Page 33 - Black Velvet Magazine Issue 98

BV98 pg32-35 Tremonti_BV98 pg33 09/08/2018 00:02 Page 2

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The Next Chapter

record than I have ever spent on a record,” writing? in the UK.
Mark tells Black Velvet. “When you’re doing a “Yeah, on this record I approached song-
normal record you can be more ambiguous writing more as a… each song was as a whole. he ‘A Dying Machine’ novel is a science
and a song can have many meanings within it, A lot of times I’ll fragment parts; I’ll write a few Tfiction-esque affair set during the turn
whereas a concept record has to be more parts then I’ll get with my other parts and mend of the next century. Two of the main characters,
straightforward, but at the same time each them together,” Mark answers. “With this Stella and Ares, known as ‘vessels’, are artifi-
song had a specific meaning it had to have. record, I started a song and finished it before I cial humans - part flesh, part machine. They
You had a vision in your mind and you had to started the next song. Before, like I said, I were created to fulfil the needs of their human
capture it as good as you could; that was the would just do bits and pieces of a song. With owners and each vessel is loaded with data
biggest challenge. Most of the songs are very this record I just focused hard on getting a and traits specifically chosen by their owners,
important to the telling of the story, but there song done, then the next song. I wanted to fin- meaning no two are alike. Ares for example,
are certain songs on this record that are ish the song and say, ‘Where could this story was created as a security and sex device while
loosely fit to the concept, like the single, ‘Take go? What’s the next chapter going to be?’ Then Stella was created to fill a void in a widowed
You With Me’, that song could not be on the I’d write the next song and tell the story as I man’s life. Over time the vessels develop their
record and it would still tell the story. There are went.” own personalities and ‘free will’ and they begin
maybe three songs on there that could come This method clearly worked well. The to resist their owner. A recall is issued and this
and go.” album, which was released worldwide via Na- starts a war between man and its creation.
Did the process of having to try and tie to- palm Records, saw Tremonti (completed by Mark tells us more about the concept. “The
gether the songs lyrically and musically with guitarist Eric Friedman and drummer Garrett vessels, they’re human beings - they have
the novel give Mark a different perspective in Whitlock) hit the Top 10 in numerous charts human flesh, human organs, human brains,
terms of the way in which he approached song- stateside as well as making it into the Top 20 but they have chips that have pre-set knowl-

TREMONTI