Tonight, I re-explored the album Rubidium from Maschine. I say re-explored because I had listened to the album for the first time several months ago and really enjoyed it. The band hails from the United Kingdom and is labeled at Prog Archives as progressive metal. Personally, I don’t think that they are as heavy as many of the progressive metal bands I’ve listened to. The band’s name seems to have been derived from the founder of the band vocalist and guitarist Luke Machin. Machin who had played with both Tangent and It Bits formed the band in at the Brighton Institute of Modern Music in 2008. The line-up for the band includes: Elliot Fuller on guitar, Dan Mash on bass, James Stewart on drums and Georgia Lewis on keyboards.
Rubidium was released in 2013, and while it does contain some great progressive metal guitar, the album’s music is quite diverse. From the review by Second Life Syndrome at Prog Archives
Maschine’s debut album, ‘Rubidium’, has a way of taking you by surprise. One moment you’ll be soaking in an ambiance that exudes beauty, but then the music will swing around to an awesome, bass-driven celebration of technical feats. Again and again, I was impressed with this group’s ability to change styles, signatures, and tempos all in the blink of an eye. While this is a new band, these guys are anything but amateurs. If I had to choose one stand-out musician, it would be Daniel Mash, the bass guitarist. This album might feature the bass performance of 2013, even with amazing offerings from Riverside and Votum this year. The bass here is always interesting, and often swings around in the background to knock you in the teeth a minute later. Don’t get me wrong, though: The rest of the musicians are outstanding; as the drummer pounds away, the guitarist brings soulful solo after solo, and the keyboardist brings a sweeping, sometimes electronic, vibe to the music. Full Review
The album’s diversity is one of the best aspects of the album. Right now, as the album plays in the background, I hear some nice quiet guitar and piano in “Eyes Pt. 1”.Oh wait the guitar’s little heavier now! A while ago, I heard some flute on “Invincible”!! Overall, it’s a great debut album and according to the ratings it would make an excellent addition to any prog rock collection!! So check it out!
Here’s a clever video for the song “Eyes Pt.1
