MARTIN GRECH

I first met Martin when he arrived with his mother at my front door for his first day of recording. He was 15 years old and very much a school boy. He was painfully shy and I wondered how this boy could have produced the soulful demos I had heard the week before. I thought the guy was about 30 when I heard them. He could hardly look me in the eye and was very awkward and humble, but when I put a mike in front of him he completely transformed. Throwing himself instantly into an intensity of performance that was a complete surprise, he was totally gone in the moment. It takes years to find ‘the zone’ with some singers. I was blown away. The track stopped , he instantly reverted to shy kid again. I knew there was something special about him and I spent the next several years trying to nurture it. Allow him to find his voice and trying to protect him from the commercially driven record industry. I wanted to document his developing talent through these formative teenage years........ which is something I think I succeeded in during the making of ‘Open Heart Zoo’ , our first album together. Apart from producing I took on a mentoring roll for Martin and during the making of the subsequent albums established a special bond and have become life long friends.... So if you listen to the snippets from each of the albums here you will get a sense of his development and the extraordinary personal transformations that Martin battled with over this period. As you will hear his output was eclectic and searching . Looking for his ‘voice’ and in the process facing may personal demons

Open Heart Zoo  

Debut Album

2002

Two years in the making, Open Heart Zoo was released to critical acclaim. Part dirty industrial riffs reminiscent of Rage Against The Machine and Nine Inch Nails, part Radiohead at their abstract and heart-breaking best, it's all sung by a 16-year-old with a voice every bit as good as the late Jeff Buckley. It's a stunning debut, led by producer  & co-writer Andy Ross.”NME

Released 2002 - Writers- Grech/Ross   Producer - Andy Ross   Sound Engineer -Andy Ross   Mixed By - Andy Ross , Stephen W. Taylor  Artwork - Steg   Performed by Andy Ross and Martin Grech. Record Label: dtox Records   Island Records (UK) , Interscope Records  Catalog# : CID 8119, 493 409-2  Format:CD,  Country:UK   Released: 22 Jul 2002   Publisher : EMI  

singles

“‘Open Heart Zoo’, the song that sound tracked the Lexus sports car advert, is the stunning title track from Grech’s debut epic. Haunting strings hover below Grech’s dramatic vocals, lifting him up into a unique realm of beauty and darkness. A twisted form of opera-rock is born as his voice spirals into a falsetto rarely heard before. We are not often blessed with such talent, I advise you all pay attention to Martin Grech now.” drowned in sound

‘Dali’ was the first single release from the ‘Open Heart Zoo’ album by Martin Grech. A massive production with a extraordinary mix of grit and detail. a kind of mad house of genres and sound bites thrown together and shaped into an amazingly powerful work. Something xbox picked up on when choosing the music for their add campaign . Sadly it was never used. I suspect the soundtrack was too intense for the kiddies

Push is the third single from  the Aylesbury lad’s debut album, Open Heart Zoo. Push is a rough cut of Coldplay, polished up with sweeping pianos, grandiose production and layers of guitars. another accomplished piece of work form a star in the making

Unholy

Album

2005

A much darker album than his debut,Grech and his producer Andy Ross deliver an extraordinary piece of work. Few push rock music into the realms of the personally-conceived art form. Grech's music is a dark, disorientating landscape, as informed by surrealist artists H.R. Giger and Joel Peter Witkin as Nine Inch Nails and Radiohead. It's hard for some artists to top their first album but Grech's Unholy does. It's an album that at times is harsh and at times sad and cold. If you like music in the vein of NIN then Martin Grech could be an alternative.

Released: -  Writers- Grech/Ross   Producer - Andy Ross   Sound Engineer -Andy Ross   Mixed By - Andy Ross     Performed by Andy Ross and Martin Grech. Record Label:   Island Records (UK) , Interscope Records  Cat# CID 811, 497 803-2 Format:CD, Download , Country:UK  Publisher : EMI  GENRE :Rock , Style: Alternative Rock,

singles

Guiltless is a harrowing highlight of recent album Unholy, a macabre, eight minute ambient, goth-rock behemoth. Grech's vocals range from Trent Reznor  esque hush to delicate and fragile, backed up by what sounds like a chamber of monks and ravaging, overdriven guitar in the trauma inducing chorus.Tune-free and more sinister than anything The Velvet Underground ever threw into the mix, courtesy of first class production by Grech's producer and song writing partner, Andy Ross. Chris Sannes OMH

I am chromosome is the latest offering from the talented Mr Grech who throws us another extraordinary curve. To say extreme, is an understatement when you hear the intensity of this bewildering track. He has managed artfully to combine metal mania with a kind of mature restraint which you don’t expect from a work with such attitude. As so often happens with Grech your not sure wether your coming or going. But either way its one hell of a ride......

‘Guiltless’ was used in the ‘vampire scene’ in  the US TV series ‘SMALLVILLE’ and  was also used  in the Gary Oldman hollywood feature trailers for RED RIDING HOOD

March of the Lonely

Album

2006

AFTER splitting from Island Records Grech went about recording his new album ‘March of the lonely’. He and long-time producer Andy Ross camped out on an Island off the coast of essex to record the album which was heavily influenced by the experience

Another amazing leap for Grech with his third and most mature album to date. With a more minimal and acoustic approach (more nick drake then NIN) we are presented with a record of immense beauty. Although somewhat pained and  twisted its the most accessible of the three albums to date. Its a worry though that this work might disappear under the radar without the support of the major players.....

The Heritage - Critically lauded Maltese/English singer-songwriter Martin Grech returns with 'The Heritage', the first single taken from his forthcoming album, ‘March Of The Lonely ‘. Steeped in acoustic influences such as Crosby, Stills & Nash, Johnny Cash and Simon & Garfunkel, 'The Heritage' is the first taste from what will surely come to be regarded as Martin’s most important work to date,

singles