Fifteen years is a long time to be away from something you love, but now Florian Reimann has returned with a new project, Command The Machyne. Maybe best known for fronting Destillery, he is joined by Reaper Ulrich ( Highway Killer ) and Sasch Machyne (Saintsbreed, Highway Killer ) on guitars and Vince Icopro ( Americayne ) handling both drums and bass for this studio album. The German heavy metal scene has a new player and with a highly regarded pedigree, these guys have to be on my listening agenda.
‘Burn ‘Em’ is my introduction to CTM, it’s a song full of chanting vocals, fast guitars and a backing rhythm that sounds indestructible. Lengthy guitar pieces intertwine, having two amazing axemen really brings a profusion of outstanding shredding. The single ‘Sarah’s Heart ‘ is a bit more deep, telling the tale of Sarah’s heart transplant, there is a plea included in the lyrics, among the pounding drums and menacing vocals, about the need for more organ donations. A rant of screaming riffs on ‘Emerge’ and ‘Drenched In Pain’ are played so fast it’s soon obvious that these guys are exceptional, bracing solos and a thunderous backing from the rhythm and the power of Reimann’s voice gels the band together.
So after 4 tracks I am getting into the sound of CTM and I like the direction, the production makes sure nothing is left out and is 100% effective. Then song 5 ‘Prisoners of Time’ kicks off, there’s a change in the air, only a slight one, but this is more of a controlling song. Still full of lush vocals, but it has more definition and the writing is totally wired. The drop in force and the stop/start moments make it stand out. So as we continue ’Stones’ turns another 90 degrees, a war cry from ancient Saxon Warriors, a piercing lament when going into battle, then utter destruction. There are melodic bridges and these mix with sorrowful lyrics to complete another amazing experience. ‘Reaper’ has more shredding and I just adore the guitars on this, their fingers must be ripped apart as they race up and down those frets.
Then we reach ‘Kingdoms Prayer’ yep it’s another 90 degree twist. Reimann comes into his own on this number, haunting and provoking, singing with all his strength, unleashing his vocals like they’ve been locked away, well I suppose they have for 15 years. ‘River Of Life’ returns us to the fast pace, in similar vein as the first part of the album. Lots of layered voice parts and some menacing guitar wizardry. ‘The King’ is another with a bite, there’s a fantastic riff and it slowly grinds along, almost bluesy in places. Although it maintains the immense anthem type structure and guitar solos fill in the gaps. At three minutes long, my only gripe is I wish it was longer. The last track ’Shadows’ turns the full 360, more like a folk song than a ballad, played with simple acoustic guitars it is absolutely absorbing.
The debut album from ‘Command The Machyne’ confirms theres a lot more to this band than I was expecting. Several numbers are incredibly creative and the whole album is so thoughtfully put together. I really do recommend these German metal gods. The album was out on 6th April but due to the current crisis there are delivery problems, so please bear with them and their label Pest Records. Updates are being posted on social media, so follow the links for more information.
Tracks –
1. Burn ’em
2. Sarah’s Heart
3. Emerge
4. Drenched in Pain
5. Prisoners Of Time
6. Stones
7. Reaper
8. Kingdoms Prayer
9. River Of Life
10. The King
11. Shadows
Line-up:
Florian Reimann (Vocals)
Sasch Machyne (Guitars)
Reaper Ulrich (Guitars)
Vince Icopro (Bass & Drums)
‘fingers must be ripped apart as they race up and down those frets’
Highlights – Emerge, Prisoners Of Time , Reaper, The King.
COMMAND THE MACHYNE FACEBOOK
PEST RECORDS FACEBOOK
