THEY’RE A NEW multinational prog-metal project driven by the principles of electronic music, who boast established names within their ranks, but if it wasn’t for Mike Portnoy, they simply wouldn’t exist. While touring with The Shattered Fortress in 2017, keyboardist Diego Tejeida (ex-Haken, Devin Townsend) and Neal Morse Band guitarist Eric Gillette struck up a friendship that would form the nucleus of Temic.
“Eric and I spent those tours geeking out, talking about synthesisers, compressors and DAWs [digital audio workstations],” Tejeida remembers. “We share a similar, nonsensical sense of humour, too. So in 2020, when I knew I was going to part ways with Haken, I spoke to Eric about writing music together. He immediately jumped in. We had a long chat, discussing the musical vision, and agreed that our bandmates would have to be exceptional musicians, equally exceptional people, and bring additional skills to the table.
“I’ve learned from experience,” he adds, “that having a defined vision of how you want an album to sound from the get-go is a powerful tool. I think a lot of bands try to use too many different bells and whistles on their first albums. We knew what we were going for: memorable vocal melodies, vivid harmonies and a constant pulse.”
This draws heavily from electronic music, of which Tejeida is a huge admirer. “The energy often resides in the sonic experience rather than the musical composition,” he explains. “Pulse and sound are absolutely everything, and that ethos has been a big part of our creative process. The reverb choice for the vocals is as important as the snare placement on the groove.”
First to be recruited was Shining and Arkentype drummer Simen Sandnes, who was also a crew member on The Shattered Fortress tour. He was quick to suggest Maraton and 22 vocalist Fredrik Bergersen Klemp for vocal duties. Upon hearing his voice on a demo of Count Your Losses, Tejeida says “we were all blown away by his sound, control, and expressiveness”. Intervals bassist Jacob Umansky, with whom Sandnes ...
“Eric and I spent those tours geeking out, talking about synthesisers, compressors and DAWs [digital audio workstations],” Tejeida remembers. “We share a similar, nonsensical sense of humour, too. So in 2020, when I knew I was going to part ways with Haken, I spoke to Eric about writing music together. He immediately jumped in. We had a long chat, discussing the musical vision, and agreed that our bandmates would have to be exceptional musicians, equally exceptional people, and bring additional skills to the table.
“I’ve learned from experience,” he adds, “that having a defined vision of how you want an album to sound from the get-go is a powerful tool. I think a lot of bands try to use too many different bells and whistles on their first albums. We knew what we were going for: memorable vocal melodies, vivid harmonies and a constant pulse.”
This draws heavily from electronic music, of which Tejeida is a huge admirer. “The energy often resides in the sonic experience rather than the musical composition,” he explains. “Pulse and sound are absolutely everything, and that ethos has been a big part of our creative process. The reverb choice for the vocals is as important as the snare placement on the groove.”
First to be recruited was Shining and Arkentype drummer Simen Sandnes, who was also a crew member on The Shattered Fortress tour. He was quick to suggest Maraton and 22 vocalist Fredrik Bergersen Klemp for vocal duties. Upon hearing his voice on a demo of Count Your Losses, Tejeida says “we were all blown away by his sound, control, and expressiveness”. Intervals bassist Jacob Umansky, with whom Sandnes ...
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Prog (Digital) - 1 Issue, Issue 147