Of the various post-Megadeth projects that Chris Poland was involved in, Damn The Machine is perhaps his most perplexing effort. The fact that it came out on a mainstream music label in 1993, and it’s 1991 “Day One” demo was then re-released in October 2021, is also a bit perplexing. A forgotten prog-metal gem from the `90s, or one that is best relegated to the bargain bin? Let’s get all prog nerdy up in here.
There is no doubt that Chris Poland is the big-name draw here. This album came out a few years after “Return to Metalopolis” – his first all-instrumental guitar-centric album. “Shred” guitar albums were a dime-a-dozen in the very early 90s, mostly from Shrapnel Records, but all of the metal labels had a few “guitar hero” releases. Most of these were well-regarded in the guitar nerd magazines, and then quickly forgotten in the grand scheme of things. I can’t imagine that “Return to Metalopolis” would be something that anyone would ever love to death1, but it was a safe bit of shreddy riffy tune’age that Megadeth fans could at least relate to.
When the self-titled Damn The Machine came out in 1993, with a “Feat. former Megadeth guitarist Chris Poland!” hype sticker slapped onto the album, it was quite a rude shock to many to hear this decidedly different album. Goodbye shreddy guitar god Chris Poland thrash – hello noodle’ly, overly restrained, and very understated Chris Poland prog metal.
I can appreciate prog metal on most levels – but certain goalposts need to be hit for it to resonate with me. Interesting time signatures, a crisp backline that adds color and interest to the rhythm sections, tastefully varied guitar leads that don’t try too hard or not enough, variances in tempo and “flavoring”, and well-delivered vocals through and through.
That’s what makes this album so difficult to love: of the 12 tracks, not one song truly hits all of those goalposts. Dave Clemmons’ vocals are way too often too thin and way too reedy (“Get this man some oxygen, stat!”), but yet are weirdly workable on some of the more sedate tracks.
The “big hit single” from the 1993 self-titled album, “The Mission”, lays bare just how problematic the vocals are across much of this album:
And what about the man, the myth, the legend – the raison d’être for this band – Mr. Christopher Poland? Frustratingly restrained, to a fault. The expression “sometimes less is more” could work here in some cases, but often times there are clearly spots in the songs where he could and should put the hammer down and shred some shit. Goddamn Chris, don’t be so shy and show us whatchu got, eh?
It is only on the very last track where it seems that everybody in the band is on the same page, the vocals do not sound like they from a person singing while inside an iron lung, and where Chris Poland whips out some tasty riffing and a neat solo that actually fits his wealth of talent. It’s hard to call “Humans” the best song on such a milquetoast album, but at least there’s solid snippets of things here to enjoy on it’s way out the door.
Flash forward to the fall of 2021. In keeping to the theme, what is perplexing here is the notion of the 1991 demo for this album being released via Bandcamp, with the somewhat confusing title “Day One“. This demo release, if that is indeed what this really is, resurrects Damn The Machine for the Bandcamp’o’sphere for reasons I can’t quite wrap my head around:
Did all 30 diehard DtM fans worldwide do an online social media campaign to demand this fancied-up demo release? It’s not as if Chris Poland hasn’t long ago moved onwards and upwards in various jazz/fusion/prog circles. And while I get the desire for fancy new artwork – because why not, right? – but why does this 1991 demo sound way more post-production processed and reprocessed and mixed and remixed and mastered and re-mastered and just plain “un-demo-like” compared to the mainstream release in 1993 on A&M Records?
This album (and it’s quasi-demo release) is not bad per se, as far as safe, pre-chewed, not-ribbed-for-her-pleasure prog metal goes. It’s perhaps best described as a time capsule of what some metal icons were doing after the bottom fell out of Thrash Metal in the `90s and they had proggy itches to scratch…, and probably “fuck, I’m an adult now” bills to pay, too.
Is this worth further investigation? Meh.
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1 You wouldn’t have me do a Megadeth-related review and not sneak in a Megadeth song reference, would you? 😉