The Machine by Chris Appleton

Chris' playing currently resonates ever more widely across the North of England principally via his live work but also via the internet with the early recordings of Fury and now with his solo efforts. The CD simply must be listened to in order to be properly appreciated and whilst some of the impact is immediate, it is also a "grower" as more listening derives greater understanding, immersion and pleasure.

Extracted from an interview of a representative from Rocksector Records :-

How did The Machine CD come to be?

You could say it started initially in around 2002 when one or two of the tracks were first written, to be honest with different projects in mind, but it's only in 2005 it developed properly. Although it seems as if it's taken a long time to come through it's because Chris has been busy with bands not lazy! Plus the time needed to be right and although it took a while, Rocksector Records persuaded Chris to bring it forward to 2005 otherwise it could well have been later in 2006 before the CD saw the light of day.

Tell us about the musical content of The Machine as you see it. Like so many works I guess it's hard to categorise accurately but we see it as a metal CD, maybe hard rock. The great thing about this CD is that it's got a modern feel but very much appeals to the Old School / NWOBHM audience which is probably down to the song-writing...And the great added benefit is that you get that modern feel, Old School influence but then also the inspiration from some of the great shredders like Joe Satriani & Steve Vai. Put all this together and that's why we think this is a great CD.

Tell us some more about Chris' influences.

He's a guitarist of great ability - take that from us otherwise we wouldn't be having this conversation now! If you really want a short-list of his influences you'd include :- Iron Maiden, Black Sabbath / Tony Iommi, Joe Satriani, Steve Vai, Dream Theater / Jon Petrucci, Thin Lizzy, AC/DC / Angus Young. Angus was his first influence when at the age of 10 he got hold of the Highway To Hell album and for ages it never left his CD player. It was never a surprise when his first "proper" guitar was the black Gibson SG which he uses still as his main guitar to this day. Again that's where the mix in Chris' playing is so great because you've got the conventional rock licks with widdly / shredding which never sounds mechanical or stilted. Plus you've got the amazing acoustic playing on "Walk Away" which we think is just awesome. That song was the last written for the CD in 2005 and the contrast it creates is fantastic.

Talk us through the tracks on The Machine CD.

It's hard to vocalise an instrumental work like this but I'll do my best. The CD opener is "Harley-Quin", nice play on words for the title and straight away you get the Old School sense as you can imagine yourself transported back to 1980 (just leave the spandex at home?!). It's a driving beat, split with pounding stabs on guitar, bass & drums simultaneously then blistering solos & cool key changes. "Fire Angels" is next & is one of the older songs on the CD. The shredding on here seems like an assault & the relentless feel of the underlying beat is then carved up with intricate little drum sequences wrapped in more shredding. The ending of this song is very cool & mellow with a medieval feel to it which again recalls the NWOBHM / Iron Maiden influences. Next up is "Desert Sky" which is a gentler, tasteful track. There's a lot more space in this tune, an airy feel, lovely guitar work including a small number of harmonised guitar passages. Bass Guitar also plays a prominent role in this song & the close-out features lovely synth sounds with harmonised guitars overlayed. "Walk Away" is the ballad on acoustic guitars & for me is the real "grower"...the more I listen the better it gets! I hesitate to use the word but it's truly "catchy" but in a very mature & meaningful sense. It's a sad-sounding song & although I can't tell for sure the reality behind Chris' thinking, to me it definitely whiffs of relationship break-up which obviously is what you might expect from a ballad....lighters & mobiles at the ready please! "The Machine, the title track, is quite modern in style with pounding drums especially in the opening almost mechanical sequences which interpret the title of the song so well. Can't help thinking Joe Satriani here which is meant as a great complement. This song is a fitting end to the CD, a big finish on the back of the preceding ballad & leaves you with one last thought in mind...let's put the CD back on again!

What does the future hold for Chris?

We have a full album release planned but to be honest can't put a timescale on that. When it does happen though, expect it to be a mix of instrumental & vocals as the lad can sing too! A further EP/CD before that is also a possibility. Meantime, his band projects continue and if anyone wants details of live appearances they're available from Rocksector Records.

Average Customer Review: