The drama is palpable throughout Dool‘s debut album, Here Now There Then (review here), which came out last year via Prophecy Productions to due acclaim, and the five-piece from the Netherlands dwell within the atmosphere and proffer a fluidity of a much more experienced outfit. One might chalk that up to the pedigree of vocalist and guitarist Ryanne van Dorst (Elle Bandita and many more), guitarists Reinier Vermeulen (The New Media) and Nick Polak (Gold), and the rhythm section of bassist Job van de Zande and drummer Micha Haring, both ex-The Devil’s Blood, but if the end result is clarity of intent as regards aesthetic, they certainly made their sound their own. As demonstrated on cuts like 10-minute opener “Vantablack” and “The Alpha,” the latter of which serves as the vehicle for their new video, they blend that post-Devil’s Blood semi-goth theatricality with a strong undercurrent of hooks and memorable songcraft.

Atmosphere plays a strong role in the video for “The Alpha” as well, which introduces as its central figure a woods-dwelling girl with what look like self-imposed pagan forehead markings preparing for and undertaking various slow-motion rituals and rites. The song earns no less with its linear build and still prevalent chorus, and while it arrives late in the tracklist for Here Now There Then as opposed to songs like “Golden Serpents” and “Works on Paper,” it nonetheless proves worthy of focus as a single and the standout position that the video provides. That is to say, the track holds up. And where on the album it’s surrounded by the prior single “Oweynagat” and the penultimate spacious soloing of “The Death of Love,” its progressive riffing and boldness of execution represent some of what works best about Dool‘s first record overall, and so prove to be something of a subtle highlight all the more brought into focus by the new clip in its honor.

Dool have live dates booked for next month throughout Germany, Belgium, France, the Netherlands, Italy, Hungary and Poland, and a few shows announced further out, but I wouldn’t be surprised either if there are more summer fest confirmations to come in the next month or two, as the impression left by the debut was significant and the band bring the ethereal chemistry they foster on the album to the stage as well, as I was fortunate enough to see for myself at Roadburn 2016 (review here). The video for “The Alpha” was directed by van Dorst and can be seen below, followed by more info from the PR wire and the band’s upcoming live dates.

Please enjoy:

Dool, “The Alpha” official video

Actress: Demi Norah
Director: Ryanne van Dorst
Assistent Director: Ruben Broekhuis
D.O.P.: Robijn Voshol
D.O.P. Assistent: Jason Hornung
Gaffer: Raymond van der Bas
Best Boy: Francois Nell
Art Director: Angie Korst
Make up & Hair: Joyce Clerkx
Make Up Assistent: Jodie Geskus
Choreography: Marijke de Vos
Edit, VFX & Grading: Eelko Ferwerda & Thomas de Boer for Waanzee

Dool is the fast-rising hard rock band featuring former members of The Devil’s Blood and singer Ryanne van Dorst. The group has become a hotly-tipped buzz band in underground circles on the strength of its celebrated debut album, Here Now, There Then, and eye-opening live performances. Dool has just released a new video for the song “The Alpha”

The video for “The Alpha” is as well a celebration of will power as it is an ode to transformation, in parallel with the lyrics of the song,” comments Ryanne van Dorst. “It has been truly inspiring to work on this video, and we hope it empowers you as much as it empowers us”.

DOOL live:
Mar 02 Turock Essen, Germany
Mar 03 Biebob Vosselaar, Belgium
Mar 05 Le Ferrailleur Nantes, France
Mar 06 O’Sullivan’s Backstage by the Mill Paris, France
Mar 07 Le Grillen Colmar, France
Mar 08 Kiff, Foyer Aarau, Switzerland
Mar 09 Dagda Live Club Borgo Priolo, Italy
Mar 10 Revolver San Dona’ Di Piave, Italy
Mar 12 A38 Kulturális Közhasznú Nonprofit Kft. Budapest, Hungary
Mar 13 Klub Zascianek Krakow, Poland
Mar 14 Factory Magdeburg/ Dominion Club Magdeburg, Germany
Mar 15 Club From Hell Erfurt, Germany
Mar 16 Roadrunner’s Paradise Berlin, Germany
Mar 17 Ms Connexion Complex Mannheim, Germany
Mar 18 013 Tilburg, Netherlands
Apr 01 Backstage Munich, Germany
Apr 27 Fryshuset Stockholm, Sweden
May 12 Vienna Arena (Arena Wien) Vienna, Austria
Jun 14 Ferropolis – Stadt Aus Eisen Arena Gräfenhainichen, Germany

Dool on Thee Facebooks

Dool on Bandcamp

Dool at Prophecy Productions

When it comes to aesthetics, Rotterdam-based Dool don’t seem to do anything half-assed. Their debut album, Here Now There Then (review here), came out on Prophecy Productions in February, and while that simple statement should be enough of an endorsement of its accomplishments, I’ll note as well that its progressive darkness continues to resonate as does its sense of craft. The five-piece recently announced they’ve swapped out bass players, bringing in JB Van Der Wal to replace Job van de Zande, who has reportedly departed the group to embark on a life of cooking — like the old cliche goes: “all rockers secretly want to be celebrity chefs” (wait. what?) — and they even more recently announced a swath of tour dates for July they’ve given the righteous title ‘Summer of the She-Goat.’

Which brings me back around to the original point at the outset about not half-assing it. If you’re gonna name a tour, do it right. Clearly Dool have that down. Likewise the poster for said tour, which looks incredible and which you’ll find below, along with the dates, announcement welcoming Van Der Wal and album stream, because I too like to be thorough:

DOOL – Summer of the She-Goat Tour 2017

Emerge like clustered fungus, let bloom the blood red rose.

It is with pride that we can hereby announce our ‘Summer Of The She Goat’ tour in July this year.

Come break the shackles that bind you, and let us piss upon the world!

All Those Who Wander Are DOOL.

DOOL Dates:
July 15 Zwarte Cross – Lichtenvoorde NL
July 16 Werfpop Leiden – Leiden NL
July 18 The TUBE – Düsseldorf DE
July 19 Maze – Berlin DE
July 20 Markthalle-Hamburg (Marx) – Hamburg DE
July 21 Bastard Club Osnabrück – Osnabruck DE
July 22 Schlachthof Wiesbaden – Wiesbaden DE
July 24 Metaldays 2017 – Tolmin SL
July 25 DasBACH – Vienna AT
July 26 Rockhouse Salzburg – Salzburg AT
July 27 F-Haus Jena – Jena DE
July 28 Rock im Wald 2017 (.rcn präsentiert) – Neuensee DE
July 29 Prophecy Fest – Balver Höhle DE

Poster artwork by Ars Moriendee
Design by Alexandria Noël

As you may or may not have noticed, there’s been a new face in our midst as of late. Recording bass player and beloved friend Job has recently chosen to wander off on a different, culinary path in life, and has therefor decided to quit making music altogether. He’s still very closely involved with the band, but won’t be touring with us anymore from now on. In his place, we found a more-than worthy replacement in JB Van Der Wal (Herder / ex- Aborted). An energetic, explosive bass player, who’s already amalgamated with us by bringing his unique, volatile energy and boundless creativity. Welcome to the pack. Into the unknown!

DOOL is:
Ryanne van Dorst – Vocals/Guitar
Micha Haring – Drums
JB Van Der Wal – Bass
Reinier Vermeulen – Guitar
Nick Polak – Guitar

https://www.facebook.com/allthosewhowanderaredool/
http://allthosewhowanderaredool.com/
http://www.allthosewhowanderaredool.bigcartel.com/
http://en.prophecy.de/artists/dool/

Dool, Here Now There Then (2017)

It is an album of bold choices. From its beginning moments, the Prophecy Productions-delivered debut from Rotterdam, Netherlands-based five-piece Dool (also stylized all-caps: DOOL), Here Now There Then strikes deftly and crisply in style and substance, and when there’s a decision to be made, Dool make their intentions clear in the quality of their songcraft, which is a cause every performance on every one of its eight component tracks serves. While a fresh take on some of the tropes of cult-gone-goth heavy rock — the blend of acoustic and electric guitars on cuts like “Golden Serpents” and “Words on Paper,” the unbashedly pop-metal sway of the penultimate “The Death of Love,” etc. — it is also an album obviously working from the benefit of band members’ prior experience.

Dool may be relatively a new group, but in their ranks they boast the veteran personnel of vocalist/guitarist Ryanne van Dorst (Elle Bandita, numerous other projects), guitarists Reinier Vermeulen (The New Media) and Nick Polak (Gold), and the rhythm section of bassist Job van de Zande and drummer Micha Haring, both formerly of The Devil’s Blood, whose landmark contributions to the Dutch underground and aesthetic vision makes for something of a sonic elephant in the room over the 50-minute span of Here Now There Then. That group is recognizable periodically in some moments of push — again, “Golden Serpents” — but the deeper one moves into Dool‘s first outing, over the 10-minute opener “Vantablack” and into mid-album pieces like “In Her Darkest Hour,” “Oweynagat” and “The Alpha,” the more one finds Dool establishing their own resonant and well-conceived stylistic persona from a wider range of influences, from classic goth rock to moodier progressive heavy metal.

But back to bold choices. The first of them is telegraphed in the opener. “Vantablack” is the longest inclusion on Here Now There Then — immediate points to the band for putting it in launch position, double points for doing so on their first offering — and where a lot of what follows on what might be considered side A in the first half of the tracklisting plays off poppier ideas, more forward hooks, and so on, it begins at a sprawl, unfolding with patient layers of guitar as thudding drums underscore a harmonized verse to punctuate the nodding rhythm that will further take hold as the chorus emerges. Rather than simply set the tone as so many album-openers do — “this is our sound, this is what we do,” etc. — “Vantablack” not only does this, but disrupts the process at the same time, engaging an immersive richness of atmosphere that defies what might’ve been the expectation had Dool opened with either of the subsequent “Golden Serpents” or “Words on Paper,” two shorter and purposefully more straightforwardly structured tracks. They made the bolder choice, and they were right.

Part of the reason starting off with “Vantablack” works to well is because, yes, it does have a chorus to ground the listener (into dust), but also because Dool demonstrate such immediate command of their purpose and their sound. From the languid flow of Polak and Vermeulen‘s guitars to the roll in Haring‘s drums, the density of van de Zande‘s low end beneath the solo section in the back half and the charismatic presence and melodic range of van Dorst as frontwoman, there’s never really a moment of doubt they’re going to pull it off. And as far as initial impressions go, one could hardly demand more than that from any band, first LP, second, third or whatever. Not only that, but the considerable turn that follows into “Golden Serpents,” “Words on Paper” and “In Her Darkest Hour” — the latter of which begins the aforementioned middle movement with “Oweynagat” and “The Alpha” behind it — isn’t even questioned because Dool have the situation so firmly under control.

“Words on Paper” is arguably the catchiest song on Here Now There Then, though right up to closer “She-Goat” there is no shortage of memorability surrounding, but as “Vantablack” assured at the outset and “In Her Darkest Hour” reaffirms, Dool aren’t simply looking to proffer a series of choruses and get out. The brooding push, linear build of chug and surge that arises signal another shift in approach, and as much of the song’s second half is given to a guitar solo, a charged bridge, another run through the chorus for good measure, and atmospheric bookending the toy-piano-esque intro that led off the track, there’s an exploration beginning that continues in the pointedly goth “Oweynagat,” which at 6:53 is the second longest piece behind “Vantablack” and given initial thrust via Haring‘s hi-hat.

After mounting significant tension, “Oweynagat” eases the throttle as it moves toward its middle, but builds toward a standout apex of well-plotted, swirling lead guitar — layered-in acoustics do well to flesh out the ambience — and horns/keys/effects/theremin or some other noisemaking device that lends further complexity to the rhythmic march. They end “Oweynagat” in grand fashion and drums start “The Alpha” with an echo that sends an immediate feeling of spaciousness soon to be filled by bass and guitar in a progression that feels distinctly drawn from prog metal. I hate — hate — to make this comparison, especially given the one-letter-off similarity of the bands’ monikers, but the likeness to Tool‘s “Forty-Six & 2” is unmistakable in that central progression, though again to their credit, Dool transpose that riff to suit the song’s needs, transitioning into a triumph of a chorus that likewise nods at The Devil’s Blood‘s churning depths. Another bold choice, another dark victory, and not by any means their last.

Its melody is at first the key factor in “The Death of Love,” but the underlying guitar figure at the outset holds to some of the proggy tension of “The Alpha” before it, even if van de Zande‘s bassline is more prominent. The effect this has is to tie the two prior three-song chunks of Here Now There Then together, to begin a process of summary that will continue on “She-Goat,” and to start to wind the album down much as “Vantablack” wound it up. That said, the open-spaced payoff in “The Death of Love”‘s second half is among the more emotionally effective and affecting moments on the record, and though it’s shorter than the three cuts before it, there’s no lack of impression made leading into “She-Goat,” a just-under-five-minute push that echoes the more straight-ahead feel of “Golden Serpents” without being a direct port of it. As an ending statement, it puts Dool and their listeners back to some semblance of reality without necessarily giving up the breadth of what came before. Completing a conceptual cycle, perhaps.

In any case, it is another means by which Here Now There Then works against the notion of being a debut full-length, as its complexity and character feel so thoroughly developed and the chemistry of the band so locked into place. One can only take this as a sign of potential and hope that Dool expand and refine the achievements here as they move forward, becoming all the more individual in that process, because going by these songs, they are well on their way to something truly powerful.

Dool, Here Now There Then (2017)

Dool on Thee Facebooks

Dool on Bandcamp

Dool at Prophecy Productions

I felt pretty gosh darn fortunate to have caught an early afternoon set from Rotterdam dark heavy rockers Dool this past April at Roadburn (review here), and have considered them ever since the best surprise I encountered at that fest this year. As one will after that kind of first impression is made, I’ve been trying to keep an eye out for new of their releasing a debut album, and wouldn’t you know, the date is set. On Feb. 17, 2017, Dool will issue Here Now, There Then through no less an imprint than Prophecy Productions, whose tastes for things bleakly atmospheric and/or mooody is largely unimpeachable. There’s even a new song streaming now called “She Goat,” if you’d like to have your day made.

Full announcement from the band follows here, complete with artwork and tour dates, because that’s how it should be.

Looking forward to this one:

DOOL – HERE NOW, THERE THEN

We are extremely proud to announce the coming of our debut album’ Here Now, There Then’ on February 17th, 2017.

Recorded, mixed and mastered by Pieter Kloos (The Void Studio, Eindhoven), and featuring beautiful cover photography by our friend Pim Top, ‘Here Now, There Then’ will be released on Prophecy Productions on both vinyl and CD.

The album is about dreaming, ambition, Will. About breaking boundaries and behavioural patterns, destroying stigmas. The phrase ‘Here Now, There Then’ is a mantra for whomever needs it. Whichever way one chooses to use it. It is the shadowlands between fantasy and reality. A lucid fairy tale set against a concrete background.

As of today, ‘Here Now, There Then’ is available for pre-order through the Prophecy website:

http://en.prophecy.de/artists/dool/ (World)
http://us.prophecy.de/artists/dool/ (USA/Canada)

The arrival of ‘Here Now, There Then’ will be accompanied by a growing number of shows, which will go on pre-sale as of now:

JAN 06 – De Cacaofabriek – Helmond – NL
JAN 12 – Eurosonic Noorderslag 2017 – Groningen – NL
FEB 17 – EKKO – Utrecht – NL
FEB 18 – Merleyn – Nijmegen – NL
FEB 25 – Rotown Rotterdam – Rotterdam – NL
MAR 2 – Vera Groningen – Groningen – NL
MAR 3 – Helvete Pub – Club – Live Stage – Oberhausen – DE
MAR 4 – HELL OVER Hammaburg Festival – Hamburg – DE
MAR 8 – ILMC – London – UK
MAR 9 – OT301 – Amsterdam – NL
MAR 17 – Poppodium 013 – Tilburg – NL

On top of this, we’d like to present one of the album tracks to you. Listen to ‘She Goat’ right here.

All Those Who Wander Are DOOL.

DOOL is:
Ryanne van Dorst – Vocals/Guitar
Micha Haring – Drums
Job van de Zande – Bass
Reinier Vermeulen – Guitar
Nick Polak – Guitar

https://www.facebook.com/allthosewhowanderaredool/
http://allthosewhowanderaredool.com/
http://www.allthosewhowanderaredool.bigcartel.com/
http://en.prophecy.de/artists/dool/

Dool, “She Goat”

In the works on one level or another since the second half of 2013, The Machine‘s fifth album arrives in the form of the 50-minute Offblast! via Elektrohasch Schallplatten, and marks a distinct turn for the band. The delay? A mix of technical trouble during mixing and personal life, and while that could easily mean the jam-prone Dutch trio have another batch of songs in the works to follow it up, Offblast! nonetheless resonates with a maturity that even 2012’s Calmer than You Are (review here) or their 2013 split with likeminded countrymen Sungrazer (review here) couldn’t claim, their songwriting process proving more cohesive as they explore the roots of stoner and desert riffing on songs like “Dry End” or “Gamma” and keeping the instrumental chemistry that even their early work — 2007’s debut, Shadow of the Machine, 2009’s Solar Corona (on Nasoni) or their first for Elektrohasch, 2011’s 80-minute jamfest Drie (review here) — housed, the lead guitar work of David Eering (also vocals and recording) as much of a calling card as the band has amid the fleshed out roll and bounce provided by bassist Hans van Heemst — whose tone has always been The Machine‘s secret weapon and is most of all on Offblast! — and drummer Davy Boogaard, who shows himself again malleable to whatever the changes in the six included tracks might require of him, be it the quick stops early in “Off Course” or the jazzy ride work in the spacious midsection of “Chrysalis (J.A.M.),” the sprawling, 16:25 opener that acts as the record’s immersive and in some ways defining statement.

With six tracks, it would just about have to be the longest of the bunch, and it is (immediate points to them for starting with their longest cut), living up to its spelled-out parenthetical with a breadth to match its runtime, shifting between its raucous first half and more swinging second fluidly, launching its later movement with a quiet break with some choice, naturally-toned wah from Eering. His affinity for Hendrix shows itself early and often on Offblast! as it has throughout The Machine‘s five LPs, but the influence seems more like an afterthought to the band’s identity here than it ever has. By the time “Chrysalis (J.A.M.)” is over, one feels as though they’ve listened to an entire album, and in a way, it’s true, but that’s only the beginning of the tale, and before the Rotterdam natives bookend their latest with the similarly-directed but noisier-finishing 12-minute closer “Come to Light” (the name of the song submitted by yours truly), they dance with sandy demons on “Dry End,” “Coda Sun,” “Gamma” and “Off Course,” which don’t add up to the two extended pieces time-wise, but still provide some of Offblast!‘s most lasting impressions in their hooks, fuzzy drive, and flourishes like sitar in “Dry End” and Boogaard‘s snare work in “Coda Sun” — not to mention vocals, which neither the opener nor the closer has. It’s not so outlandish a scope for a band to have, with two bigger jams and more straightforward material to complement each other, but it’s much to The Machine‘s credit in how they’ve structured the album that it not only flows front-to-back, but is so hypnotic at the start and still so memorable by the end. If you’re looking for evidence of the band’s maturity, it’s right there.

“Dry End” (3:06) and the winding “Coda Sun” (5:34), Eering‘s vocals compressed and watery for use as another element in the psychedelic overtones, are met by “Gamma” and “Off Course,” both over six minutes, and while one comes to feel by the end of the latter that The Machine are setting the listener up for a return to heady reaches in “Come to Light” — and they are, make no mistake — both retain a distinctive feel. “Gamma” is marked out by van Heemst‘s bassline, which emerges in the second half of the song and seems to pay direct homage to Queens of the Stone Age‘s “You Can’t Quit Me Baby” from their 1998 self-titled. That album makes a solid comparison point for the tonal impression of Offblast! overall, as it happens, so the feel is purposeful and The Machine take the familiar line and work in layers of guitar building in volume en route back to a last measure of the chorus. While it has a longer solo from Eering, “Off Course” follows a similar structure, but its vibe carries some of the punkish undertone the band held aloft on their 2013 split thanks to the sharp starts and stops and an added layer in the chorus either of piano or keys (or something that sounds like them) deep in the mix, giving further urgency to the already forward progression. And when they get there, “Come to Light” is a more gradual unfolding than was “Chrysalis (J.A.M.),” but the end result carries no less vitality, the dynamic between Eering, van Heemst and Boogaard writ large over its organic and laid back but still engaging course. Perhaps most satisfying of all is that while it works on varying levels between its songcraft and its jams, Offblast! comes across with no lack of cohesion or choppy shifts. As “Come to Light” inevitably descends to effects noise and feedback to end the album, it seems to do little more than highlight the level of execution that The Machine have brought to their fifth outing and the satisfying path down which their development has led them and those who’ve been fortunate enough to follow along the way. If you’ll pardon the cliché, it was worth the wait.

The Machine, “Coda Sun” official video

The Machine on Thee Facebooks

The Machine’s BigCartel store

Elektrohasch Schallplatten

Two weeks after the initial announcement of their awaited fifth album’s Summer release date, Dutch heavy rock trio The Machine unveil a new video from Offblast!, for the song “Coda Sun.” Directed by guitarist/vocalist David Eering, it’s a trippy performance clip captured at Elektra in Sliedrecht and is the premiere audio to be made public from the upcoming full-length, which will be out on Elektrohasch and finds the three-piece of Eering, bassist Hans van Heemst and drummer Davy Boogaard grooving easily around a fuzzed-out central riff, watery vocals trailing the turns as a jammy vibe pervades following an initial verse/chorus split, an extended guitar solo taking hold and carrying the track through the better part of its second half before a quick return to the verse provides a neat bookend reminding of the songwriting still at work no matter how far out The Machine are willing to let their wanderings roam.

I’ll have a review of the album at some point soon, but “Coda Sun” is a welcome first look from The Machine, whose evolution beyond 2012’s Calmer than You Are (review here) stands them out from the heavy psychedelic pack in terms of their chemistry and the fluidity of their jams. I don’t at all mind telling you I’ve been looking forward to the album for some time, and between its lengthy jams at the front and back and the flowing earliest Queens of the Stone Age vibes that persist between, it’s one that’s been well worth looking forward to. So, with the June 1 release date solidified and the promise of more to come, please find the video for “Coda Sun” below, and enjoy:

The Machine, “Coda Sun” official video

There were some technical difficulties during the mixing stage (a.k.a. the phasing phase), a number of various things had to be sorted out, band members were having babies, etc. In other words: it took a while but it’s finished. Needless to say, we’re very proud to present you the final details of Offblast!.

Although we had a lot of positive reactions after posting the April Fools version of the artwork, we still decided to proceed with Jakob Skøtt’s beautiful piece. Wait until you see the fold out vinyl cover. Speaking of vinyl: due to a popular demand for wax discs, the production time for the LP will take a couple of months. But hey, it will be summer by then so we’ll take it easy.

The Machine – Offblast!
Elektrohasch Records
CD – June 1, 2015
LP – August XX, 2015

01 – Chrysalis (J.A.M.) [16:25]
02 – Dry End [03:05]
03 – Coda Sun [05:34]
04 – Gamma [06:48]
05 – Off Course [06:36]
06 – Come To Light [12:11]

Recorded and produced again by David, we’re super happy with the final result. It is by far our best sounding album to date. And we’re most certainly not done yet.

The Machine on Thee Facebooks

The Machine’s BigCartel store

Elektrohasch Schallplatten

If you were to go back and look at the two latest posts prior to this one about Dutch trio The Machine, you’d see that it was the 2015 and 2014 most anticipated albums lists, respectively. Their fifth full-length, the title of which has been revealed to be Offblast!, has now been given June (CD) and August (LP) release dates through Elektrohasch, and arriving three years after 2012’s Calmer than You Are (review here), it serves as the longest stretch between outings The Machine have had since they made their debut with 2007’s Shadow of the Machine.

In that 2014 list linked above, I remarked that they were hosting a contest on Thee Facebooks for naming their next record and that my contribution was Come to Light, which sounded all spacey and psychedelic but was also a reference to The Big Lebowski, as was the title Calmer than You Are. They didn’t use it for the name of the album, obviously, but apparently they liked the idea well enough to use it for the final track. Very much looking forward to checking out the closer, “Come to Light,” and thanks to The Machine for the shout and giving me credit for the title.

Artwork by Jakob Skøtt of Causa Sui and details about the release follow, courtesy of the band:

You guys got teased for what is it? Over a year? We can finally give you an update about our new album, which we already dubbed our very own Chinese Democracy.

There were some technical difficulties during the mixing stage (a.k.a. the phasing phase), a number of various things had to be sorted out, band members were having babies, etc. In other words: it took a while but it’s finished. Needless to say, we’re very proud to present you the final details of Offblast!.

Although we had a lot of positive reactions after posting the April Fools version of the artwork, we still decided to proceed with Jakob Skøtt’s beautiful piece. Wait until you see the fold out vinyl cover. Speaking of vinyl: due to a popular demand for wax discs, the production time for the LP will take a couple of months. But hey, it will be summer by then so we’ll take it easy.

The Machine – Offblast!
Elektrohasch Records
CD – June 1, 2015
LP – August XX, 2015

01 – Chrysalis (J.A.M.) [16:25]
02 – Dry End [03:05]
03 – Coda Sun [05:34]
04 – Gamma [06:48]
05 – Off Course [06:36]
06 – Come To Light [12:11]

Recorded and produced again by David, we’re super happy with the final result. It is by far our best sounding album to date. And we’re most certainly not done yet.

We’re also in the middle of editing a music video for the track Coda Sun, you can expect that one within a week or two.

Oh and remember the album title contest we once had? That was just for our own fun. We already had this title. HA! JJ Koczan sort of won the thing though… Thanks for Come To Light!

https://www.facebook.com/themachine.nl/
http://www.themachineweb.com/
elektrohasch.de

The Machine, Live at Keep it Low, Oct. 19, 2013

Continuing Elektrohasch Schallplatten’s streak of supporting high-grade next gen fuzz and heavy psych, Dutch trio The Machine’s fourth album, Calmer than You Are points its Lebowski-referential finger right in your face and challenges you to prove the title wrong. Good luck. Led by guitarist/vocalist David Eering and filled and thickened by the rhythm section of bassist Hans van Heemst and drummer Davy Boogaard, the band has grown more over the course of the five years they’ve been together than the four records they’ve put out in that time can tell. Calmer than You Are is comprised of seven varied tracks for a total of a bit under 46 minutes of jam-based songwriting, very much driven by Eering’s fuzz and wah. He is a stellar lead player and constructs engaging grooves in his riffs, and as eight-minute opener “Moonward” shifts from its subdued, sitar-infused opening to the more raucous final third (there’s a clear divide at 5:39, you’ll pardon me if I don’t give the actual percentage of the song that makes up), it’s clear The Machine are ready to join the ranks of Sungrazer at the fore of their country’s fuzz rock scene. Indeed, Calmer than You Are shows the two bands have a lot in common stylistically and atmospherically, though The Machine’s production is a bit rawer and the songs as a whole less directly reliant on echo to sustain their tones. Not that The Machine are lacking for echo or reverb – Eering’s vocals on “Scooch” alone fill any quota that might crop up – but especially for Boogaard’s drums, the overall sound of Calmer than You Are is somewhat more stripped down than was Sungrazer’s Mirador, whatever else the two records might share between them or however well they might complement each other.

The Machine’s third album and Elektrohasch debut, Drie (review here), was nearly 80 minutes long, so it’s worth noting that they’ve significantly cut the sheer amount of material that makes up Calmer than You Are, and predictably, that works somewhat to the benefit of the individual tracks. Both “Scooch” and the more blatantly stoner rock start-stop riffing of “Grain,” which follows, are clearly jam-based, but The Machine have gone so far as to distill the jams down into discernible structures. There’s still room for Eering to rip into soulful solos for a few bars, and other tracks take that further, but “Grain” in particular proves excellently that The Machine have more to them than just tonal warmth and a propensity for grooving. It’s the work of burgeoning songwriters beginning to come of age as a band. On “Scooch,” it’s van Heemst’s bass that most shines, but whoever’s in the lead of the trio – Boogaard does his time out front of the mix as well – they’re showing a sense of diversity in their approach and not so much bending their sound to make and album as bending an album to fit their sound. The eight-minute “DOG,” which rounds out side A of Calmer than You Are is a standout and one of the best songs of the bunch. Akin in its beginning rhythm to Sungrazer’s “Common Believer,” it soon pushes into the LP’s most memorable hook and fullest-sounding chorus. Eering shows how far he’s come as a vocalist since the band’s 2007 debut, Shadow of the Machine, found them getting their bearings very much in a fashion after Colour Haze, and a lengthy instrumental jam in the midsection bridges a gap between the verse/chorus tradeoffs and what The Machine has previously shown of themselves on their prior efforts. Grandiose heaviness ensues and with great skill, Eering and company bring the chorus around once more before giving in to a minute-plus of warm feedback and noise to fade out to wind noise to close the first half of the album.

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