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MACHINE MEN ‘Elegies’ Century Media (2005)
Even though I consider myself quite lucky to have grown up listening to the classic albums of Judas Priest, Iron Maiden and Saxon, I could never agree with people my age who claim that classic metal died in the beginning of the 90's. It is true that, during that period, most of the great bands of the 80's were "confused" and followed an unusual musical direction, but there were quite a lot of new outfits which emerged at the time and gave an energy boost to our beautiful music. That same phenomenon is still present nowadays, and the proof of that is the release of good quality albums like "Elegies" - the second full-length CD of the Finnish quintet Machine Men.
One thing that you are not going to read in Century Media's press release is that Machine Man started their musical career in 1998 as an Iron Maiden cover band. It was not long after that, though, that the members of Machine Men realised their true potential, and started recording their own material. Influenced by bands like Queensryche, Iron Maiden but most importantly the personal career of their frontman Bruce Dickinson (The band's name was most probably taken from the song which is featured on 1998's "Chemical Wedding" album) the band released their same-titled MCD in 2002, under the Finnish label Dynamic Arts Records. Having no connection with the typical power metal sound of their fellow-countrymen Stratovarius, the MCD achieved quite significant sales, something that also happened a year later when "Scars & Wounds", the band's debut album, was released.
By that stage, the band was ready to take on the world, but it was more than evident that Dynamic Arts Records did not have the power to offer them the promotion they deserved, so Machine Men had no other option than to sign with Century media, when a contract was offered by them in the beginning of 2005. Soon after the signing took place, the band moved to Sonic Pump studios where the preparations of "Elegies" began, and five months later, they are ready to share their musical vision with the rest of the world.
I guess that my sympathy towards Machine Men and their music has already been revealed by the way I have presented them to you…my recent exposure to their music and the impression that was left behind confirmed to me that this is definitely a band worth listening to. Machine Men know the true meaning of teamwork, and that is the feeling that you get when listening to every single composition on "Elegies".
None of the instruments are assuming a leading role, leaving Antony's voice to step through and dictating the mood of each and every composition. As I said before, Dickinson's solo albums are the backbone of the band's influences, and songs like "Falling", "Back From the Days", "Daytime Theatre" and "Doors of Resurrection", whose intro reminds me of that of "The Tower" (taken from the album "Chemical Wedding") are the perfect example of the band's appreciation for this great artist.
There is also a more melodic side to the band which is revealed in "October”, a song with a great acoustic intro and a beautiful vocal performance by Antony, and "From Sunrise to Sunset" which is the band's attempt to reach the quality of Queensryche by following in the footsteps of Kamelot. Once again a very impressive performance by Antony, whose emotional voice is accompanied by an atmospheric violin melody and a grand piano theme.
What I really like about "Elegies" is that it's a pretty much straight-forward album filled with catchy riffs and beautiful melodies, but it is in no way "cheesy" and repetitive. Yes, the band is indeed moving in well-known areas, but they are doing so with respect and passion and I don't believe that there's anything wrong with their approach. I am glad that Century Media decided to invest in this young and quite promising outfit, and now that I know what their music is all about, I will make sure to check them out at either Earthshaker or Wacken Open Air, where they will be performing over the next few weeks.
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Review by John Stefanis
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