One Machine
The Final Cull
Scarlet Records
2015
One Machine is the brainchild of guitarist/songwriter Steve Smyth, a young man who after his graduation went on to join temporarily mostly as a second guitarist, bands like Testament, Nevermore, Forbidden with whom he still holds a membership, Dragonlord, Vicious Rumors etc…
He did come up with a band with various local and international talent from London where he currently resides teaching guitar and had released an album only last year with almost an entirely different lineup with only Jamie Hunt remaining in place on guitars and several other musicians completing the new lineup. Chris Hawkins from Endeavour on vocals, Stefano Selvatico from Savage Messiah on bass and Michi Sanna from the Italian Coma on drums.
This newer version of the band is as able as the old one is but seems to be more inclined to old school metal with most modernist influences giving way to more classic or thrashy influences, which is a great improvement. While this carries influences from the whole musical background of Smyth, I’d say it most in the direction of Mercenary and Biomechanical but it just fails to be convincing in the songwriting. In a twisted display of “ability” the songs built suffers by being predictable and expecting either the grooves or the solos to impress without having choruses to match, which in my mind is an Achilles’ heel for the whole project. Decent, well played, impressive even on occasion but ultimately… no cigar.
He did come up with a band with various local and international talent from London where he currently resides teaching guitar and had released an album only last year with almost an entirely different lineup with only Jamie Hunt remaining in place on guitars and several other musicians completing the new lineup. Chris Hawkins from Endeavour on vocals, Stefano Selvatico from Savage Messiah on bass and Michi Sanna from the Italian Coma on drums.
This newer version of the band is as able as the old one is but seems to be more inclined to old school metal with most modernist influences giving way to more classic or thrashy influences, which is a great improvement. While this carries influences from the whole musical background of Smyth, I’d say it most in the direction of Mercenary and Biomechanical but it just fails to be convincing in the songwriting. In a twisted display of “ability” the songs built suffers by being predictable and expecting either the grooves or the solos to impress without having choruses to match, which in my mind is an Achilles’ heel for the whole project. Decent, well played, impressive even on occasion but ultimately… no cigar.