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{{Short description|American Christian metal band}}
{{for|the David Bowie song|Saviour Machine (song)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2025}}
{{sources|date=March 2025}}
{{Infobox musical artist
| name = Saviour Machine
| background = group_or_band
| image =
| caption =
| label = Intense Records, MCM Music, Massacre Records
| origin = [[Los Angeles]], [[California]], U.S.
| genre = {{Hlist|[[Symphonic gothic metal]]<ref>
*{{Cite web |last=Magliano |first=Fabio |date=December 1, 2020 |title=Eric Clayton (Saviour Machine) – I miei 10 album fondamentali |url=http://www.metalhammer.it/rubriche/2020/12/01/eric-clayton-saviour-machine-i-miei-10-album-fondamentali/ |access-date=November 7, 2023 |website=[[Metal Hammer]] Italy |language=it-IT}}
*{{Cite web |last=Ariatti |first=Alessandro |title=Saviour Machine – Saviour Machine I |url=https://www.metal.it/album.aspx/45144/saviour-machine-saviour-machine-i/ |access-date=November 7, 2023 |website=[[Metal Hammer]] Italy |language=Italian}}</ref>|[[Christian metal]]|[[progressive metal]]}}
| years_active = 1989–2012, 2017–present
| current_members = [[Eric Clayton]] Jeff Clayton Charles Cooper Nathan Van Hala
| past_members = Chris Fee Dean Forsyth Jayson Heart Victor Deaton [[Carl Johan Grimmark]] Thomas Weinesjö Samuel West
}}

'''Saviour Machine''' is an American [[Christian metal|Christian]] [[gothic metal]] band that formed in 1989. They have released five studio albums and two live albums on Frontline and subsequently on MCM Music, distributed through [[Massacre Records]]. Saviour Machine's music and lyrics deal with war, death, and personal introspection as it relates to prophecy and divine revelation.<ref>{{cite web |author=Ankeny, Jason |title= Saviour Machine |publisher=Open Publishing |date=February 4, 2004 |work=[[AllMusic]] |url= {{AllMusic|class=artist|id=p296142|pure_url=yes}} |access-date=September 12, 2008 }}</ref>

==History==

===Formation and early years (1989–1993)===
The band was formed by brothers Jeff and [[Eric Clayton]] in mid-1989. By the time of its first tour in 1993, the band was Eric Clayton – vocals, Jeff Clayton – guitars, Dean Forsyth – bass, Jayson Heart – drums, and Nathan Van Hala – keyboards. The band took its name from a song on the [[David Bowie]] album ''[[The Man Who Sold the World (album)|The Man Who Sold the World]]''. Saviour Machine recorded and released their first demos in 1990. A theatrical stage show featuring [[pyrotechnics]], images projected onto a background screen and other [[theatrical properties|props]] attracted a growing fan base in Southern California.
{{Listen
|filename=Saviour Machine - Legion.ogg
|title="Legion"
|description=Sample of "Legion" by Saviour Machine, from ''[[Saviour Machine I]]'' (1993). Containing lyrics with apocalyptic themes, this song eventually led to the album being banned from Christian bookstores in the United States.}}

In 1993, with the help of Deliverance frontman Jimmy P. Brown II, Saviour Machine signed with and released their first full-length album on Intense Records, an imprint of the Frontline subsidiary of [[Roadrunner Records]]. Musically, the band developed a guitar-driven rock music sound, featuring melodic [[riff]]s and extensive solos by Jeff Clayton.

Despite critical acclaim from the mainstream press<ref>{{cite web |author=Espiau, Olivier |title=Saviour Machine - Saviour Machine II |publisher=Open Publishing |year=2004 |work=Metal Storm |url= http://www.metalstorm.ee/pub/review.php?review_id=292&print_page=yes |access-date=September 9, 2007 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |author=Espiau, Olivier |title= Saviour Machine - Saviour Machine I |publisher=Open Publishing |date=February 4, 2004 |work=Metal Storm |url= http://www.metalstorm.ee/bands/album.php?album_id=1033&band_id=149&bandname=Saviour+Machine |access-date=September 9, 2007 }}</ref> and a growing number of fans nationwide, people in some conservative circles reportedly felt threatened by Saviour Machine's lyrical direction and stage presentation, most prominently the white make-up and jewel worn by vocalist Eric Clayton. During their 1993 tour with metal band [[Deliverance (metal band)|Deliverance]], the controversy spilled over at a concert at the New Union, a club in [[Minneapolis]]. Several songs into their set, the power was cut and the performers were ushered from the stage. This was followed by an announcement from New Union management stating they were uncomfortable with the content of the show. However, many in the crowd gathered with the band shortly after at a local [[White Castle (restaurant)|White Castle]] restaurant to show their continued support.{{ref|1}}

===Studio transition (1994–1996)===
Confusion and political upheaval at Intense/Frontline led to less-than-ideal conditions for the recording of the band's next album in 1994, ''Saviour Machine II''. Musically, the addition of pianist Nathan Van Hala resulted in a [[european classical music|classical music]]-based sound. Many songs featured piano compositions and keyboard orchestration. Charles Cooper also joined the band at this time after Dean Forsyth left.

With the release of ''Saviour Machine II'' the band began to pursue new representation. A growing following had developed in Europe, particularly in Germany. This led to the formation of MCM Music, an independent label for all Saviour Machine projects, by vocalist Eric Clayton and his European management team. The band also secured a deal with [[Massacre Records]], a German label that specializes in death metal and other heavy/extreme music. Saviour Machine was given full creative control on all future projects.

Multiple tours of Europe followed in 1995 and 1996. During a 1995 performance at Owen Teck Rocknight, a music festival in [[Owen, Germany|Owen]], Germany, Saviour Machine recorded their first live album. ''Live in Deutschland'', released in 1995, featured selections from ''Saviour Machine I'' and ''Saviour Machine II''. It was after this tour that the membership of Saviour Machine changed with the replacement of Jeff Clayton by Joshua. They performed at [[Wacken Open Air]] festival in 1997.

===The ''Legend'' trilogy (1997–2007)===
Saviour Machine next turned to the ''Legend'' trilogy. ''Legend'' was advertised as "the unofficial soundtrack to the end of the world" in promotional materials<ref name="HM_97_65"/> owing to its study of [[Eschatology|end-time]] [[Bible prophecy|Biblical prophecy]]. The ''Legend'' trilogy comprises four full-length CDs totaling more than five hours of music. ''Legend I'' and ''Legend II'' were released in 1997 and 1998, respectively. The studio composition of the band stayed the same through ''Legend II'' after which Jeff Clayton and Jayson Heart left the band. ''Legend III:I'' was released in 2001. The long-awaited final disc, ''Legend III:II'', was scheduled to be released July 7, 2007. ''Legend'' parts ''I'' through ''III:I'' were released by MCM Music and Massacre Records; however, ''Legend III:II'' was released independently.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.sound7.de/article.php?channel=3&article=4154 |title=Eric Clayton im Interview |access-date=December 4, 2007 |author=Brunner, David |date=August 11, 2006 |work=Sound7.de |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071223232552/http://www.sound7.de/article.php?channel=3&article=4154 |archive-date=December 23, 2007 }}</ref> On May 27, 2007, Eric Clayton released a statement on the Saviour Machine [[MySpace]] blog saying that, due to health problems, he would not be able to finish ''Legend III:II'' in time to make the July 7 release date. He released samples of rough mixes of each song on ''Legend III:II'' on SeventhCircle.net throughout July.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.seventhcircle.net/legend.htm |title=''Legend Part III:II'' |access-date=December 4, 2007 |author=Clayton, Eric |date=July 7, 2007 |work=Sound7.de |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071209071516/http://www.seventhcircle.net/legend.htm |archive-date=December 9, 2007 }}</ref>

Most of the lyrical content of the ''Legend'' series is based on the [[Book of Revelation]] and other Biblical prophecy.<ref name="HM_97_65"/> The first album draws from the [[Old Testament]] and [[New Testament]], except the Book of Revelation, and include biblical references and a [[Concordance (publishing)|concordance]].<ref name="HM_97_65">{{cite journal |last=Macintosh |first=Dan |date=May–June 1997 |title=Saviour Machine |journal=[[HM Magazine]] |issn=1066-6923 |issue=65 |url=http://www.hmmagazine.com/archives/Saviour+Machine.htm |access-date=April 30, 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20000918053800/http://www.hmmagazine.com/archives/Saviour%20Machine.htm |archive-date=September 18, 2000 }}</ref> ''Legend II'' continues where part one ended - the rise of the [[antichrist]].<ref name="HM_97_65"/> Musically, the ''Legend'' albums showcase a further refinement of Saviour Machine's rock and classical music style.

Saviour Machine has performed a limited number of concerts in the US, Germany and Mexico City since undertaking the ''Legend'' trilogy. A second live album was released in 2002, again featuring a performance from Owen Teck Rocknight in Owen, Germany. ''Live in Deutschland 2002'' featured selections from ''Legend I'', ''Legend II'' and ''Legend III:I''.

===Inactive years (2008–2016)===
Eric Clayton has repeatedly stated that Saviour Machine's work will end upon the completion of the ''Legend'' trilogy. In a video message on September 3, 2009, he stated that despite his frail health he is doing quite well and plans to release segments from a journal he has been keeping since 1997. He said that the excerpts will likely serve as his final interview.

Despite these statements, Saviour Machine's homepage went offline in 2013. Saviour Machine's Facebook page, which had received regular updates through 2012, also went inactive during 2013, and subsequently was taken down in 2014. Eric Clayton officially retired Saviour Machine as a band and the whole unfinished Legend project in the same year.

=== Reunion and plan for new release (2017–present) ===
According to an interview with Eric Clayton during [[Wacken Open Air]] 2017 as well as statements on the Facebook page and YouTube channel of the band, they are working on a new album to be released in the future. It will not be part of the ''Legend'' trilogy, but follow the first two releases of the band.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLG-rndfRYVoapziCMqUe2onQIof2JaurK|title=Eric Clayton – Wacken Press Conference 2017 – YouTube|website=YouTube|language=en|access-date=October 30, 2017}}</ref>

== Members ==
'''Current members'''
* [[Eric Clayton]] – vocals (1989–present)
* Jeff Clayton – guitar (1989–present)
* Nathan Van Hala – piano (1993–present)
* Charles Cooper – bass (1995–present)
*Samuel West – drums (1992–1993, 2011–present)

'''Former members'''
* Chris Fee – drums (1989–1992){{Citation needed|date=November 2013}}
* Dean Forsyth – bass (1989–1995)
* Jayson Heart – drums (1993–1999)
* Victor Deaton – drums (2000–2001)
* [[Carl Johan Grimmark]] – guitar (2001–2004)
* Thomas Weinesjö – drums (2001–2004)

'''Timeline'''
{{#tag:timeline|
ImageSize = width:800 height:auto barincrement:20
PlotArea = left:110 bottom:70 top:5 right:10
Alignbars = justify
DateFormat = mm/dd/yyyy
Period = from:06/01/1989 till:01/01/2023 #it is best not to use auto-updating timelines as it can cause problems when the graphic updates on a daily basis
TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal format:yyyy

Colors =
id:vocals value:red legend:Vocals
id:guitar value:green legend:Guitar
id:piano value:purple legend:Keyboards
id:bass value:blue legend:Bass
id:drums value:orange legend:Drums
id:studio value:black legend:Studio_album
id:other value:gray(0.6) legend:Other_release
id:bars value:gray(0.95)

BackgroundColors = bars:bars

Legend = orientation:horizontal position:bottom
ScaleMajor = increment:2 start:1990

LineData =
layer:back
color:studio
at:06/01/1993
at:10/01/1994
at:01/31/1997
at:04/06/1998
at:05/05/2001
at:09/01/2011

LineData =
layer:back
color:other
at:08/01/1990
at:06/01/1999

BarData =
bar:Eric text:"Eric Clayton"
bar:Jeff text:"Jeff Clayton"
bar:Carl text:"Carl Johan Grimmark"
bar:Nathan text:"Nathan Van Hala"
bar:Dean text:"Dean Forsyth"
bar:Charles text:"Charles Cooper"
bar:Chris text:"Chris Fee"
bar:Samuel text:"Samuel West"
bar:Jayson text:"Jayson Heart"
bar:Victor text:"Victor Deaton"
bar:Thomas text:"Thomas Weinesjö"
bar:Samuel text:"Samuel West"

PlotData=
width:11 textcolor:black align:left anchor:from shift:(10,-4)
bar:Eric from:06/01/1989 till:end color:vocals
bar:Jeff from:06/01/1989 till:end color:guitar
bar:Carl from:02/01/2001 till:06/01/2004 color:guitar
bar:Dean from:06/01/1989 till:10/01/1995 color:bass
bar:Charles from:10/01/1995 till:end color:bass
bar:Nathan from:09/01/1993 till:end color:piano
bar:Chris from:06/01/1989 till:06/01/1992 color:drums
bar:Samuel from:06/01/1992 till:11/01/1993 color:drums
bar:Jayson from:11/01/1993 till:10/01/1999 color:drums
bar:Victor from:02/01/2000 till:11/01/2001 color:drums
bar:Thomas from:11/01/2001 till:06/01/2004 color:drums
bar:Samuel from:02/01/2011 till:end color:drums
}}

== Discography ==
{| class="wikitable"
!Year
!Title
!Label
!Other information
|-
|align="left" valign="top"|1990
|align="center" valign="top"|''Saviour Machine'' (demo)
|align="left" valign="top"|Independent
|align="left" valign="top"|Re-released on MCM Music in 1997
|-
|align="left" valign="top"|1993
|align="center" valign="top"|''[[Saviour Machine I]]''
|align="left" valign="top"|[[Intense Records]]
|align="left" valign="top"|Re-released on MCM Music / Massacre Records in 1996
|-
|align="left" valign="top"|1994
|align="center" valign="top"|''Saviour Machine II''
|align="left" valign="top"|Intense Records
|align="left" valign="top"|Re-released on MCM Music / Massacre Records in 1995
|-
|align="left" valign="top"|1995
|align="center" valign="top"|''Live in Deutschland 1995''
|align="left" valign="top"|MCM Music / [[Massacre Records]]
|align="left" valign="top"|CD and VHS
|-
|align="left" valign="top"|1997
|align="center" valign="top"|''Legend I''
|align="left" valign="top"|MCM Music / Massacre Records
|align="left" valign="top"|Review<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.tollbooth.org/reviews/sm.html|title=Legend Part 1 by Saviour Machine, a review for The Phantom Tollbooth by Jeremy Choi|website=www.tollbooth.org|accessdate=March 24, 2021}}</ref>
|-
|align="left" valign="top"|1998
|align="center" valign="top"|''Legend II''
|align="left" valign="top"|MCM Music / Massacre Records
|align="left" valign="top"|Reviews<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.tollbooth.org/reviews/sm2.html|title=review by The Phantom Tollbooth|website=www.tollbooth.org|accessdate=March 24, 2021}}</ref><ref name="HM_72">{{cite journal |last=Van Pelt |first=Doug |date=July–August 1998 |
url=http://www.hmmagazine.com/issue72/72Albums.htm |title=Album Reviews: SAVIOUR MACHINE ''Legend Part II'' |journal=[[HM Magazine]] |issn=1066-6923 |issue=72 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20010713013634/http://www.hmmagazine.com/issue72/72Albums.htm |archive-date=July 13, 2001 }}</ref>
|-
|align="left" valign="top"|2001
|align="center" valign="top"|''Legend III:I''
|align="left" valign="top"|MCM Music
|align="left" valign="top"|Exclusive first pressing; Limited to 2,001 hand-numbered copies
|-
|align="left" valign="top"|2002
|align="center" valign="top"|''Live in Deutschland 2002''
|align="left" valign="top"|MCM Music / Massacre Records
|align="left" valign="top"|2 CD and 2 DVD; DVD includes re-release of ''Live in Deutschland 1995''
|-
|align="left" valign="top"|2006
|align="center" valign="top"|''Rarities / Revelations''
|align="left" valign="top"|Independent
|align="left" valign="top"|4 CD; limited to 500 hand-numbered copies signed by Eric Clayton
|}

== References ==
{{reflist}}
{{refbegin}}
*{{note|Deus Ex Machina}} {{cite web | title = 1 | work = Deus Ex Machina | url= http://www.wp.cc.nc.us/~rbuff/ectalks.html | access-date=March 1, 2006 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/19971025044139/http://www.wp.cc.nc.us/~rbuff/ectalks.html | archive-date = October 25, 1997}}
*{{note|Sound7}} {{cite web | title = 2 | work = Deus Ex Machina | url= http://www.sound7.de/article.php?channel=3&article=4154 | access-date=March 13, 2007}}
{{refend}}

== External links ==
* [https://www.facebook.com/saviourmachineband/ Official Facebook page]
* [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCX2-AldkSHJJ7eoX95CLwZQ Official YouTube channel]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20131204175713/http://www.saviourmachine.com/ Old website on WebArchive.org]
*{{allmusic}}

{{Saviour Machine}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:American Christian metal musical groups]]
[[Category:American gothic metal musical groups]]
[[Category:American progressive metal musical groups]]
[[Category:American symphonic metal musical groups]]
[[Category:Heavy metal musical groups from California]]
[[Category:Musical groups established in 1989]]

Saviour Machine - Revision history

imported>FMSky at 13:26, 30 September 2025