Rising from the ashes of Mark of 1000 Evils, with his new outfit, These Dead Machines feels more like the next sonic chapter rather than a completely fresh start for the man behind it, who goes only by the name Dan. Sometimes, as artists move from one band or project to the next, it is a chance to, perhaps not entirely reinvent themselves, but an opportunity at least to take the music into newer and unexplored sonic pastures. This transition is the sound of someone taking everything that was good about the previous music and elevating it through adventure and experimentation.
Yes, you can still hear the grungy, alt-rock energy gnashing away in the heart of many of the songs, but now digital dexterity joins the analogue energies, the abrasive bass is joined by darker, sometimes smoother sonic directions, and the guitars do a lot more than just drive and grind. When the moment is right, they jangle, have more intricate parts to play, and even offer mellow interludes.
So, for every big and bombastic “So Skyward,” there is a delicate, indie-folk acoustic piece such as the deft and delicate “Heartstrings.” We travel through shoegazing landscapes with “Lucky,” the industrial dark dance territory of “Recovery”, and end on the gothic minimalism of “Long Shadows.”
Artists don’t have to completely reinvent themselves as they hop from one musical outlet to another. It’s better, arguably, that they stick with what they know and love and slowly and skillfully develop it and move it forward. Musical revolution might turn heads your way, for a while at least, but if you want a sustained career, sonic evolution is the name of the game.
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