Multi award-winning, UK, progressive rock band, This Winter Machine, are releasing their new album, The Clockwork Man, on October 6, 2023; on White Knight Records.
This Winter Machine is: Alex Winter, on lead vocals; John Cook, on guitars; Leigh Perkins, on keyboards, whistles, and backing vocals; Dave Close, on bass; and Alan Wilson, on drums. On The Clockwork Man, André Saint, sings guest vocals on track 4, (Change). Ade Fisher, plays a guest guitar solo, on “The River II”.
This Winter Machine, were formed in 2016, by vocalist/song-writer Alex Winter. They released their debut album, The Man Who Never Was, in January 2017. The album was well received by audiences, press and radio, worldwide. Their sophomore album, A Tower of Clocks, cemented their reputation, as a UK, leading progressive rock band. After some lineup changes, they released their third album, Kites, in 2021. Their fourth album will be, The Clockwork Man, and it is a continuously recorded concept album, with few breaks between songs. The first demo from the album, “The River”, was released to YouTube at the beginning of 2022.
Let’s discuss the power of this great album:
The album opens with, “The River, (Parts 1 & 2)”. A huge bell, thunders out its ring, as cool synths and keyboards build the soundscape. Then a cool guitar solo, grinds through the mist. Drums and bass are added to the soundscape as symphonic effects power the lyrical message. Then, Alex Winter sings, “Remembering the frozen skies. Down by the waterside. Only serves to keep us dry. And keeps us all alive. The weather and the new machine. Another kind of quarantine”. After some excellent guitar soloing, Alex Winter sings, “I ignore the ticking of the clock, the traffic is alive outside. A neon lantern fills my room and colors everything. Most of all. I just want to go back to the river. We stand in the shadows and wait for the light. I wish I didn’t have these nightmares, or some can call them dreams. And all this empty cold emotion, the memories they bring”, set to soft piano and warm solo electric guitar. A powerful lyrical opener, along with excellent music, to deliver the opening punch.
“Solitude, Silence And Steam”, opens with soft rain and electric guitar, supported well with stunning keyboards. A beautiful long instrumental opening. There is an early Marillion, maybe Clutching at Straws, feeling to the sound on these early tracks; with Roger Waters – like vocals coming from Alex Winter. Good match. He sings, “Dreams. Voices sound like echoes in my brain. Noises. Covering my thoughts in cellophane. Feeling. Drowning out the memories again. Walking. Wash away my feelings with the rain. Can’t believe in what I see. The energy burns deep inside my soul”. Yes, this is the Winter Machine; were you expecting cheerful lyrics? But the music is dynamic and powerful. Alex Winter continues, “Blind. Everything gets tangles up inside. Breathing. Sick and tired of being left behind. Empty. All I ever wanted thrown aside. Broken. I walk alone in silence, feel the rain against my skin….And I try to remember. Take me home!” The guitar work, both lead and bass guitar, are excellent on this song, against the effects of falling rain. A song of anger and regret, with one of the best grinding guitar solos near the end.
“Final Goodbye?”, opens with a cool bass and lead guitar riff. Alex Winter sings, “The night has the air. Feels like I’m frightened to breathe. Voices, everywhere. And louder than screams. And I stand in a doorway and stare at the sky. And the rain feels like blood on my face, and I ask myself why. Is this my final goodbye?” Okay, we get it, life is difficult, and the character in this story is depressed. But, where do we go from here?” The keyboards and synth effects are wonderful.
“Change”, finally, does bring change to the narrative and to the sound of the music. Powerful guitars and keyboards roar forward as the pace quickens, and the music becomes more interesting. Alex Winter sings, “Finding a bar that welcomes my kind, I meet others like me that have stopped taking their pills and now have questions. I also meet Sarah, a lady who works there. One of my older brothers tells me of the plans he has to change things. I’d like to believe there is a better future for us”. A light in the tunnel appears, as Aalex sings, with André Saint, supporting on guest vocals, “Then maybe we can find that open door. But they make us. And then break us while we smile. But we know them. We’ll show them. ‘Cos oh, I feel it’s going to change. The tide is turning. And oh, re-build it and rearrange. Before we go under”. Then, some fantastic keyboards, bass and electric keyboards. The drums stand out on this track more. stary night piano and spacey keyboards. Just amazing. Then, cutting and chopping, cool laser-like guitar solos sparking everywhere.
“Nothing Lasts Forever”, opens with cool, soft electric and acoustic guitar chords. Alex Winter sings, “I never wanted it all. I only wanted to stay. And if we never get closer. I’ll watch you walk away. It still feels kinda familiar. Like we’re walking on ice. And if we never get started. I’ll gladly pay the price. ‘Cos I know that something always has to give. And I feel it should be easier to live. But nothing lasts forever”. Leigh Perkins plays cool whistles on a short instrumental section. He also sings backing vocals. Alex Winter continues, “I thought we might have a future. Maybe a little naïve. And if we never get closer. I’ll watch you walk away”. So sad.
“The Light. Hole In The Sky”, finally brings some brighter light to the lyrics, but they are fleeting. Alex Winter sings, “The morning brings me clarity. It was never going to work for us, not until things improve for everybody. They are determined to ruin Sarah’s life as well as mine. I can’t let that happen to her. I will meet with my brothers, and we can march for better treatment. For a better life”. Then, he sings, “They always say that ‘Things are gonna change’. But all I see are things they rearrange. Put on another page. A lifetime of dreaming, a million bad decisions. Making me all that I can be”.
Noise from a pub surrounding atmosphere, opens, “Hole In The Sky”. Winter sings, “I’m falling down alone again. Never what I planned. And even now I can’t pretend. Never understand. I tried to change what still remains. The things we see and do. I tried to change the life I always knew. I realize I’m out of time. I never made it through. Realize the lies we’re taught are true”. He closes the song on a somewhat positive note. “But even now, I still remember. And even now, I dare to dream. And is it better to surrender. Than be left here in-between? ‘Til I fell through a hole in the sky And in the end, we know it’s never really about us. We fool ourselves believing that we matter at all. We live our lives, never giving them a reason to doubt us. We live our lives believing that we walk when we crawl. So I fell through a hole in the sky. ‘Til I fell through a hole”. The bell returns to make its final toll.
It’s early fall, but this album sounds like deep winter. This is, after all, a Winter Machine. If you are a fan of early Marillion, IQ, Pallas, or Arena, this album is for you. Overall, I like the album as an English version of maybe Bruce Springsteen’s Darkness on the Edge of Town, or Nebraska, if they were set in Neo Prog. The lyrics are laser – focused on depression and sadness, but the music is very good and in line with early albums of the bands I just mentioned, above. Give it a listen and hear for yourself.
Track List:
1.The River (1 & 2)
2. Solitude, Silence And Steam
3. Final Goodbye?
4. Change
5. Nothing Lasts Forever
6. Reflections
7. The Light
8. Hole In The Sky
The Clockwork Man, was recorded at Eiger Studios in Leeds, and Vibrations Studios, in Huddersfield. The album was engineered by Dom Richmond. It was mixed and produced by Adrian Fisher. The album was mastered by Pete Maher. The incredible album cover art was created by my favorite album artist, Ed Unitsky. The CD layout and design was completed by Wendy Avery-Stucky.
Website and Social Media:
https://thiswintermachine.net/home
https://www.facebook.com/thiswintermachine/
https://thiswintermachine.bandcamp.com/
https://music.apple.com/us/artist/this-winter-machine/1191180650
You Tube and Music Videos:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCtsRyQdedb5MGC9qpzFdS7Q/featured