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Offblast! (CD)
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.
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Similar artists: GRANDLOOM
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