a dual female and male vocal line-up similar to that of gothic metal, with progressive metal and thrash metal overtones and...
fan, recognised Julie and introduced himself at a Dillinger Escape Plan
The Dillinger Escape Plan
The Dillinger Escape Plan is an American mathcore band from Morris Plains, New Jersey. The group originated in 1997 after the disbanding of Arcane, a hardcore punk trio consisting of Ben Weinman, Dimitri Minakakis, and Chris Pennie. The band's current line-up consists of guitarist Ben Weinman,...
concert. After the band's demo was recorded, To-Mera finally found a full-time keyboard player in the shape of Hugo Sheppard.
The idea for starting a new band came to Julie Kiss immediately after her departure from Without Face. However, it took nearly two years for the final line-up to take shape. The word 'To-Mera' has been loosely translated to mean "The Land of the Pyramid", as cited in 'The Secret History of Ancient Egypt' by Herbie Brennan. However, the true meaning of the word is in some dispute.
Demo reaction and album recordings
The band recorded their debut demo in July 2005 at The Peel rehearsal rooms (Kingston upon ThamesKingston upon Thames
Kingston upon Thames is the principal settlement of the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames in southwest London. It was the ancient market town where Saxon kings were crowned and is now a suburb situated south west of Charing Cross. It is one of the major metropolitan centres identified in the...
) on a laptop, and it was mixed in France by producer Brett Caldas-Lima (Kalisia / Malmonde
Malmonde
Malmonde are a French band formed in 1999. Their music is a mix of death grunt vocals and industrial metal, which they describe as "cyber metal". Their use of electronic sounds have led them to be compared with such bands as Samael, the Kovenant and Rammstein...
/ Fairlight
Fairlight
Fairlight is a digital audio company based in Sydney, Australia. In 1979 they created the Fairlight CMI, the first digital audio sampler, quickly used by artists such as Peter Gabriel, Kate Bush, and Jean Michel Jarre. They are now a manufacturer of media solutions tools such as digital audio...
).
The demo was sent to many webzines and magazines, where universal acclaim was given. The band received "Demo of The Month" at Organ Magazine, Zero Tolerance magazine and Imperiumi.net (Finland). These, and many other, great reviews led to a number of interested record labels getting in touch. Candlelight Records
Candlelight Records
Candlelight Records is an independent record label based in Europe founded by former Extreme Noise Terror bassist Lee Barrett, though it has had a division in the United States since January 2001. Candlelight Records specialises in black metal and death metal, having bands such as Emperor,...
made a multi-album, worldwide deal with To-Mera, which was signed on 7 January 2006.
To-Mera recorded their debut album Transcendental
Transcendental (album)
Transcendental is the début album from UK progressive metal band To-Mera. Its style is characterised by female vocals; long, multi-sectioned songs; heavy riffs and jazzy sections...
in May/June 2006, again with producer Brett Caldas-Lima. Drums, guitars and vocals were recorded in Veszprem
Veszprém
Veszprém is one of the oldest urban areas in Hungary, and a city with county rights. It lies approximately north of the Lake Balaton. It is the administrative center of the county of the same name.-Location:...
(Hungary), while the bass and keyboards were recorded in London (England). The audio mixing
Audio mixing (recorded music)
In audio recording, audio mixing is the process by which multiple recorded sounds are combined into one or more channels, most commonly two-channel stereo. In the process, the source signals' level, frequency content, dynamics, and panoramic position are manipulated and effects such as reverb may...
and mastering
Audio mastering
Mastering, a form of audio post-production, is the process of preparing and transferring recorded audio from a source containing the final mix to a data storage device ; the source from which all copies will be produced...
took place at Tower Studio in Montpellier
Montpellier
-Neighbourhoods:Since 2001, Montpellier has been divided into seven official neighbourhoods, themselves divided into sub-neighbourhoods. Each of them possesses a neighbourhood council....
(France). The album was released in Europe on 11 September 2006 and 3 October 2006 in the USA.
Change in band line-up
On 15 July 2006 the band announced the departure of drummer Akos Pirisi. This was because Akos' commitments in his home country of Hungary made it very difficult for the band to rehearse and play as a live unit in the UK. As a replacement, the band brought in Paul Westwood from Foe, an experimental rock band based in London. Later in 2007, Keyboardist Hugo Sheppard left the band for personal reasons. Hen, the brute guitarist and keyboard player from ultra-prog metal band HakenHaken
Haken may refer to:* Wolfgang Haken, mathematician who helped prove the four color theorem and made notable contributions to low-dimensional topology* Haken manifold, a type of 3-manifold named after Wolfgang Haken* Rianne ten Haken, Dutch model...
, soon after replaced Hugo. Hen is renowned for his use of 8 finger tapping and always playing out of the key.
Reaction to Transcendental
Transcendental received very positive reviews after its release in Europe, with many webzines and magazines giving it high praise and marking it for its ingenuity and technical proficiency. The band also received KKKK in October 2006's Kerrang!Kerrang!
Kerrang! is a UK-based magazine devoted to rock music published by Bauer Media Group. It was first published on June 6, 1981 as a one-off supplement in the Sounds newspaper...
magazine as well as a full-page feature, which was a huge step for a new metal band. The Kerrang! feature gave the band greater notoriety and as a result they garnered a lot of interest from promoters wanting to book the band for live shows. In the end the band chose to sign with The Agency Group, who specialise in promoting gigs at a large number of international venues. The Agency Group has also expressed interest in getting To-Mera to play over in the USA.
Delusions
To-Mera worked on the follow-up to Transcendental throughout 2007. The album, named DelusionsDelusions (album)
Delusions is the second album from UK progressive metal band To-Mera. Its style is similar to their debut Transcendental, with a lot of the same aspects as that album....
, was released on February 18, 2008.
A few days after the release of the album, bassist and founding member Lee Barrett announced his departure from the band, stating that he would be "unable to fulfill any possible future touring or musical commitments" due to his other work. A replacement had quickly been found in Mark Harrington. The band played several shows in support of the album, including a headlining slot at the Dames of Darkness festival in Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
.
Split with Candlelight, Earthbound EP
To-Mera began writing new material towards the end of 2008. By the years end, the band confirmed that they had two songs almost complete, with a significant portion of time being dedicated to the songwriting process in 2009. In mid 2009, the band announced they had parted ways with Candlelight Records. September saw the completion of the EarthboundEarthbound (To-Mera EP)
Earthbound is an EP by UK progressive metal band To-Mera. It is the first release without former bass player and founding member Lee Barrett...
EP, which was released in October. The band are currently working on their third album.
Influences
To-Mera cite their other influences as OpethOpeth
Opeth is a Swedish heavy metal band from Stockholm, formed in 1990. Though the group has been through several personnel changes, singer, guitarist, and songwriter Mikael Åkerfeldt has remained Opeth's driving force throughout the years...
, Evergrey
Evergrey
Evergrey is a progressive metal band from Gothenburg, Sweden. The band was founded in 1995 and released its debut album The Dark Discovery in 1998. Their most recent album Glorious Collision was released in 2011.-Lyrical themes:...
, Symphony X
Symphony X
Symphony X is an American progressive metal band from Middletown, New Jersey.Founded in 1994 by guitarist Michael Romeo, their albums The Divine Wings of Tragedy and V: The New Mythology Suite have given the band considerable attention within the progressive metal community...
, Dream Theater
Dream Theater
Dream Theater is an American progressive metal band formed in 1985 under the name Majesty by John Petrucci, John Myung, and Mike Portnoy while they attended Berklee College of Music in Massachusetts. They subsequently dropped out of their studies to further concentrate on the band that would...
and Pain of Salvation
Pain of Salvation
Pain of Salvation is a Swedish progressive rock band featuring Daniel Gildenlöw, who is the lyricist, chief composer, guitarist, and lead vocalist. Their sound is characterised by powerful, accentuated guitar work, broad vocal range, abrupt switching between heavy and calm passages, intense...
. Julie Kiss' interest in Egyptology
Egyptology
Egyptology is the study of ancient Egyptian history, language, literature, religion, and art from the 5th millennium BC until the end of its native religious practices in the AD 4th century. A practitioner of the discipline is an “Egyptologist”...
gave the band their name.
Discography
- (2005) Demo
- (2006) TranscendentalTranscendental (album)Transcendental is the début album from UK progressive metal band To-Mera. Its style is characterised by female vocals; long, multi-sectioned songs; heavy riffs and jazzy sections...
- (2008) DelusionsDelusions (album)Delusions is the second album from UK progressive metal band To-Mera. Its style is similar to their debut Transcendental, with a lot of the same aspects as that album....
- (2009) EarthboundEarthbound (To-Mera EP)Earthbound is an EP by UK progressive metal band To-Mera. It is the first release without former bass player and founding member Lee Barrett...
(EP)