Search - God Machine :: Scenes From the Second Storey

Worth whatever they're asking...

E. Dietz | San Francisco, CA | 05/03/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Simply one of the most dynamic, coherent rock albums ever made. Here's the formula:



Black Sabbath(-devil crap) + Pink Floyd(+testosterone) + Jane's Addiction(-Perry Farrell) + A dollop of Swans.



Yum. All killer, no filler. Bleak, beautiful vocals, humongous, majestic guitars, and a rythym section with a bottom end that'll shake your fillings loose. And bless their souls, they remembered the melody! You can hum all these songs to yourself when they're stuck in your head like a railroad spike. Try THAT with a Nine Inch Nails song.

While it is a shame they are no more due to the untimely death of bassist Jimmy Fernandez, let us take some solace in the fact that the number one factor that makes a great rock band legendary is the untimely death of a member. (Think about it: Stones, Who, AC/DC, Minutemen, Nirvana, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Led Zeppelin, Joy Division, Sex Pistols, et al; Black Sabbath and the Stooges get a mulligan because Ozzy and Iggy, by all rights, should be dead. On the opposite end of the spectrum, we have Blind Melon. But, for the most part, it's a pretty good yardstick. But I digress...) This makes for great bands because, well, there's an tangible quality of danger/sadness/madness in the music; one of these people is doomed. Goes way back to Robert Johnson at the crossroads, and you can definitely hear it here.

If there is a God, and He has any taste, He'd choose "The Piano Song" as the soundtrack for the apocalypse... piano and bass play a gorgeously sorrowful elegy while things start to fall apart in the background. It's all here, in one convenient package... lush orchestrations, bludgeoning riffs, blowtorch vocals, lullabyes that collapse into industrial accidents, all the things Skinny Nine Inch Marilyn Ministry wishes they could pull off..."

About the God Machine

Jax | Redondo Beach, CA United States | 01/15/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"OK - so lets clear up all the mystery about who the God Machine are....they are a trio originally from San Diego that formed the band while living in Camden, North London, England in the early 90's. In addition to this album they released a few EP's which I doubt you'll find - shame because they are genius. (Purity, Dessert Song, Ego ...)
They were picked up by Chris Parry, owner of Fiction records and the guy responsible for signing up the Cure .... amongst other triumphs.
The band sadly split up after the death of bass player, Jimmy, around 93.
Such a shame ... they were amazing live and would no doubt of produced other incredible work.
Robin-Proper Sheppard (former GM singer) now has a lable and band called Sophia - look them up."

The most amazing and emotional album ever made

G. Baker | UK | 06/27/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Well that's it in a nutshell. This was the God Machine's debut album, the songs are so powerful, I bought this 11 years ago and still listen to it constantly and it still sounds fresh and new. The soundscapes are amazing - if you are into Godspeed you black emperor or explosions in the sky - you should like this because of the sheer intracacies of melody and the wall of sound that is built up. My favourite songs on this are 'out' and 'purity'. These are beautiful pieces of work and full of power and emotion - guaranteed to still bring shivers down my spine and tears to my eyes. A truly wonderful album that is criminally underrated and far better than the pseudo-angst stuff that is available these days.Seek it out - your life will be better for it."