Label: Frontiers Music Srl.
Release date: April 9, 2021
Production: George Lynch & Jeff Pilson
Album length: 55.08 min
Genre: Hard Rock
Rating: 8.5/10
The End Machine are yet another hard rock outfit with the folks at Frontiers Music Srl pulling the strings. If the quartet’s 2018 debut somehow managed to slip past our editorial team, well, it’s nearly impossible to keep up with every project guitarist George Lynch is involved in at any given time. But “Phase 2”, the second The End Machine album, is one that can’t be ignored any longer. There’s simply no excuse to be found.
The debut was actually recorded by a crew of musicians who once made up three-quarters of the classic Dokken lineup. Alongside Lynch, there’s bassist Jeff Pilson (Foreigner) and drummer Mick Brown. Well, for the new album, Brown no longer showed any interest. In official statements he was even said to have retired from music. Still, no need to panic, because his brother Steve stepped in and drummed all of the material on “Phase2”. From the very start, the label’s basic idea, or wish, was to team up three-quarters of the classic Dokken lineup with a killer vocalist. A voice that literally knocks you off your feet. They found one in Robert Mason (Warrant, Lynch Mob). And the choice couldn’t have been more fitting. The label’s main inspiration was, of course, that the whole thing should recall Dokken. At least a little.
With their second album, The End Machine confirm that the songwriting partnership of Jeff Pilson and George Lynch is flat-out dreamlike. What’s more, compared to the debut, the album sounds even more confident, driven and relaxed, and in terms of punch, hookiness and catchiness, The End Machine win you over even faster. As if the debut was just a warm-up. With a guitar personality like George Lynch, you always expect a very special hard rock record, and in 2021 that’s hardly a surprise, since over a long career the man’s character has gone through so many manifestos that you can more or less predict what he’ll deliver with his latest stuff, too. Fans of Dokken and Lynch Mob will take “Phase2” to heart right away. So? The End Machine are no “escape” into the realms of jamming and experimentation, but the real deal of a superb bluesy hard rock outfit, delivering incredibly listenable, hard-hitting material, an organically alive and beefy production, an internalized groove lit up by the contrasting sonic elements of the musical puzzle, and above all an incredibly deft dose of songwriting, in which all four building blocks not only gel and complement each other brilliantly, but also give each other tons of room for their talents to shine at full intensity. Robert Mason is an exceptional vocalist. Theatrical, a bit of a dandy and a rascal. There’s no shortage of passion and emotion at any step of the album, and his sensual chameleon act is stunning, as the fantastic ballad Scars shows and proves plain as day.
With eleven tracks the album runs a full 55 minutes, and a song or two could have been saved for a third installment. But who knows what’s written in the contract between Frontiers Music Srl and the guys, and which projects the label’s money will be funneled into in the coming years. The fact is undeniable, though. Lynch and Pilson have once again proved that they’re a dream songwriting team. Lynch’s incredible flexibility of ideas is staggering. After all, the guy is credited on several albums a year. “Phase2” is an album where Lynch’s guitar brilliance is once again untouchable and shines at full intensity. The guitarist is simply in the right place at every moment. In his flexibility and vividness of ideas, as well as his sensual refinement, in which the color palette of his guitar tones is almost endless. That flexibility lets him slalom in first-class style between outstanding musical appeal, bluesy groove touches and top-notch virtuoso bite. The tracks came together quickly, yet they radiate extraordinary polish and finish. That’s experience and mileage for you. The building blocks of the sonic picture breathe with full organic liveliness. The contrasts are fascinating, and Steve Brown has proved he’s more than a worthy replacement for his brother. What’s more, the rhythm section, alongside Pilson’s pulsing, tearing bass, breathes with even more freshness and energetic drive.
Fans of Dokken and Lynch Mob simply have to own this album. Despite its hefty running time, the songs never waste the listener’s time. Not for a second. The variety of ideas, the expressive dynamics and the explosive execution of all four building blocks are spotless, and the album flows smoothly and fluidly, serving up exceptionally dynamic catchiness. The “groove kinetics” pay off in just the same measure as the musical hookiness of the finely crafted chorus melodies, which is the special charm of albums featuring George Lynch, and “Phase2” is no different in that regard. A wonderful piece of work.
Author: Aleš Podbrežnik
Tracklist:
01. The Rising
02. Blood And Money
03. We Walk Alone
04. Dark Divide
05. Crack The Sky
06. Prison Or Paradise
07. Plastic Heroes
08. Scars
09. Shine Your Light
10. Devil’s Playground
11. Born Of Fire
12. Destiny
Lineup:
Robert Mason – vocals, backing vocals
George Lynch – guitar
Jeff Pilson – bass guitar, keyboards, backing vocals
Steve Brown – drums, backing vocals
