Machines Dream -
Revisionist History


(2CD 2018, 62:28/ 64:34, Progressive Gears Records PGR-CD0015)

The tracks:
CD1: Immunity
  1- Immunity(25:22)
  2- Trading Stars For Solitude(5:58)
  3- Broken Door(6:02)
  4- My Ocean Is Electric(4:11)
  5- A Poor Turn For The Soul(5:42)
  6- Jupiter(3:37)
  7- Battersea Transcendental(7:33)
  8- A Stone's Throw(4:03)
CD2: Machines Dream
  1- Boundaries(4:48)
  2- Toronto Skyline(7:59)
  3- London By Night(4:54)
  4- Unarmed At Sea(7:38)
  5- Mad For All Seasons(10:31)
  6- Stop Waiting For Miracles(4:14)
  7- Locusts(4:23)
  8- Colder Rain(5:22)
  9- Everyone Says Goodbye(3:58)
10- The Session(11:47)

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Machines Dream is a band from Canada. They exist for a while now. Reading their website, they came alive in the year 2006. Firstly they played covers from bands like Pink Floyd, Marillion, King Crimson and other bands we like to listen to. Then the band decided that they had enough inspiration to create their own music. In the year 2013 their self-titled debut saw the light of day. Only one year later the follow up Immunity was released. In the year 2016 they made an EP, called 100 Afternoons. Then they signed to Progressive Gears Records and the third album, Black Science (see review), came out in the year 2017. The band had the idea to remix the first two albums, including the EP and put it on a double album. And that has been called Revisionist History and that is the album that I will review here.

If a band makes the decision to remix older work and put it on a double disc, the first disc is always the oldest work. Machines Dream is one of the few that does not do that. I really do not know why, but I think they have their thoughts about that. And maybe it is okay, I cannot change it.

The lineup in the most early days existed of Brian Holmes (keyboard and bass), Craig West (lead vocals, guitar and bass), Keith Conway (guitars) and Ken Coulter(drums). On Immunity there had been a few changes in the lineup. Keith Conway is replaced by Rob Coleman and Brian Holmes decided not to play the bass guitar anymore, now Jake Rendell is playing that instrument, he also plays the mandolin. Till now the lineup is still this quintet.

The music is fresh and for me Craig is a good vocalist with a good range. The music reminds me sometimes of Pendragon, a band I really like. I also sometimes hear a bit of Pink Floyd and that is really okay by me. There are a lot of good moments on the debut album. If the hour is gone and the disc is ready for playing all the beautiful tunes, I push the play button again.

If I take a look at the second disc, Immunity, you can hear that the band as a collective had improved themselves. Only the first track, Immunity, clocks in at 25 minutes, and what kind of 25 minutes. It starts with piano tunes and the vocals of Craig. It all sounds a bit desperate, but that has to be in this song. The song contains everything you want to get from prog music. From soft piano tunes to heavy erupted sounds to heavy drumming, while the bass guitar glues everything. The wow factor in this song is constantly there. Also the other tracks of the album are of a good quality.

Is Machines Dream an original band? Well, that question I cannot answer. Why? In our world there is so much incredible music that we can listen to, that the term original is not an easy one to define. What I can tell you is that every time I listened to one of the two albums, I have a smile on my face. I am happy to have these discs in my collection. I hope you will have them too!!

**** Michel Stolk (edited by Tracy van Os van den Abeelen)

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