THE MACHINE (Calmer Than You Are) LP/CD
This is my first time hearing THE MACHINE and it's definitely an interesting listen. 'Calmer Than You Are' is an ambitious work that's truly diverse and eclectic for the genre. It has enough modern heavy rock signifiers and fuzzed-out riffs to be familiar and accessible to, say, the average Kyuss and/or Colour Haze fan, but is also creative enough with songwriting and each instrument (three of them - guitar, bass, drums and vocals as well) making their mark to offer something to those who want a bit more.
The fifth track, 'Sphere (... or kneiter)', serves as a good example here. Right from the start, THE MACHINE keep their energy levels high. This is heavy grooving stuff until all of a sudden the song enters psychedelic realms. The groove is still present, but the guitar refrains from loud riffs and starts to jam. Immediately, one takes note of the fact that THE MACHINE know their way around and feel safe in the land of jamming. Apart from this, there are also a few songs that are far less playful and come to the point more quickly such as 'Repose'. But most of the time THE MACHINE takes great pleasure in taking enough time to slowly build up their tunes. There is a pleasant dynamic throughout the whole album and even though this element is predictable, it does not feel artificial for one minute.
'D.O.G.' is another good song which benefits from that. The overall structure is similar to 'Sphere' , whereby in this case the band has integrated a massive doom-y part after the soft spacy section in the middle. As I said, THE MACHINE endeavor to offer the listener a diversified album and that mission is crowned by success. The casual vocal style of guitarist David Eering is well suited to the dark vibe of 'Calmer Than You Are', but he has also done a great job as a producer. So, if this review sounds appealing to you, you can't go wrong with this album.
(KK)