The End Machine: Phase 2

The band’s name may be unfamiliar but the individuals involved shouldn’t be �" guitar legend George Lynch (once of Dokken, latterly his own Lynch Mob plus many others), bassist Jeff Pilson (Dokken) and vocalist Robert Mason (who appears on some Lynch Mob releases plus latter-day Warrant). Drummer Steve Brown is more of an unknown but is brother of one Mick Brown, another Dokken alumnus.

If you think this gives a good indication of how Phase 2 sounds… you’d be right. Nods to Dokken and Lynch Mob abound on this, the band’s second effort, with echoes of both the ‘classic’ eighties sound and the more ‘modern’ sound adopted in the nineties as the hard rockers tried to respond to the grunge takeover of the airwaves. Mason is a strong and confident singer and leads the band through a decent set of songs. Highlights are probably the driving “Blood And Money�, a definite nod to Dokken in their heyday; the anthemic “Dark Divide�; the more nuanced and melodic “Plastic Heroes�, and “Devils Playground� which adds some funk and groove to the mix. If Lynch is involved there are going to be plenty of guitar solos and Phase 2 is chock full of them; whilst Lynch’s technique and sense of melody are of the standard you would expect, I wouldn’t say the soloing is as imaginative as you might assume from such a talent. In addition, whilst there are many good songs, with only one or two below-par tracks (such as the plodding “We Walk Alone�), the album could really do with a couple of real standouts to catch the ear of the unconverted. As it is, though, this is a decent set that can be easily recommended to fans of the bands from which these musicians made their name.

Tracklist:
1.The Rising
2.Blood And Money
3.We Walk Alone
4.Dark Divide
5.Crack The Sky
6.Prison Or Paradise
7.Plastic Heroes
8.Scars
9.Shine Your Light
10.Devils Playground
11.Born Of Fire
12.Destiny

Added: April 25th 2021
Reviewer: Tom De Val
Score:
Related Link: Band Facebook Page
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Language: english

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