Line #25 Music/Mechina


1	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mechina1.png]]
2	[[caption-width-right:350:''This Last Empire. This Final Horizon'']]
3	An {{Industrial Metal}} band from Batavia, Illinois. Notable for being part of the growing "Cyber Metal" offshoot of Industrial Metal, and for being extremely prolific in spite of being independently produced and created, and have staved off from signing to a major label for about 11 years and counting. Oh, and for being very heavy on the dosage of epic when it comes to creating their songs.
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5	They also are known for their incredibly in-depth storyline that starts with ''Conqueror'', and ends with ''Xenon'', with ''Acheron'' and singles, ''To Coexist Is To Surrender'' and ''The World We Lost'' serving as the prequels, and singles, ''Andromeda'' and ''Cepheus'' filling the gaps between them. ''Conqueror'' and the first half of ''Empyrean'' is about an AfterTheEnd setting where a holy war has begun destroying the planet Earth, and the protagonist, so revolted with how insane both sides of the war are acting, renounces religion and escapes to the stars, looking for "[[{{Utopia}} The Just City]]", where mankind hasn't tried killing themselves over such trivial matters. The second half of ''Empyrean'' and ''Xenon'' reveal that all of Conqueror and the first half of Empyrean were just memories of a soldier from the holy war, and introduces us to our true protagonists, [[IdentityAmnesia Amyntas]] and Alithea, who are stuck on the planet Empyrean, a planet inhabited by cyborgs. Eventually the protagonists find The Just City. However, it turns out The Just City is just full of cyborgs and humans relying on machines to live. At the end of Xenon, it is revealed that Alithea wants Amyntas to destroy Empyrean, which is explained in the album, ''Acheron,'' as the planet Acheron, a planet inhabited by humans, was almost destroyed by the armies of Empyrean, and the survivors retreated back to the [[SpaceStation Cepheus Ring, a giant mechanical ring surrounding the planets of Acheron and Empyrean,]] and revealing that Amyntas and Alithea are two of the said survivors. All the while, the politics of two planets, the fate of one, and the secrets of how the protagonist got out in space are explored throughout the music.
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7	!!Current Members
8	* Joe Tiberi - Guitars, Programming (2004-present)
9	* David Holch - Vocals (2004-present)
10	* David Gavin - Drums (2007-2010, 2011-present)
11	* Steve Amarantos - Bass (2010-present)
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13	!!Discography:
14	* ''Embrace the Breed'' (2004)
15	* ''The Assembly Of Tyrants'' (2005)
16	* ''Tyrannical Resurrection'' (2007)
17	* ''[[NewSoundAlbum Conqueror]]'' (2011)
18	* ''Empyrean'' (2013)
19	* ''Xenon'' (2014)
20	* ''Acheron'' (2015)
21	* ''Progenitor'' (2016)
22	* ''As Embers Turn To Dust'' (2017)
23	* ''Compendium'' (2018)
24	* ''Telesterion'' (2019)
25	* ''Siege'' (2021)
26	* ''Venator'' (2022)
27	* ''Cenotaph'' (2023)
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29	You've probably heard of them through being featured in a couple of WebVideo/{{Critikal}}'s Let's Plays as epic backdrops to absurd things.
30	----
31	!!Mechina Provides examples of:
32	* AfterTheEnd: The entire narrative from ''Conqueror'' to ''Xenon'' lies squarely here, as Earth has been completely destroyed.
33	* ArcWords: Joe Tiberi enjoys these immensely.
34	** "''A life to reclaim''."
35	** "''Titans, can you hear me?''."
36	** "''Only humans will endure the cruelty of time''."
37	** "''The Leviathan war cry.''"
38	* CorruptChurch: TWO in fact. Two religious groups have a full scale war, leading to the [[EndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt destruction of Earth.]]
39	* {{Cyborg}}: Empyrean is inhabited by cyborgs. Amyntas ''thinks'' he is one too, and thinks he doesn't belong to the society of Empyrean, as he thinks his "arguments" were made for war, until it is revealed he is a [[{{Transhumanism}} Titanborn]].
40	* DecoyProtagonist: The protagonist of ''Conqueror'' and the first half of ''Empyrean'' is just there to showcase the destruction of Earth, and the albums were all just memories of the soldier given to Amyntas, our main protagonist.
41	* EarlyInstallmentWeirdness: Everything before ''Conqueror'' has no story to it, and has comparatively poor sound quality to what would come later.
42	* EpicRocking: Few of their songs dip below 4 minutes.
43	* HopeSpot: The album ''Empyrean'' is about the protagonist finding a new planet like Earth, and indeed, the title track basically completely changes the tune of the lyrics, going from nasty introspection about how bad humanity was, to how the new tomorrow has at last been reached, since this is when Mankind finally finds [[{{Utopia}} the Just City]].
44	* HowWeGotHere: All over the place. ''Acheron'' and ''Progenitor'' are about the war of, and the finding of, Acheron, specifically.
45	* HumansAreSpecial: 90% of their lyrics are based in this trope and it's subtropes:
46	** HumansAreBastards: The first main theme of their lyrics appear to have this down. In the storyline, mankind's hatred and malice destroyed Earth, and thus man must go to the stars to place themselves into a new
47	** HumansAreLeaders: The second main theme. ''Conqueror'' and ''Empyrean'' have tons of songs that deal with man either rebuilding an empire once lost and reconnecting with the stars or building one to take control of them.
48	** HumanityIsSuperior: The final main theme of their lyrics.
49	* HumongousMecha: Titans, which are the size of ''cities.'' The citizens of Empyrean regard them as gods.
50	* IdentityAmnesia: Amyntas, the main protagonist starting with the second half of Empyrean, Xenon, and Acheron, has no memories besides the memories of a soldier of Earth. It turns out that all of ''Conqueror'' and the first half of ''Empyrean'' were just memories of the soldier fighting in the war of Earth. He eventually regains his real memories at the end of ''Xenon,'' at the same time remembering why he and Alithea wants to destroy Empyrean, gaining control of a [[HumongousMecha Titan]], and ends the story in a cliffhanger.
51	* RageAgainstTheHeavens: Most of ''Conqueror'' is about non-servitude, but the title track and ''Anti-Theist'' fit this description perfectly.
52	* {{Revenge}}: The main driving force of Amyntas's and Alithea's reason for wanting to destroy Empyrean, Empyrean destroyed Acheron's landscape, leading all survivors to the [[SpaceStation Cepheus Ring.]]
53	-->Below these blacked clouds
54	-->My home, my heart
55	-->As long as I breathe
56	-->Empyrean will never know peace
57	-->I will make them see what it is to bleed
58	--> -- '''Alithea''', ''To Coexist is to Surrender''
59	* RockOpera: From ''Conqueror'' on.
60	* SpaceOpera: The entire storyline from ''Conqueror'' on is called "''As Embers Turn to Dust''"
61	* {{Transhumanism}}: A central theme to their lyrics. Titanborns, a group of 10 augmented people linked to [[HumongousMecha Titans,]] are considered transhuman, as they have an almost limitless lifespan. Amyntas and Alithea, the main protagonists of the second half of Empyrean, Xenon, and Acheron, are two of the ten titanborns.
62	* TyrantTakesTheHelm: Another central theme. Most clearly in ''Conqueror'' and ''Vanquisher''. The entire album ''Telesterion'' is this for Enyo.
63	* UpdatedReRelease: ''Andromeda'' got a re-release 5 years after the storyline kicked off, and was re-recorded with better quality and improved orchestral tracks.

Context Music / Mechina