Search - New Machine :: New Machine

THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU

Jon | New York | 04/19/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"THANK YOU NEW MACHINE FOR PUTTING OUT ONE OF THE BEST ALBUMS OF THE PAST 10 YEARS. I AM SO SICK AND TIRED OF THE MUSIC I AM HEARING OUT THERE. IF I HEAR LINKIN PARK ONE MORE TIME I'M GOING TO VOMIT. IF YOU LIKE GREAT MUSICIANSHIP, GREAT SONGWRITING, AND SONGS THAT ACTUALLY MEAN SOMETHING, THEN TAKE A LISTEN TO NEW MACHINE!"

A prog band who got it right

Jon | 04/12/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I am a pretty big prog fan. I've been listening to all sorts of prog music for over 25 years and have a seen a lot of bands come and go. Most of them had a song or two on an album that was pretty good but for the most part the album was garbage. They would try to impress the listener by writing 20 minute songs just for the sake of writing a 20 minute song. But the songs just wandered and went nowhere. There are exceptions to this of course in the likes of Yes, Rush, Genesis, Pink Floyd, Kansas, and even Dream Theater (though DT is starting to slip). This debut New Machine album is incredible and if this is a sign of things to come from this band they will most certainly be added to that list.I agree with the other reviewers about the musicianship of this band, but I noticed no one has commented on the individual songs so here we go:GOING HOME-
This song is weird in the fact that it's not really a song. It's more like an intro piece. Very reminiscent of Yes. The vocal harmonies especially remind me of Yes.NEW HORIZON -
Going Home goes into New Horizon and with a slam. The guitar riff is really cool. This song is very well written and the chorus is phenomenal. David Garcia's vocals really soar on this one. He sounds a lot like Geddy Lee. NH reminds me of Queensryche in their Mindcrime days.FALLING -
Can anyone say Rush? This song soooo reminded me of Rush in their Counterparts days. The vocals especially. Garcia sounds so much like Geddy! The solo break has a neat backwards guitar effect which works perfectly as the song seems to be about a mental struggle of some kind.BLOOD IN THE OCEAN -
Very Floyd-esque. Kind of reminds me of Floyd meets the Beatles. This song has one of the greatest choruses I've ever heard. BITO is super emotional and I can really feel what Garcia is singing. He sounds a lot less like Geddy on this one. His voice changes a lot. Also the guitar solo in this song is an instant classic. Why this song isn't all over the radio I have no idea.IN THE WAKE -
We re-visit Rush on this one. Except this one reminds me more of Rush in their Hemispheres days meets Dream Theater in their Awake days. ITW has a very cool solo break with a guitar solo that steamrolls. Bob Gilmartin sings this one. His voice reminds me of Robin Zander. Very cool.COLD -
Cold brings up so many different elements. It's the heaviest song on the album and has a weird but awesome sort of Styx, Metallica, Queensryche, Mozart mix. I mention Mozart because Cold has a solo break with this piano part that is very classical. It was refreshing to hear this actually as these kinds of piano breaks just don't exist in music anymore. There's also a choir-type vocal arrangement on top of it that is just incredible. Garcia sings his tail off on this tune.FORGOTTEN MAN -
This is the most straight ahead song on the album. It's a good song but compared to the others it seems slightly out of place. Although it does have a really chunky solo break that is actually pretty cool. Gilmartin and Garcia do a vocal trade off that works very well.MEANT TO BE -
I didn't know prog bands did ballads. The last prog band to do it was Styx in the sense of a pure ballad. Which is actually what MTB reminds me of. MTB has a beautiful arrangement and Garcia's vocals are heartfelt and honest. They should be he dedicates the song to his wife.A THOUSAND LIES -
INCREDIBLE musicianship on this song. This song screams Dream Theater but in a more coherent tighter box. It's not as overblown as DT can tend to get. Again the guitar solo is just fantastic. This one is Gilmartin's best vocal song and his voice really carries this tune.WATERFRONT -
This is the epic on the album. Every prog band worth its salt has to have at least one song that clocks in over 10 minutes and Waterfront is New Machine's masterpiece. And I don't use that word lightly. New Machine tips their hats to Pink Floyd quite a bit on this album but on Waterfront they GIVE Floyd their hat. Garcia sounds so much like Roger Waters on this it's remarkable. A slow orchestral beginning that builds into a Dark Side of the Moon type verse is awesome, complete with 3 part harmonies throughout. I had chills listening to this one. The song ventures into all sorts of different movements and sections but without getting lost or boring. Very few bands can pull this off but New Machine did it perfectly. Definitely my favorite on the album.New Machine is an outstanding band with so much promise. They have it all. Great musicianship, great vocals, great songwriting. It's a real accomplishment to belong on the CD rack with the other great bands of the prog genre."

I have the CD... Wow!!

wicked_and_worn | Honolulu, HI USA | 07/27/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Its hard to find such diversity coming from a two person band. Bob and Dave put together an extremely nice piece of art. The entire CD is a great listen. From expert guitar play to the masterful drums, this CD will have you rockin' all the way through."