Who am I?

Yann Machurey, composer, author, orchestrator, drummer

Music has always been an integral part of my life.

From a young age, I was captivated by the powerful melodies of 70’s hard rock, jamming out with drumsticks and discovering the magic of rhythm.

As I grew older, my fascination with music deepened, and I found myself drawn to the enchanting world of guitars and synths, exploring harmonies and longing to make music my own.

But as school took over, my musical aspirations had to take a backseat.

However, this period allowed me to develop another passion – writing. I immersed myself in the realms of fantasy, crafting stories filled with noble characters and captivating settings, fueling my imagination and shaping my childhood.

First bands, first gigs

At the age of 12, my love for music found a new form when I began playing the drums. It was a profound experience – the beat coursing through my veins, an extension of who I was. Soon after, I found myself standing on a stage, performing my first Queen’s song.

That moment ignited a fire within me, and I knew music was my calling. At 14, I stumbled upon the world of metal music, discovering bands like Symphony X, Sonata Arctica and Nightwish.

This was a revelation – commercial music was no longer enough for me. Inspired and driven, I formed a celtic rock band with my father, infusing our music with metal elements.

Ideas flowed endlessly, and I thrillingly composed complex drum parts that my bandmates embraced wholeheartedly.

But amidst all the musical bliss, the constraints of the real world beckoned.

From metalhead to metal drummer

When I turned 20, I embarked on an exhilarating journey as a member of a metal band. I poured my heart and soul into the pounding beats of my drums and the electrifying lyrics that flowed from my young, creative mind. It was during this time that I discovered a plethora of awe-inspiring bands like Ayreon, Pain of Salvation, Haken, and the captivating world of Japanese visual kei with Dir En Grey, the GazettE, and Malice Mizer leading the charge.
For an incredible 7 years, I graced both the stage and the studio with these two bands, relentlessly honing my craft in preparation for what lay ahead.

Inevitably, the year 2006 marked for me: it was a time when my soul demanded to be heard, when the urge to compose consumed me entirely. Juggling a day job that suffocated me in a city I despised, I knew I had to break free. In 2006, I took the first steps towards my own musical journey. Armed with a keyboard, I started crafting a song from lyrics I had written that same year – the birth of Iris Prime‘s first song.

As the music flowed, so did the concept for the album. Caeli Justitia was born, the opening track that set the tone for an album that would be a colorful tapestry of emotions.

Music and stories “beyond imagination”

Life continues to unfold; amidst starting a family, writing novels and short stories, I continued to create. A symphonic album (Portraits), a horror album (Gentle Horror), and even a Dungeons & Dragons-inspired album (Storm King’s Thunder) followed, each expressing a different facet of my musical soul.
Now, the time has come for me to fully embrace my destiny. It is time to let go, to pursue music with every fiber of my being.

And in doing so, I hope to right the wrongs, using the extraordinary power of music – mankind’s greatest invention.

YANN MACHUREY