To-Mera
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To-Mera are a progressive metal band based in Surbiton, Surrey in the UK. The band play a technical and challenging style of metal characterised by long songs, multiple time changes, and rich female vocals.
Personnel
Current members
- Julie Kiss - Vocals
- Tom MacLean - Guitar
- Lee Barrett - Bass
- Hugo Sheppard - Keyboards
- Paul Westwood - Drums
Former members
- Akos Pirisi - Drums
Biography
Formation of band
To-Mera was formed by Julie Kiss and Lee Barrett (ex:Extreme Noise Terror / Disgust / Mussolini Headkick) following her departure from the Hungarian progressive metal band Without Face. At the start of 2004 Lee Barrett began searching for full-time members and Akos Pirisi, a huge fan of Meshuggah and a master of polyrhythmics, 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.
Demo reaction and album recordings
The band recorded their debut demo in July 2005 at The Peel rehearsal rooms (Kingston-Upon-Thames) 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. It soon became clear that Candlelight Records (Emperor, Opeth, 1349, Zyklon, Enslaved, etc) was the best choice for the band and a multi-album, worldwide deal was signed on 7th 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 is due to be released on 11th September 2006.
Change in band line-up
On 15th July 2006 the band announced the departure of drummer Akos Pirisi. This was due to the fact that 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, and experimental rock band based in London.
Influences
To-Mera cite their other influences as Opeth, Evergrey, Symphony X and Pain Of Salvation. The band's name reportedly derives from the word TaMera (land of inundation), one of the names the Ancient Egyptians gave to their country.
Discography
External links
- [To-Mera official site]
- [To-Mera MySpace page]
- [Tower Studio's official site]
- [Etymology]
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