Mandroid Echostar

Did You Know?

• The band was formed in the summer of 2010 by bassist Adam Richards, guitarist Sam Pattison, and drummer Matt Kidby.
• Over the remainder of 2011, guitarist/keyboardist James Krul, guitarist Stephen Richards, and vocalist Michael Ciccia were added to the line-up.
• Coral Throne beat out Devin Townsend Project, Despised Icon, Annihilator, and Protest the Hero for the Juno Award.

History

Mandroid Echostar completed writing their first EP, which shared their name, during the winter of 2011. They recorded it at Sundown Studios in Guelph, a facility owned by Jordan Valeriote, who also handled engineering, mixing, and co-production. Roger Lian mastered the EP at Masterdisk in New York City, and it was released on April 22, 2012. In March 2013, the band started an Indiegogo campaign to fund their second EP, Citadels, offering merchandise and fan experiences; they raised $7,480.

Recording for Citadels began on April 15, 2013, again at Sundown Studios with Valeriote, and the EP came out on November 13, 2013. Following online momentum, Mandroid Echostar signed with Distort Records in late 2013. The band started writing their first full-length album, Coral Throne, in 2014, which was also their debut for Distort Entertainment. They recorded it in December 2014 and January 2015 at Vespa Studios in Toronto with Juno-winning producers Eric Ratz and Harry Hess.

The album was a concept piece drawing on colonialism, cultural genocide, and the conflict between organized religion and traditional spirituality. During the writing period, the band played notable shows, including direct support for Megadeth, the main stage at Koifest alongside Every Time I Die and Foxy Shazam, and the main stage at Lachie Music Festival with July Talk and The Trews. To promote Coral Throne, they joined Protest the Hero on the Kezia X tour across Ontario.

The album was released on January 15, 2016. Ciccia later appeared on Protest the Hero’s song “Cataract,” which was part of their 2016 EP, Pacific Myth.