Once Human
About
There are situations in life that you just can’t foresee, never mind plan for: magical moments that call for spontaneous decisions and often change our lives forever. It was a moment like this that Logan Mader (Ex- Machine Head, Soulfly) experienced in spring 2014, when a short guitar demo video by the unknown singer and multi-instrumentalist Lauren Hart, was played to him. The guitarist, composer, and producer was asked to work with Lauren. “We met up and discovered that our artistic visions had so much in common,” recalls Mader from that fateful first encounter. “Most of the productions I’m offered are subject to commercial aspects. But her vision was so pure, so unusual and passionate, I was immediately inspired. After a couple months and a few songs in, I was compelled to play again and join the band.” And so Once Human was born.
The band releases its debut album “The Life I Remember” on September 4, 2015.
And one thing is for sure: it’s guaranteed to send tremors through the international metal scene. The force with which Lauren Hart‘s voice collides with the multi-facetted body of work, leaves nobody unaffected. It’s been twelve years since Mader was last involved in a band.
Back in 1992, he was a co-founding member of the metal act Machine Head, recording with them the albums “Burn My Eyes” (1994) and “The More Things Change…” (1997). He then went on to join the Soulfly fold, actively contributing to their 1998 debut album. Together with Whitfield Crane from Ugly Kid Joe he subsequently founded the outfit Medication, but from 2003 concentrated exclusively on his studio activities.
Created under Mader‘s direction were albums by Five “Finger Death Punch”, “Fear Factory” and “DevilDriver”, among others. Mader: “I really enjoyed my time with Machine Head and Soulfly, but was determined to work as a producer. With Once Human, I’ve come full circle. After leaving the stage and working in the studio for 12 years, I feel like I have grown to reach an apex in my musical career. One that made me crave the stage once again. Lauren’s vision of the music she wanted to create was exactly what I needed. Once Human was my awakening.”
Even to the experts, Lauren Hart has been an unknown quantity until now.
Born in America, she spent half her life in Australia. She started teaching herself piano as a toddler and at age 14 she taught herself guitar. “I have had symphonies in my head since I was a child that sometimes would keep me up at night. I learned piano and guitar just to be able to play what I was hearing and get them out of my head! When I discovered symphonic metal as a teen, something clicked right away and I begin composing dark symphonies, writing metal riffs, and screaming in garage bands with friends.” When one of her more recent self-made videos caused a stir on social media, Nuclear Blast Entertainment‘s Monte Conner brought her to the attention of Logan Mader.