Crushed

What the Clink? My Machine is Crushed’s debut full-length venture into the world of heavy metal, with producer credit going to none other than Mike Clink of Guns N’ Roses and Metallica fame. And that’s where the impressive points end. While claiming prog rock, the album is a consistent flow of standard time signatures and pop melodies. Mostly metal with an industrial back bone, My Machine delivers a generic blend of influences, including Tool and the Deftones. The worst part of the album is its predictability. Yes, some of the songs are catchy, but even to the untrained ear, one could tap along, keeping the beat without ever having heard the song before. But for what the band lacks in creativity, they make up for in delivery. Mark Lauer delivers a strong vocal performance, enhanced by his band’s tight musicianship and the album’s clear sound — unfortunately, they aren’t enough to uplift an album already void of imagination and ingenuity.